The recent Environmental Protection Agency's public hearing in Binghamton on hydraulic fracturing was full of drama, with those from both sides of the debate expressing their opinions.
This issue of gas drilling has generated a lot of controversy in this region, not just about whether hydraulic fracturing should be allowed, but also about whether people should be allowed to express their views to various government officials.
In Otsego County, a special meeting was held in July to allow the Board of Representatives to hear public comments related to drilling. It was convened after an overflow crowd showed up at a meeting earlier in the month.
Earlier this month, about 350 people, according to organizers, rallied in Delhi to protest proposed gas drilling in the area. It was held to coincide with a meeting of the Delaware County Board of Supervisors. The meeting was abruptly canceled because of lack of items on the agenda, according to Chairman James Eisel, and had nothing to do with dread of a protest. That sounded suspicious to the protesters, and frankly, to us, too.
"We were offended that the supervisors had refused to hear views contrary to their own," Franklin resident Gene Marner said in explaining the protest.
The EPA's two-day hearing was the last of four on hydraulic fracturing. The earlier hearings in Texas, Colorado and Pennsylvania attracted 1,200 participants, according to the agency. The hearing in Binghamton, originally scheduled for August, was postponed, and there was an attempt to move it to Syracuse at one point, frustrating gas drilling protesters and advocates alike. Those who wished to speak at the hearing had to register ahead of time and were given only two minutes to make their points.
More than 600 people came to the first of four sessions for the Binghamton hearing. That so many were willing to attend this event, with speakers sometimes waiting for hours before their turn, argues that these people were strongly motivated.
We don't know how the EPA will apply the information it gleans from the hearing, but if nothing else, the hearing gave the agency a better understanding of how significant this issue is to our area.
But more important, it gave the hundreds of people who participated a forum in which to be heard on the subject of gas drilling. It may have given them the sense that someone was listening to their concerns and that what they said mattered.
We commend the EPA for finding a suitable site in Binghamton in which to hold the hearing, and we look forward to seeing the agency's findings after its study of hydraulic fracturing is complete.
Opinion
Hearings on drilling important
- Opinion
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In Memoriam
This message appears each Memorial Day weekend in The Daily Star.
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Letters to the Editor: May 26, 2012
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Letters to the Editor: May 25, 2012
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Facebook’s fizzle was no surprise
Facebook’s IPO last week was supposed to be a moment of triumph for the social network, but the event quickly devolved into an ugly tale of duplicity, hubris and greed, as the stock lost 18 percent of its value in the first two days of trading.
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Letters to the Editor: May 24, 2012
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Heegan must show vision for Chamber
In selecting Barbara Ann Heegan as its executive director last week, the Otsego County Chamber would seem to have chosen a safe rather than a bold path for its immediate future.
- Wednesday, May 23, 2012
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Letters to the Editor: May 23, 2012
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Can't have a third party without a candidate
What if they gave a party ... and nobody came?
- Tuesday, May 22, 2012
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Cheers
To Bike to Work Day, Cooperstown Quiz Team, Arts Field Day, the SUNY Delhi Centennial.
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Letters to the Editor: May 22, 2012
- Monday, May 21, 2012
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Letters to the Editor: May 21, 2012
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The world does move
To look at a newspaper from 1912, 1937, 1962 or 1987, it can seem as though positively everything has changed.
- Saturday, May 19, 2012
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Letters to the Editor: May 19, 2012
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Graduates, take acquired skills, set sail on job voyage
This weekend, many colleges and universities -- including SUNY Delhi and SUNY Oneonta -- will bestow degrees of various levels and types upon their students.
- Friday, May 18, 2012
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Letters to the Editor: May 18, 2012
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'Whale' failure shows how little has changed
One positive development resulting from JPMorgan's recent $2 billion trading blunder is increased scrutiny of the regulations put in place since 2008 to prevent a repeat of that year's financial collapse.
- Thursday, May 17, 2012
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Taxes spoke louder than sentiment in voting
It has become a virtually immutable fact of modern-day industry and politics. Given the choice between financial interest and sentiment, money always wins.
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Letters to the Editor: May 17, 2012
- Wednesday, May 16, 2012
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Letters to the Editor: May 16, 2012
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Gas companies need to play nice with residents
"You need to assure me that you are going to talk to the towns." This was Rep. Chris Gibson's plea to the gas companies that are seeking to lay natural gas pipelines through the local area.
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In Memoriam
