BIG NEWS! Albany Press Conference with Mark Ruffalo and Pete Seeger

Mark Ruffalo and Pete Seeger Call on NYS Legislature to Pass Fracking Moratorium
Groups Urge Albany to Put Partisan Politics Aside and Save Our Drinking Water NOW

Tuesday June 20, 11 am
Capitol building, Albany
Senate Chambers Hallway
PHOTO OPPORTUNITY
Live streaming of event online: http://www.livestream.com/NYSenate_Enviroment

Actor Mark Ruffalo (“The Kids Are Alright”, “Shutter Island”) and folk music icon Pete Seeger will join public health and environmental advocates in Albany on Tuesday to call on the New York State Legislature to put politics aside and enact a year-long moratorium on hydraulic fracturing (S8129B/A11443B) .

Speakers will highlight the urgency of this issue as the last chance for Albany to act before the Department of Environmental Conservation begins issuing permits as early as August; the legislation remains stalled in the Senate Rules Committee.

Ruffalo, a resident of Sullivan County, will call on officials to take the issue seriously and protect New Yorkers who may be vulnerable to industry claims. “I’ve met people from Pennsylvania who are dealing with the consequences of fracking. They trusted the natural gas industry when they said this technology was safe, and clean, and a secure investment for the community. And now many families can’t drink their water, their kids are getting sick, and their homes have dropped in value. That’s why we need our lawmakers to do their job and protect the citizens of New York before it’s too late.”

Pete Seeger lent his support to the movement to protect New York’s water saying,
“Geologists tell us once poison gets into the ground, sooner or later it gets into the water. Whether it takes 100 years or 1,000 years, that is something that should not be done.”

Julia Walsh, Project Director of Frack Action, will highlight the magnitude of the issue within New York State. “With the gas industry touting the potential of drilling over 81,000 wells in New York alone and the DEC ready to issue permits, it is critical for the state legislature to pass the moratorium before session ends this coming week.”

Other speakers will include:
Allan Shope, President of Board of Directors, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater
Martha Robertson, Tompkins County Executive
Susan Zimet, Ulster County Legislator
Wayne Bayer, PEF/ENCON. Div 169, NYS Public Employees Federation AFL-CIO

Media Contact: Claire Sandberg: 646-641-6431 c.sandberg@frackaction.com

Go here for Event page with directions.