Watch the debate live online here.
Riverkeeper’s President Paul Gallay will advocate that fracking causes more harm than good at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, November 30, as part of Syracuse University’s Campbell Debates series. He will be joined by Robert Howarth, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Mr. Howarth is the author of last year’s first peer-reviewed scientific study to find that natural gas may do more to aggravate global warming than coal, undermining industry’s oft-touted assertion that shale gas is a “clean fuel.”
Arguing in opposition will be Tim Whitesell, Supervisor of the Town of Binghamton and President of the New York Association of Towns, and Ed Hinchey, Professional Geologist and Principal Partner at ERM Group, an environmental consulting firm. Mr. Whitesell has urged Governor Cuomo to allow fracking in New York, claiming job growth and economic development as potential benefits to Southern Tier communities, including Binghamton. Mr. Hinchey is a member of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, an industry lobbying group advocating for shale gas extraction in the state.
The debate is open to the public, who will be able to comment or ask questions. At the end of the debate, the audience will “vote” on the winner by walking out of one of two doors.
We encourage you to attend the debate and decide for yourself whether fracking causes more harm than good.