Environmental groups from around the state are headed to Albany Monday for a rally against hydrofracking, which is a method of extracting natural gas from the ground.
They are calling it the 'crossroads rally,' because they believe the state has a choice of two directions...one of them, these groups believe, will result in a dependency on dangerous fossil fuels, while the other direction is a path to renewable energy, based on solar, wind and water methods of creating power.
One of the organizers from Western New York is Rita Yelda, who says what has come out so far about a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Study on hydrofracking, does not indicate that review will be comprehensive enough.
"There really isn't that transparency and that scientific rigor that the Cuomo administration has insisted that they want for New York State when it comes to whether or not they're going to allow this.”
The groups organizing the rally at the State Capitol say that hydrofracking presents a danger to the environment, potentially causing harm to the air, water and land, while industry groups have said that hydrofracking can be done safely and also provide a boost to the economy.
The rally is expected to draw over two thousand people, including more than 100 from Western New York.