Last week about 125 people gathered in Binghamton to attend a rally hosted by local labor union members. The rally featured several important speakers who articulated the many reasons why natural gas is so essential to the economy of the Southern Tier and the lives of union workers who reside there.

Southern Tier union workers rallied last week in Binghamton to send a message to New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, whose repeated delays in approving natural gas development have frustrated so many. The speakers included not only union workers, but also elected representatives who support their cause. Every person who spoke talked about the need for jobs and income opportunities for upstate New York, but they also addressed the safety of natural gas development, making Cuomo’s choice abundantly clear if he’s truly focused on the needs of the Southern Tier. It’s not about choosing between the environment and energy development, as they see it, but, rather, a matter of allowing for both.

Laborers Local 785 is insisting Governor Cuomo lift the natural gas moratorium. Union representatives opened the meeting by noting how farmers and the business trade workers alike support natural gas development in the Southern Tier. All work hard and need the work locally to keep their dreams of community and individual economic prosperity alive. Marcellus Shale jobs are essential to the revitalization of the area.

http://eidmarcellus.org/marcellus-shale/union-workers-rally-to-supp...