This week, in Albany two fairly large groups met head-to-head just prior to Governor Cuomo’s State of the State Address. One group was there to show support for natural gas development as the leverage to bring jobs and a prosperous economy back to the New York’s Southern Tier, while the other was bent on deliberately frustrating those efforts. We also attended the rally where we interviewed those opposed to natural gas development.

While these opponents were a very vocal group, it was readily apparent from our investigations that many of them didn’t have a grip on the facts. Keep in mind many people in support of natural gas cannot leave their jobs or farms on a Wednesday to travel to Albany for a protest. Our friends on the opposite side, though, seem to have nothing but time; time to travel, time to protest and time to shout.

Entering the Empire State Plaza Concourse we saw two groups of people holding very different signs. One group, composed mostly of children and young adults, batted drums and chanted about New York being a “sacrifice zone.” The other held signs asking Gov. Cuomo to keep his promise and make a decision based on science, not emotion. This group – the friends of natural gas development – called for an end to the emotional hysteria surrounding this issue. This was perhaps, naive, because all we got was hysteria from the other side.

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