Broome Fracking Rallies Held As Obama Visits

People on both sides of the fracking controversy gathered in Broome County to express their views as President Barack Obama brought his bus tour to the Binghamton area.

On the Binghamton University campus, hundreds of activists opposed to high-volume hydraulic fracturing held a rally under tight security.

Several leaders of the anti-fracking movement, including environmentalist Sandra Steingraber, spoke during the event.

Some who attended the rally held signs critical of the president, including one that featured pictures of Obama next to former Vice President Dick Cheney, in an effort to equate their views on natural gas drilling.

The Joint Landowners Coalition of New York held a rally and picnic for people who want Governor Andrew Cuomo to approve fracking. That gathering was at Otsiningo Park in the town of Dickinson, adjacent to Interstate 81.