It happened. Around midnight last night, the New York State Senate said “no fracking way” to risky natural gas drilling in our state.
Over two thirds of our Senators, including 28 Democrats and 20 Republicans, voted to pass a bill placing a one-year moratorium on “hydro-fracking” — banning this controversial method of gas drilling while experts study the risks it poses to the purity and safety of our drinking water. These leaders bravely defied the threats of the drilling lobby and stood up for the health of all New Yorkers. They genuinely deserve our thanks.
This wouldn’t have happened without you.
I know you may hear that a lot, but in this case it’s absolutely true. Three weeks ago everyone thought a hydrofracking ban was dead. Albany was caught up in budget battles, and then the State Senate went home for the year. But activists and concerned New Yorkers kept pushing, and we showed our leaders just how much this issue matters to us.
In Albany, singer Pete Seeger and actor Mark Ruffalo joined Frack Action and other leading environmental groups to urge the Senate to come back and pass the moratorium. Over 23,000 Working Families supporters signed a petition sending this same message, and we delivered it to every Senator’s office.
Then, in the final days before the vote, we flooded the Senate leadership with calls. For over 24 hours, Majority Conference Leader John Sampson’s phones were ringing off the hook. And he listened: He brought the drilling moratorium bill up for a vote, and it passed by a huge margin.
What happens now? According to the Mid-Hudson News Network, “the State Assembly is expected to take up the bill in September.” If the Assembly also passes it and the Governor signs it, the drilling moratorium will be law.
There’s still much more we need to do to keep our water safe — but this is a major step forward. With your help, we can keep fighting until we make sure that unsafe drilling practices won’t threaten a single New Yorker’s drinking water.
If you’re happy with what we’ve been able to accomplish so far, can you chip in $20 to help us keep up the fight?Just go here:
https://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/1306/t/4418/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=3999
Thank you again for your incredible efforts. It’s truly amazing to see grassroots action bringing about real change that improves our lives, and all of us on the Working Families Party staff are awed by your work on this campaign.
Sincerely,
Dan Cantor
WFP Executive Director
