Democracy: It's so expensive. And it really snarls up the morning commute. But thanks to some really enlightened thinking by Binghamton University and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the city of Binghamton won't have to suffer the slings and arrows of civic participation this week: A long-planned meeting scheduled for this Thursday to discuss the risks of hydraulic fracturing, expected to draw thousands of attendees from New York State and beyond, has abruptly been moved 70 miles away.
With just days to go til the meeting -- the last of four held around the country, and the only one in New York State -- the EPA announced today that they're changing the venue from Binghamton University to the Crouse-Hinds Theater in the Oncenter complex in Syracuse.
Pretty much everybody who was planning to go to the meeting is steaming mad, says the Elmira Star-Gazette.
“I think the move to Syracuse reflects that too many people in the Southern Tier are engaged in the issue, and the EPA and BU did not feel they could safely accommodate a hearing there,” said Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter Conservation Associate Roger Downs, who had been negotiating with BU about where to place a rally that was scheduled to be held by a number of environmental groups. “We've invested an enormous amount of time - lining up speakers, lining up bands, investing in buses to bring people in - and that's all lost now."
EPA points an accusatory finger at Binghamton U:
"In July, Binghamton University agreed to host public meetings on EPA's study of hydraulic fracturing. As such, EPA relied on this negotiated agreement and announced that this important public discussion would take place at the Binghamton University campus," said Judith Enck, EPA Regional Administrator, Region 2. "Since that agreement, the University has taken several actions to dissuade EPA from holding the meetings. First, they changed the meeting's location to a room that is not air conditioned - making the location a threat to public safety.
"When we pushed back on this change, they agreed to allow us to use an air-conditioned room, but at a cost to American taxpayers of more than 500 percent higher than the University’s original estimate. We considered this unacceptable. EPA has looked for alternative facilities in the city of Binghamton and was not able to find an appropriate space."
The original event was expected to draw as many as 8,000 people in addition to the 1,200 who registered to speak at the meeting, the Star-Gazette reports. The Crouse-Hinds Theater in Syracuse holds 2,117.
If you were planning to go but can't make it because of the venue change, we'd love to hear from you: Leave a comment or email us at editor@watershedpost.com.
