PoliticsNew Yorknatural gasmethane

Anti-Fracking Groups Greet Obama On New York Tour

New York Enviros To Obama: No Fracking Way!
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Senior national editor, HuffPost

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US President Barack Obama speaks on education at University of Buffalo, the State University of New York, on August 22, 2013 in Buffalo, New York. Obama is on a two-day bus tour through New York and Pennsylvania to discuss his plan to make college more affordable, tackle rising costs, and improve value for students and their families. AFP Photo/Jewel Samad (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)

Anti-fracking activists confronted President Barack Obama as he toured upstate New York on Friday. Organizers reported that more than 500 protesters showed up to Obama's town hall event at Binghamton University, where the president was speaking on education.

"I think the key message we wanted to get across through the whole tour was that New Yorkers don't want this," said Alex Beauchamp, Northeast regional director at the environmental group Food and Water Watch, which coordinated the protests along with the coalition New Yorkers Against Fracking. "There's massive public opposition to fracking. "

New Yorkers Against Fracking took out a full-page ad in the Binghamton Press & Sun on Friday with the headline "President Obama: Stop covering up the science on fracking!" (Scroll down to see the ad.)

The ad argues that fracking -- the process used to extract natural gas from shale -- "can’t be done safely," "poisons water and people," and "spells disaster for the climate." The ad specifically cites news reports that the EPA hid test results that showed methane and arsenic pollution in some drinking water wells in the area around Dimock, Penn., where fracking took place. The EPA presentation, which the environmental blog DeSmogBlog released earlier this month, stated that methane and other gases released in the fracking process "apparently cause significant damage to the water quality."

More than a 100 anti-fracking activists also showed up in force at Obama's tour stops in both Buffalo and Syracuse on Thursday. Upstate New York is ground zero for the debate over fracking in the U.S. The state imposed a temporary moratorium on fracking in 2008, and has been waiting for additional studies from state and health agencies before deciding whether to let this type of gas extraction proceed.

President Obama referred to natural gas as a "transitional fuel" in his remarks in Binghamton on Friday afternoon.

See the New Yorkers Against Fracking ad here:

New Yorkers Against Fracking Obama ad (Text)

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Before You Go

Least Environmental Senators
2012 LCV Scorecard: Lowest Scores In The Senate(01 of18)
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The following 17 senators all scored under 10 in the League of Conservation Voters' 2012 National Environmental Scorecard.The senators' scores are based on 14 votes on bills related to offshore drilling, Gulf restoration, oil subsidies, power plant air pollution and other environmental topics.While over a dozen senators received fewer than 10 points, 37 senators received over 90 points on LCV's 100-point scale.(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
David Vitter (R-La.)(02 of18)
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2012 Score (out of 100 points): 7(Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Jim Risch (R-Idaho)(03 of18)
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2012 Score (out of 100 points): 7(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)(04 of18)
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2012 Score (out of 100 points): 7(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (credit:AP)
Mike Lee (R-Utah)(05 of18)
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2012 Score (out of 100 points): 7(AP Photo/Steve C. Wilson, File) (credit:AP)
Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) [Retired Jan. 2013](06 of18)
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2012 Score (out of 100 points): 7(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Dean Heller (R-Nev.)(07 of18)
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2012 Score (out of 100 points): 7(AP Photo/Scott Sady) (credit:AP)
Orrin Hatch (R-Utah)(08 of18)
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2012 Score (out of 100 points): 7(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.)(09 of18)
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2012 Score (out of 100 points): 7(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (credit:AP)
Jim Demint (R-S.C.) [Resigned Jan. 2013](10 of18)
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2012 Score (out of 100 points): 7(MANDEL NGAN/AFP/GettyImages) (credit:Getty Images)
Bob Corker (R-Tenn.)(11 of18)
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2012 Score (out of 100 points): 7(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Tom Coburn (R-Okla.)(12 of18)
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2012 Score (out of 100 points): 7(AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File) (credit:AP)
John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) (13 of18)
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2012 Score (out of 100 points): 7(Photo by Pete Marovich/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Pat Toomey (R-Pa.)(14 of18)
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2012 Score (out of 100 points): 0(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Rand Paul (R-Ky.)(15 of18)
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2012 Score (out of 100 points): 0(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) (credit:AP)
John McCain (R-Ariz.)(16 of18)
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2012 Score (out of 100 points): 0(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Ron Johnson (R-Wis.)(17 of18)
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2012 Score (out of 100 points): 0(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Dan Coats (R-Ind.)(18 of18)
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2012 Score (out of 100 points): 0(AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (credit:AP)
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