OWEGO, N.Y. -- The oil and natural gas industry told the public Tuesday they're safe and highly regulated. But some locals weren't buying.
"This isn't the only side of the story. For the poor people that are only hearing this side, they're missing the other side," said Ann Ellis, an Apalachin resident.
The oil and gas industry has been fighting a mixed image since they started drilling in the Southern Tier. Tuesday's public meeting was an attempt to win over some of the skeptics.
"There's been a lot of information in the community. There's been a lot of good information, but there's also been some information that's also not quite accurate," said Brad Gill, Executive Director of the Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York, a trade group.
The Oil and Natural Gas Industry got a chance to speak to the public Tuesday. At a forum in Owego, executives and lawyers told people that their highly-regulated industry will take all the necessary precautions and act with integrity. Our Neil St. Clair explains.
Industry executives are hoping to harvest potentially vast resources from the Marcellus Shale region. There could be a profit windfall, but first they have to address some surprising health and environmental concerns.
"As an industry we maybe didn't expect it [the concerns]. But in hindsight, we certainly understand it," added Gill.
The issue of oil and natural gas drilling is one that simply won't go away. There are some obvious pros and then again, some obvious cons. If nothing else, these meetings have helped clear the minds for some of the population.
“Like anything else, as soon as a rumor gets started, it catches on like wildfire and people blow it out of proportion. You're going to have an occasional problem, but for the most part, they're fine," said John Seymour, an Owego resident.
Some of these rumors may be set aside after New York's Department of Environmental Conservation moves forward with a final environmental impact analysis.
For now, the industry is happy to stand on its record.
"We do this every day and the industry has an excellent environmental and safety record. And we appreciate being able to be here and share this with people," said Gill.
The Binghamton Regional Sustainability Center, an environmental group against drilling, will hold an opposing event on October 29th.