"8,000 People? E.P.A. Defers Hearing on Fracking"

"After successfully holding hearings around the country on the impact of the natural gas drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing, officials with the federal Environmental Protection Agency ran into a hurdle this week in New York State: and went looking for an acceptable location for a hearing and for the passionate crowds expected to show up for it.

The agency announced on Tuesday that it was canceling an all-day hearing that had been scheduled for Thursday at the OnCenter Complex  Convention Center in Syracuse after Onondaga County officials expressed concern that they had not been given enough time to prepare security in anticipation of rallies and protests at the event."

Mireya Navarro reports for the New York Times' Green blog August 10, 2010.