And let me now take a moment to talk about an issue that I know that is very, very important to the people in the Binghamton area.
And that is, I want to applaud you for standing up to Governor Cuomo and demanding that New York State ban fracking.
[Applause]
What you have done is prove to the world that when people stand up and form a grassroots movement
of environmentalists, public health advocates, farmers, working families, and religious leaders
there is nothing that we cannot accomplish.
[Applause]
What may have been considered unrealistic or pie-in-the-sky just a few years ago
has now been achieved in New York because you made it happen.
[Applause]
And that is how real change always occur, when people stand up and fight back.
[Applause]
In 2012 I was very proud that my state of Vermont became the first state in the nation to ban fracking.
[Applause]
Last year, Maryland imposed a moratorium on fracking until 2017,
and cities and towns across the nation are doing the same.
Progress is being made, but much more needs to be done.
I don't have to explain to anyone here that the growing body of evidence
tells us that fracking is a danger to our water supply, our most precious resource.
[Applause]
It is a danger to the air we breathe, and can cause lung cancer.
It has resulted in more earthquakes. It is highly explosive. And it is contributing to climate change.
[Applause]
And on this issue of fracking, Secretary Clinton and I have some very strong differences of opinion.
In my view, if we are serious about safe and clean drinking water,
if we are serious about clean air, if we are serious about protecting the health of our children and our families,
if we are serious about combating climate change, we need to put an end to fracking
not only in New York and Vermont, but all over this country.
[Applause]
The toxic chemicals used in fracking are known to cause cancer and birth defects.
Both the EPA and the National Academy of Sciences have shown clear evidence
that hydraulic fracturing can lead to a contaminated water supply.
We cannot - we must not - allow our children to be poisoned by toxic drinking water
just so that a handful of fossil fuel companies can make even more profits.
[Applause]
There is simply no good way to contain the cocktail of toxic chemicals pumped into the ground.
The threat it poses to our families is too great.
Moreover - moreover - the threat of methane emissions from fracking presents
a profound danger to our climate. Methane traps more than 84 times the heat
of carbon dioxide. While natural gas may burn cleaner than coal,
the enormous explosion of fracking and the resulting release of methane
presents a significant danger to our planet.
[Applause]
Secretary Clinton's role in fracking when she was Secretary of State is not a good record.
Secretary Clinton and her State Department worked to export fracking throughout the world
to reward companies like Chevron, Halliburton, Exxon-Mobil, and ConocoPhillips.
In my view, that is unacceptable.
Bottom line is, if we are serious about addressing the crises if climate change,
if we are serious about addressing the crises of clean water,
which is going to be a greater and greater crises in years to come,
we need bold action. We need bold leadership.
[Applause]