No Defense: Environment Coalition Denounces EDF Fracking Support

MORE THAN 5 DOZEN CITIZEN, ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS TO SIGNAL EDF DOES NOT SPEAK FOR THEM ON FRACKING

by CivilSocietyInstitute.org

More than 60 leading grassroots and national organizations focused on citizen and environmental issues will send a message Wednesday to the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) disapproving of the group's willingness to be coopted by industry interests on the issue of hydraulic fracturing (or "fracking") for shale gas.

The groups are concerned that the shale gas industry is exploiting its connection with EDF to falsely suggest that local green and other groups are on board with the agenda of the fracking industry. In fact, EDF is largely isolated among grassroots and even national groups in its willingness to cater to the direction of the natural gas industry. In this case, the view of grassroots groups are particularly key since they directly represent the populations that would be hurt the most by fracking in their backyards.

News event speakers will be:

* Gail Pressberg, senior program director, Civil Society Institute;

* Bruce Ferguson, co-founder, Catskills Citizens for Clean Energy; and

* Vivian Stockman, project coordinator, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition.

The full text of the groups' letter to EDF will be available at the time of the news event.

TO PARTICIPATE: You can join this live, phone-based news conference (with full, two-way Q&A) at 1:30 p.m. EDT on May 22, 2013 by dialing 1 (800) 860-2442. Ask for the "Fracking EDF" news event.

CAN'T PARTICIPATE?: A streaming audio replay of the news event will be available on the Web at http://www.civilsocietyinstitute.org as of 5 p.m. EDT on May 22, 2013.

CONTACT: Will Harwood, (703) 276-3255 or wharwood@hastingsgroup.com.

Based in Newton, MA, the nonprofit and nonpartisan Civil Society Institute (http://www.CivilSocietyInstitute.org) is a think tank that serves as a catalyst for change by creating problem-solving interactions among people, and between communities, government and business that can help to improve society. Since 2003, CSI has conducted more than 25 major national and state-level surveys and reports on energy and auto issues, including vehicle fuel-efficiency standards, consumer demand for hybrids/other highly-fuel efficient vehicles, global warming and renewable energy. In collaboration with the Environmental Working Group, the Civil Society Institute has initiated the American Clean Energy Agenda (http://www.americancleanenergyagenda.org/), an effort calling for bold steps to move the United States toward a clean, safe energy future, which has been endorsed by over 110 organizations representing more than 1.7 million Americans.