NY Town Sued for Banning 'Frack' Talk at Meetings
Two environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday against an upstate New York town, claiming it violated residents' right to free speech by banning discussion of natural gas drilling at town board meetings.
The town board in Sanford, about 100 miles southwest of Albany in Broome County, passed a resolution in September saying there already had been hours of public comment for and against gas drilling and that no further discussion would be allowed during board meetings, although residents could still submit comments in writing.
"If people are silenced by their own elected representatives, how can they trust them to act in their best interests?" said Natural Resources Defense Council attorney Kate Sinding as her group announced the U.S. District Court lawsuit. NRDC and Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy filed the lawsuit on behalf of town residents who are members of their groups.
Robert Freeman, director of the state's Committee on Open Government, said a public body isn't required to allow the public to speak at meetings. If the town board chooses to permit public participation, it can adopt "reasonable rules" to ensure fairness.
"The fact is that the Open Meetings Law gives the public the right to be there, but says nothing about the right to speak," Freeman said.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/ny-town-sued-banning-frack-talk-meetings-18475396