On the same morning that correspondence arrived from PXP executive John Martini, organizer Tom Camarella said that the planned Saturday, Aug. 4, symposium bringing together pro- and anti-fracking interests, is in limbo.
Its fate is uncertain going into tonight’s 7 o’clock City Council meeting. Members originally were scheduled to decide whether to grant Mr. Camarella’s request to use Council Chambers as the venue for the symposium. Now it is unclear what they will do, if anything.
The dynamics of the imperiled event were dramatically altered – if not ruined – on Friday morning. Mr. Martini, Manager of Environment, Health & Safety and Government Affairs for the Plains Exploration & Production Co., said PXP was declining Mr. Camarella’s invitation to participate as the Other Side.
The Location of Limbo
Demurring at the notion the symposium is off or on, Mr. Camarella said this morning, “It is in between. I have no idea what the Council is going to do. Obviously, we will find out around 8 o’clock this evening.”
Will he remain with Plan A and ask the Council to use Chambers for a week from Saturday morning?
“I wasn’t going to,” he said. “Here is the situation:
“Because PXP pulled out, because the Council wanted to be as fair as possible, because I did everything I could to get PXP to be part of the symposium, now the situation is, either I individually meet with each Council person or we do something that I think would be more efficient, more cost-effective for the cit, to give the symposium to all of them together. I will do either. It certainly makes sense to do it all together.
“It’s up to the Council as to what they want to do. At this moment, the symposium definitely is in limbo.
“As far as I am concerned, there are many things the Council can do. The Council made an ad hoc committee to review the City Charter and to give them that report. They could do that with this. No reason they couldn’t do that. There are lots of ways the Council could do it.”
Last heard from on Friday, the four City Council members polled – the only ones who will be present tonight – seemed to divide 2 to 2 on whether to accede to Mr. Camarella’s request.
Or there may not be a vote.
