New York state will ban hydraulic fracturing after a long-awaited report concluded that the oil and gas extraction method poses health risks, Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration said on Wednesday.

New York Environmental Commissioner Joseph Martens said at a cabinet meeting he will issue an order early next year banning fracking, which has been under a moratorium since 2008. Once that happens, New York will join Vermont as the only states to completely prohibit fracking.

The decision ends what has been a fierce debate in New York over the benefits and pitfalls of fracking, a process that involves pumping water, sand and chemicals into a well to extract oil or gas. Many in the state saw gas drilling as a key economic resource while others argued it was too dangerous.

The state’s health commissioner, Howard Zucker, said there is not enough scientific information to conclude that fracking is safe.

“The potential risks are too great, in fact not even fully known, and relying on the limited data presently available would be negligent on my part,” Zucker said.

New York sits atop a portion of the Marcellus shale, one of the largest natural gas deposits in the United States. The ruling is a blow for energy companies that had been waiting for years to tap the thousands of acres of land they have leased there.

The oil and gas industry immediately slammed Cuomo for the decision. Karen Moreau, the executive director of the New York State Petroleum Council, called it a reckless move that would deprive the state of thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.

“We are resolved to continue to fight for these benefits in New York,” she said.

Environmental groups, meanwhile, hailed Cuomo as a national leader on the issue.

“We hope that this determined leadership Governor Cuomo has displayed will give courage to elected leaders throughout the country and world,” said Deborah Goldberg, an attorney with the group Earthjustice.

Cuomo, answering questions from journalists, said the decision on whether to allow this kind of drilling in New York was ultimately up to Martens. He said it was “probably the most emotionally charged issue I have ever experienced,” more than gay marriage, gun control or the death penalty.

RIGZONE

9 Comments on "New York Bans Fracking After Health Report"

BillC on Wed, 17th Dec 2014 7:20 pm 



I admire Mr. Cuomo for standing his ground. I seek more information on this subject to sway me one way or the other. This article offers no such helpful information. I think Cuomo is making a big mistake and the whole state will suffer due to his misguided ways.

BillC on Wed, 17th Dec 2014 8:04 pm 



The headline is “Health Report” but there is no mention of the Health Report beyond that.

Makati1 on Wed, 17th Dec 2014 10:01 pm 



FYI: America’s report card in facts, not fictions.

http://www.firstrebuttal.com/2014/12/16/neoconica-fatherland-for-the-new-millennium/

Prove him wrong with facts not MSM Iron Curtain fiction.

Davy on Thu, 18th Dec 2014 6:18 am 



What’s new Mak, you act like we don’t talk about the diminishment of the American century enough. America is fully hijacked and in decline. Were you smell like cat piss is your failure to see that this path is the same path of the rest of BAU. With this macro BAU descent all participants that are vital nodes are toast.

You want so desperately to have the US a loser to vindicate your hatred and unhappy divorce with your motherland. You are a sick individual Mak. Instead of looking for the truth you seek your agenda. This situation is not about agendas. We are well aware of the end of America as we know it. The end of freedom, liberty and the constitution. The sins of the America are in a class of their own but the rest of the world has a tird in its shorts so should watch throwing rocks. Nothing smells worse than hypocrisy except outright lies. This situation is about how are each and every one of us going to survive this descent without the milk of globalism. Our locals are going to be naked and exposed.

You yourself are in a very bad place being in Asia with massive and obscene carrying capacity overshoot in a state of still rising consumption and population growth. This Asian situation is the worst of all worlds. The bottleneck is most likely to occur there based on science and thermodynamic realities of food and space.

rockman on Thu, 18th Dec 2014 6:39 am 



I find it curious about how much concern the gov has for the health of the folks in NY and apparently little or no concern for the health of folks in PA. Oddly the support that the gov has made for increasing pipeline capacity from PA to NY consumers to transport even more NG from PA frac’d wells frac’d has seemed to have alluded the state’s MSM. Really: see how many articles you can find coming out of NY that describes how much of the NG is coming from PA. Or, for that matter, how much motor fuel is being shipped in from Canada that has been cracked from Eagle Ford frac’d wells.

To be consistent in holding the moral high ground shouldn’t the gov ban the import of NG from any and all frac’d wells? After all, the gov can ban large containers of soda and guns so he could just as easily ban NG from frac’d wells in other states. Otherwise couldn’t the gov be criticized for risking the health of the folks in PA just so his constituents can get cheaper energy?

Davy on Thu, 18th Dec 2014 6:51 am 



Rock, excellent point and it points to hypocrisy and the desire for something for nothing. The US MSM is a snake eating its tail in a hilarious show of comedy much like Baghdad Bob during Iraq II.

Kenz300 on Thu, 18th Dec 2014 8:49 am 



We all need clean water to survive……

Mark Ziegler on Thu, 18th Dec 2014 8:57 am 



Good job! Make them fix all the roads they trashed and wipe their feet before they show up crying about this and that.

kuidaskassikaeb on Thu, 18th Dec 2014 11:32 am 



We win ha ha.

At my most cynical I think this is because there are no sweet spots in New York so it’s really cost free for Cuomo.

But the local cost of fracking is only one of the costs that isn’t priced into gas.