Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration has decided to prevent all fracking in New York state, citing unresolved health issues, and reportedly dubious economic benefits of gas-drilling method.
Environmental Commissioner Joe Martens recommended the ban on Wednesday and Cuomo said that he would defer to Martens and Acting Health Commissioner Howard Zucker in making the decision.
The decision will likely boost the morale of fracking opponents nation wide who have previously only been successful in banning the drilling method on the local level. Representatives of the fracking industry expressed disappointment but have not paid much public attention to New York’s fracking potential.
The gas drilling boom in the Marcellus shale, which underlies southern New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, was made possible by advancements in fracking, or hi-volume hydraulic fracturing, a process that releases gas from rock by injecting chemically laced water into the ground at high pressures.
Fracking has been responsible for reduced energy bills and reduced fuel imports, although its abundance brought upon environmental protests over air and water pollution, earthquakes, property devaluation, and health impacts.
New York has had a ban on shale gas development since 2008 when the review began.
