ALBANY, New York—The New York State Assembly on Monday passed a one-year moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, a method of natural gas drilling already under a temporary ban in the state due to concerns that it might pollute drinking water.
The moratorium on new drilling permits would run through June 1, 2012, replacing the current ban set to expire later this summer, when state environmental officials are expected to release a report on potential hazards of “hydrofracking.”
The measure must also pass the Republican-controlled state Senate to become law.
Opponents say fracking, which involves blasting millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals into rock to release the gas trapped inside, pollutes water and air.
Industry officials say opponents have exaggerated the environmental impact, while economic benefits to the state would be significant. New York is home to a large piece of the Marcellus Shale, a massive formation believed to be one of the richest natural gas deposits on the planet.
An industry spokesman said the proposed moratorium could eliminate up to 4,500 jobs on vertical hydrofracking, which is allowed. The current ban affects horizontal drilling.
“The state has had three years to put the report together, and we think that’s sufficient time to get it right,” Jim Smith of the Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York said.
Backers of the moratorium warned against rushing to issue new drilling permits.
“Prudent leadership demands that we take our time to address all these concerns. The natural gas within the Marcellus Shale isn’t going to go anywhere,” said Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Democrat.
A similar bill passed both houses of the legislature last year but was vetoed by then-Governor David Paterson because it would have suspended other types of drilling. Paterson instead issued an executive order specifically suspending high-volume, horizontal hydrofracking until the state Department of Environmental Conservation could complete a study of the practice.
Since then, Republicans have regained control of the Senate, putting the current proposal’s future in doubt. A Senate spokesman was not immediately available for comment. But opponents of fracking could have a powerful ally in popular Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo.
(Editing by Daniel Trotta and David Gregorio)
About This Story
Perhaps you noticed: This story, like all the news we publish, is free to read. That’s because Inside Climate News is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. We do not charge a subscription fee, lock our news behind a paywall, or clutter our website with ads. We make our news on climate and the environment freely available to you and anyone who wants it.
That’s not all. We also share our news for free with scores of other media organizations around the country. Many of them can’t afford to do environmental journalism of their own. We’ve built bureaus from coast to coast to report local stories, collaborate with local newsrooms and co-publish articles so that this vital work is shared as widely as possible.
Two of us launched ICN in 2007. Six years later we earned a Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting, and now we run the oldest and largest dedicated climate newsroom in the nation. We tell the story in all its complexity. We hold polluters accountable. We expose environmental injustice. We debunk misinformation. We scrutinize solutions and inspire action.
Donations from readers like you fund every aspect of what we do. If you don’t already, will you support our ongoing work, our reporting on the biggest crisis facing our planet, and help us reach even more readers in more places?
Please take a moment to make a tax-deductible donation. Every one of them makes a difference.
Thank you,
