Pro-gas interests decry NY inaction on fracking

Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y. — As another year closes with a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing for natural gas in New York and no timetable for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to decide whether to lift it, drilling interests have all but given up on the state for the near future.

Cuomo has said he wants his health and environmental commissioners to take all the time they need to decide whether fracking can be done safely. Dozens of towns have enacted their own moratoriums in case the state does approve fracking.

Industry and landowners hoping to profit from leases are suing in state courts over town bans and the state’s stalled regulations.

But many landowners want Cuomo to ban fracking. Organic dairy farmer Kathie Arnold says the risks of pollution and increased truck traffic outweigh any short-term financial gains.