New York lawmakers took the first step toward a temporary moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in natural-gas drilling Tuesday when the state Senate voted 48 to 9 to impose a ban on issuing Marcellus Shale permits until May 15, 2011. Fracking is required to release gas from the deep, tight formation.
"While the measure cannot become law before the state Assembly passes a similar bill, and that chamber is not expected to take up the issue until September, environmentalists said the vote was significant in that it gave state officials more time to examine safety issues," Mireya Navarro of The New York Times reports on the Green blog. The vote was supported by New York City officials who oppose drilling near the watersheds that supply water to the city.
Brad Gill, executive director for the Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York, told Navarro the moratorium would delay the jobs, tax revenue and other benefits the state would attract with more drilling. "We have companies that want to come to New York, but in this regulatory and legislative climate and instability they’re going to Pennsylvania," he said. "We’re just losing out on this economic opportunity." (Read more)
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