New York will Ban Fracking due to Health Risks

New York state governor, Andrew Cuomo will make moves to ban hydraulic fracturing after a health report revealed several risks involved with this oil and gas extraction method. The decision came during a Cabinet meeting in Albany.

Cuomo will defer to Joseph Martens, the state's Environmental Commissioner and Howard Zucker, the state's Acting Health Commissioner on the decision. Martens stated the he will issue an order to completely prohibit fracking after the Department of Environmental Conservation puts out its final environmental impact statement.

"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 according to Reuters.

If the ban is enforced, New York will become the second state after Vermont to prohibit fracking, a process that uses high pressures to pump water, sand and chemicals deep into the ground in order extract oil and natural gas from rock formations.

Over the past few years, there have been many debates regarding the pros and cons of fracking. Proponents of the method argued that fracking would provide a key economic resource for the state whereas opponents believed that the technique was too dangerous. Even though the long awaited health report found health risks, several energy companies have spoken out against the state's decision.

"We are very disappointed that it appears the governor is unwilling to be a leader and is going to pass the buck at the expense of New Yorkers," said Jack Gerard, president of the American Petroleum Institute, reported by the Associated Press. "This technology has been used for over 65 years in the United States. It's been demonstrated repeatedly after drilling millions of wells that we're able to do it while protecting the environment and protecting the people."

The executive director of the New York State Petroleum Council, Karen Moreau, stated that this decision takes away thousands of jobs from the state. Moreau added that the ban would deprive the state of hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.

Environmental groups, on the other hand, have praised Cuomo.

"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.

The health report can be accessed here.