New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration is delaying a decision on fracking to study its effects on health.
The state in 2010 stopped gas drilling by the method called hydraulic fracturing so regulators could conduct an environmental review and develop rules. Cuomo this year said he expected a decision by the environmental conservation department by about September.
This week, department Commissioner Joseph Martens said health Commissioner Nirav Shah will analyze the practice. Environmental groups pressed the state to use outside analysts for such a review, an idea that Martens said he rejected because they would probably be biased.
“I want to make sure that we have done the most thorough review possible, especially when it comes to public health concerns,” Martens said. “In addition, I want to ensure that the department has the most legally defensible review so that when the department issues its final determination on this matter, protracted litigation is avoided.”
Cuomo, a Democrat, has been under pressure from energy companies and some localities to allow drilling to encourage the type of economic development seen in states from Wyoming to Pennsylvania to Ohio.
The state doesn’t have much longer to decide. It must rule by the end of November or risk reopening the public-comment period by requesting an extension, according to Tom West, an industry lobbyist in Albany, N.Y.
“I’m sure they don’t want to do that,” West said.
About 80,000 messages were sent to the conservation department during the last public comment period as environmental groups staged protests.
Fracking, in which millions of gallons of chemically treated water and sand are forced underground to break up shale rock and free trapped gas, has been blamed for damaging water sources. The federal EPA is studying effects on drinking water.