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December 18, 2014

New York State to Ban Fracking over Health Concerns 
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New York State is banning the oil and gas drilling process known as
fracking, citing potential risks to public health. Fracking involves
blasting sand, water and toxic chemicals deep into shale rock to release
oil and gas, a process which can poison water supplies and pollute the
air. Environmentalists have waged a fierce campaign to pressure the
administration of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to render permanent a 2009
moratorium on the practice. Following a two-year study, acting health
commissioner Howard Zucker said fracking was too risky.

Howard Zucker: "The potential risks are too great. In fact, they are not
even fully known. Relying upon the limited data that is presently
available to answer the public health risks would be negligent on my
part. I have identified significant public health risks in the current
data. And until the public health red flags are answered by valid
evidence through longitudinal long-term studies, prospective analysis,
patient surveys with large population pools showing that the risk for
impact on public health are avoidable or sufficiently low, I cannot
support high-volume hydraulic fracturing in the great state of New
York."

New York will be the first state with major gas deposits to ban
fracking. The move will protect reserves in New York's portion of the
Marcellus Shale, a massive underground rock formation which stretches
across multiple states including Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio.

 

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