Cuomo Administration Takes Next Step in Making Fracking Ban Official

NEW YORK, NY (May 13, 2015)—Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Department of Environmental Conservation today took the next step toward making the state’s fracking ban official, releasing its final environmental impact review of the proposed heavy industrial activity in New York.

This review follows a December announcement the administration would not allow the practice to move forward in the state. Next, DEC is expected to issue a so-called Findings Statement—a document that will demonstrate that the agency has conducted all of the necessary steps to finalize the ban and make it law.

A statement from Kate Sinding, Director of the Community Fracking Defense Project at the Natural Resources Defense Council, follows:

“This report appears to solidly backup the governor’s decision to ban fracking in New York. New Yorkers have valid concerns about the threats fracking would pose to the air we breathe, the water we drink and the communities we live in. In the coming days, we will be digging through this lengthy analysis with a fine tooth comb. The governor has rightfully let science and the will of the people be his guide, despite pressure from a powerful industry. He should continue to proudly stand his ground.”