Fracking ban recommended for New York State
Opponents of hydrofracking got an early holiday present as the acting commissioner of the State Department of Health recommended on Wednesday, December 17, based on a survey of the impact of hydrofracking on public health, that the state not allow the controversial practice upstate.
Based on the review made by acting DOH Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker, the commissioner of the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Joe Martens subsequently announced that he would issue a findings statement in early 2015 to prohibit high-volume hydraulic fracturing, a decision that Riverkeeper applauded as “a victory for New York’s water and public health.”
Citing “risks to public health which as of yet are unanswered,” Zucker said, “I think it would be reckless to proceed in New York until more authoritative research is done. I asked myself, ‘would I let my family live in a community with fracking?’ The answer is no. I therefore cannot recommend anyone else’s family to live in such a community either.”