Can towns ban fracking? NY’s highest court to hear arguments today

Joseph Spector

New York’s Court of Appeals today is set to hear arguments today on whether municipalities can ban hydraulic fracturing to drill for natural gas.

frackingphotoThe state’s highest court will hear arguments this afternoon in two cases, one involving the Town of Dryden, Tompkins County. A appellate court in May 2013 unanimously ruled that local governments can ban fracking within their borders.

The natural-gas industry and landowners have sought to have the bans overturned as New York has had a de facto moratorium on drilling since 2008. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has not yet decided whether to proceed with the controversial drilling technique, particularly in the gas-rich Marcellus Shale in the Southern Tier.

http://polhudson.lohudblogs.com/2014/06/03/can-towns-ban-fracking-nys-highest-court-hear-arguments-today/