Sharpening the contrast between himself and Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Monday told a crowd of 5,000 New Yorkers that he "applauded" them for "standing up to Governor Cuomo and demanding that New York state ban fracking."

"What you have done is prove to the world that when people stand up and form a grassroots movement of environmentalists, public health advocates, farmers, working families, and religious leaders there is nothing that we cannot accomplish," Sanders declared at a campaign stop in in Binghamton, which is part of the Southern Tier region of New York known as the "fracking belt."

"If we are serious, we need to put an end to fracking not only in New York and Vermont but all over this country," added the Vermont senator.