New York Governor Keeps Fracking Ban In Place

New York Gov. David Patterson issued an executive order in mid-December that extends a ban on hydraulic fracturing until July 1, 2011 while also vetoing a separate bill banning the technique in the state until its effects can be more thoroughly studied.

In November, the New York State Assembly passed legislation that would have banned any fracking until May 15, 2011. At the same time, legislators suspended the issuance of additional permits for the natural gas drilling method in the state.

In his veto, Governor Patterson appeared to be distinguishing between vertical wells and new “horizontal drilling” techniques. Patterson’s order restricts the number of permits that can be issued for the newer, horizontal drilling process.

Patterson’s move is the latest in a series of state actions in the Northeast that addresses fracking. The Delaware River Basin Commission, which oversees the Delaware River watershed running through New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, drafted regulations that would govern the drilling. Its rules particularly took aim at the disposal of wastewater used in the drilling.

Another continual area of concern in hydraulic fracturing lies in the fact that drillers don’t currently have to detail which chemicals are used to break up the shale holding the natural gas. U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told The New York Times last month that he is considering new rules that would force companies to disclose a list of those chemicals.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency is also conducting a two-year review of fracking and its potential impact on ground water.