All eyes have been on Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as he holds the cards related to the state’s fracking potential. While anti-fracking advocates around the state have long lobbied the governor to maintain the only state moratorium against the industry, his recent comments indicate he could be bowing to pressure from big oil — and the president.
In an interview on New York Public Radio’s The Capitol Pressroom, Cuomo addressed the issue of fracking in a positive light, marking a turning point in the governor’s public view toward an industry eyeing the state’s portion of the Marcellus Shale.
“Every area that has participated in fracking will say it has increased commercial activity and it has an economic boost,” he told the station. “The question is, is there a cost to the environment, to health, etcetera. That’s what has to be assessed and that’s what has to be weighed and that’s what we’re doing.”
His comments come just before President Obama’s two-day bus tour through the Marcellus Shale, a formation estimated to hold, collectively, 500 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, 10 percent of which can be tapped with fracking technology. Obama is expected to make stops in Syracuse, Binghamton and the University of Buffalo. Obama will then travel to northeastern Pennsylvania, where fracking operations on the Marcellus Shale are abundant.
Cuomo has indicated he will not join Obama on the tour, yet he is welcoming the president — and his views on fracking — with open arms.
“The president’s point that fracking has economic benefits, energy benefits for this country is inarguable,” Cuomo said on Capitol Pressroom.
His statement wasn’t a ringing endorsement for the fracking industry, but it was close enough to rattle the nerves of environmental advocates and residents living in oil-rich portions of the state, as the governor has the final say over whether to lift the de facto moratorium.
In 2010, then Gov. David Paterson implemented a temporary halt on the fracking industry, pending an environmental review. Two drafts have been issued, yet they both fell short. A third one is expected to pass Cuomo’s desk. If he accepts it as adequate, the ban will be lifted.
“Governor Cuomo should continue to stand up to the gas industry and show the leadership that President Obama has failed to show,” Food and Water Watch’s Alex Beauchamp told New York’s CBS affiliate.
Those opposed to the industry don’t have to look far to see the negative health and environmental impacts associated with fracking. Pennsylvania has emerged as the example they’re fighting against. Since 2002, the state has seen 5,000 fracking wells built.
In a July interview with Mint Press News, John Armstrong of New Yorkers Against Fracking said the coalition pressuring Cuomo to keep the moratorium in place is one of varying political stripes.
“We have Republicans, Democrats, Independents, people from every part of the political spectrum, and people from every part of the state,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong’s statements came just before thousands of New York residents, from all parts of the state, gathered in Albany to rally against the fracking industry for the July 17 New York Crossroads Rally and March. The intent of the rally was to show Cuomo where his constituents stand.