Localities should get voice in fracking
Poughkeepsie Journal
OPINION / Editorial
10:23 PM, Feb. 29, 2012
It seems more than plausible that the state won’t outright ban a controversial method of extracting natural gas from the ground but instead will limit the practice through a strident permitting process.
The Editorial goes on to say…
New York’s planning laws are rooted in home rule or local determination. It’s why cities, towns and villages spend so much time on their master plans and zoning laws, as they should. Not all localities get this right, but they must be empowered to try. Toward this end, dozens of municipalities across the state have taken action to ban hydrofracking in their areas, either by issuing a moratorium or using zoning laws to prohibit the activity. That’s because energy companies have set their sights on lands known as the Marcellus Shale, stretching across the Southern Tier and a portion of the Hudson Valley.
