ALBANY — A federal lawsuit filed by a father and son who own more than 160 acres of property in Delaware County is seeking to overturn New York’s ban on the extraction of natural gas through fracking.
The litigation, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Albany in April, is unfolding as Republican gubernatorial candidate and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman has said he would support overturning the state’s fracking prohibitions. The lawsuit’s defendants include Gov. Kathy Hochul, state Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton and state Attorney General Letitia James.
Last week, several New York-based environmental groups that had advocated for the hydraulic fracking ban filed a joint motion seeking to intervene in the case.
There have been various prohibitions on fracking enacted in the past 18 years. The technology uses high pressure to inject water, sand and chemicals into bedrock to release trapped natural gas or oil. In 2008, the state Department of Environmental Conservation placed a de facto moratorium on high-volume hydraulic fracturing to study its environmental impacts.
In December 2014, roughly six weeks into his second term, then-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo cited a state Health Department study that found “significant public health risks” associated with fracking, prompting his administration to issue an order banning use of the technology. The DEC solidified the ban the following year with a statement of findings raising additional concerns about the technology. The ban was codified into law in 2020.
This story originally appeared in the Times Union By Roger Hannigan Gilson,Staff Writer
Image: State Sen. Lea Webb speaks at a rally to expand New York’s fracking ban on March 5. Webb and other lawmakers have proposed legislation that would prohibit using carbon dioxide to extract gas and oil. (Food and Water Watch)