Blogs > Don't Frack with New York > Moratorium on gas drilling passed, but the battle has only just begun

Moratorium on gas drilling passed, but the battle has only just begun

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Thanks to your support and that of thousands of New Yorkers, the NYS Assembly has passed the moratorium that will place a timeout on gas drilling by suspending the issuance of permits to fracture wells until May 15, 2011. The bill was passed with an overwhelming majority, 93 votes to 43, and serves as a huge step in the right direction. The Assembly has seemingly realized the potential dangers of hydraulic fracturing and has, for the time being, put water protection ahead of gas industry profits.

While this is certainly a step in the right direction, it is only one step in a very long and hard fight. This bill gives us more time to figure out if and where this type of drilling can be done in New York. But we won’t be the only ones working…the gas industry and their allies will pull out all the stops to try and change the minds of legislators, the public and the government. Governor Paterson himself was quoted saying that the anti-fracking campaign in New York State is a “very good example of public participation.” We can’t do it without you folks.

Keep speaking up, and don’t be afraid to turn up the volume! Call Governor Paterson today at 518-474-8390 and tell him that you want him to sign the moratorium bill into law.

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