Cuomo: No pressure for immediate fracking decision

Cuomo: No pressure for immediate fracking decision by Jessica Bakema, September 10, 2012, State Politics
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday that there are no immediate plans for a decision on whether to allow hydraulic fracturing in New York and that he expects lawsuits to follow the decision either way. The state Department of Environmental Conservation is expected to issue a final determination on whether high-volume hydrofracking—a natural-gas extraction technique that involves a mix of water, sand and chemicals injected into gas-rich shale formations—can be done safely. There has been much speculation over when the decision would be announced. … “When it’s done, and when they’re prepared — that’s when we’ll announce the decision,” he told WDJG. “And, remember, the announcing of the decision is not going to be the conclusion,” he continued. “I promise you, there will be lawsuits, whatever the decision is. So the day right after the decision, there will be another press conference that says, now we’re going to step two, which is a series of legal challenges and political challenges, and we’re going to try to get federal legislation and state legislation. “It’s going to be an ongoing situation for a long, long time,” he said.