To Frack or Not to Frack: That is Cuomo’s Question

By CONOR FEBOS

A coalition of environmental groups kept the pressure on Gov. Cuomo Tuesday to preserve New York’s ban on fracking and realize its potential dangers to public health during a protest held outside his offices in Manhattan.

The large crowd of protestors outside the governor’s Midtown office delivered petitions signed by over 150,000 people as public opposition grew to Cuomo’s recently announced decision to consider fracking in the state.

“We’re not going anywhere anytime soon,” said Seth Gladstone, free run 5.0 +3 femmes a communications manager nike cortez femmes at Food & Water Watch, a non-profit organization that advocates for clean drinking water. “This petition, along with others that have received over 250,000 signatures, illustrates the rising concern New Yorkers have towards a serious public health issue.”

Induced hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, is a technique used to release petroleum, natural gas or other substances for extraction when large volumes of water and chemicals are injected deep underground.

CREDO Action, another anti-fracking group, contends that the practice causes pollution and toxic wastewater.

“New York is not safe until fracking is completely banned and Cuomo realizes that he’s posing a direct threat to our water and health,” said Zack Malitz, a spokesman for CREDO. “Science supports our position, this must be stopped.”

Fracking is the most polarizing environmental question now facing the Cuomo administration. The protestors argued that the recently announced fracking delay meant he would allow the oil industries to drill, to gain support for a possible presidential run in 2016.

“Gov. Cuomo needs to recognize that fracking is inherently dangerous and beyond our capacity to regulate,” said Eric Weltman, senior organizer with Food & Water Watch. “Moreover, the road to the White House is not lined with drilling rigs.”

Cuomo’s press office declined to comment on Tuesday’s protests, but the governor free run 5.0 femmes has asserted nike kobe 9 that a decision would be made based on a pending State Department of Health impact study.
The governor has also been quoted as saying that he sees the additional health study as a way to mitigate future lawsuits.

Some protesters warned that fracking posed more than environmental danger.

“If you look at the study on the Smithsonian website, not only does fracking endanger the quality of water and air, it is linked with earthquakes,” said Scott Jones, 25, a anti-fracking activist. “You have these two mile drillings that make the plates shift, this is real dangerous stuff.”