LOCAL HYDROFRACKING BANS 643
hydrofracking could not only affect local landowners’ drinking
water but also New York City drinking water.^86 Hydrofracking
could negatively affect the watersheds in the Catskills, an area
that provides much of New York City’s drinking water.^87
The environmental dangers from hydrofracking combined
with the economic potential have galvanized both supporters and
detractors in New York State.^88 What was once an unremarked
and unknown drilling technique has become a statewide issue.^89
A recent protest against hydrofracking had 3,000 individuals in
attendance^90 and over 200,000 comments have been submitted to
the DEC both in support and against hydrofracking.^91
B. Fracking in New York StateIn December of 2010, Governor David Paterson introduced a
moratorium on hydrofracking in New York State.^92 The
moratorium will continue until the DEC completes an
environmental review, including a public comment period,^93 and
(^86) Id.
(^87) See id.
(^88) See Thomas Kaplan, Millions Spent in Albany Fight to Drill for Gas,
N.Y. TIMES (Nov. 25, 2011), http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/26/
nyregion/hydrofracking-debate-spurs-huge-spending-by-industry.html; see also
Alan Chartock, Anti-Frackers Get Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Attention, DAILY
FREEMAN (Sept. 30, 2012), http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2012/09/
30/opinion/doc506061d0150a2528440730.txt.
(^89) See Goho, supra note 14, at 3 (“Fracking is not a new process; it has
been in use for more than 50 years. But the scale and scope have expanded
significantly in the last decade.”); see also Celebrities Lead Crowd of 3,000
in Albany Protesting Hydraulic Fracking, CBS NEW YORK (Jan. 23, 2013),
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/01/23/celebrities-lead-crowd-of-3000-in-
albany-protesting-hydraulic-fracturing/.
(^90) Celebrities Lead Crowd of 3,000 in Albany Protesting Hydraulic
Fracking, supra note 89.
(^91) Groups Rally to Prevent Fracking in NY, supra note 70; New Yorkers
Deliver Unprecedented 200k+ Comments on Cuomo’s Fracking Rules,
ECOWATCH (Jan. 11, 2013), http://ecowatch.com/2013/comments-ny-
fracking-rules/.
(^92) See N.Y. Exec. Order No. 41, supra note 4.
(^93) Groups Rally to Prevent Fracking in NY, supra note 70.