Otsego

The New York Court of Appeals on Thursday agreed to review two lawsuits that protest bans on unconventional drilling, and specifically hydraulic fracturing (fracking), that were imposed by Middlefield and Dryden, Southern Tier municipalities that top the Marcellus Shale.

A report by the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research says personal income for the residents of 28 counties in New York that overlay the Marcellus Shale could grow by 15% or more over the next four years, if the state lifts a moratorium on high-volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF).

ProPublica, a nonprofit corporation that pursues investigative journalism on matters of public interest, is criticizing former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and the New York Daily News for failing to disclose Rendell’s ties to natural gas-related businesses in a pro-industry editorial.

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell urged New Yorkers — and, by extension, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo — to embrace high-volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF) in their state, adding that they have “the chance to play a major part in [the] revolution” of U.S. energy independence.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo criticized groups that support high-volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF) in the Empire State for focusing on “hallway chatter” and said he doesn’t think two bills calling for a two-year moratorium on the practice will pass the legislature.

A local ordinance that bans oil and gas operations in the Town of Middlefield, NY, has been upheld by the Otsego County Supreme Court, the second time in a week that a New York state judge has ruled in favor of such a law.