New York officially bans fracking

The state Department of Environmental Conservation has officially banned the use of hydraulic fracturing in New York and has concluded a seven-year study of the gas and oil extraction technique.

DEC Commissioner Joseph Martens released a findings statement Monday that said “there are no feasible or prudent alternatives that adequately avoid or minimize adverse environmental impacts and address risks to public health from this activity,” according to a statement released by his office. The findings statement was the last step to formally ban hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking.

The New York division of the American Petroleum Institute released a statement Tuesday calling the DEC”™s decision a “moratorium on New York”™s economic opportunity.” In its statement, the API cited a draft assessment published by the Environmental Protection Agency earlier in June that said the federal agency did not find evidence that fracking has “led to widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water resources.”

Martens”™ statement came 32 business days after the final Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement was published on May 13 that detailed the state agency”™s reservations about fracking due to the uncertainties of its use and its potential adverse health and environmental impacts. The findings statement is required at least 10 days after the final SGEIS is published.

In December, Howard Zucker, the state Department of Health commissioner, also recommended the state ban the oil extraction technique.