It’s been about six years since the state of New York first issued a temporary ban on fracking. But now, it’s time for Governor Andrew Cuomo and his administration to ban fracking once and for all and prioritize the well being of its citizens over the allure of short term profit

Hydraulic fracturing, more commonly known as fracking, is the process of extracting natural gas trapped underground. Machines send a pressurized solution of chemicals and water down a drill hole to fracture the shale rock where the natural gas is trapped.

Early July, 2014 the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York, Inc., a Binghamton based pro-fracking group of property owners, sued Cuomo on the basis of unnecessarily delaying the statewide verdict on the legality of fracking. The lawsuit was dismissed. They claim that the delays are a stalling tactic, alleviating Cuomo the scrutiny of taking a stance on the issue before the next election cycle. According to an article published on Law360.com, on July 28 the Landowners Coalition of New York, Inc. appealed the verdict.

Fracking has been under environmental review in New York since 2008. There is currently a statewide moratorium, or temporary prohibition, of fracking, according to valuewalk.com The Health Department is responsible for completing its formal evaluation of the Department of Environmental Conservation’s research regarding the safety of fracking. Until then, the state will not make a decision.

The alleged linkage of environmental harm and fracking is well-known. Videos went viral of people setting their tap water on fire due to increased levels of methane caused by fracking chemical leaks into the surrounding water supply. Fracking has also been tied to increased earthquake activity.

Take Oklahoma, a state that permits fracking, as an example. From 1978-2008 Oklahoma experienced on average one earthquake a year with a magnitude 3.0 or higher. In 2014, there have been over 230 earthquakes with a magnitude of 3.0 of higher, according to a July 31 National Geographic article. This is more than twice as many as in California, which sits along the ring of fire, a u-shaped congregation of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and plate movements spanning the West Coast.

Plain and simple, fracking is unsafe. Yet until the state bans fracking, debate ensues. Even if the fracking moratorium in place is a political move, it misses the bigger picture. The idea of short-term profit versus long-term water contamination, earthquake risk, and atmospheric pollution should never be a debate. But it always will be.

Cuomo and his administration must look no further than Pennsylvania to observe the immediate effects fracking is having on the population. Nyagainstfracking.org published an article citing people directly effected by fracking. The article featured Terry Greenwood and Matt Manning, both Pennsylvania State residents. Greenwood, a farmer, noticed that when his cows drank from a pond contaminated by fracking, 10 out of 19 calves were stillborn. Manning recounts that while taking showers his children would regularly cough and choke to the point that the state had to provide them with clean water.

Yes, the current state moratorium in place is a step above legalizing this dangerous practice. But with no concrete timeframe, this is a barrier that could come crumbling down at any moment. Much of the state’s environmental outlook hinges on this critical decision.

Luckily, if fracking is allowed it is more likely that these watersheds would be established as no-fracking areas. Still, this victory would be bittersweet as the consequences of any fracking far outweigh the positives.

In 2012, a petition to ban fracking with over 200,000 signatures on it was presented to Cuomo. There have been countless polls since then indicating that the number of anti-frackers outnumber pro-frackers. Two years later, no decision has been made. It is time for the Cuomo administration to stop catering to big business, to serve the people, to uphold public safety and to ban fracking statewide.

Azor Cole is a junior public relations major and geography minor. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at azcole@syr.edu.

Published on August 11, 2014 at 2:07 am