ALBANY – Close on the heels of the Cuomo administration’s announcement to ban hydraulic fracturing in New York State, State Senator James L. Seward (R/C/I – Oneonta) and Assemblyman Clifford Crouch (R – Bainbridge) issued statements in response to the decision.

Senator Seward said, “I have consistently said that any decision concerning hydraulic fracturing in New York State must be based on science and, like many, have awaited the release of the study from the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) related to drilling.”

In regards to the governor’s ban on hydraulic fracturing, Seward said, “While many disagree and some litigation is likely, in light of the governor’s decision, we need to move on to develop a robust economic development strategy that capitalizes on our other resources.”

Assemblyman Crouch said, “This whole process has been a sham from the start, and it’s unfortunate that the governor decided to wait until after the elections to release this DOH review that is so important to Upstate New York. I am extremely disappointed by the decision.”

“New York has the strictest environmental, health, and safety regulations in the country, as well as some of the best air quality control enforcement mechanisms,” said Crouch. “And still they were unable to find a way to make hydrofracking work.”

“It seems to me that the Southern Tier lost out on a huge jobs opportunity and a positive economic outlook, once again, to politics as usual in Albany,” said Crouch.

“At this point,” said Crouch, “The governor has no plan to achieve inexpensive and affordable energy for our overburdened taxpayers and I’m curious to hear what his plan is for that and how to bring jobs back to our area.”

In conclusion, Crouch said, “It is clear that environmental scare tactics, not science and common sense, won the day.”