ALBANY — It’s an explosive sleeper issue bubbling just below the surface for Gov.-elect Andrew Cuomo that pits upstate jobs against the environment: “hydrofracking” to extract natural gas.
The future of such exploration hangs on state approval of a new and controversial drilling process called horizontal hydraulic fracturing, or hydrofracking, in which water is forced through wells to release gas.
Since his election, Cuomo has done little to clear up a murky campaign stance on the issue, which drew protests from anti-drilling groups.
The Democratic attorney general says hydrofracking “could provide a badly needed boost to the economy,” but should be done only if it can be proven “environmentally sensitive and safe.”
He says he’ll wait for reports from the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the US Environmental Protection Agency before making a decision.
Business Council President Kenneth Adams said the drilling could provide a clean source of energy and create tens of thousands of jobs statewide — particularly upstate, where vast stores of natural gas are trapped in underground shale deposits.
“The new governor should urge the DEC to expedite their review process so that drilling can begin with all environmental controls in place,” Adams said.
Mayor Bloomberg opposes hyrdrofracking near the city’s upstate reservoirs on the grounds that extracted gas and chemicals used in the drilling process could pollute the water supply.
Gov. Paterson’s veto last weekend of the Legislature’s proposed six-month ban on hydrofracking helped keep the decision in Cuomo’s hands.
Cuomo said he will review the matter.