WASHINGTON — Mayor de Blasio is jumping forcefully into the debate over fracking on upstate lands — calling it a danger to the city’s water supply.
Asked Thursday for his view of the drilling practice, also known as hydraulic fracturing, de Blasio first noted that “my purview is the five boroughs” before sounding off on the hot-button environmental issue.
“The one thing I am firm about is that I don’t see any place for fracking,” he told reporters.
“The science simply isn’t reliable enough. The technology isn’t reliable enough. And, there’s too much danger to our water supply, to our environment in general.”
De Blasio said there should be a statewide moratorium on fracking “until the day comes that we can actually prove it’s safe and I don’t think that day is coming any time soon.”
The comments are sure to put added pressure on Gov. Cuomo, who has refused to lift a statewide moratorium on fracking — which pumps a cocktail of chemicals underground in order to free up natural gas — pending a drawn-out environmental and health review.
Pro-fracking forces argue that the review is a stalling tactic holding up extraction of resources from the rich Marcellus Shale.