ALBANY, N.Y. — New York’s Assembly has voted to suspend until 2015 any action on allowing gas drilling using hydraulic fracturing, which environmentalists fear threatens the public’s health.
The Assembly vote on Wednesday follows a bill introduced Wednesday in the Senate, which would put off the decision by Gov. Andrew Cuomo for up to two years.
Each house wants to provide time for the Cuomo administration to consider state, federal, university and private sector studies. Key among them is a health review in Pennsylvania known as the Geisinger study that will compare data about residents near gas drilling wells before and after the process was allowed.
Cuomo has said he’ll await recommendations from his health and environmental conservation departments. He has not set a deadline for that process.