Metro

Cuomo administration says there’s ‘no timetable’ on fracking decision

ALBANY — Months after the Cuomo administration promised a decision “within weeks” on whether to allow hydraulic fracturing for natural gas, it now says there’s “no timetable for a decision.”

State officials say recent meetings with the US Environmental Protection Agency have provided new information that’s factoring into the state health review.

Health commissioner Dr. Nirav Shah says Wednesday he recently met with EPA officials in Washington to discuss the drilling technology known as “fracking.”

It’s fiercely opposed by environmental groups and Cuomo’s Democratic base. Supporters of hydraulic fracturing to extract gas from upstate shale deposits say it will provide a long-needed economic boost to the region.