ALBANY — As Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver leads the fight to block a type of natural-gas drilling in New York, his private law firm is in other states trying to drum up multimillion-dollar lawsuits against the practice, The Post has found.
The speaker’s massive Manhattan-based personal-injury law firm, Weitz & Luxenberg, plans a pair of public forums this week in Pennsylvania and West Virginia to “listen to the concerns of the community, share information and discuss legal options” about the gas-exploration phenomenon known as “hydrofracking” or “fracking.”
The process, formally called “horizontal hydrofracturing,” for the first time allows engineers to unlock stores of gas trapped in the vast underground Marcellus shale deposit that stretches from central New York to Virginia.
Silver (D-Manhattan) — citing risks of water contamination by chemical byproducts from the process — has emerged as a leading foe to expanded natural-gas drilling, which proponents argue could improve New York’s energy independence and revive upstate’s long-stagnant economy.
Last month, former Gov. David Paterson extended an environmental review period after vetoing a six-month ban shepherded through the Assembly by Silver.
Drilling advocates, government watchdog groups and even some Democrats say Weitz & Luxenberg’s anti-drilling push, which follows a similar forum last month in Pennsylvania, raises questions about the powerful speaker’s independence on the high-stakes issue.
“You have the speaker highlighting the alleged danger of hydrofracturing at the same time the law firm that’s paying him is out looking for clients interested in suing over the issue,” said a prominent Democrat who has frequent contact with Silver.
“It’s further proof that we need a genuine ethics law in New York,” the Democrat said.
Silver has for years refused to detail exactly what he makes and what he does for the firm, even as it plays a key role in the state Trial Lawyers Association, one of Albany’s most influential lobbying groups.
Silver refused to address questions about whether Weitz & Luxenberg’s anti-drilling advocacy posed a conflict for him.
“The speaker believes hydrofracking poses a major threat to the safety of New York’s drinking water,” Silver spokeswoman Sisa Moyo said.