Deadline for Hydrofracking Decision Has Passed

The deadline for Governor Cuomo to reach a decision on whether to allow hydrofracking has come and gone. The Joint Landowners Coalition of New York is planning to move forward and sue the state because they say their rights as landowners have been taken away and they have been denied economic benefit to their property. The Landowners Coalition is looking for four plaintiffs in their case against the state, and the next step is to try to determine the value of the property owners’ land should it be tapped for natural gas. The Department of Health has made it clear that their main priority is not the deadline set by Cuomo late last year, but the health of the citizens of the state. The Department of Health released a statement urging the importance of conducting thorough research before drilling actually takes place, instead of after. Currently, New York state has no timetable on when they will reach a decision on whether or not to permit drilling.