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| Drill rig near Troy, PA |
This afternoon Governor David A. Paterson vetoed the moratorium bills, S.8129-B/A.11443-B, which would have suspended issuing new drilling permits through May 15, 2011.
Contemporaneous with his veto, Paterson issued an Executive Order which directs the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to conduct further comprehensive review and analysis of high-volume hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus Shale. The Executive Order requires that, if approved, high-volume, horizontal hydraulic fracturing would not be permitted until July 1, 2011, at the earliest.
In a press release Paterson said, “We in government must always focus on protecting the well-being of those whom we represent and serve, but we also have an obligation to look to the future and protect the long-term interests for our State and its residents.”
As for the moratorium bill, he stated that the legislation, though well intended, “would have a serious impact on our State if signed into law. Enacting this legislation would put people out of work – work that is permitted by the Department of Environmental Conservation and causes no demonstrated environmental harm, in order to effectuate a moratorium that is principally symbolic.”
