Binghamton (WIVT) - While opponents of high volume horizontal hydrofracking have been celebrating a state ban on the controversial process, one prominent activist says no such permanent prohibition has yet been made official.
Walter Hang of Toxics Targeting has drafted a letter to Governor Cuomo asking him to clarify the state's stance and to open up the process for releasing a final supplemental generic environmental impact statement or S-GEIS.
During the December cabinet meeting in which the Commissioners of Health and Environmental Conservation announced that fracking would not proceed, no one mentioned an outright ban.
In fact, Health Commissioner Howard Zucker reasoned that more studying was necessary before making a final determination on whether fracking can be done safely.
Hang says, for now, the state's moratorium remains in place.
"I'm not going to throw caution to the wind at this late stage of the game. I want to know exactly what are they going to do. I want it open, I want it transparent and I want to be able to comment on it. I think that serves the public interest best of all," said Hang.
During the cabinet meeting, DEC Commissioner Joe Martens indicated that a final S-GEIS would be released by the end of this month.