It is no surprise that the Tompkins County legislature representing Ithaca and surrounding communities yesterday passed a resolution 13 -1 to urge New York State to ban hydrofracking pending further independent study. The resolution also urged the state to apply the same drilling standards across the state, not holding the Syracuse and New York City watersheds to a higher standard.

What was surprising was the comment appearing in the Ithaca Journal made by county legislator Peter Stein. He said “”I’m certainly in favor of saying in plain, simple words that we should not engage in use of hydro-fracking until all of the issues have been studied. What worries me is that this is a highly technical issue and I feel extremely uncomfortable making technical statements in an area I don’t understand.”

It is very refreshing to have legislator state that he is uncomfortable with the technical aspects of drilling. It can be highly technical but our elected officials owe it to the citizens of New York to learn the facts before participating in the debate. The fact and science of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling should be at the center of this debate, not emotion which so often clouds the issue. Many are guided by emotion and misinformation provided by the strong groups opposed to drilling. The potential economic benefits of development of the Marcellus Shale in Tompkins County are huge. Safe, responsible drilling will provide good jobs and much needed revenues to the county.