Last week at the NYS Democratic Convention, gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo released the 224 page “The New NY Agenda: A Plan for Action” detailing his position on issues facing New York. On page 136 under the heading of “A Cleaner and Greener New York” the document states that;

“New York is home to some of the greatest natural resources in the world. We need to protect our environment to make sure that we leave our State clean and inhabitable for generations to come. As Governor, Andrew Cuomo will continue to be an environmental champion, by:

• Making sure health and environmental risks are comprehensively studied before natural gas exploration in New York’s Marcellus Shale formation occurs;”

The document also discusses the EPF fund, environmental justice, and finding and alternative to the Indian Point nuclear facility under the cleaner, greener heading.

It is hard to determine from this statement whether candidate Cuomo means to further study the potential health and environmental risks of drilling in the Marcellus Shale or if the comprehensive sGEIS study currently underway by the DEC in comprehensive enough. Let’s hope it’s the former. Whoever becomes the next governor of New York needs to examine the sGEIS review history over the past two years and see that an extensive and comprehensive review has already been conducted and final regulations are hopefully only a couple of months away.

If, however, candidate Cuomo means that further review is necessary then New York will be delaying one of the greatest economic opportunities to come along in generations at a time when New York desperately needs help. Some say that the gas will always be there. That may be true but investors may not wait. Energy companies need the green light to drill soon or they could take their investments elsewhere and New York will continue its economic decline.