An oil and gas industry group is warning that a business exodus from New York will worsen while Gov. Andrew Cuomo waits for a Pennsylvania health study before deciding whether to allow fracking.
Meanwhile, landowners are preparing to sue the state over lost gas-leasing opportunities.
The Associated Press reported Saturday that Cuomo came close to approving a limited drilling plan last month before environmentalist and former brother-in-law Robert Kennedy Jr. persuaded him to await a new study.
Cuomo is expected to announce a formal decision after the Department of Environmental Conservation completes its 5-year-long environmental impact study in coming weeks.
Jim Smith of the Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York says Sunday that "there's no scientific reason at all to continue these delays."
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