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02/22/2012 06:22 PM

Vestal group pushes for drilling moratorium

By: Melissa Kakareka

The decision in the Dryden case is lending support to other communities that want to ban gas drilling within their borders. A group in Vestal is now asking local officials to pass a moratorium on the practice in their town.But as our Melissa Kakareka tells us, some opponents say a ban could cause other problems for the town.

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VESTAL, N.Y.- Vestal resident Sue Rapp is one of several people in the town concerned about the potential impact of hydrofracking in her neighborhood.

"We're putting our water, our health, our lives on the line, there are questions about mortgages and home values, the tax base, driving people out, there are a lot of concerns that ordinary Vestal people have," said Rapp.

That's why the Vestal Residents for Safe Energy are asking the town board to pass a moratorium banning natural gas drilling.

The group has already stated their concerns at several town board meetings and hopes leaders will put a discussion of the topic on the next town board agenda.

"The Dryden decision has just come down making it legal for towns to ban hydrofracking. We want the town board to discuss this more. We want it to be on the agenda of the town board. We want the town board to really study this issue and really think about what this is going to do for the average Vestal residents," said Rapp.

Representatives from the town of Vestal say the town board has no plan to discuss or vote on the matter at this time.

A move that some opponents believe is the right decision.

They said passing a moratorium may cause legal problems because there are already gas drilling leases in Vestal.

"I was urging the town of Vestal that it would be ill advised to pass the moratorium now because if it's later determined when we get to the highest court of the land that these moratoriums are illegal, I'm afraid Vestal is going to have some very large landowner and gas company lawsuits," said Attorney Robert Wedlake.

Still, some people say they aren't willing to wait.

"Governor Cuomo isn't really giving us a clear timeline. We don't know when the first permits are going to be issued, but we think the town of Vestal needs to have protections in place before a permit is issued," said Rapp.