EPA: No widespread harm to water from fracking
WASHINGTON — Hydraulic fracturing to drill for oil and natural gas has not caused widespread harm to drinking water in the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday. But a draft report issued by the agency found several specific instances where poorly constructed drilling wells and improper wastewater management affected drinking water resources. It […]
Lawmakers unhappy with new fracking rules
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican and Democratic lawmakers in the House have found something in common. Many have issues with the Obama administration’s new regulations requiring companies that drill for oil and natural gas to disclose chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing. Republicans say the new regulations, announced last week, will delay new drilling projects and take […]
Cuomo gets kudos, scorn for fracking ban
ALBANY —Gov. Andrew Cuomo is getting heaped with praise by environmentalists and scorn by business interests for a planned state ban on hydraulic fracturing for natural gas, even as he insists the decision wasn’t his. Residents statewide remain almost evenly split on the issue, and the divisions are clear, pollsters said Thursday. The decision announced […]
New York will move to prohibit fracking
ALBANY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration will move to prevent fracking in the state, citing unresolved health issues and dubious economic benefits of the widely used gas-drilling technique. Environmental Commissioner Joe Martens said Wednesday that he was recommending a ban, and Cuomo said he would defer to Martens and Acting Health Commissioner Howard Zucker in […]
COA affirms home-rule authority on fracking
A split Court of Appeals decision Monday affirmed a lower court ruling on two cases last year that allows municipalities’ “home rule” authority to make land-use decisions when it comes to restricting the natural gas drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing. The court did not offer an opinion on the controversial practice, also known as […]
NY energy plan released; doesn’t include fracking
ALBANY — New York’s long-term energy plan focuses on increased use of renewable energy and clean technology, while reducing consumer utility bills. The plan, released Tuesday for a 60-day public comment period, calls for expanding use of natural gas instead of oil to reduce harmful air emissions. But it doesn’t include expanding in-state gas production […]
Dem senator seeks probe of GOP chief over fracking
ALBANY — A Democratic senator has asked for an investigation of state Republican Chairman Ed Cox for his campaign supporting hydraulic fracturing while he has a personal stake worth millions of dollars in a gas drilling company. Sen. Timothy Kennedy of Buffalo asked the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics to investigate Cox for “unethical […]
Group lays out tax relief plan
An $860 million plan advocates for high-volume natural gas drilling in the Southern Tier and calls for the phasing out and eventual elimination of certain taxes that would improve the upstate economy. The New ERA for Upstate plan — short for economic revitalization agenda — seeks to close the gap between the state’s two very […]
Fervent foes devote their lives to fracking fight
VESTAL — Big energy companies have been trying for five years to tap the riches of the Marcellus Shale in southern New York, promising thousands of new jobs, economic salvation for a depressed region, and a cheap, abundant, clean-burning source of fuel close to power-hungry cities. But for all its political clout and financial prowess, […]
Industry giant GE aims to improve fracking
PITTSBURGH — One of America’s corporate giants is investing billions of dollars in the new boom of oil and gas drilling, or fracking. General Electric Co. is opening a new laboratory in Oklahoma, buying up related companies, and placing a big bet that cutting-edge science will improve profits for clients and reduce the environmental and […]
Village prevented from selling water for fracking
The village of Painted Post in Steuben County will have to complete an environmental review before it can sell water to a gas company drilling for natural gas in Pennsylvania. Monroe County Supreme Court Justice Kenneth R. Fisher has ruled the village “short circuited” the environmental review process and that its February 2012 agreements approving […]
NY will make health call on gas drilling in weeks
ALBANY — New York’s health commissioner says he won’t wait for completion of any of the pending gas drilling studies and plans a recommendation “in weeks” on whether the state should approve hydraulic fracturing. Health Commissioner Nirav Shah says Monday he won’t wait for the final results, which could be years away. Instead, he says […]
Case Digests
- Fourth Department – Negligent performance: Rosenthal v. Syracuse University, et al.
- Second Circuit – Visual Artists Rights Act: Kerson v. Vermont Law School Inc.
- NYS Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics – Former foreclosure referee: Opinion 22-157
- NYS Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics – College honorarium: Opinion 22-156
- Second Circuit – Reasonable accommodation: Tafolla v. Heilig
- Fourth Department – Labor Law: Primisch v. Peroxychem LLC
- NYS Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics – Judicial candidacy: Opinion 22-155
- Fourth Department – Defamation: Lavine v. Glavin
- NYS Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics – Law clerk: Opinion 22-154
- NYS Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics – Review of another judge’s actions: Opinion 22-153
- NYS Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics – Charitable contributions: Opinion 22-150
- Second Circuit – Class action settlement: Moses v. The New York Times Company
Law News
- Appeals court upholds conviction
- Federal lawsuit reinstated against jail officer over strip search, delayed release
- Hyzon to pay $25M penalty to settle alleged fraud charges by SEC
- NY appeals court reinstates lawsuit over contract to remove snow
- Fourth Department affirms $400K judgment in contract dispute
- Fourth Department affirms decision in NY property dispute
- Greenlight Networks selects Buffalo-based attorney as general counsel
- Barclay Damon hires attorney Matt Smith