Another fracking ban?

Silver, Cuomo

 

Apparently intent on keeping Upstate poor, your New York State Assembly has passed yet another fracking ban.

A bill that would prohibit high-volume hydraulic fracturing until June 1, 2012, won Assembly approval Monday, but its fate in the Senate remains cloudy.  Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, said the proposed moratorium would give the state time to assess the risks involved with the process, which involves injecting millions of gallons of water mixed with sand and chemicals to break up underground rock formations containing natural gas. 

So why would a dedicated public servant like Shelly Silver want to keep New Yorkers from joining the world wide shale gas boom?  Speaker Silver stands to make a fortune by opposing fracking. 

In January, the New York Post reported:

As Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver leads the fight to block a type of natural-gas drilling in New York, his private law firm is in other states trying to drum up multimillion-dollar lawsuits against the practice, The Post has found.

The speaker's massive Manhattan-based personal-injury law firm, Weitz & Luxenberg, plans a pair of public forums this week in Pennsylvania and West Virginia to "listen to the concerns of the community, share information and discuss legal options" about the gas-exploration phenomenon known as "hydrofracking" or "fracking."

When your kids move out of New York to find jobs, be sure to explain why Silver opposes fracking.

Silver has for years refused to detail exactly what he makes and what he does for the firm, even as it plays a key role in the state Trial Lawyers Association, one of Albany's most influential lobbying groups.

Silver refused to address questions about whether Weitz & Luxenberg's anti-drilling advocacy posed a conflict for him.

"The speaker believes hydrofracking poses a major threat to the safety of New York's drinking water," Silver spokeswoman Sisa Moyo said.

Bold added.  We'll see what happens when and if this new ban gets to Andy Cuomo's desk.