New York Public Radio Capitol bureau chief Karen DeWitt is reporting that Governor David Paterson did the moratorium swap-out this weekend to avoid shutting down the natural gas extraction industry in the state:
In his first comments since he vetoed the measure, Paterson says the [legislature moratorium] bill was too broad, and while it would have temporarily banned the horizontal hydrofracking practice that has raised questions about environmental safety, it would also have ended so-called vertical hydrofracking, a practice Paterson says has been carried out safely in the state for decades.
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wxxi/local-wxxi-939862.mp3
