Tagged: fracking

New York’s second highest court upheld the right for two municipalities to ban gas drilling Thursday. But, that decision won’t deter gas and oil producer Lenape Resources from appealing a similar ban in the upstate community of Avon.

Attorney for Lenape Resources Michael Joy says Thursday’s rulings in favor of the towns of Dryden and Middlefield are not the final word on this issue.

Gas and Oil producer Lenape Resources has filed a note of appeal as part of an attempt to overturn a court decision made in March that allowed the town of Avon to maintain its moratorium on fracking. This is the third case of this kind in upstate New York.

The City of Elmira is just seven miles from the Pennsylvania border. And for four years, the natural gas boom in Pennsylvania’s Northern Tier crossed over the border and boosted Elmira’s economy. But that boom has slowed down.

During the peak of activity, between 2008 and 2011, Chemung County had a median income growth of 27%, according to county executive Tom Santulli.

The slowdown began in 2012, leading to a $3 million decline in sales tax revenue. Santulli says the growth and last year’s decline were mainly driven by the natural gas industry across the border.