DEC: Ban On Fracking In New York State Becomes Official

ALBANY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A ban on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, officially went into effect in New York state on Monday.

The Department of Environmental Protection announced in a news release that its Formal Finding statement made the ban official.

The statement concluded that there are no "feasible or prudent alternatives" to minimize the risks of fracking, the release said.

"After years of exhaustive research and examination of the science and facts, prohibiting high-volume hydraulic fracturing is the only reasonable alternative," department Commissioner Joe Martens said in the release. "High-volume hydraulic fracturing poses significant adverse impacts to land, air, water, natural resources and potential significant public health impacts that cannot be adequately mitigated. This decision is consistent with DEC's mission to conserve, improve and protect our state's natural resources, and to enhance the health, safety and welfare of the people of the state."

This past December, Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration announced that fracking would be prohibited in New York state, due to unresolved health issues and dubious economic benefits of the widely used gas-drilling technique.

Cuomo's December ruling against fracking delighted environmentalists who've opposed the natural gas extraction technique that uses water, sand and chemicals to blast gas deposits from deep underground.

States including Pennsylvania currently allow fracking. Before Cuomo announced the ban, New York state had put a hold on fracking for several years.

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