ALBANY, NEW YORK ¨C The New York state health department said fracking for natural gas can¡¯t be done safely, dooming prospects that Cuomo will end a six-year moratorium.
Acting Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said at a Cabinet meeting in Albany on Wednesday that studies on the extraction technique¡¯s effects on water, air and soil are inconsistent, incomplete and raise too many ¡°red flags¡± to allow.
¡°I consider the people of the state of New York as my patients,¡± said Zucker, a medical doctor. ¡°We cannot afford to make a mistake. The potential risks are too great. In fact, they are not fully known.¡±
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