ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Anti-fracking candidates in the
Southern Tier, a region near the Pennsylvania border where shale gas drilling is most likely to begin if Gov. Andrew Cuomo allows it, were beaten up and down the ballot after intense
campaigns, some of which were framed as referendums on shale gas
development.
In the 22nd Congressional District, Republican
Richard Hanna, an incumbent whose district was redrawn, beat Dan Lamb, a
first-time candidate who was endorsed by New York Residents Against
Drilling. In another redrawn district, the 23rd, Democratic challenger
Nate Shinagawa lost by about 10,000 votes to incumbent Tom Reed.
Shinagawa was also endorsed by opponents of hydraulic fracturing, or
fracking, for natural gas.
In the Broome County executive race,
Democrat and anti-drilling activist Tarik Abdelazim lost to incumbent
Debbie Preston, a strong drilling supporter.
Anti-fracking
candidates also fared poorly in local town races in the Southern Tier. New York has had a
moratorium on shale gas drilling since 2008, when regulators began an
environmental review of fracking, which releases gas from rock by
injecting a well with millions of gallons of chemically treated water.
Regulators
contend that overall, water and air pollution problems related to gas
drilling using hydraulic fracturing are rare, but environmental groups
and some scientists say there hasn't been enough research on those
issues.
Drilling opponents in Broome County, a likely target for
drillers, pushed for a transformation of the political landscape at the
local level in hopes that a change in town boards could keep fracking
out. Numerous town boards around the state have banned or placed
moratoriums on drilling, but their authority to do so is being
challenged in a state appellate court.
In the town of Sanford,
drilling opponent Brian Stevens lost 661 to 219 to incumbent Town
Supervisor Dewey Decker, a landowner hoping for gas wells on his farm.
In nearby Vestal, incumbent Steve Milkovich led anti-fracking candidate
Paul Logalbo 5,264 to 5,009 on Wednesday, but Logalbo said absentee
ballots may decide the race.
In the town of Union, three candidates endorsed by New York Residents Against Drilling lost to incumbents.
It's
unclear how much weight voters put on the fracking issue compared to
other concerns such as jobs and taxes. But the Joint Landowners
Coalition of New York, which endorsed pro-drilling candidates, called
the election results "a clear mandate. The voters have spoken in favor
of natural gas development for upstate New York."
Karen Moreau,
executive director of the New York State Petroleum Council, also called
the election results a victory for gas drillers. "The results from last
night's election in the Southern Tier should serve as a clear call for
action in Albany to create jobs through safe natural gas development,"
Moreau said.
Anti-fracking groups focused their post-election
comments on races in other parts of the state where winning candidates
had taken a stand against fracking while not making it a central theme.
Sue
Rapp of Vestal Residents for Safe Energy, which opposes fracking, said
pro-fracking groups should not take the election results as a referendum
in favor of drilling.
"All these election results mean is that
big money is still a big factor in our electoral process," said Rapp,
who said the gas industry and related businesses supported Preston and
other drilling boosters. "We believe that the majority of residents
understand that we are not ready for fracking anywhere in New York
state."
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