"This is an ill-advised decision based on politics. It is contrary to science and the energy industry's record of safely and responsibly developing natural gas in many other energy-rich areas of the country. It deprives all citizens of New York of the major economic and employment benefits of the state's natural resource wealth. It is particularly contrary to interests of landowners, businesses and communities in the southern tier counties of New York where major natural gas reserves are known to exist and where economic development is sorely needed.

In neighboring Pennsylvania, shale gas development has created 46,000 new supply chain jobs to date and will be responsible for 30,000 additional new supply chain jobs between now and 2025. Most of these jobs are with local businesses such as contractors and service and supply firms. Apparently the potential for rising standards of living for tens of thousands of New York families was outweighed by political considerations. We hope that this adverse outcome for so many New Yorkers will be temporary and subject to reversal in the not-too-distant future.