In New York, An Aggressive Push Against A Local Drilling Ban

Speaking of local zoning ordinances, which StateImpact covered earlier today, here’s the latest sign drillers are are taking them very seriously:
An energy company is already challenging a Tompkins County, New York, community’s drilling ban in court, despite the fact Marcellus Shale drilling has yet to begin in the Empire State.
From Politics On The Hudson:

In a move that could have implications for municipalities across the state, a Denver-based natural-gas company will try to have a drilling ban in a Tompkins County town thrown out in court, its attorney said today.

Anschutz Exploration Corporation will file a lawsuit in state Supreme Court in Tompkins County to have the ban struck down in the town of Dryden, according to Albany-based attorney Thomas West.
With the state moving toward allowing high-volume hydraulic fracturing, Dryden has been one of a handful of municipalities across the state have altered their zoning regulations or passed legislation meant to ban the activity. But the state Department of Environmental Conservation has said a court will likely have to decide whether those bans would hold up under state law, which gives regulatory power to the state agency.

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