New York's tap water is legendary. It's envied around the world for its purity, taste and abundance. Every week, billions of gallons of fresh, clean water are delivered from large pristine upstate reservoirs to the taps of millions of people across the state. But now there are plans afoot that could turn New York's award-winning water into a cautionary tale. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) bowed to political pressure last week, lifting a statewide ban on the controversial natural-gas extraction process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. In so doing, the first-year governor, and former state attorney general, opens the Empire State to one of the most explosive and lucrative sectors of the energy industry – natural gas drilling (or fracking). But many, including myself, believe Cuomo is making a deal with the devil, pointing to the fact that fracking has been tied to an array of alarming environmental and human health risks, including severe drinking water contamination. As many of you know by now, fracking involves injecting large volumes of water – mixed with sand and a brew of toxic chemicals – deep into the ground under extremely high pressure. The pressurized fluid breaks up shale formations and releases natural ...
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