New York Towns Consider Secession, Cite Fracking Ban

New York recently moved to ban fracking, a decision that impacts towns on the Southern Tier of the state. From the article: "The secession seed apparently was planted by Conklin, N.Y. town supervisor Jim Finch (R) back in December when New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced a ban on the gas extraction technique. Conklin is part of the towns association. 'The Southern Tier is desolate,' Finch told WBNG. 'We have no jobs and no income. The richest resource we have is in the ground.'"

The towns in question, located in Broome, Delaware, Tioga, and Sullivan counties, are studying the economic effects of a move to join Pennsylvania, their neighbor in the south. State politicians like Senate Majority Deputy Leader Tom Libous (R) have surveyed their residents to gauge public support. "The towns association on Sunday said in a statement that it would consider the results of Libous' survey as well as its own study comparing taxes and the cost of doing business in Pennsylvania versus in New York."