The boards of the Otsego County towns of Springfield and Middlefield both voted this week to ban gas drilling and heavy industry within town borders. From today's Daily Star:
The Springfield Town Board unanimously adopted a local law Monday night that prohibits heavy industry, including gas drilling, in town, Supervisor Bill Elsey said Wednesday.
"A lot of people are glad we acted," Elsey said, noting that in a survey sent to residents, more than 95 percent of those who responded favored a local law banning drilling and hydrofracking.
The paper reports that the Middlefield vote, taken on Tuesday, was also unanimous.
Otsego County is rapidly becoming ground zero in the effort to enact laws banning or regulating hydraulic fracturing on the municipal level in New York State. This week's actions bring the grand total of Otsego County municipalities with anti-drilling laws on the books to four: Otsego, Springfield, Middlefield, and the city of Oneonta. The towns of Oneonta and Cherry Valley are also reportedly weighing similar actions.
