CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

A temporary moratorium on natural gas drilling in New York is headed to the governor's desk.

The drilling moratorium bill wasn't on the agenda Monday in a special session called by Governor David Paterson, but after that meeting wrapped up, the Assembly opened a regular session to vote on it.

The State Senate passed the moratorium in August, so it now heads to Paterson for a signature.

The moratorium puts a hold on hydraulic fracturing until May. The idea is to give the state more time to understand the impacts of hydro-fracturing.

But Assemblyman Cliff Crouch says many of his constituents do want drilling to move forward. "We have an opportunity here with an energy source that's relatively clean. It's a fossil fuel, but it's still relatively clean, and done correctly, can do a good job for New York State at creating jobs," says Crouch.

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