CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

Ignoring taunts from anti-hydrofracking protestors marching outside, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo delivered a nearly hour-long State of the State address to lawmakers Jan. 4 without mentioning the hot-button gas drilling technique.

In his speech, the governor skipped over a section of his prepared remarks that had promised to deliver in 2012 both the state’s final rules for new gas well permits and recommendations from his own gas drilling advisory panel.

Asked about the omission, Cuomo spokesman Matt Wing said of his boss’ hydrofracking policy: “We are still waiting for the facts … We base everything on facts.”

While he’s been hunting facts, the governor has been postponing tough decisions on how to adequately fund state environmental regulators and — even more challenging — how to tax the industry.

He has also sidestepped controversial stands on which local and regional bans on hydrofracking are valid and on whether the state needs to set up a damage recovery fund paid for by gas drillers.

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