CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

Bath town officials recently endorsed gas drilling in the area, joining several other towns in Steuben County considering officially voicing their support.

Bath Town Supervisor Marcia Burns said the board approved a resolution that says moratoriums on drillings are a premature use of town funds.

The measure – drafted by the pro-drilling organizations Clean Growth Now and the New York State Joint Land Owners Coalition – also says the state Department of Environmental Conservation has spent four years updating its regulations on shale gas drilling and the process of high-volume hydraulic fracturing, and touts the safeguards the DEC plans to put in place.

Burns said economic growth in the area is an important element in future natural gas drilling.

The same non-binding resolution has also been presented to the Town of Avoca and Village of North Hornell, with both boards tabling the matter for further study.

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