McMahon Letter to Gov. Paterson Decrying Hydraulic Fracturing Short on Facts, Long on Hysteria

Yesterday, U.S. Rep. Michael McMahon (D-N.Y.) fired off a letter to Gov. David Paterson demanding that the state institute a blanket ban on the use of hydraulic fracturing technology in developing clean-burning natural gas resources on roughly one million acres of mostly private land in New York State.

According to the congressman, and five other members of the state’s congressional delegation who signed on as well, hydraulic fracturing – a technology that’s been used for decades in New York to safely and responsibly develop both oil and natural gas – “endangers the drinking water of more than 9 million New Yorkers.” And so, in their view, it must be stopped before it even begins – notwithstanding “any potential economic benefits” that may accrue to his constituents in the form of new jobs, new revenue, and the promise of a clean and affordable energy future.

At 531 words, the McMahon letter is brief – tight, to the point, and serially inaccurate. Let’s see how well it holds up under an EID fact check?