Ulster County legislature bans fracking on county lands

The Mid-Hudson News reports that the Ulster County Legislature unanimously passed a resolution banning hydraulic fracturing on publicly-owned county lands at its meeting last night:

The only question raised among Ulster County legislators before voting, unanimously, to prohibit the leasing of any county-owned lands for natural gas extraction was ‘why limit it to county lands’?

Democrat Susan Zimet, who introduced the resolution that drew solid bipartisan support from Democrats and Republicans, said it is better to do this a step at a time.

Here's the text of the resolution:

Ulster County Legislature Resolution re: fracking on county lands

Ulster County isn't the only place where fracking is coming up in local government meetings. The Daily Star is reporting today that the Otsego County town of Middlefield has tweaked its zoning laws to prohibit gas drilling, which may prompt a lawsuit from angry lease-holding landowners.