Those taking part in a survey commissioned by the Natural Resources Defense Council said they support a fracking ban in New York, the group said Tuesday.
"People here know that fracking is a snake oil cure for economic woes, one that comes with steep costs — in the form of water pollution, air contamination, health issues and destroyed communities," advocacy director Kate Sinding said in a statement.
A survey of 802 likely voters in September found nearly 80 percent supported a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in the state.
New York hosts a part of the Marcellus shale formation, one of the premier shale gas basins in the United States. There's a current state moratorium on hydraulic fracturing.
The Court of Appeals in Albany in July ruled in two separate cases that municipalities can use zoning laws to ban hydraulic fracturing within their borders.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is mulling whether or not to lift the ban in the state. Supporters of hydraulic fracturing say it may provide a source of economic stimulus, though NRDC's poll found most people in the state felt the benefits would be fleeting.
The NRDC poll was commissioned from Franklin, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates — FM3, for the Natural Resources Defense Council. It was conducted from Sept. 18-22 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
