Latest local news, weather and sports for Syracuse and Central New York

Monday, May 13, 2013  New York's five-year moratorium on shale gas development promised to be a blessing for many landowners eager to end leases they signed before anyone outside of the oil and gas industry had heard of fracking.

Thursday, January 03, 2013  An unreleased state report says potential health impacts from fracking are addressed in the Department of Environmental Conservation's regulatory plan, making a separate health impact study unnecessary.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012  Proponents of shale gas drilling have launched a new ad campaign calling on state officials to bring a four-year environmental review to a close and allow gas development to begin in New York.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012  An agency spokeswoman says the state Department of Environmental Conservation will file for a 90-day extension when the deadline for finalizing new gas-drilling regulations arrives on Thursday.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012  New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says a health study of shale gas drilling will make it impossible to meet a looming deadline for new fracking regulations, pushing a much-delayed decision on the contentious issue into 2013.

Thursday, November 08, 2012  Anti-fracking candidates were beaten soundly in the Southern Tier.

Thursday, September 06, 2012  Town officials and landowners eager for shale gas drilling to begin in southern New York are pressing Gov. Andrew Cuomo to approve an environmental review that's been four years in the making.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012  Gov. Andrew Cuomo is meeting with farmers and manufacturers at a so-called "yogurt summit" to find ways the state can help increase New York's share of the growing trade.

Thursday, April 19, 2012  Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens says there's no timeline for a decision on whether fracking of shale gas wells will be allowed in New York state, but the review will likely continue through the summer.

Thursday, March 31, 2011  Joe Martens, the new head of New York's Department of Environmental Conservation, says gas drilling in the massive Marcellus Shale formation is the most daunting environmental issue the agency has faced in its 40-year history, but he's hopeful rules will be in place by summer's end to address all the potential impacts

Tuesday, February 08, 2011  New York's new environmental chief said Tuesday the state needs to proceed cautiously with high-volume hydraulic fracturing for natural gas in deep shale formations, but not wait for the Environmental Protection Agency to complete a federal review of the practice that could take two years.

Monday, September 13, 2010  The oil and gas industry is urging the Environmental Protection Agency to keep a narrow focus in its study of how a drilling technique that involves blasting chemical-laced water into the ground may affect drinking water - while environmental groups want the study to cover everything from road-building to waste disposal.

Tuesday, February 02, 2010  A drilling technique that is beginning to unlock staggering quantities of natural gas underneath Appalachia also yields a troubling byproduct: powerfully briny wastewater that can kill fish and give tap water a foul taste and odor.