Binghamton Fracking Ban Overturned

10/3/2012 (Updated 7:07:46 PM)

One day after a state supreme court judge overturned Binghamton's fracking ban, Mayor Matt Ryan says he's mulling an appeal.

Five plaintiffs, including the Vestal Gas Coalition sued the city saying the ban would prevent them from leasing their land or have a detrimental affect on their business.

Judge Ferris Lebous ruled the ban failed to meet the criteria of a properly enacted moratorium.

"We're very happy with the main part of it which was reaffirming individual communities the right to say what happens in their community....So I'll be consulting with everybody to see where we go from here.  But first we're going to look at this decision to see whether we make an appeal on this decision," said Mayor Ryan.

Lebous ruled the city clearly did not enact the law so it could study or alleviate any problems that may be caused by gas drilling and storage one reason it doesn't meet the requirements of a moratorium.