The following press release was issued from the Phillips for Congress campaign today.

George Phillips, candidate for Congress in New York’s 22nd Congressional District, today released the following statement in support of landowner groups rallying in Albany to support safe exploration of natural gas resources in New York.

“Today, Advocates for Natural Gas Exploration and coalitions of landowners from around the state are meeting in Albany to express their support for the safe exploration for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale deposits. These concerned citizens have my full support and their frustration is understandable.  We are sitting on some of the richest deposits of this safe, clean energy source in the nation, but bureaucratic red tape continues to dog the process of development. New York already provides for some of the most stringent environmental protection measures and groundwater regulations in the nation. Other parts of the country are capitalizing on similar resources, seeing benefits in the form of financial windfalls and job creation.

“New York residents are in need of precisely this sort of advantage, yet it continues to be delayed by government interference, such as the proposed FRAC Act, introduced in Congress by Maurice Hinchey. Development of domestic energy supplies is not only an issue affecting jobs and economic prosperity, but of national security as well. Albany needs to listen to these concerned citizens and look at the facts, rather than the myths surrounding hydraulic fracturing. I am determined to keep the federal government out of this process, which would unnecessarily delay progress for years.  Maurice Hinchey’s bill is a job-killer for the region and is only standing in the way of economic recovery and job creation.”