New Siena College Poll Shows New Yorkers Evenly Divided on the DEC’s New Hydraulic Fracturing Rules

A new poll just released by Siena College’s Siena Research Institute finds New York residents are pretty evenly split (for and against) the Department of Environmental Conservation’s draft regulations that will allow hydraulic fracturing and drilling in the Marcellus Shale.

“While only a little more than one-third of downstaters have paid a great deal or some attention to the debate over hydrofracking in the Marcellus Shale, nearly two-thirds of upstaters have been following the debate at least somewhat,” Greenberg said. “That regional difference doesn’t, however, carry over to voters’ attitudes on the DEC’s recommendation to allow hydrofracking, or on whether to trust hydrofracking supporters or opponents.”

Statewide, 45 percent of voters favor DEC’s recommendation and 43 percent oppose it. Upstate, 47 percent favor, 45 percent oppose; in the downstate suburbs, 47 percent favor, 40 percent oppose; and, 41 percent in New York City favor while 42 percent oppose. By a 54-33 percent margin, voters statewide say they are more inclined to trust hydrofracking opponents rather than supporters, a view held by 53 percent in New York City, 54 percent in the downstate suburbs and 55 percent upstate.

“Although significantly more voters are currently inclined to trust the arguments of hydrofracking opponents over those of supporters, the debate over whether or not hydrofracking should be permitted in New York has failed so far to produce a clear majority for either position – either statewide or upstate,” Greenberg said.*

The full breakdown for the three questions Siena asked about Marcellus drilling and hydraulic fracturing is available below.

*Siena Research Institute (Jul 14, 2011) – New Yorkers Evenly Divided on DEC’s Hydrofracking Recommendation

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