"The argument is simple," said Goldstein. "New York state laws shouldn't override the authority of local governments to protect their constituents."

In a decision that could set a national precedent for how local governments can regulate gas drilling, a New York state court yesterday ruled for the first time that towns have the right to ban drilling despite a state regulation asserting they cannot.

At issue was a zoning law in Dryden, a township adjacent to Ithaca and the Cornell University campus, where drilling companies have leased some 22,000 acres for drilling. In August, Dryden's town board passed a zoning law that prohibits gas drilling within town limits. The next month, Denver-based Anschutz Exploration Corp. sued the town, saying the ban was illegal because state law trumped the municipal rules.

It has become the little guy (townships/towns) versus the state. The little guy who has invested his/her life in a community should have the right to decline "fracking". Surely you agree.

Win for the little guy !! Woo Hoo !!!