SURVEY

Polls report NY voters evenly split on fracking

Two recent polls are showing New York voters are nearly evenly divided on the use of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, for natural gas drilling.

A Siena Research Institute poll released Monday said voters statewide were split 40 percent each when asked if the state Department of Environmental Conservation should lift a 4 1/2-year-old moratorium on fracking. The remaining 20 percent had not opinion.

In the Southern Tier, where drilling would likely start if approved, the poll found 48 percent of voters opposed to lifting the fracking ban, and 47 percent in favor of lifting the ban.

Last week, a poll by Quinnipiac University found 43 percent of New York voters support drilling because of the economic benefits, while 42 percent oppose drilling because of environmental concerns. Support is slightly stronger upstate, with 48 percent in favor of drilling and 40 percent opposed.