New York's gas ban leaves communities penniless while Pennsylvania counts its fracking cash

New York Post
98 followers
Oct 22, 2026
AI Generated·May contain errors
Video Summary
AI GeneratedA comparison between Chenango County, NY, and Bradford County, PA, reveals a stark contrast in quality of life and economic stability. While both sit atop the Marcellus Shale, Pennsylvania's embrace of hydraulic fracking has led to prosperity, whereas New York's 2014 ban has left its post-industrial community struggling despite environmental concerns.
We're sitting here on the New York-Pennsylvania border
and to my right, Chenango County, New York,
to my left, Bradford County, Pennsylvania.
These two communities could not be more different in
terms of quality of life, crime rate, opioid deaths.
Any way you look at it, Bradford County,
Pennsylvania is doing way better than Chenango County, New York.
What's happening here? Well,
both these communities sit atop the Marcellus Shale.
It's a region of natural gas that's
accessible through a process called hydraulic fracking.
New York banned fracking in 2014,
Pennsylvania did not. What's the outcome been?
Well, people in Bradford County tell us they love
fracking. They said it's changed their lives,
it's made millionaires overnight, it's kept seniors in
their home, and the community is able to do things like provide
its own rural broadband and establish
a new multi-million dollar communications center.
Over in New York, however, this community continues
to struggle. It's a post-industrial city
that really could have used the help. The lawmakers
decided to ban fracking due to concerns
of environmental risks like toxic chemicals that
a byproduct from the process.
