A group of property owners with a stake in natural gas exploration in New York State say they are not ruling out launching a lawsuit against state officials for banning hydraulic fracturing in the state indefinitely.

Hundred of pro-drilling advocates staged a rally at the Holiday Inn in Binghamton.

The property owners say the prohibition on drilling is in violation of their rights as land owners, ignores science supporting the safety of fracking and keeps jobs from coming to the region.

Meanwhile, Citizen Action of New York said the rally organized by the Joint Landowners’ Coalition was off the mark, citing a survey that they say showed a large majority of residents support the decision to prohibit fracking.

They cite their own scientific studies that they say show the controversial gas extraction method is unsafe for the environment and the health of the communities where drilling is taking place.

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