"ALBANY — After four rounds of hearings, hundreds of thousands of public comments, two governors and a pair of voluminous draft reports, New York’s review of hydraulic fracturing is now taking place entirely behind closed doors."

"It’s been 16 months since state Health Commissioner Nirav Shah was first tasked with analyzing New York’s review of large-scale hydrofracking, 5 1/2 years since the state first put shale-gas drilling on hold and a full year since Shah first said his work would be finished within 'the next few weeks.'

As Shah’s review moves from months to years, little information has been made public about his work. He has declined to make details of his work public, and a request for his schedules made by Gannett’s Albany Bureau in July has yet to be filled. Shah and the Health Department have also declined to answer specific questions about the review."

Jon Campbell reports for the Elmira Star-Gazette February 2, 2014. [2]