On June 30^th, the State Court of Appeals in a 5-to-2 decision found that the Town of Dryden in Tompkins County and the Town of Middlefield in Otsego County have the authority to prohibit fracking through local land use regulations.  Opponents of fracking immediately celebrated the ruling whereas a lawyer for one of the energy companies in the suit indicated that the ruling made it increasingly unlikely that gas drilling companies would invest in New York State.