A Second N.Y. Ruling Upholds Local Authority Over Gas Drilling February 24, 2012, 9:51 pm After two state judges upheld drilling bans established by two upstate towns in New York, the question becomes: how many more towns will go ahead and pass their own prohibitions on hydrofracking? A New York state judge ruled Friday that the town of Middlefield in Otsego County can ban natural gas drilling within its borders, the second time in a week that a state court has affirmed local authority over the drilling process known as hydrofracking. Earlier this week, another state judge upheld a drilling ban in the town of Dryden in Tompkins County. Deborah Goldberg, a lawyer with the environmental law firm Earthjustice, which argued for the town of Middlefield in its case, said many town officials who were "on the fence" about using their zoning rules to ban natural gas drilling may be emboldened by the rulings. "Two courts saying you have this right should give them some confidence about moving forward with their own zoning laws," she said. But the litigation is not over. Both decisions are expected to be appealed. "We're looking forward to getting the issue before the appellate court," said Thomas S. West, one of the lawyers representing the plaintiffs in both cases.