( CNN ) -- `` I consider the people of New York my patients , '' acting New York Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said this week as he cited health-related reasons for recommending New York Governor Andrew Cuomo ban hydraulic fracturing , or `` fracking , '' to develop natural gas resources in the state . New York 's environmental conservation commissioner joined in with the recommendation , which the governor quickly accepted . But if New York 's taxpayers are indeed Zucker 's patients , they should consider suing him for malpractice , because the new ban on hydraulic fracturing in New York has nothing to do with public health or good science . Instead , it 's an anti-scientific , political decision that will harm the country as it panders to far-left environmentalists . New York has become the first state with commercial gas reserves to ban a practice that has revolutionized the U.S. energy industry . Fracking injects sand water and small amounts of chemicals into deep oil- and gas-containing formations , cracking the rocks and allowing the trapped gas and oil to be recovered . Hydraulic fracturing has saved Americans billions of dollars , contributed to reduced U.S. carbon dioxide emissions and greatly bolstered the U.S. geopolitical position and America 's energy security . Frustration with this ill-considered ban is n't just partisan warfare . While my own politics are conservative , I am not reflexively hostile to alternative energy . Indeed , I have worked with both Republican and Democratic politicians and groups on energy and environmental issues . ( I recently co-authored a report with former Democratic Senate Energy Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman on smart ways to cost-effectively boost renewable energy , and have also worked on joint projects promoting sustained support for energy research and development with current Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz when he was at MIT ) . However , I am reflexively hostile to deception , especially when undertaken by people who cloak themselves in the mantle of science . And that 's exactly what is happening here . While science is always a subject of continuing inquiry , the strong consensus of research on hydraulic fracturing is that overall , it is good for the environment , the economy and our geopolitical position . The United States has seen dramatic reductions in national carbon dioxide emissions largely as a result of hydraulic fracturing , which allowed natural gas to become cheap and abundant , and mostly displacing dirtier , higher-emission coal in the generation mix . Hydraulic fracturing , and the similar techniques used for `` tight oil '' drilling , have actually allowed the United States to become the world 's leading oil producer in 2014 . The economics of the fracking revolution are also overwhelmingly positive . IHS , perhaps the most respected independent energy consultancy , says the industry will be able to support 3.3 million jobs , adding more than $ 125 billion to state coffers through state tax revenues by 2020 . By 2025 , the average family could be saving $ 3,500 per year due to hydraulic fracturing , a staggering figure in a country with a median family income of just $ 52,000 . And support for fracking is n't split down party lines -- Moniz has called fracking safe and `` a bridge to a low-carbon future , '' a finding supported by several Environmental Protection Agency investigations and former Obama Environmental Protection Administrator Lisa Jackson . Not to be outdone , Obama 's former Energy Secretary Steven Chu has also declared that `` this is something you can do in a safe way . '' All of these leaders have been aggressive champions of renewable energy , and none could be accused of being a pawn of fossil fuel interests . By contrast , the integrity of some of the largest and most powerful fracking critics is severely compromised . Popular anti-fracking movies Gasland and Gasland II have perpetuated many dubious claims that have been widely debunked . Michael Brune , the executive director of the Sierra Club , hailed New York 's decision . Yet between 2007 and 2010 , long after the hydraulic fracturing revolution was under way , the Sierra Club was reported to have taken more than $ 25 million from natural gas drillers to fund its fight against coal power ( unsurprisingly , they pushed gas as a cleaner alternative ) . Of course , there are costs as well as benefits to fracking . And it is possible that at some point , new experience or information will come to light that would change our thinking . But we 've already fracked tens of thousands of U.S. wells , and the endorsements mentioned above come in full light of that experience . Increased natural gas production could have brought billions of dollars and thousands of jobs to New York 's hard-hit Southern Tier , which sits over the Marcellus Shale formation , one of America 's richest potential sources of natural gas . Cuomo 's ban will be particularly devastating for poor New Yorkers , who can now be expected to struggle with high home heating bills due to expensive imported gas . Unfortunately , as supporters of the ban have realized , New York 's move sends a signal to other states . But it also has geopolitical implications . The boom in hydraulic fracturing and tight oil production in the United States has helped undermine Russia 's international standing by contributing to plummeting global oil prices . America 's ability to produce and potentially export more natural gas could similarly reduce Russia 's ability to leverage natural gas exports to Europe . So in the face of science , economics and geopolitics , why did Cuomo support the ban ? In his Q & A with reporters after his announcement , the governor probably came pretty close to the truth on the politics behind the fracking decision when he said it was `` probably the most emotionally charged issue I have ever experienced . '' `` I am not a scientist , '' he said , using the same formulation as that of a number of GOP lawmakers who have been criticized for using it with climate change . Well , the science and policy of a state ban on hydraulic fracturing is easy compared to the complexities of understanding the global climate system . And if America follows New York 's terrible example , the troubling consequences will be there for all to see -- experts and non-experts alike .
New York 's problem has nothing to do with health or science . Fracking operations should not be discussed in partisan terms , he says . The industry has saved lives and bolstered U.S. national security . The integrity of fracking operations has been compromised .