If what you say is true that is better news. However, in this Sundays Buffalo News (not the most reliable paper) it reported he issued a ban.
In all honesty I would take the word of a fellow freeper than the Buffalo News.
Here is another report I saw that shows some recent fracing activity in New York:
“Low-volume New York Marcellus fracs tap gas
Dec 17, 2010
By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Dec. 17 – Montreal independent Gastem obtained gas flows from Utica shale and two members of the Marcellus shale using permitted low-volume frac jobs in a vertical well in Otsego County, NY.
Gastem ran separate fracs on the Chittenango and Union Springs members of Marcellus at the Ross-1 well. Both succeeded, and the company completed the well for 200 Mcfd of gas. Current flow is 150 Mcfd after 4 weeks of flow. BJ Services ran the fracs.
Gastem also put a frac on Utica in November 2009 and tested that interval at more than 100 Mcfd. The frac involved a fluid volume under the state’s existing Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement guidelines with a maximum volume of 80,000 gal.
The company said, “The combined economics of the multilayer targets (Utica, Oneida, and Marcellus) will provide development opportunities until the NYSDEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) completes their review process for horizontal shale wells now scheduled for release on June 1, 2011.”
Gastem is completing a seismic program on existing leased property and plans to initiate development wells targeting “local gas for local use” in the area by mid-2011. Gastem is operator with 80% working interest in 33,000 acres.”
it was also reported in the WSJ.