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In a long-awaited decision, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said Wednesday he would ban fracking in New York State due to concerns the controversial energy extraction practice is unsafe.

Cuomo has for years avoided taking a stand on the issue, repeatedly punting the release date of a Health Department study while trying to placate competing demands from vocal environmentalists and energy producers who hoped to tap the state's swath of the vast Marcellus Shale deposit. But the state's health commissioner told the governor Wednesday he "cannot support" the method for fear fracking chemicals could contaminate water supplies, leading Cuomo to say he would ban the practice.