Christie conditionally vetoes no-frack bill, calls for water quality study

NJ Gov. Chris Christie has conditionally vetoed legislation that would have made New Jersey the first state to ban the natural gas drilling process known as fracking.He’s recommending a one year moratorium on fracking while the federal government studies whether it hurts water quality.Environmental groups are disappointed with the governor’s decision.

“We know that fracking is dangerous and we should never allow it in New Jersey,” said Doug O’Malley, field director for Environment New Jersey. “A one year moratorium is a Band-Aid. This isn’t good enough. We need to protect our drinking water permanently not just for one year.” Senator Bob Gordon sponsored the bill to ban fracking. He’s recommending lawmakers attempt to override the veto. No previous efforts to override a Christie veto have succeeded because of the lack of support from Republican lawmakers.