Supporters of a ban cited environmental reasons; opponents said the comment period is still continuing on an environmental impact statement the state performed.

There is an apparently small portion of the Utica Shale formation under Dutchess. County Legislator Robert Weiss didn’t think a state law would fly.

“I don’t believe that fracking will occur in Dutchess County as it just doesn’t have enough land mass to make it a profitable endeavor for a gas company,” he told fellow lawmakers.

Legislator Daniel Kuffner wants all information studied before any action is taken.

“I am not totally yet convinced that all of the data that has come forward from the companies that are involved in this procedure has been truly reviewed and the public made aware of what the actual concerns and results of the cracking are,” he said.

But, Legislator Joel Tyner believed the time is right to vote on the measure.

“We do not need to jeopardize the water that we need to drink every day through fracking,” he said.

Some county lawmakers noted that earlier this year, several Republican legislators signed a letter to the state urging officials in Albany to impose a one year moratorium until all studies have been completed.