WASHINGTON – Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-Hurley) and 48 other House members are in support of public disclosure requirements used in hydrofracking on public lands.

In a letter to US Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, the group described the disclosure requirement as a “critical step forward in encouraging the oil and gas industry to be more transparent and responsibly address the potential implications of hydraulic fracturing on water supplies and public health.”

The lawmakers told Salazar the public has a right to know what toxins might be going into the group near their communities, and what might be leaking into their drinking water.

Also signing the letter are Hudson Valley House Members Nita Lowey and Eliot Engel, both of Westchester County.