The critical decision about whether or not to drill for natural gas upstate will almost certainly fall to next Governor of New York.

Neither the presumptive Democratic nominee Andrew Cuomo nor Republican Rick Lazio has taken a strong stand on the issue. While they are both walking a fine line between the pro and anti-drilling interests, the other Republican in the race Carl Paladino is "so pro-drilling that he would have started a year ago."The new governor will have significant influence on whether or not more of these show up in upstate New York.

Whichever candidate wins the election has basically three choices when it comes to natural gas. The future governor can continue incumbent Governor Paterson's drilling moratorium, but for this to be politically feasible it would likely require the commission of an environmental and economic impact study.

As reported by Pressconnects.com, the next governor could decide to immediately allow the sale of drilling permits, a policy which would likely start a fierce legal battle between the administration and opponents of such drilling.

The third choice would be for the governor to defer to the State Legislature to deal with the issue and then either sign or veto the bill. Two different versions of a drilling moratorium bill were introduced recently, but neither ever came to a vote.

The NY Department of Environmental Conservation drafted controversial new drilling regulations last year and their possible revision will likely become a major campaign issue this year. As a result, the three gubernatorial candidates will need to come up with more than throw-away sound bites and vague policy statements regarding this contentious and sensitive issue.