CHENANGO BRIDGE – About 100 leaders from state government, commerce, the natural gas industry and land coalition groups gathered at a conference Thursday at the offices of New York State Assemblyman Clifford W. Crouch.

Those represented pledged their support of exploring for the clean-burning fuel in New York State and encouraged the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to complete the Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement by the spring, calling for drilling to resume in all gas producing formations by the summer of 2010.

“I’m supportive of drilling and the NYSDEC has gone through a very deliberate process of addressing the comments and concerns of people before they hand out permits,” said Assemblyman Crouch this morning.

Those present were leaders of the Joint Landowners Coalition representing 27 landowner coalitions in Broome, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Erie, Madison, Otsego, Steuben and Tioga counties that have more than 700,000 acres available for gas exploration ad development.