The Independent View: Secession Talk in New York State

New York lawmakers in income strapped fifteen towns across four counties in upstate New York are pondering the possibility of seceding from the Empire State and being adopted by Pennsylvania. The fifteen towns have expressed interest in secession after the state banned fracking, according to an interest group researching the economic benefits of such a move.

The Upstate New York Towns Association declined to name specific towns involved in the effort, but the towns are located in Broome, Delaware, Tioga and Sullivan counties. These counties are located in or near New York’s natural gas-rich Southern Tier, which borders Pennsylvania.

The Association will review the results from a survey and review the Association’s study comparing taxes and the cost of doing business in New York and Pennsylvania. With all this information, the Association will decide what action should be taken. Options such as seceding to Pennsylvania, partitioning the state, as well as other options that may come up will be looked at.

The gas resources available here are locked off from development, and many landowners have lived through years of frustration as they watched their neighbors just over the border to the south enjoy a resurgence in their economy and job prospects. Jobs have bled off from the area with no new development to replace them, largely due to the state’s tax policies.

The problem with all of this is that it looks pretty much impossible. The rules for changing state borders are clear, and the powers that be in Albany and Manhattan would never be on board with it.

Boundary changes between states require the approval of each state’s legislature and the approval of Congress. The U.S. Supreme Court settles boundary disputes between states.

While Pennsylvania would no doubt love to expand their territory and gain access to the mineral resources, I can’t imagine the state government in Albany ever agreeing to let this happen.