Michael Hill is reporting for the Associated Press New York's top court handed a victory to opponents of hydraulic fracturing for natural gas Mon., June 30, by affirming the right of municipalities to ban the practice within their borders. The state Court of Appeals upheld a mid-level appeals court ruling from last year that said the state oil and gas law does not trump the authority of local governments to control land use through zoning. The cases have been closely watched by drillers hoping to tap into the state's piece of the Marcellus Shale formation and by environmentalists who fear water and air pollution. The court in a 5-2 decision stressed that it did not consider the merits of fracking, only the authority of municipalities to regulate land use. The court said the towns of Dryden and Middlefield both acted properly. Read the full story in the Washington Post.