Testifying before the joint budget hearing, lawmakers and members of the press got the rare opportunity to ask questions to State Health Commissioner Dr. Nirav Shah. In charge of reviewing the controversial process of hydrofracking, Shah continued to say that he has not reached a decision on whether or not to allow the horizontal drilling for natural gas in New York. Several legislators expressed frustration over the lack of transparency over this particular issue to the health commissioner, who makes infrequent public appearances. When asked about the aggravation shown over the lack of a decision, Shah said his "goal is to protect New Yorkers and I'm not going to let anything get in the way of that."
Click on the video above to see Shah answer five minutes worth of questions from the press after his three and a half hours testifying to lawmakers.
