New York ( CNN ) -- The family of late Beatles music icon John Lennon on Wednesday voiced opposition to a controversial process of natural gas drilling known as fracking , . Sean Lennon , who appeared at a press conference in New York with his mother , Yoko Ono , said fracking is `` dirty , it 's just inherently dirty . '' `` The bottom line is there is a campaign of misinformation to try to tell people that hydraulic fracturing is a clean alternative to coal or other fossil fuels , '' he said . New York Gov . Andrew Cuomo is expected to take up the decision on whether to allow fracking , or horizontal hydraulic fracturing , which involves pumping millions of gallons of water and chemicals into shale formations deep beneath the Earth 's surface . This process causes the fracturing of the rock and the release of natural gas , but has raised concerns over the potential for chemicals to seep into the drinking water supply . Drought-stricken fracking firms turn to farms ' water wells for help . Lennon unveiled a campaign called `` Artists Against Fracking '' to oppose the expansion of the process while it is under review by New York 's Department of Environmental Conservation . The regulatory decision would not require a vote in the state legislature . Lennon 's family acquired a farm in upstate New York in the 1970s , and he said he grew concerned about fracking after being invited to a community meeting held by the natural gas industry that was seeking to expand drilling . Those concerns led Lennon to form `` Artists Against Fracking , '' with his mother 's help , and to sign up former Beatles Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr , as well as actors Mark Ruffalo and Anne Hathaway , among more than 100 other artists . `` We just asked friends to call friends and it accelerated from there , '' Lennon said . `` When people who do n't know much about it , or are on the fence , when they realize that it 's water and air , which is something we all relate to and depend on , most reasonable people want to get on board . '' A de facto moratorium on horizontal hydraulic fracturing has been in place since 2010 while the state conducts an environmental review of the process , which is widespread in neighboring Pennsylvania , which shares the Marcellus Shale formation with New York . Cornell Engineering Professor Anthony Ingraffea , who appeared at the Artists Against Fracking conference , said industry data show one out of 20 wells leak . `` No matter what the industry tells you , their own data ... proves conclusively to any reasonable scientist or engineer that it is impossible to design any well so it will never leak , '' Ingraffea said . `` Wells will leak . Wells do leak . The best and the brightest in that industry have been trying to solve that problem for 100 years . '' But John Holko , president of Lenape Resources , which operates 237 wells in New York using the older vertical hydraulic method , said he did not believe the figures on well leakage were accurate . `` I have not seen data that supports that . '' The Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York , which advocates for the drilling industry , said fracking had helped reduce U.S. carbon dioxide emissions to their lowest levels since the early 1990s . `` Artists who have turned into activists on this issue are being led by those who are more comfortable twisting the facts and taking part in street theater , stunts and gimmicks , '' said IOGA President Brad Gill . `` They are ignoring the prosperity and environmental protection that modern natural gas development is bringing to many other states . '' The renewed debate over fracking came after press reports that Cuomo was nearing a decision on allowing limited fracking in five counties in southeastern New York , near the Pennsylvania border . But a spokesman for Cuomo said no decision had been reached , and was not expected to come for weeks . Any move would follow the release of a final report by the state Department of Environmental Conservation . `` Our review of high-volume hydraulic fracturing is continuing and no decisions have been made , '' the agency said , noting it was preparing a response to the 80,000 comments received from the public . `` Once we review the comments , we will make any necessary changes to the documents . We will most likely release the final documents by the end of the year . '' According to analysts , the U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005 exempted industry from federal oversight , meaning that all regulatory authority falls to state authorities , rather than the Environmental Protection Agency . It is up to Cuomo to decide whether to proceed with fracking . It will fall upon the Department of Environmental Conservation to issue permits for horizontal hydraulic fracturing . Debate over fracking , quakes gets louder .
Sean Lennon among artists against fracking in New York . Gov . Andrew Cuomo is expected to take up the decision on whether to allow fracking . Fracking involves pumping water , chemicals into shale formations to release natural gas .