Delaware River Basin Commission to Vote on Drilling Rules on November 21st to Replace Moratorium

Delaware River Basin

The Delaware River Basin Commission has postponed the October 21 special meeting until November 21 to vote on a new rulebook for gas and oil companies who want to drill for natural gas along the Delaware River watershed.

The special meeting will include a presentation of changes made to the draft regulations, originally published in December. The October meeting was postponed to allow for the modified draft regulations to be published in advance on the DRBC website at www.drbc.net.

These regulations will be posted online November 7. The new rulebook marks a critical first step toward opening up an estimated 15,000 gas wells up and down the Delaware River over the next 30 years. Stretching through New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, the river and its tributaries daily supply drinking water for 15 million people.  Currently there is a moratorium on natural gas drilling along the Delaware River Watershed until new regulations are enacted.

Environmental groups, like the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, have been working feverishly to keep drilling out of the region. The Riverkeeper has blasted the DRBC for moving forward with new regulations without first doing a cumulative impact study on fracking’s potential effect on water quality, public health and wildlife.

Over the last year, the DRBC has held six public hearings to gather oral testimony and written comments before finalizing the new drilling rules. The commission received 69,000 submissions. The commission’s new drilling regulations center around water withdrawal, well pads, drilling activities and wastewater disposal.