The Delaware River Basin Commission Monday announced its intention to consider a resolution at its September 13 meeting directing the executive director to prepare and publish for public comment by Nov. 30, 2017 a revised set of draft regulations to address natural gas development activities within the Delaware River Basin.
If the proposed resolution is approved by the commission at the meeting, the revised draft rules to be published on a later date would include prohibitions related to the production of natural gas utilizing horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing within the Delaware River Basin.
The revised draft regulations would also include provisions for ensuring the safe and protective storage, treatment, disposal or discharge of hydraulic fracturing-related wastewater where permitted and provide for the regulation of inter-basin transfers of water and wastewater for purposes of natural gas development where permitted.
The resolution to be considered by the commissioners is procedural and, if adopted, would initiate a new phase in the rulemaking process. The commissioners will not be adopting any natural gas development draft regulations at the September 13 meeting.
The public input process on the revised draft regulations will include one or more hearings and ample opportunity for written comments. No action on the revised draft rules will be taken by the commission until the public comment process is completed. The commissioners will consider changes to the revised draft regulations that may be appropriate based on the comments received.
Details about the public hearing(s) and instructions for submitting written comments will be included in the notice of proposed rulemaking. Interested persons are invited to regularly check the commission’s web site at www.drbc.net for information as it becomes available.
There will be no opportunity for public comment prior to consideration of the procedural resolution at the Sept.13 business meeting. After all scheduled business has been completed and as time allows, up to one hour of Open Public Comment may be provided at the discretion of the DRBC chair.
Written or oral comments received before the draft rules are published and the comment period officially opens will not be included in the rulemaking record.
Click Here for a copy of the draft resolution and other meeting materials.
Reaction
The Delaware RiverKeeper and other groups issued a statement Monday saying while they were happy over the prospective of action on a fracking ban, the group said it was disappointed there could still be drilling wastewater disposal and water withdrawals from the Delaware Watershed to support fracking.
“With this resolution, the DRBC is poised to roll back the high level of protection from drilling and fracking for shale our watershed now enjoys. While posturing the possibility of a ban on fracking in some parts of our watershed, the resolution opens the door wide to many of the most devastating impacts that drilling and fracking for shale brings to waterways and communities. As a result, we must oppose it,” said Maya van Rossum, the Delaware Riverkeeper.
The September 13 DRBC business meeting, open to the public, will begin at 10:30 a.m. and will be held at the Linksz Pavilion, Bucks County Community College, 275 Swamp Road, in Newtown, Bucks County.
Natural gas development background information can be found on DRBC’s Natural Gas webpage.(Photo: Shale gas areas in Delaware River Watershed.)
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