Originally published by NEXUS MEDIA NEWS
The Delaware River Basin Commission, citing threats to drinking water for 13 million people, voted to ban fracking in the 13,500-square mile region on Thursday. Representatives of Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania voted unanimously to approve the measure, which makes permanent a 2010 moratorium imposed by the commission, while an official representing the Biden administration abstained. The commission cited “significant immediate and long-term risks” from gas extraction, saying in a resolution that drillers have “adversely impacted surface-water and groundwater resources, including sources of drinking water, and have harmed aquatic life in some regions.” The ban includes two Pennsylvania counties that sit atop the Marcellus shale formation. A coalition of environmental and civic groups hailed the vote as an “EPIC BATTLE! HISTORIC WIN!” (AP, E&E $, Pocono Record, Philadelphia Inquirer, NJ.com, The Hill)
Featured image: schematic of fracking (hydrofracturing) operation (US DOE via NETL).
