Corbett Angry that Fracking Not Allowed in Del. River Watershed (is water supply for 15 million) [View all]

[JPZenger]

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20130629_Corbett_presses_Delaware_River_commission_to_adopt_natural_gas_drilling_regs.html

http://www.delawareriverkeeper.org/river-action/ongoing-issue-detail.aspx?Id=10

Corbett has sent an angry letter to the Delaware River Basin Commission, which has not approved water use rules that would open up the Delaware River watershed to fracking.

The DRBC has 5 votes. 3 votes are needed to approve the rules that would allow fracking. The 4 states are split 2-2. The Federal Government has not be willing to cast the deciding vote.

The Delaware River watershed supplies water for 15 million people, including all of New York City and Philadelphia, as well as many smaller communities.

Excerpts of Inquirer article:

"He said the commission had been awaiting results of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency study of hydraulic fracturing, a technique used to extract the gas.

"Maya van Rossum, the Delaware riverkeeper, mocked Corbett's assertion that he was writing on behalf of his constituents. "Gov. Corbett has made very clear . . . that his constituents are the gas drillers," she said. "That's not the appropriate role of the governor." She said state law still had inadequate environmental protections.

The commission is doing what it is "supposed to be doing - protecting the community, not sacrificing the community for the benefit of a limited few," she said."