Drilling Opponents Take Their Case to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

A group opposed to drilling for gas in the Delaware River Basin delivered 71,000 signatures to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office in downtown Philadelphia Monday. The petitions ask the Corps to continue a moratorium on natural gas drilling in the Delaware River watershed, and vote against adopting the new rules proposed by the Delaware River Basin Commission. The Corps has a seat on the five-person Commission and represents the Obama Administration. Tracy Carluccio, with the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, an environmental group, says despite no drilling activity near Philadelphia, the city is in the crosshairs.

“Fifteen million people get their water from the Delaware River, said Carluccio. “It’s one of the largest water supply watersheds in the nation and there’s no other way to get this water. Philadelphia is downstream of where this fracking will be going on. Philadelphia is also in the pathway of pipelines and compressor stations. And liquefied natural gas facilities may pop up on the [Chesapeake] Bay.”

Carluccio is helping to organize what may turn out to be a large protest at the next DRBC meeting in Trenton on Monday. The Commission drafted new rules after releasing their original proposal last December, and holding several public hearings. They received thousands of public comments. But Carluccio is unhappy with the results. She wants the DRBC to hold off on allowing any drilling in the watershed until an environmental impact study is conducted. The Commission meets November 21 to discuss and vote the proposed natural gas drilling rules.

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