For a gas drilling moratorium
A very important and weighty issue has come to our attention here in Pike County that I hope you will share with your readership. It’s about gas drilling with “Hydrofracturing” technology in the Delaware River Watershed Basin. We need to inform residents of this area of the attempt of gas and oil industry employees to lease land for the purpose of drilling for natural gas that will affect the Watershed which is the source of drinking water for 25 million people in Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey - including rural areas and New York City, Trenton, Philadelphia. “Hydro-fracking” uses millions of gallons of water and chemicals per well many of which are known toxins and pollutants, impacting water, land, wildlife, quality of life, human health, and property values. Water for this purpose is taken from is taken from nearby streams, lakes, rivers, and aquifers for the initial drilling. The effect of this type of drilling is permanent and disastrous for waters within the Upper Delaware that are Special Protection Waters (SPW) because they fall within the boundaries of “a national wild, scenic, and recreational rivers system” - and protected by a standing Act of Congress (1978). There are regions on the United States which have been disastrously ruined by this “fracking.” Colorado residents, among landowners from many other areas, are having to leave their homes and farms and ranches because of the air and water and noise pollution created by the devastating drilling done. The Energy Act of 2005 gave the oil and gas industries complete federal exemptions to all environmental regulations, including the “Clean Water Act.” Accordingly, the residents of the Watershed and, indeed the river itself, depend largely on DRBC to protect water resources from this significant change in use. Property values are at stake in the mix. It is imperative that the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) fulfills its mandate to protect the waters of the Watershed Basin - including requiring an Environmental Impact Study (EIS). As a longtime resident of Pike County, I favor of a Moratorium on gas drilling in the Upper Delaware River Watershed Basin. Judy Mays Shohola