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New Rule Prohibits Fracking in Delaware River Basin
The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) approved a final rule to prohibit high-volume fracking activity in the basin on February 25, 2021.
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Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is a process by which water is mixed with chemicals and proppants (such as sand) and injected under extreme pressure to fracture rock. The process allows natural gas or oil to escape through the fractures up into the well. The water mixture flows back up through the well as wastewater.
According to a study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), “[t]he Delaware River Basin covers 13,500 square miles in parts of four States, including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The population in the basin is approximately 7.3 million people. The basin has the largest interbasin withdrawal of water east of the Mississippi River and provides water to over 15 million people. After a history of lit
In January MDN told you that after five loooong years, a federal judge in Scranton, PA had finally ruled the Wayne Land and Mineral Group (WLMG) v. Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) lawsuit will go to trial this year (see Judge Rules Wayne Landowner Lawsuit re DRBC Frack Ban Continues). We've since learned the trial is set to begin in October. Andrew Makuth, ace reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, chronicles the journey of this lawsuit and what it means for landowners and environmentalists. There is nothing particularly new or noteworthy in the article below you've read it all on MDN in the past. The article does, however, provide the entire, well-written story in one place. Below you will read the history of the lawsuit from the beginning, and what lies ahead as this case is decided. This is the end game. We're not 100% certain, but we'd lay 90-95% odds that the DRBC is going to lose the lawsuit and lose the right to ban fracking in the Delaware River Basi
State senators file suit to overturn fracking ban in Delaware River Basin citizensvoice.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from citizensvoice.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Del. River Commission Can t End Fracking Ban Suit Yet
Law360 (January 6, 2021, 7:09 PM EST) A Pennsylvania federal judge ruled on Wednesday that the Delaware River Basin Commission can t prevail just yet in a landowner group s challenge to its fracking ban, finding that ambiguity still clouds the scope of the commission s oversight.
U.S. District Judge Robert D. Mariani said it wasn t the right time to grant the commission s bid for a declaration that the Wayne Land & Mineral Group LLC s planned fracking activity a controversial process that uses pressurized liquid to fracture rock in order to release natural gas amounted to a project that falls within the commission s oversight and is thus subject to the.
Wayne Land and Mineral Group (WLMG)
v. Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) lawsuit that should encourage landowners in eastern PA whose property rights have been “taken” by the DRBC. The DRBC has prevented landowners in areas like Wayne and Pike counties from drilling for shale gas under their land for more than a decade.
NOTE: Our good friend Tom Shepstone has written an important post on this development on his Natural Gas Now website: DRBC Lawsuit Finally Going to Trial After Five Years! We encourage you to click and read it.
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