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Action Page 2011-02: Urge Delaware River Basin Commission Not to Lift Fracking Ban |
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Written by Robert Scardapane and Eddie Konczal
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Sunday, 13 November 2011 00:00 |
Background:
 The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) recently released its proposed rules for natural gas development in the Delaware River basin, a watershed that provides high-quality drinking water to over 15 million people. The new rules, scheduled for a vote on November 21, would lift a 3-year moratorium on drilling and hydraulic fracturing (a.k.a "fracking") for shale gas in the Delaware River Basin. The DRBC estimates that between 15,000 and 18,000 wells could be drilled and fracked in the Delaware River basin.
“The DRBC’s proposed rules fail miserably at protecting current and future generations from the dangers of fracking,” according to Jim Walsh, eastern region director of the consumer advocacy group Food & Water Watch. “It is flagrantly irresponsible to allow tens of thousands of shale gas wells in the Delaware River basin. Pumping millions of gallons of toxic fracking fluid into each well virtually ensures that the vital drinking water resources for millions of Americans along the East Coast will be contaminated.”
Fracking involves injecting millions of gallons of water, chemicals and sand into shale rock formations at high pressures to break open the rock and release natural gas. This process cracks the rocks allowing access to natural gas wells.
There are numerous cases of water contamination near fracking sites. Studies have shown that fracking pollutes drinking water supplies with various neurotoxins and carcinogens such as benzene. In addition, fracking releases greenhouse and smog producing gases into the atmosphere. Fracking also produces a toxic wastewater that cannot be treated by standard treatment plants. It is especially dangerous because drillers are rushing to use the technique in new areas of the country without fully evaluating the effects on human health and the environment, and without adequate government oversight.
Actions:
Talking points:
- A provision in the Delaware River Basin Commission's proposed rules would allow fracking companies to self-monitor surface water for contamination, opening up serious conflicts of interest.
- In an acknowledgement of the risks, special protections are proposed for the watersheds supplying New York City's Delaware Basin Reservoirs, while watersheds supplying other communities are given less protection. But even the special protections wouldn’t keep fracking out of New York City’s watersheds.
- Toxic wastewater pits, notorious for leaking and thus contaminating drilling sites, would not be allowed…except when they would. The executive director of the DRBC would have the power to approve of such pits in the Delaware River basin.
- Smaller shale gas developers would be exempt from having to have “Natural Gas Development Plans” – plans that assess the cumulative environmental, public health and infrastructure costs of drilling and fracking new wells.
- Large shale gas developers would enjoy a cap on the amount of “financial assurance” the DRBC requires in anticipation of having to pay for expenses like the clean up costs of accidental spills.
Related links:
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 27 December 2011 10:16 |