Commission Seeks Fracking Ban in Watershed Supplying New York City
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A commission that oversees water quality for the watershed that supplies Philadelphia and half of New York City with drinking water is taking another step toward permanently banning natural gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing.
The Delaware River Basin Commission on Thursday published regulations to enact a formal ban on drilling and fracking, the technique that’s spurred a U.S. production boom in shale gas and oil. It also puts additional restrictions on the industry disposing wastewater within the watershed or using water from the river and its tributaries.
The commission imposed a moratorium on drilling and fracking in 2010 and voted in September to start the process of a ban. Hearings and a public comment period are to follow, with a final vote possible next year.
The area supplies drinking water to 15 million people.
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