Rushing to a halt?

Petitions and moratoriums multiplying as means to check gas rush

By SANDY LONG

UPPER DELAWARE REGION — As gas companies scramble to secure drilling leases throughout the Upper Delaware region, so, too, are community groups, townships and organizations speeding ahead with initiatives intended to slow, or even halt, the process.

Three new petitions seeking moratoriums on gas drilling are being circulated in the Upper Delaware region, in addition to the request for a moratorium put forth by eight environmental groups seeking an Environmental Impact Study (EIS) and the establishment of a drilling moratorium in Sullivan County’s Town of Highland.

The new petitions were generated by the locally-based non-profit organization, Damascus Citizens for Sustainability (DCS). The first, a “Regional Moratorium,” petitions the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) for “implementation of a moratorium on gas drilling in the Delaware Basin until the DRBC fulfills its mandate to protect the waters of the Basin including requiring an Environmental Impact Study.”

Citing sections from the DRBC Water Quality Regulations Manual, the petition calls for the DRBC to adhere to its own policy “to prevent degradation of ground water quality,” and concludes, “The DRBC should not issue any permits for gas-drilling water use until the EIS is complete and safeguards are in place to protect our ground- and drinking-water resources.” The petition will be delivered to the DRBC by October 1.

The DCS has also begun circulating petitions targeting Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell and New York Governor David Patterson for environmental impact studies on gas drilling in the Delaware River Basin. The petitions call for countywide water and air baseline testing; the release of proprietary information related to drilling; comprehensive engineering plans of the Marcellus gas fields, including construction of roadways, pipelines, well pads, staging areas, compressor stations, spacing requirements and geographical restraints; projected influence on resources, such as aquifers, wetlands and critical habitats; impact of increased water withdrawals; waste water disposal and the effects of naturally occurring radioactive releases, gas and wastewater emissions.

Due to reports of explosions, fires and hazardous materials spills in areas already being drilled in the United States, the petitions call for information on the projected influence on local and regional infrastructure, including roads and increased truck traffic, community infrastructure and emergency resources related to public health and safety. Information is also requested regarding the impacts of “lighting, high and low frequency noise and air-emissions pollution problems.”

Visit www.DamascusCitizens.org to view the petitions, which will also be available at area businesses and disseminated by individuals in the Upper Delaware region. For more information call 570/729-0005.