Standing together to defend the Delaware River Watershed from fracking, organizations and members of the public gathered to express support for the permanent frack ban that was instituted by the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) in 2021, following a 2010 moratorium.

The coalition held a press conference on the banks of the Delaware River where George Washington and his army crossed to New Jersey to win independence from royal oppression and exploitation. Freedom from the oppressive and devastating impacts of fracking was expressed in the banner they held: “Delaware River, Frack Free Forever!” The DRBC held their business meeting inside the Visitors Center at noon. Some people went into the DRBC meeting after the press conference to participate in their public comment session.

Fracking interests have been trying to overturn the ban on fracking for more than a year through federal legislation, lobbying, and a lawsuit in New York. In July, U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (R, PA-10) introduced an amendment to the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA, H.R. 9497) aimed at overturning the ban on fracking in the Delaware River Watershed. A tidal wave of public pushback and action by legislators who support the ban led to the amendment dying in committee. Perry has also introduced legislation to take away the power of the DRBC and the other commissions to ban fracking—the “Drill Now Act.”

Community support for the campaign to defend the frack ban was expressed by people from the region who attended the press conference. Some of the members of the public and coalition representatives went inside to the DRBC’s meeting after the press conference to speak to the DRBC commissioners during the public comment session.

“Catskill Mountainkeeper is proud to stand with our allies and support the Delaware River Basin Commission in keeping the Delaware River frack-free forever,” said Catskill Mountainkeeper’s program manager, Taylor Jaffe. “Our communities rely on this watershed as a source of clean drinking water, a destination for recreation and relaxation, and for its ecological and economic benefits. Protecting our shared waters from the harms and pollutants of fracking will always be essential to supporting healthy, vibrant towns and communities.”

"China is the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter, but the U.S. may not be far behind according to projections from the International Energy Agency that say spending '…will outstrip that of China for the first time in decades.' We here in the Delaware River Watershed refuse to be part of that fossil gas buildout and we urge all the watershed states to stop the devastating development of more fossil fuels," said Karen Feridun, founder of Berks Gas Truth.

“The Delaware River Basin Commissioners have clear reasons to defend and enforce the commission's ban on fracking. In Pennsylvania and New York in particular, defending the ban is also an opportunity to protect the constitutional environmental rights of the people, as outlined in the PA and NY Green Amendments,” said Shaelyn Parker, advocate and educator at Green Amendments For The Generations. “Green Amendments For The Generations stands beside the DRBC as they protect our right to clean, safe, healthy environments from the ruthless attacks by profit-first industry and politicians.”

Barbara Arrindell, director of Damascus Citizens for Sustainability (DCS) said, “To DCS, opposing fracking has always been a matter of protecting public health, both in the present as drilling, pipelines etc. pump poisons into the air and water near these activities but also looking into the future since, for example, once an aquifer is contaminated there is no going back and we are witnessing the health and climate impacts of carbon loading our air. The Delaware River Basin Ban is a vital economic and health protection.”

"More than 15 years into the fracking boom, we have overwhelming evidence on the danger fracking poses to our drinking water supplies and environment. This science is what led the DRBC to declare a temporary and then a permanent moratorium on fracking in the watershed more than 5 years ago. Even in the face of Congressional attempts to overturn this decision, the public—and the science—are clear as the waters of the upper Delaware: don't frack our watershed. We urge the DRBC to stay the course and all political leaders across the watershed to support drinking water by upholding the moratorium," said Doug O'Malley, director of Environment New Jersey. 

“We all fought back last month when fracking interests tried to pass federal legislation to overturn the ban on fracking in the Delaware River Watershed. We prevailed, and the ban is still in place, but efforts to undo that protection are still underway, and we are here today to stand with the DRBC to defend the ban, to call for an end to all fracking everywhere and make it clear to all those who attack the ban: We will never tolerate fracking in our watershed, and pledge to ensure our watershed is Frack Free Forever,” said Tracy Carluccio, deputy director, Delaware Riverkeeper Network.

"Overturning the ban on fracking in the Delaware River watershed would put at risk the 15 million people who depend on its drinking water, as well as deepening our global climate crisis,” said Matt Smith, New Jersey state director for Food & Water Watch.  "Our communities should not be sacrificed for the greedy fossil fuel industry and we stand by the DRBC in maintaining a complete ban on fracking."

More attempts to overturn the frack ban

U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R, PA-08), who pulled together Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin and fracking proponents at a closed-door meeting in March 2025, criticized the DRBC’s ban on fracking, calling for “unleashing energy dominance.” He also has introduced the Mid-Atlantic River Basin Commissions Review Act, which is a witch hunt to undermine DRBC and the other commissions’ authority by discrediting them. The bill has passed the House and now goes to the Senate.

People fight back to resist fracking

People have pledged to defend the river in an organized resistance to combat these attempts. Despite these attacks, the public remains vigilant as the frack ban lives on.

The Delaware River Frack Ban Climate Action Coalition is made up of organizations that have worked to defend the Delaware River from fracking and advocate for action by the DRBC to address the climate crisis and its ongoing/growing damage in the Watershed, many active for at least the past 16 years. The groups include Berks Gas Truth, Catskill Mountainkeeper, Damascus Citizens for Sustainability, Delaware Riverkeeper Network, Environment New Jersey, Food and Water Watch, Green Amendments for the Generations and the League of Women Voters of Delaware.