PSR PA calls on the Delaware River Basin Commission to uphold the frack ban

On June 11th the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) held a commissioners meeting and public comment session in Easton, PA. PSR PA, as part of the Delaware River Frack Ban Coalition, joined activists from across the watershed to present the Pledge to Defend the Delaware River Watershed from fracking. A permanent ban prohibiting high volume hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) in the Delaware River Watershed was adopted by the DRBC in February 2021 after a moratorium on gas drilling instituted in 2010 following more than ten years of comprehensive research and public deliberation.

Special interests have threatened to attempt to overturn the frack ban, led by U.S. Representative Rob Bresnahan from Pennsylvania’s Eighth District, who criticized the DRBC’s ban on fracking and called for “unleashing energy dominance” at a March meeting with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin and fracking proponents, claiming Mr. Zeldin expressed support for “the natural gas industry in the Delaware River Basin.” Rep. Bresnahan doubled down on the issue stating he expected support from the EPA to “…help get our gas rights back” and to capitalize “…on energy under our feet” and ”…natural gas extraction.”  At a subsequent telephone Town Hall, he also stated, “I’m committed to reigning in bureaucratic groups like the DRBC.”

Added to the pressures being put on the DRBC as an autonomous interstate agency is federal bill HR 3428 introduced by Congressman Bresnahan to “require the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a review of the Mid-Atlantic River Basin Commissions.” The bill specifically targets the DRBC and two other commissions with a federal review of their “ethics, policies and practices”, funding sources, responsibilities relative to the federal government, interfacing with the public, and whether their role is “duplicative” of federal authorities. The Comptroller is to report back in one year. HR 3428 has been referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. As of [June 17th], there was one cosponsor of the bill, Congressman Scott Perry, [R-PA-10].

Chris DiGiulio, Environmental Chemist for PSR PA, spoke at the press conference ahead of the DRBC meeting, “Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania (PSR PA) stands firmly with the commissioners in defending this critical ban. We commend their leadership and courage in putting science, health, and safety first. PSR PA is here as a resource—we bring scientific expertise, frontline experience, and a deep commitment to protecting communities from the harms of fossil fuel extraction.”

PSR PA and several members of the Delaware River Frack Ban Coalition presented public comments on the need to uphold the ban. Josephine Gingerich, Health Advocacy Outreach Coordinator of PSR PA, spoke on the health harms caused by fracking, “Drilling and Fracking uses toxic chemicals. 1,076 chemicals are known to be used in fracking fluids, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), many of them carcinogenic, including some linked to childhood leukemia. Many fracturing fluid chemicals are known to be toxic to humans and wildlife, and several are known to cause cancer. Very small quantities of some fracking chemicals are capable of contaminating millions of gallons of water.”

Beyond the discussion of fracking at this meeting, DRBC approved a resolution proposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers which surprised and dismayed many activists in attendance. The resolution stated, “The Commission must not use federal funds awarded through the Corps to support policies or programs that advance the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, or the concept of climate change.”  

PSR PA and other groups immediately responded to this resolution, calling it appalling and criticizing the commissioners for voting to approve it without discussion or objections.

Watch the full DRBC meeting and public comment session here. The public comment session starts at 1:19:00, and the resolution presented by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is at 49:44. 

Josephine Gingerich and Christina DiGiulio