Environmentalists hail DRBC delay on gas-drilling vote

The Delaware River Basin Commission has postponed voting on proposed natural gas drilling regulations. Postponement of the vote, which had been scheduled for Monday, comes after Delaware’s governor said he’d vote against the rules.

A DRBC spokesman said there are still some open issues for the commissioners to resolve.

Tracy Carluccio, deputy director of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, is thrilled with the delay.

“This is only a temporary reprieve, and we will be redoubling our efforts and working to make sure that drilling does not come to our watershed,” Carluccio said Friday.

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New Jersey Sierra Club director Jeff Tittel also hailed the delay.

“These rules are really weak and they really threaten the water supply for 15 million people,” he said. “Every day of delay is really a victory for clean water.”

Marcellus Shale Coalition spokesman Travis Windle remained hopeful drilling will be allowed.

“We remain hopeful that the DRBC will move forward with a set of common-sense regulations aimed at responsibly developing clean-burning, job-creating American natural gas in the region,” Windle said.

No new date has been set for the commission to act on the regulations.

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