The DRBC has put a stop to all Marcellus shale gas drilling throughout the Delaware River Basin, the AP reports:
The move temporarily halts all Marcellus drilling in the Delaware basin. The commission last month declared a moratorium on new shale drilling projects until regulations are drafted, but exploratory wells had been exempt.
Looks like the DRBC executive director Carol Collier thinks gas companies might have had sneaky plans:
She says it will also remove any incentive for gas companies to classify their wells as exploratory and sink them without DRBC review.
The Philly Inquirer has a longer story, and does a little explaining of the DRBC as an entity that straddles the borders of four states:
The DRBC was formed by a federal compact; its members are the governors of the four basin states - New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware - plus a federal appointee. The Pennsylvania counties that are totally or partially within both the Marcellus formation and the Delaware River watershed are: Wayne, Pike, Monroe, Carbon, Schuylkill, Luzerne, and Lackawanna.
While drilling has escalated in the rest of Pennsylvania, the commission has proceeded more cautiously, citing concern for the Delaware River.
