Wayne County, PA Landowner Sues DRBC Over Fracking Ban
Some great news to share. A landowner in Wayne County, PA--in the Delaware River Basin--has filed a lawsuit against the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) asking a judge to declare the DRBC does not have jurisdiction to prevent construction of a natural gas well. MDN has chronicled, for years, the lawless actions of the DRBC in seizing power it does not have to block shale drilling in essentially two PA counties where there is measurable quantities of shale gas that could be extracted: Wayne County and Pike County. DRBC's former director, Carol Collier, is a hardened anti-driller who colluded with Josh Fox in making his infamous propaganda film Gasland. Collier is gone and it was thought her replacement, Steve Tambini would bring some order and sense to the organization (see DRBC Selects Steve Tambini as New Leader, Enviro Groups Unsure). He's been a dud--at least on the drilling issue. The DRBC has blocked drilling since it considered rules for drilling in 2010, when it put a "temporary" ban in place. Enough is enough. The Wayne landowner is arguing that oil and gas wells, under the DRBC's charter, do not constitute a "project" that is regulated by the DRBC and therefore are exempt from oversight from the DRBC. Brilliant legal move! Here's the details, including a copy of the lawsuit as filed...
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