Caesar Rodney Institute - Delaware Should Approve Natural Gas Fracking Rules

Plentiful natural gas coming from new wells in Pennsylvania and elsewhere are key to lower manufacturing cost, lower electricity prices, lower heating costs, and may possibly replace expensive foreign oil in our vehicle fleet. The Delaware River Basin Commission has been working on rules that will allow drilling in parts of Pennsylvania and New York that drain into the Delaware River. As a partner in the Commission, Delaware gets a vote on rule adoption even though there is no drilling potential here. Delaware should approve these rules:

* There has been ample time for review and public comment. Requests for more hearings is merely a delaying tactic by groups who want to stop drilling completely
*The proposed rules adequately protect the basin with well pad setbacks and well siting requirements, and requirements for waste water re-use or treatment
*The rules are consistent with other jurisdictions, some in operation for over sixty years, and with experience learned from over one million "fracked" wells drilled in the U. S. so far

A primary concern has been control of wastewater from "fracking" operations when water with additives is forced into horizontally drilled wells to form micro-cracks to allow gas to flow. The water can be effectively recycled or treated in approved waste water treatment plants eliminating this concern. A second issue is gas leakage into drinking wells. Most reports of well contamination have been shown to be caused by local near surface methane sources not related to drilled wells. Where the wells have caused contamination it is from problems with improperly built or managed near surface well casings. Technical solutions for these problems exist and are being addressed by individual state permitting authorities and are not part of the DRBC rule proposal.
David T. Stevenson
Director, Center for Energy Competitiveness

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