From The Jersey Sierran, July - September 2022
REPORT FROM TRENTON
The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) substantially undercounted the actual number of comments submitted on the DRBC’s draft regulations on fracking wastewater import and water export to and from the Delaware River Basin, environmental organizations making up the Delaware Frack Ban Coalition said. In April, they wrote a letter of complaint to the DRBC.
The draft regulations in question would build on the landmark February 2021 ban on fracking in the Delaware River Basin by addressing issues of fracking wastewater imported into, used in, or exported outside the basin. These issues were not addressed in the ban. The coalition and its supporters agree that if the Delaware River watershed is to be fully protected, these loopholes must be closed.
The public comment period is an important opportunity during rulemaking for members of affected communities, as well as experts, to weigh in on an issue. According to coalition records, members of the public submitted at least 11,593 individual comments over the four-month comment period. DRBC staff acknowledged only 2,461 “submissions,” with a note that “submissions may contain multiple comments.” It appears that if multiple constituents raised the same issues, using mainly the same language, these were considered one submission with “multiple comments.”
Advocates for the Delaware River Basin say there is no precedent for undercounting comments in this way. Each individual who comments deserves to be heard in their own right. “Our DRBC commissioners need to know how many residents are concerned,” said Coralie Pryde of the Natural Resources Committee of the League of Women Voters of Delaware.
See the letter submitted to the DRBC Commissioners here: https://bit.ly/3xjPFX9