Rally Against Fracking Keeps Pressure on Governor Christie
On November 21, 2011 the Sierra Club joined coalition partners to celebrate a victory. The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) cancelled a vote on natural gas development regulations that would have lifted the moratorium on hydraulic fracturing of fracking in the watershed.
Over 700 chemicals are used in fracking, many of them toxic, potentially threatening the drinking water supply for 15.6 million people in the Basin, 5% of the nation's population. More than a quarter of a million people have submitted comments, petitions, and letters opposing these rules.This was an important victory for clean drinking water but environmental, community, and labor groups gathered at the War Memorial in Trenton to keep the pressure up on the DRBC Commissioners and President Obama.
"We are rallying for the future of the Delaware River Basin.This is a Rally to protect our drinking water and ban fracking.Today the DRBC would have voted to end the moratorium in the Basin and we stopped that vote.It is an important victory, however this is just the beginning.Today we launch a grassroots campaign to make that moratorium permanent. We have to ban fracking in the Basin to protect our drinking water.We need the New Jersey Legislature to override Governor Christie's weakening veto on the fracking ban bill to protect the drinking water for 3 million New Jersey residents.Governor Christie needs to support not only a ban in New Jersey but in the Basin too.Starting today we are going to ask President Obama to support a ban in the Basin.We will build from this victory to protect this river for future generations," said Jeff Tittel, Director of New Jersey Sierra Club.
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Kate Millsaps
Conservation Program Coordinator
NJ Chapter of the Sierra Club
609-656-7612