Protect Our Water: No Fracking Waste in the Delaware River

Please join us in taking action to stop the Delaware River from being polluted with toxic wastewater produced by fracking!

The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), a regulatory agency that is charged with protecting the watershed, has proposed allowing companies to dump wastewater produced by the gas industry into the river. Nearly 17 million of us rely on the Delaware for our drinking water, and water treatment plants cannot remove all the toxins that would pollute the river if this plan were to go through.

In order to protect a livable climate, we urgently need to stop the use of fracked gas and replace it with renewable sources of energy. While we push toward that goal, we also are also working to protect people’s health from fracking.

You can help to convince the DRBC to reject this dangerous proposal! Submit a comment telling them to say “no” toxic wastewater in the river. And then, if you can, please help us to spread the word.

Comments make a real difference. When fracking was last proposed for our river basin, back in 2010, DRBC received 69,000 comments from the public. This helped to stave off some of the fossil fuel assault and to bring about a long-term moratorium on fracking.

After years of continued pressure from residents of the watershed, the DRBC is now considering a plan to ban fracking in the river basin permanently! But at the same time, they’ve proposed to allow wastewater from fracking to be dumped in the river. People across the region are urging the commission to reject that plan.

We have until March 30 to submit comments about the latest proposals. This time, they are making it harder to be heard. No paper comments are allowed, and they won’t accept petitions or form letters. Each comment must be unique, or it won’t be counted. We need to work extra hard to send a strong message.

How to take action:

1. Submit your own comment! Our friends at Berks Gas Truth have created an easy form that will help you to submit a unique comment. Filing a comment will just take just a few minutes. Want to learn more first? You can find lots of background information here.

2. Participate in a “telephone hearing” that the Delaware River Basin Commission will hold on Tuesday, March 6 from 1:30pm to 3:30. Register to join and to make a comment.

3. Spread the word and encourage others to submit comments:

   • Share this Facebook page: “8 Weeks to a Ban.”

   • Circulate this flyer that 350 Philly has created.

   • Invite us to give a short presentation to your organization, school, or congregation.

   • Join us to do street outreach. We’ll be talking with people in a variety of locations midday on most weekends until March 30, weather permitting. We’ll invite people to submit comments using a tablet or laptop.

If you’d like to help spread the word, or if you have any questions or suggestions, please contact Ann at 215-301-3206 or anndixon4523 [at] gmail.com.

Sincerely,

Ann, Jean, Meenal, Mitch, and everyone at 350 Philadelphia