The Delaware River Basin Commission has published draft regulations that would permanently ban hydraulic fracturing in an area that supplies drinking water to more than 15 million people, including residents of Philadelphia and half of New York City. The commission's newly published draft regulations would enact a formal ban on fracking, as well as put on additional restrictions to make it harder, if not impossible, to dispose of wastewater in the watershed. The commission is taking public comments on the proposed regulations through Feb. 28 along with four public hearings in January. A final vote on the proposed rules could be taken next year. The panel imposed a moratorium on drilling and fracking in 2010, which stopped the E&P industry from developing any acreage in the watershed. No company has applied for permission to use water from the basin in fracking or to import wastewater for disposal.
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