Ongoing Issues
The Delaware Riverkeeper Network is the only advocacy organization working throughout the entire Delaware River Watershed. Delaware Riverkeeper Network uses a combination of strong science, community action, and legal expertise to defend the Delaware River, its tributaries, and communities against threats to clean water and healthy rivers.
We work with communities to take a strong stance on the hard issues — to defend our River and communities from projects that would do harm, and to fight for and secure new regulations and protections that will provide critical defense and progress in the future.
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Communities continue to install an increasing number of artificial turf fields.
The Delaware Riverkeeper Network receives regular calls for information, assistance and comment letters to help resist... -
Documentary by Alex Djordjevic
Update January 31, 2022, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network submitted a substantial comment expressing legal, scientific and environmental concerns regarding the... -
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The Delaware Riverkeeper Network continues to monitor and challenge ongoing bridge replacement projects near sensitive streams in the Delaware River Watershed.
The Tinicum Creek basin is designated... -
The Delaware Riverkeeper Network is opposed to the destruction and replacement of the historic Headquarters Road Bridge (also known as Sheephole Bridge and Burnt Mill Bridge), a 200 year old historic...
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PennDOT is pursuing two bridge projects over Tributaries of Tinicum Creek at Tettemer and Cafferty Roads in Tinicum Township, Bucks County, PA.
The Tinicum Creek basin is designated as an...
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Editor's note: This issue is currently dormant. We will continue monitoring the situation and may take up the issue in the future.
Proposed Hazardous Waste Incinerator in Riverfront Community a... -
A stream is not just the water that flows through a channel. A stream includes its bed, its banks, and the lands that run along its length. The land along our streams and rivers is an essential and...
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The Federal Transit Administration decided to partially fund a 12-story bus terminal, parking garage, commercial and condominium development in the floodplain of the Delaware River in the Easton, PA...
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The Bushkill Creek is a High Quality, Cold Water Fishery in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. It is a prized wild trout stream, fished and enjoyed by many, spanning several boroughs, townships and...
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Clean and renewable energy options such as wind and solar, if supported today and coupled with concerted energy efficiency programs, could not only totally power every state in our watershed by the...
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On April 15, 2019, President Trump issued Executive Order 13868, titled “Promoting Energy Infrastructure and Economic Growth.” That order directed the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) to...
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Delaware’s historic Coastal Zone Act has been in place since June 28, 1971. The Act recognizes that Delaware’s coastal areas are “the most critical” for quality of life. It is the goal of the CZA to...
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The forests of the Delaware River Watershed are under constant threat. The important natural benefits of intact and healthy forests to the Watershed are recognized by scientists, agencies,wildlife...
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The Delaware River watershed is home to a wide variety of species in the water, in the air, in the trees and across the land. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network regularly submits comments, crafts...
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Editor's note: This issue is currently dormant. We will continue monitoring the situation and may take up the issue in the future.
For over 20 years the Delaware Riverkeeper Network battled against...-
In October 2009, the Army Corps announced a Notice to Proceed with the Delaware Deepening project. In November 2009, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network led four other citizen environmental...
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The Delaware Riverkeeper was appointed a member of the Delaware River and Bay Oil Spill Advisory Committee created by federal legislation in response to the Athos I oil spill. This Federal Advisory...
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Photo of juvenile Delaware RiverAtlantic Sturgeon, taken by ScientistMatt Fisher
On March 3rd, 2021, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network and a broad coalition of partner organizations demanded immediate... -
Dragon Springs Buddhist Inc is proposing to dam a headwater stream, destroy headwater wetlands, discharge poorly-treated wastewater to a Basher Kill trout stream, create acres of impervious cover... -
Act 13, also known as HB1950, was signed into law by Governor Corbett on February 14, 2012.
Act 13 amended the Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Act, preempting municipal zoning of oil and gas development.... -
On April 19, 2012, DRN provided notice of its intent to sue the Italian American Sportmen’s Club (IASC) under the Environmental Rights Act for its longtime violations of New Jersey’s Freshwater...
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In February 2012, ten concerned Eastwick residents met to discuss two recent home invasions that threatened the quality of life in their quiet Southwest Philadelphia community. From that initial...
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The Paulins Kill river in northern New Jersey still maintains extraordinary biological diversity and high water quality, but the river has been fragmented by dams and has suffered from other human...
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Help Oppose the Edgemoor Port Expansion that Includes 13 Fans Operating on the Riverbed Threatening Water Quality and Fish
Diamond State Port Corporation is asking the US Army Corps of Engineers and... -
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UPDATE 2019-08-13: Once again, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network has reached out to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to urge them to take action protect the endangered Atlantic Sturgeon of...
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The Delaware Riverkeeper Network and Natural Resources Defense Council filed a lawsuit in federal district court in the District of Columbia challenging the National Marine Fisheries Service’s...
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In 2016, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) released a proposal to allow nine oil and gas companies to kill bats from five species, including endangered and threatened species, for 50 years in...
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For decades, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network along with our colleagues from around the region, country and world have struggled to protect the horseshoe crabs of Delaware Bay from their continuing...
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For the Generations: Ensuring Constitutional-level environmental protections for healthy people and quality lives; for today’s generation and tomorrow’s.
Our right to pure water, clean air and a...-
At our October 5, 2019 event, co-sponsored by our partners Sussex Health and Environmental Network (SHEN), Socially Responsible Agriculture Project (SRAP), and Green Amendments For The Generations,...
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What is a Green Amendment?
Green Amendments are self executing provisions added to the bill of rights section of a constitution that recognize and protect the rights of all people. regardless of race... -
NEW: A New York Green Amendment: Balancing Power and Equity in EJ Communities: a panel discussion moderated by Mike Harrington, Assistant Director, Tishman Environment and Design Center. Panelists...
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Senator Franklin Kury & Maya van Rossum share a special moment.
March 2012, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, Maya van Rossum the Delaware Riverkeeper, seven municipalities, and Dr. Mehernosh...
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Editor's note: This issue is currently dormant. We will continue monitoring the situation and may take up the issue in the future.
Geryville Materials, Inc, first submitted an application to the PA... -
Proposed LNG & NGL Export Facility, Repauno site, Gibbstown NJ: “Gibbstown Logistics Center”
Delaware River Partners, LLC is proposing to build a new deepwater port at 200 N. Repauno Avenue, in...-
LNG Gibbstown Interactive Map
For a full-screen view of this map, Go here.
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All across the Delaware River Watershed, townships and private landowners are using herbicides to control invasive plants on parks, trails and public lands. And so the exposure of children, adults,...
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DRN filed comment to PADEP in response to Holbert’s conditional use permit application for the expansion of their operation despite habitual permitting violations. DRN requested a public hearing. ...
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Holtec International (Holtec) located in Camden, NJ is seeking a federal license to construct and operate a consolidated interim storage facility (CISF) for spent nuclear fuel/waste that would be...
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The EPA Risk Assessment report draws specifically on DRN/GeoSystem’s data in their conclusion that the PGC did not go nearly far enough in their Risk Assessment and that the contamination was worse...
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On March 5, 2018, Merchant Hydro Developers, LLC filed a Declaration of Intention with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for the proposed Vandling Drift Reclamation Pump Storage Project...
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January 11, 2017, Merchant Hydro Developers, LLC (Merchant Hydro) filed an application with FERC to study the feasibility of a proposed pumped storage hydroelectric project they call Nockamixon...
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Editor's note: This issue is currently dormant. We will continue monitoring the situation and may take up the issue in the future.
The Mohican Lake Homeowners, which only represented a portion of... -
October 2021, out of the blue as far as the public is concerned, Nacero, Inc., supported by a set of pro-fracking legislators, announced its proposal to constructed a new fracked gas refinery...
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The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a critical law that empowers local communities to protect themselves and their environment from dangerous, rushed, or poorly planned federal projects... -
The Newton Creek Watershed is located in Camden County New Jersey with its headwaters located in suburban Collingswood, Haddonfield and Haddon Heights and its confluence with the Delaware in the City...
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The Delaware Riverkeeper Network and project partner the Newton Creek Watershed Association trained volunteers to photo-document sources of non-point source pollutants throughout the Newton Creek...
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Since at least 2014, Radnor Township has been proposing to construction a new detention basin in North Wayne Park, Radnor Township, PA as a solution to downstream flooding. While there exists a...
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New York City has one of the few unfiltered water supplies in the nation. That is how healthy our Delaware River water is – it is unfiltered and still clean and healthy to drink.
Pursuant to state... -
Delaware Riverkeeper Network & Delaware Riverkeeper et. al. v. NY State Department of Environmental Conservation: The Delaware Riverkeeper Network, The Humane Society of the United States, the...
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Trains carrying tank cars loaded with volatile domestic crude oil from North Dakota and other domestic shale fields are increasingly traveling across the nation. Many of these 100 to 120 car trains...
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Per – and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of human-made compounds that are now recognized as one of the world’s greatest threats to human health and ecosystems. Some of the most...
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Expansion of the PHL Airport continues at a variety of different locations. In 2019, DRN learned of the expansion of the West Cargo Redevelopment and Expansion Plan (Expansion Plan), which will...
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The Philadelphia Gun Club owns property adjoining the Delaware River in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. The Club operates an outdoor shooting range on its property adjoining the Delaware River. The Club’s...
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FERC Docket Number: CP18-46
In November, Adelphia Gateway, L.L.C. (Adelphia), a subsidiary of New Jersey Resources Corporation, announced that it was buying an 89 mile pipeline from Talen Energy Corp... -
The Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline (ASP) will move Marcellus Shale gas from Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania to as far as south as Alabama. The ASP is a Williams Energy Partners project, which currently...
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Editor's note: This issue is currently dormant. We will continue monitoring the situation and may take up the issue in the future.
Project Suspended!
Posted April 2013 to the Commonwealth Pipeline's... -
March 24, 2017
The NDNY court dismissed Constitution Pipeline Company’s lawsuit against NYDEC. DRN had submitted a motion to intervene on behalf of NYDEC, and while our pending Motion to Intervene... -
Delaware River Pipeline Relocation Project – Paulsboro Natural Gas Pipeline Company, from Delaware County PA under the Delaware River to Paulsboro Refinery, NJ
The Paulsboro Natural Gas Pipeline... -
Update: October 18, 2019 the US Energy Information Administration wrote: "No information since 2013/2014; assumed cancelled".
Given no official announcement by the company there is a concern that... -
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) is a demonstrably biased agency that has become a partner with, rather than a regulator of, the pipeline companies it purports to oversee. FERC is...
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Update:
July 10, 2018: The United States Court of Appeals upheld a district court decision rejecting Delaware Riverkeeper Network’s (DRN) due-process challenge to FERC’s funding mechanism and to... -
FERC’s Pipeline Review Process Needs Reform!
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) operates as a Rubber Stamp on the pipeline infrastructure projects that come before it for review, with...-
Talking Points to Consider for Your Comment — we will be adding new points regularly, consider checking back each week for new comments you can make:
Feel free to use the language below as a guide or...
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(Download Printable copy of "People's Dossier of FERC Abuses: Updated 2019 - attachments coming soon)
Communities across America are being abused by the use and misuse of powers granted to the...-
(Download Printable copy of "People's Dossier of FERC Abuses: Budget Issues with attachments here)
FERC Bias is Emboldened by Its Ballooning Budget and Lack of Oversight
Per federal law, FERC relies... -
(Download printable copy of "People's Dossier of FERC Abuses: Climate Change and Drilling Impacts Ignored with attachments" here)
FERC Fails to Give Due Consideration to the Climate Change and... -
(Download Printable copy of "People's Dossier of FERC Abuses: Consultant Conflicts of Interest with attachments here)
FERC Routinely Uses Conflicted Consultants to Conduct Project Reviews and Make... -
(Download printable copy of "People's Dossier of FERC Abuses: Critical Information Concealed with attachments" here)
FERC Intentionally Conceals Critical Information from States and the Public
FERC... -
(Download a Printable Copy of "People's Dossier of FERC Abuses: Deficient EIS Analysis" with attachments here)
FERC Consistently Approves Pipeline Projects Based on Applications and NEPA Reviews that... -
(Download printable copy of "People's Dossier of FERC Abuses: Deficient Needs Analysis with attachments" here)
FERC’s Failure to Mandate Genuine Demonstration of Need Results In Pipeline Overbuild... -
(Download printable copy of "People's Dossier of FERC Abuses: Economic Harms with attachments" here)
FERC Routinely Ignores the Economic Costs of Pipeline and Compressor Infrastructure Projects
FERC’... -
(Download printable copy of "People's Dossier of FERC Abuses: Illegal NEPA Predetermination with attachments" here)
FERC Illegally Predetermines the Level of Its NEPA Reviews
The National... -
(Download printable copy of "People's Dossier of FERC Abuses: Illegal Segmentation with attachments" here)
FERC Engages in Segmentation in Order to Prevent Full Consideration of Environmental and... -
(Download a printable copy of "People's Dossier of FERC Abuses: Lack of Public Assistance" with Attachments)
FERC Minimizes Assistance to the Public While Providing Robust Access and Assistance to... -
(Download Printable copy of "People's Dossier of FERC Abuses: Public Participation Undermined" with attachments here)
FERC’s Public Process Is Carefully Crafted to Frustrate Public Input and Deny... -
(Download printable copy of "People's Dossier of FERC Abuses: Safety Threats Ignored" with attachments here)
FERC Ignores Critical, Even Catastrophic, Safety Concerns
FERC routinely overlooks... -
(Download printable copy of "People's Dossier of FERC Abuses: Staff Conflicts of Interest with attachments" here)
Conflicts of Interest Color, Undermine, and Invalidate FERC Pipeline Decisionmaking... -
(Download a printable copy of "People's Dossier of FERC Abuses: Stripping People's Rights" with attachments)
FERC Denies the Public their Right to Due Process Before Property Rights are Taken, and... -
(Download Printable copy of "People's Dossier of FERC Abuses: Undermining Federal Authority" with attachments here)
FERC undermines the regulatory authority of sister federal agencies by granting... -
(Download Printable copy of People's Dossier of FERC Abuses: Undermining State Authority here)
FERC Improperly Strips States of Their Legal Authority in the Certification Process
The Clean Water Act... -
(Download printable copy of "People's Dossier of FERC Abuses: Violations Overlooked with attachments" here)
FERC Fails to Hold Pipeline Companies Accountable for Violations of Environmental...
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On December 2, We The People held hearings to investigate the abuses of power and law being inflicted by FERC in communities across America
The People’s Hearing was held at the National Press Club...
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The Greenspring Pipeline Expansion project proposed by the Eastern Shore Natural Gas Company includes over 11 miles of pipeline (11 miles of 16-inch diameter and 0.1 mile of 10-inch diameter), two...
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Editor's note: This issue is currently dormant. We will continue monitoring the situation and may take up the issue in the future.
The Leidy Southeast Expansion Project (LSE project) is proposed for... -
Editor's note: This issue is currently dormant. We will continue monitoring the situation and may take up the issue in the future.
Linden Energy Services is seeking the right an easement over public... -
On September 27, 2015, Sunoco submitted an application to the Delaware River Basin Commission for its Pennsylvania Pipeline Project, also referred to as Mariner East 2. According to its August 2015...
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Editor's note: This issue is currently dormant. We will continue monitoring the situation and may take up the issue in the future.
The Millennium Pipeline Company (Millennium) has announced its...-
On May 11, the Federal Energy Regulatory Committee (FERC) released a notice of their intent to prepare an environmental assessment (EA) for the Millennium Pipeline Company’s proposed Eastern System... -
Sign Up to Help Provide An Accurate Picture of the Impacts of the Proposed Millennium Eastern System Upgrade.
From the Comfort of Your Own Home .... You can help us pull key information points from...
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Editor's note: This issue is currently dormant. We will continue monitoring the situation and may take up the issue in the future.
April 24, 2018 Update: DRN has sued FERC challenging the issuance of... -
PennEast Pipeline Co. Proposes 114-mile Large Scale Natural Gas Transmission Line Through the Delaware River Basin.
PennEast has been improperly accessing properties for purpose of surveys. See...-
On Friday, July 22, 2016, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the PennEast Pipeline project that is 1,174 pages long giving...
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January 24, 2018, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network filed a rehearing request challenging the FERC Certificate issued approving the PennEast Pipeline Project. The FERC Certificate was issued at 8:20...
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February 7, 2017 the PADEP issued 401 Certification for the PennEast pipeline. The Certification was formally noticed in the February 25, addition of the PA Bulletin. February 28 the Delaware...
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Sign Up to Help Provide An Accurate Picture of the Impacts of the Proposed PennEast Pipeline.
From the Comfort of Your Own Home .... You can help us pull key information points from the comments...
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In 2013, the New Jersey Pinelands Commission issued a draft Memorandum of Agreement (“MOA”) between the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (“BPU”) and the New Jersey Pinelands Commission ("...
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The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) is obligated to review and approve any pipeline projects that pass through the boundaries of the Delaware River Watershed. To date it has chosen not to...
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February 5, 2020: Delaware Riverkeeper Maya van Rossum testified on at a Congressional hearing titled “Modernizing the Natural Gas Act to Ensure it Works for Everyone”, held by the Subcommittee on...
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Editor's note: This issue is currently dormant. We will continue monitoring the situation and may take up the issue in the future.
Big Victory!
In a decision issued June 6, 2014, the Court of...-
Federal Court Rules FERC Violated Federal Law When Issued Approvals for NEUP Pipeline Project
update: FERC has failed to comply with the court's ruling and revisit its NEPA review of this project... -
In a December 18, 2012 legal filing, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Environmental Hearing Board was asked to issue an Order of Supersedeas that would prevent the Tennessee...
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Appalachia to Market Expansion 2014 (TEAM 2014)
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Docket Number – CP13-84
The public can subscribe to receive information about this pipeline project as it... -
Transcontinental Gas and Pipeline Company (“Transco”) is replacing an existing 30-inch gas pipeline in Chester County, PA with a 42-inch pipeline. The project as proposed would cross and affect the...
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County in the Delaware River Watershed Where Planned --- Monroe County (Ross Township)
The Transcontinental [Transco] Northeast Supply Link Project is an expansion of Transco’s existing pipeline...
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PJM Interconnect, a regional transmission organization (RTO) with representation from the power industry, is poised to recommend advancement of a new 500kV Transmission Line to address electrical...
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On October 27, 2015, PPL Electric Utilities filed an application with the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) to build a major new transmission powerline. The first 95 mile segment would run...
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Editor's note: This issue is currently dormant. We will continue monitoring the situation and may take up the issue in the future.
The Susquehanna-Roseland Transmission Lines (SR) consists of 150’...
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Coal fly ash blew out from a storage basin at Pennsylvania Power and Light’s (PPL) Martin’s Creek power plant in 2005, burying at least nine miles of the bottom of the Delaware River and the...
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Editor's note: This issue is currently dormant. We will continue monitoring the situation and may take up the issue in the future.
The Delaware Riverkeeper Network (DRN) is transforming an area at... -
Editor's note: This issue is currently dormant. We will continue monitoring the situation and may take up the issue in the future.
DRN has developed a Master Plan for the park in collaboration with...
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We invite you to sign this letter of support for our Safe and Healthy Delaware River petition to the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC). This petition will secure increased protections for those...
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The US Environmental Protection Agency determined that Salem entrains 14.7 billion fish, eggs and larvae every year and impinges an additional 6.6 billion a year. This is a direct loss of fish, but...
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September 2013, a coalition of environmental groups including the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, filed three lawsuits in federal courts around the country (New York, San Francisco and Boston)... -
For years PSE&G has been seeking approvals from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to construct a new nuclear power plant on Artificial Island, right next to the two existing nuclear plants:
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The Salem Nuclear Generating Station is the Largest Predator in the Delaware Estuary. Delaware Riverkeeper Network continues our multi-year legal challenge to defeat the permit that allows the...
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Shale Gas Extraction -- Drilling/Fracking
There is a moratorium on natural gas drilling/fracking and water withdrawals in the Delaware River Watershed, enacted by the Delaware River Basin Commission...-
Act 13 amended the Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Act, preempting municipal zoning of oil and gas development. It also established an impact fee on natural gas.
The Delaware Riverkeeper Network, Maya van... -
On May 17, 2016 a case was filed in US District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania challenging the DRBC's authority over drilling and fracking actitivies and challenging its defacto...
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Currently there are at least 15 applications for liquefied-natural-gas (LNG) export facilities in the U.S. pending before the federal government. These applications, along with already approved...
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May 26, 2015 the Delaware Riverkeeper Network received notification that a SLAPP suit was being filed against it by a real estate developer and a group of landowners who have all leased their land...
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Editor's note: This issue is currently dormant. We will continue monitoring the situation and may take up the issue in the future.
The Southport Development project involves the filling in of 12.28... -
In 1992, in response to a petition submitted by the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, the DRBC designated the Middle and Upper Delaware River as Special Protection Waters and created a special body of...
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Save Hamilton Open Space’s (SHOS) filed suit against Hamilton Township (Mercer County) for approving the Christopher Estates residential development that failed to meet basic stormwater requirements...
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Radnor Township is in the process of updating its stormwater ordinance. The current ordinance continues to allow an increase in the volume of stormwater runoff that results from new development and...
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Stormwater User Fees and Utilities are gaining more attention as a mechanism for funding stormwater projects in communities.
Radnor Township, PA is currently considering a user fee.
The concept of... -
Villanova sought and secured creation of a special zoning ordinance it can avail itself of for massive new construction.
Among the many shortcomings are that the ordinance allows increased...
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Beaver Creek – Following up on work begun in 2015, DRN continued its advocacy supporting stronger protections for Beaver Creek in Delaware County. This stream flows from Pennsylvania into the...
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Update on Tohickon proposed downgrade: August 29, 2019 – After overwhelming concerns from the community about the downgrade of Tohickon Creek, in a letter dated August 13, 2019 to local legislators... -
On February 3, 2015, Delaware Riverkeeper Network and co-petitioners submitted a petition to the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) to upgrade the Hosensack Basin and all of its...
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The Upper and Middle Delaware River is a jewel for our nation. It inspires and provides for millions of Americans. In December 2011, Delaware Riverkeeper Network and our local, regional and...
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3/19/14 UPDATE
DEP presented their final report and recommendation (no change) to the EQB on March 18th. Delaware Riverkeeper Network, Perkiomen Trout Unlimited and Lower Milford presented testimony... -
Delaware Riverkeeper Network’s local allies, the Darby Creek Valley Association submitted a stream upgrade petition to the PADEP for sections of the Whetstone Creek, a tributary to the Darby Creek...
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Editor's note: This issue is currently dormant. We will continue monitoring the situation and may take up the issue in the future.
Synagro and Waste Management Inc.’s Proposed Sludge Drying Plant at... -
Hamilton Township (Mercer County), New Jersey - Synnergy Solar, LLC is proposing to construct a 4.1 MW solar array field on a 38.2 acs site located at the confluence of the Assunpink Creek and its...
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The President is pressing for passage of a new trade deal called the Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement (TPP). Leaked sections of the secret deal demonstrate it is light on environmental...
