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Natural Gas Archives: Comments on Dec. 2010 Draft Natural Gas Regulations
Accessing the Public Comments

The commission received written comments on the Dec. 9, 2010 Draft Natural Gas Development Regulations through approximately 44,500 form letters (identical or nearly identical letters submitted by two or more commenters); petitions or sign-on letters (comments under which two or more individuals signed their names) bearing a combined total of approximately 19,500 signatures; and approximately 4,800 unique oral or written submissions. Some 80 of the latter included single or multiple attachments. Oral comment consisted of approximately 18 hours of testimony on the draft regulations during six hearing sessions, for which professional transcripts were created.

All of the written and oral submissions received by the commission on the Dec. 9, 2010 draft regulations constitute public records and are available for review.

Available On-Line. A large number of records, including the hearing transcripts, sample form letters, petitions and multi-party sign-on letters, and comments submitted by elected officials, public agencies, businesses, and private organizations, can be viewed on-line through the links provided below. Unless stated otherwise (as in the case of form letters and petitions, for which each substantive component appears in these on-line files only once), all submissions that fall within the named categories are included.

Available on an Access Database in the DRBC Library. DRBC staff has created an Access database, which includes the following:

  • all unique submissions – oral and written – from private citizens, elected officials, public agencies, businesses, and private organizations
  • all distinct form letters (one example of each, noting the total number of each received)
  • reports and other materials included as attachments to comments

With the exception of the materials submitted as attachments, all of these items were either entered into the Planning, Environment, and Public Comment System (“PEPC”) by the commenter or scanned into PEPC by a DRBC contractor, and thus appear in the database as PEPC records rather than as pdf files.

The Access database cannot be posted on-line due to limitations on server space. However the entire database has been loaded onto a dedicated PC at the DRBC’s West Trenton office building. Anyone who wishes to inspect or download items from the database may schedule an appointment to do so.

A Note About Our On-Line and Access Database Comments Files. We have attempted to provide the most comprehensive and convenient access possible to the comments submitted on DRBC’s draft Natural Gas Development Regulations. If you discover an omission in our records, we apologize and ask that you contact DRBC staff. We will do our best to correct it.

Public Hearing Transcripts

Transcripts of the commission's public hearings on its Dec. 9, 2010 Draft Natural Gas Development Regulations are posted here for informational purposes. Please be advised that these posted transcripts do not carry the court reporter's certification, and thus may not be entered into evidence or used in an official capacity. Certified copies are available from The Sargent's Group at 1-800-727-4349. 

February 22, 2011 - Honesdale, Pa.- Afternoon Session (pdf 251 KB) and Evening Session (pdf 187 KB)
February 22, 2011 - Liberty, N.Y. - Afternoon Session (pdf 214 KB) and Evening Session (pdf 92 KB)
February 24, 2011 - Trenton, N.J. - Afternoon Session (pdf 238 KB) and Evening Session (pdf 132 KB)

Petitions and Sign-On Letters (statements submitted over the signatures of two or more individuals)

This pdf file (3.85 MB) includes a list of petitions and sign-on letters received by the commission with the number of signatures for each, along with pages displaying the statements to which commenters signed their names.

Form Letters (identical or nearly identical statements submitted separately by two or more individuals)

This searchable pdf file (680 KB) includes one complete copy of each form letter and the number of each received by DRBC.

Please note: Correspondence entries marked "Kept Private" or "N/A, N/A" are those submitted via PEPC for which the commenters chose not to identify their names and/or addresses.

Comments by Government and Institutions

(all links are to pdf files)

Agencies – Federal, State, New York City & Philadelphia
U.S. Department of the Interior – National Park Service – Dennis R. Reidenbach
U.S. Department of the Interior – Fish & Wildlife Service – Marvin Moriarty
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – Regions II & III – Shawn M. Garvin & Judith A. Enck

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Bob Martin
New York State Office of the Attorney General – Lemuel M. Srolovic
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation – James M. Tierney
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection – Michael L. Krancer
Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission – Mark A. Hartle

New York City Department of Environmental Protection (Oral Testimony of Paul V. Rush)
New York City Department of Environmental Protection – Paul V. Rush
City of Philadelphia Water Department – Howard M. Neukrug

Elected Officials – Federal
U.S. Sen. Robert P. Casey, Jr. (PA)
U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey (NY)
U.S. Rep’s Maurice D. Hinchey (NY) and Rush Holt (NJ)
U.S. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (NY)
U.S. Rep. Tom Marino (PA) (Ltrs of 3-1-11 and 4-12-11)

Elected Officials – State
NEW JERSEY
NJ State Sen. Bob Gordon, Assemblywoman Connie Wagner (with multiple signers)

NEW YORK
NY State Sen. David Carlucci, NYS Senate Administrative Regulations Review Commission
NY State Sen. Thomas Duane
NY State Sen. Liz Krueger (with multiple signers)
NY State Rep. Clifford Crouch                                

PENNSYLVANIA
PA Sen. Lisa Baker (20th), PA Reps. Sandra J. Major (111th) and Mike Peifer (139th)
PA Sen. John P. Blake (22nd)
PA Sen. Charles McIlhinney, Jr.(10th)
PA Sen. Mary Jo White (21st)
PA Rep. Mark B. Cohen (202nd) (Ltrs of 2-9-11 and 4-14-11)
PA Rep. Lawrence H. Curry (154th)
PA Rep. Robert L. Freeman (136th) (Ltrs of 2-11-11 and 4-13-11)
PA Rep. Robert W. Godshall (53rd)
PA Rep. Marcia Hahn (138th)
PA Rep. Kate Harper (61st)
PA Rep. Scott E. Hutchinson (64th)
PA Rep. Babette Josephs (182nd) (Ltrs of 2-11-11 and 4-5-11)
PA Rep. Nicholas A. Micozzie (163rd)
PA Rep. Michael O’Brien (169th)
PA Rep. Bernard T. O’Neill (29th)
PA Rep. Tony Payton, Jr. (179th)
PA Rep. Marguerite C. Quinn (143rd)
PA Rep. Steve Santarsiero (31st)
PA Rep. Stanley E. Saylor (94th)
PA Rep. Mario Scavello (176th)
PA Rep. Edward G. Staback (115th) (Ltrs of 2-28-11 and 4-12-11)
PA Rep. Greg Vitali (166th) (Ltrs of 2-10-11 and 4-14-11)
PA Rep. Jewell Williams (197th) (with multiple signers)

Public Officials Local
NEW JERSEY
Jack Branagan, Chair, Stillwater Twp. Env. Commission ( Sussex County)

NEW YORK
Randy J. Williams, Town Supervisor, Town of Windsor ( Broome County)
Thomas Axtell, Supervisor, Village of Deposit ( Delaware County)
James Eisel, Chair, Delaware County Board of Supervisors
Wayne Marshfield, Supervisor, Town of Hamden ( Delaware County)
Dean Frazier, Commissioner, Delaware County Dept. of Watershed Affairs
Ann Seligman, Mbr., Manhattan Community Board 8
Christine Quinn, Speaker & James F. Gennaro, Mbr., New York City Council (Ltrs of 2-16-11 and 4-14-11)
Andrew Boyar, Supervisor, Town of Highland ( Sullivan County)
James Greier, Supervisor, Town of Fremont ( Sullivan County)
Gary Maas, Supervisor, Town of Cochecton ( Sullivan County)
Robert Homovich, Town of Colchester ( Sullivan County)
Town Board, Town of Lumberland ( Sullivan County)
Margaret Harrison, Supervisor, Town of Tusten ( Sullivan County)
                                                          
PENNSYLVANIA
Lynn T. Bush, Chief Clerk, Bucks County Commissioners
Stephanie J. Mason, Twp. Mgr., Doylestown ( Bucks County)
Sharyn Keiser, Pres., New Hope Borough Council ( Bucks County)
Matthew Abell, Stroudsburg Borough Councilman ( Monroe   County)
Abington Township Environmental Advisory Council Members ( Montgomery County)
Anna Verna, Pres. & Curtis Jones, Mbr., Philadelphia City Council
Sally Corrigan, Planning Director, Pike County Office of Community Planning
Jeffrey R. Dexter, Chair, Damascus Twp. Bd. of Supervisors ( Wayne County)
Jonathan Fritz, Mayor, Honesdale Borough ( Wayne County) (Ltrs of 3-1-11 and 4-8-11)
Albert H. Wildenstein, Mt. Pleasant Twp. Supervisor ( Wayne County)
Jane Varcoe, Mbr., Waymart Borough Council ( Wayne County)
Kuni Holbert, Wayne County Planning Commission Chair
Matthew Shaffer, Mbr., Bd. of Directors, Wayne County Conservation District
Edward Coar, Director of Planning, Wayne County Planning Commission

Environmental/Watershed Groups
American Rivers
Audubon Society (multiple chapters)
The Buffalo Creek Watershed Association
Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy
Cooks Creek Watershed Association
Croton Watershed Clean Water Coalition, Inc.
Damascus Citizens for Sustainability
Damascus Watch (Widener University School of Law, Environmental & Natural Resources Law Clinic)
Darby Creek Valley Association
Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society, Inc.
Delaware Riverkeeper Network (Ltrs of 4-15-11, 2-28-11, 2-25-11, 12-8-10)
Delaware Riverkeeper Network and Natural Resources Defense Council (with Additional Organizations in Support)
Environmental Defense Fund
Food & Water Watch / Delaware Riverkeeper Network / Sierra Club
Gray and Green Coalition (Gray Panthers)
National Wildlife Federation, Pacific Regional Center
Natural Resources Defense Council
The Nature Conservancy
New Paltz Climate Action Coalition
New York Riverkeeper
New Yorkers for Clean Water, Inc.
Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, Inc.
Penn Future
Protecting Our Waters
Sierra Club - New Jersey Chapter (Ltrs of 3-1-11 and 4-6-11)
Sierra Club – Northeastern Group of the Pennsylvania Chapter
Sierra Club – Washington D.C.
Upper Delaware Council
Upper Delaware Scenic Byway

Industry – Oil and Gas
ALL Consulting (on behalf of MSC and American Petroleum Institute)
America's Natural Gas Alliance
Associated Petroleum Industries of Pennsylvania
Consumer Energy Alliance
Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. (on MGKF letterhead)
Hess Corporation
Independent Oil & Gas Association of New York with The Business Council and Joint Landowners Coalition of New York, Inc.
Marcellus Shale Coalition - Comments from Kathryn Klaber (Ltrs of 2-25-11 and 4-12-11)
Marcellus Shale Coalition - Comments from James Seif (Ltrs of 2-22-11 and 2-24-11)
New York State Petroleum Council
Pennsylvania Independent Oil & Gas Association

Industry and Business – Non-Oil and Gas
Chemistry Council of New Jersey
Dimmitt Cadillac
LamniPipe, Inc.
New Jersey Chamber of Commerce
Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York
Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry
Pennsylvania Commercial Action Network
Pennsylvania Farm Bureau
Reilly Associates Engineering/Environmental/Surveying
Schmid & Company, Inc., Consulting Ecologists
Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development
Waste Management
Water Resources Association of the Delaware River Basin
Wayne County Chamber of Commerce
Wayne Economic Development Corporation

Labor and Professional Associations
Pennsylvania Council of Professional Geologists
Pennsylvania Federation
Temple University Hospital Nurses Association

Property Owners Associations
Cherry Ridge Realty, Inc.
Northern Wayne Property Owners Alliance (on Greenberg Traurig LLP letterhead)
Residents Against the Sugarloaf Quarry
Roosevelt Island Residents Association
Shepstone Management Company, Inc.
Starlight Forum (on Gangadeen and Associates letterhead)
Wallenpaupack Lake Estates Property Owners Association

Religious Organizations
Augustinian Friars, Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova
Catholic Health East
Lehigh Valley Friends Meeting
The Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia
Unitarian Universalist Church at Washington Crossing
Xaverian Brothers Generalate

Sportsmen's Associations
Al Caucci Flyfishing
Delaware River Shad Fishermen’s Association
Lehigh River Stocking Association
Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited (PATU)
Trout Unlimited, Columbia-Greene Chapter
Trout Unlimited – NY, NJ and PA Councils, and VP for Eastern Conservation

Student Associations
NYC iSchool
University of California, Berkeley, School of Law – The Environmental Law Society

Voter and Civic Groups
League of Women Voters, Delaware-New Jersey-New York-Pennsylvania
League of Women Voters of Monmouth County, N.J.
League of Women Voters of New Jersey
League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania
League of Women Voters of Bucks County, Pa.
League of Women Voters of Lackawanna County, Pa.
League of Women Voters of the City of New York
Village Independent Democrats
Women’s City Club of New York