A public hearing regarding a gas drilling application for Clinton Township, Wayne County is anticipated February 24th.
A year ago this month, Stone Energy Corporation made application with the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) for approval of an existing gas well drilling pad, on the property of Louis Matoushek, at Creamton, Clinton Township. The well will employ hydraulic fracturing from surface water. A second application asks permission to withdraw as much as 700,000 gallons of water a day from the West Branch of the Lackawaxen River, in Mount Pleasant Township just north of Clinton.
Flow-back water from the well would be transported to an approved treatment facility beyond the Delaware River Basin.
The Upper Delaware Council (UDC) received word of the meeting Thursday night, from Kenneth Najjar, Branch Manager. Although the date of Wednesday, February 24th was reported, a check with DRBC indicated that the complete details had not been released yet. These were expected to be posted on their web site this week, at www.state.nj.us/drbc. Najjar said that the meeting would be held at a location in Matamoras. He said that no decision would be made at the hearing and the question would not be excepted to go before the DRBC Commissioners until their May 5th meeting.
Stone Energy Corporation made the first test well for natural gas in Wayne County at the Matoushek site during the current wave of interest in the Marcellus Shale. That was in May of 2008. The DRBC subsequently fined Stone Energy $70,000 for not making application, and receiving a permit before the well was drilled.
Upper Delaware —
