Pennsylvania Rep. Jonathan Fritz (R-Susquehanna/Wayne) recently applauded the House vote in favor of his bills to boost energy production and decrease reliance on Russia for oil and gas.
On Tuesday, the House voted on HB 2450 and 2451, both authored by Fritz, addressing the Delaware River Basin Compact.
“Pennsylvania sits on a bounty of natural resources,” said Fritz. “After seeing the atrocities imposed on Ukraine by the Russian government, it has become clearer than ever that Pennsylvania must work to produce our own oil and natural gas and get those resources to market.”
House Bill 2450 would amend the state’s version of the Delaware River Basin Compact and reapportion the voting rights within the compact based on the amount of the basin territory within each state in the compact. In this new compact, Pennsylvania would get six votes; New Jersey would get three votes; New York would get two votes, and Delaware and the federal government would get one vote each.
House Bill 2451 would amend the compact to clarify that it is not within the DRBC’s authority to ban fracking.
Currently, Pennsylvania residents are not permitted to lease their land for natural gas development based on policies determined by the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC). Fritz said accessing those resources would benefit the landowners, businesses, and citizens in the state while providing an opportunity for the state to increase its gas production.
“Constituents in Wayne County deserve the same opportunities and access to natural gas as residents in Susquehanna county,” Fritz said.
The bills, which now head to the Senate for consideration, are a step toward energy independence, allowing the state to extract its own resources, he said.