By Pat C.
As the natural gas drilling debate continues, nearly 60 Town of Hancock residents gathered together for the “Light Up the Delaware” party on Sunday, September 6.
The residents were protesting natural gas drilling that could result in contamination of the Upper Delaware River by the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing. They are also opposed to the request by Chesapeake Applachia LLC to withdraw one million gallons of water per day from the river.
Similar protest parties were held along the banks of the Delaware from Hancock to Philadelphia.
“It was impressive. There were lots of events set up along the entire river. It was one of the first times, if not the first, the entire river was together supporting the same cause,” said Pat Carullo of the Damascus Citizens for Sustainability (DCS).
The purpose of the protest was to make government officials aware of the residents’ concerns about possible water contamination, reduced river flow levels and the threat to wildlife.
