The DRILL Now Act would restrict how hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is regulated within the Susquehanna, Delaware, and Potomac River basins. Specifically, it amends the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 to Provision (f) that would bar the basin commissions (Susquehanna River Basin Commission, Delaware River Basin Commission) and the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing any regulation related to hydraulic fracturing if the regulation was issued under any authority other than the state in which it would be enforced. In practical terms, this means regulatory authority over fracking in these basins would be centralized to the states themselves, rather than the multi-state basin commissions. The bill is titled the DRILL Now Act and is sponsored by a group of members from Pennsylvania. It was introduced in the House (H.R. 1341) on February 13, 2025 and referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. If enacted, it would preempt regional basin-level regulatory action on fracking in favor of state-level regulation.
Key Points
- 1Preemption of basin-wide fracking regulation: The SRBC, DRBC, and ICPRB could not finalize, implement, or enforce fracking regulations unless those regulations are issued by the state in which they would be enforced.
- 2Overrides basin compacts: The language starts with “Notwithstanding any provision of” the Susquehanna River Basin Compact, Delaware River Basin Compact, and Potomac River Basin Compact, effectively superseding those interstate agreements on this issue.
- 3Federal-law vehicle for state control: The change is made by amending Section 5019 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007, shifting regulatory authority for fracking within these basins away from regional commissions toward state governments.
- 4Scope and actors: Applies to three major multi-state basin regulators (SRBC, DRBC, ICPRB), impacting how fracking is regulated in parts of several states within those basins.
- 5House-origin context: The bill’s sponsors are primarily Pennsylvania lawmakers, signaling a push to empower state-level regulation over regional/regulatory coordination in this area.