The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) said Friday the Oct. 21 meeting for commissioners to consider draft natural gas development regulations has been postponed by one month.

The meeting, which is open to the public, has been rescheduled to Nov. 21 and will be held from 10 a.m. to noon in the Patriots Theater at the War Memorial, 1 Memorial Drive, Trenton, NJ. The doors will open at 9:30 a.m. A presentation summarizing the proposed regulations will be provided prior to the vote by commissioners. A public hearing at the meeting is not planned, but comments from the public will be accepted before the anticipated vote.

The DRBC said the meeting had to be delayed because it needed more time to complete the modified draft regulations and prepare them for publication two weeks before the commissioners vote on any proposals. The commission added that it plans to post the draft regulations to its website, www.drbc.net, by Nov. 7.

Last year the DRBC voted to impose a moratorium on new well pad permits in the 13,539-square-mile basin, and in December proposed amending regulations over wastewater, well pad siting and water sources for natural gas development (see Shale Daily, March 4; Dec. 10, 2010). The new rules — which received about 69,000 public comments — are expected to allow drilling to resume, but under more oversight.