The Delaware River Basin Commission permanently banned hydraulic fracturing in the Delaware River Basin on Feb. 25, citing the importance of protecting public health and a water supply that more than 13 million people in four states rely on, according to Farm and Dairy.

The commission’s move will ban high-volume hydraulic fracturing in the 13,539 square-mile Delaware River Basin, stretching across Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Delaware.

The ban will impact the Marcellus Shale natural gas fields in northeastern Pennsylvania as seven of the 17 Pennsylvania counties in the Delaware River watershed are also located within the Marcellus Shale formation.

Environmental groups are calling the decision historic and necessary. Meanwhile, industry groups are calling it a “blatant overreach” and a violation of private property rights.

Learn more: Farm and Dairy > Fracking permanently banned in Pennsylvania’s Delaware River basin