Oct 25, 2012 2 min read

Though Cecil Township has been in the thick of legal battles over Act 13 for much of the year, supervisors will look at bringing the community’s own drilling ordinance in compliance with the state law at a November public hearing. Act 13, approved by the state Legislature and signed into law in February by Gov. Tom Corbett, creates statewide regulations for oil and gas drilling, and requires that local ordinances jibe with the state rules. However, Cecil was one of a handful of communities that filed suit against the state over Act 13, contending its zoning provisions stripped municipalities of their land-use planning rights. Commonwealth Court agreed with the plaintiffs’ key points, though the ruling was appealed to the state Supreme Court, which heard the case last week. A ruling has not yet been announced. The public hearing is set for 6 p.m. Nov. 5, before the township board’s regular monthly meeting. Don Genusso, Cecil’s manager, explained the portions of the ordinance to be revised don’t deal with the Act 13 zoning provisions that are still up for grabs; however, some of the environmental regulations that are being used by a leaseholder in a challenge to the ordinance before the Public Utilities Commission will likely be altered, Genusso explained. “We have to move forward, and this is just part of the process,” he said. Other communities with their own oil and gas drilling ordinances are engaged in a similar process, he added. The natural-gas drilling impact fees that were due to Cecil were held up by the Public Utilities Commission until it completes a review of the township’s ordinance. Other communities whose ordinances were subject to similar challenges include South Fayette, Robinson and Mt. Pleasant townships, all of whom also were plaintiffs in the Act 13 suit, along with Peters Township. The challenge to Mt. Pleasant’s ordinance was withdrawn earlier this week, making it eligible for about $500,000 in impact fee money.