Forum signals halfway point for Mt. Pleasant drilling vote
Dozens of Mt. Pleasant Township residents attended the second public forum regarding proposed changes to the township’s zoning ordinance for oil and gas regulation Thursday night.
Mt. Pleasant Township solicitor Neva Stanger, standing, provides input regarding proposed changes to the township’s zoning ordinance for oil and gas regulation during Thursday’s public forum.
In the heart of Marcellus Shale country in Washington County, the million-dollar question is where natural gas drilling should occur.
Mt. Pleasant Township is halfway through a yearlong process to overhaul its oil and gas zoning ordinance, which moved forward with a public meeting Thursday night. But even after countless hours of testimony from residents and gas companies, the decision ultimately lies in the hands of three officials – two elected and one appointed – on the Board of Supervisors.
If all goes according to schedule, the planning commission will make a recommendation on an ordinance amendment in February, and supervisors will vote in May. A proposed oil and gas amendment was made public during Thursday’s hearing, but community planner John Trant Jr. pointed out it is more like a rough draft at this point.
“This process isn’t neat and it’s not tidy, particularly when the elected officials did probably the right thing, which was open up opportunity for even more public input in that process,” Trant said. “But at some point, at the end of the day, you have to put pen to paper.”
The township chose to host two “informal” town hall meetings, which will be followed by the review of public comments during a planning commission meeting in January. The most vocal attendees at Thursday’s public meeting were those who wanted to see more restrictions on drilling, and some pushed for a drilling ban in all residential zones.
In the current ordinance, drilling activities are allowed in most districts by a conditional-use process or use by right. But there are no guidelines pertaining to freshwater and wastewater impoundments, which became a catalyst for a review when those parts of the ordinance were invalidated last year.
The proposed ordinance would allow freshwater impoundments as an accessory use in residential districts and the light industrial district. They would not be permitted in three zones, including highway commercial, agricultural and R-4, which is downtown Hickory.
Wastewater impoundments – which could hold brine, frack fluid, residual waste and other by-products of the hydraulic fracturing process – would be forbidden in all districts except the light industrial zone.
Jim Cannon, of Range Resources, said Mt. Pleasant’s current ordinance is “not that egregious or restrictive,” and could be tweaked instead of overhauled. Range attorney Shawn Gallagher said rural residential areas in Mt. Pleasant are a “prime” place for drilling.
Similarly, Rob McHale, of MarkWest, criticized a proposed 1,000-foot setback requirement for compressor stations. He said the topography in Mt. Pleasant and various streams would make it impossible to construct a station in the agricultural and light industrial zones.
“A 1,000-foot setback requirement effectively has eliminated the potential for any new compressor stations in that zone,” McHale said.
Jane Worthington, of Hickory, said the proposed setbacks aren’t restrictive enough. She said it’s dangerous for Range Resources’ Chiarelli well pad to be located about 3,000 feet from Fort Cherry schools because if a fire or explosion occurred, students would need to be evacuated.
She argued drilling activity should be conducted at least a half-mile away from the school, and impoundments should be located at least a mile away.
Joanne Wagner, a township resident, said drilling activities should not occur in residential zones at all.
“It’s highly explosive, it’s toxic chemicals, it’s storage of waste, it’s venting of things into the atmosphere,” Wagner said of drilling activities. “It’s an industrial activity. The Supreme Court said it was. The Commonwealth Court said it was. I don’t even know why we’re talking about this, to steal a line from Shawn Gallagher.”
Cathy Cilia, who lives in Peters Township but owns property in Mt. Pleasant, spoke out against a ban on drilling in residential areas. Cilia, a leaseholder in the R-1 zone, said the number of leaseholders in the township speaks for itself.
“If you look at all the landowners who have signed leases, those people obviously are in favor of the drilling, or they would not have leases,” Cilia said. “So although they may not be here – I am one of the few – I think you need to look at what percentage have leases and take that into consideration before you say, ‘We are going to eliminate all the drilling in this area.'”
The next step in the process will be a planning commission meeting during the second week of January. During that time, public input and the oil and gas amendment will be reviewed.