North Strabane will decide scope of its drilling matters
North Strabane’s current gas and oil drilling ordinance, adopted in 2010, lacked the particulars to keep up with the expanding scope of fracking activities.
“Ninety percent of operations are not addressed in the first zoning ordinance,” said attorney Michael Cruny.
Cruny, an associate with township solicitor Sweat Law Offices, said Tuesday during a public hearing the latest proposed amendment to the township’s zoning ordinance tackles operations that weren’t addressed six years ago.
The board of supervisors is prepared to vote Tuesday on the amendment, which has been in the works for a year.
Operations related to oil and gas drilling, such as temporary water pipelines, compressor station facility footprints and truck staging areas, are defined for the first time.
A majority of operations, including well sites, are now conditional uses in (A-1 and A-2) agricultural, (R-2) residential and (I-1) industrial zoned districts, subject to specific regulations.
Oil and gas pipelines, temporary water pipelines, re-entry drilling and traffic-control sites are permitted uses in those districts.
Solicitor Gary Sweat said the township has worked with energy companies Range Resources and Columbia Midstream to refine the final draft.
The revised ordinance includes a 5-to-10-acre footprint for compressor station facilities, minimum lot size for a processing plant of 100 acres, a setback of 500 feet from the edge of the well production pad to an occupied structure and 1,000 feet from the edge of the well pad to any protected structure.
An electric compressor station requirement was eliminated in the final draft.
The township also held a public hearing Tuesday on Range Resources’ conditional-use application to place two freshwater corrals on Frac Tech Services property at 1432 Route 519, Eighty Four, to service the Randolph well site.
According to Jocelyn Grecko, Range government affairs analyst, two 2,300-barrel corrals will help minimize truck traffic to the active well site.
If approved, construction will commence in mid-October. The corrals will be eliminated after the Randolph wells are drilled.
Supervisors will take action during their legislative meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday.