Feb 17, 2016 3 min read

Tanker trucks will be a part of North Strabane’s landscape whether or not supervisors sanction a temporary freshwater corral on the Bier well site. But Range Resources officials claim approval will drastically reduce traffic.

Nick Inkenhaus, Range senior engineer of water resources, said Tuesday during a public hearing that if supervisors approve the conditional-use application, 10 to 16 trucks per day would travel to and from the site; if the application were denied, 20 to 36 trucks would be making daily trips.

“As a result, you would see two times as many trucks on the roads,” Inkenhaus said.

One corral already is in use on the Route 19 site, but it supplies water for the Jeffries well pad in North Strabane. The gas company is seeking approval for a second freshwater corral on Bier that would be used for water distribution to well sites outside the township, namely in Somerset, Nottingham and South Strabane townships.

Jocelyn Grecko, Range government affairs analyst, called it “typical practice for Range.” She said trucking to and from the site would be confined to state routes 19, 519, 136 and 40. Operations would be 24/7 for 20 to 30 days for each of the three sites.

Township solicitor Gary Sweat said the application is unique, not only because the company wants to use the corral for work outside the township, but also because North Strabane is in the middle of amending its oil and gas development ordinance.

“The existing ordinance could not approve this kind of standalone (operation) to activities outside the township,” he said.

The township’s draft ordinance, previously approved by the planning commission and slated to be voted upon by supervisors, limits the duration of such standalone activities to 12 months. Sweat explained approval would be specific to the Bier site only. Grecko said Range could abide by those conditions.

Supervisors closed the public hearing on Bier, then held a hearing on the draft ordinance.

Jennifer M. Cloonan, Range director of local government affairs, thanked the township for the opportunity to provide feedback. She sent a letter earlier in the day, summarizing the company’s concerns with the draft.

“By taking the time to fully consider whether certain provisions are necessary for safe and successful oil and gas development uses, we believe a better ordinance that matches the community’s needs will ultimately be achieved,” Cloonan said.

In the letter, Range suggested several changes, including increasing the time limitation on truck staging areas from four months to 12 months; making storage depot and truck staging areas a permitted rather than a conditional use; and suggesting “there is no reasonable basis to treat re-entry as a separate conditional use of the property.”

Sweat, who has been working on the amendment, said the newest version adds a number of gas activities, including water storage, impoundments, truck staging areas, re-entry operations and setback requirements.

Supervisors closed the public hearing on the ordinance. Manager Frank Siffrinn said the draft will go back to the planning commission for review, with a goal for final adoption no later than April.