Jun 7, 2024 By Brad Hundt 3 min read

CECIL – Supervisors in Cecil Township “can and may” vote on a revised oil and gas ordinance at its regular business meeting on July 1, according to board chair Tom Casciola.

A vote would follow three standing-room-only public hearings the board has had on the ordinance since April, the latest of which was Wednesday. Like the two hearings before it, the board did hear from some supporters of the natural gas industry and its presence in the township, but the overwhelming preponderance of those who commented urged the board to tighten restrictions and move well pads farther away from homes.

Many residents said they would like to see a minimum distance of 2,500 feet, which is the recommendation that was made in a 2020 Pennsylvania grand jury report on fracking and is a standard that other nearby townships have adopted. Supervisors have countered, though, that implementing a 2,500-foot setback would essentially zone the industry out of Cecil and invite lawsuits.

“We’re asking for 2,500 feet because we think that’s what we need,” said Sarah Martik, a Cecil resident who is also the executive director of the advocacy group Center for Coalfield Justice. Right now, state law allows for a minimum distance of 500 feet from homes, and 2,500 feet from schools and hospitals. She said a 1,000-foot setback “is not a compromise when the playing field is already tilted toward (the) industry.”

Some residents complained about noise and odor from existing well pads in the township. Others said they were concerned that there remain many question marks about the health effects of fracking on people who live near well sites.

“When it comes to fracking, I’m not getting a dime in royalties,” said John Bodner, another Cecil resident. “Almost all of it leaves our state. It doesn’t even stay here.”

He continued, “What I know about fracking frightens me, and what I don’t know about fracking terrifies me.”

The natural gas industry and the role it has had in Washington County over the last two decades did draw a couple of supporters. Will Thomeier, director of economic and tourism development for the Washington County Chamber of Commerce and a Cecil resident, noted the job-creating benefits of the natural gas industry and how it has brought jobs and tax revenue to the county and helped make the United States a leader in energy independence.

Thomeier urged the board to “find a common ground that supports both the industry and also protects the residents of Cecil.”

If Cecil’s supervisors approve a new oil and gas ordinance, it would replace an ordinance initially approved in 2011, just seven years after the first gas well was drilled in Washington County. The proposed ordinance is similar to one that has been on the books in the Westmoreland County community of Murrysville, which has withstood a challenge in Commonwealth Court.