She recounted how her community took nine months and held hearings to document the impacts of shale gas development on residents before adopting an ordinance increasing setbacks in November 2024. Read more here.
My name is Cindy Fisher and I am a current Cecil Township Supervisor. I have been a Cecil Township Supervisor for the past 12 years.
I was re-elected in November 2025 for my third 6 year term.
Dealing with Oil and Gas development has dominated a large portion of my time as a supervisor for the past 12 years.
Washington County where Cecil Township is located is the epicenter of Oil and Gas development. The first Marcellus Shale well was drilled in Washington County in 2004.
The first well pad in Cecil Township was the Troyer pad drilled in 2009.
While Oil and Gas development is often spoken of in a positive light, it comes with definite down sides specifically for those of us who live in close proximity to pads, compressor stations, processing plants and such.
From the beginning Cecil Township has experienced issues with Oil and Gas development.
In early 2014, Cecil Township dealt with a leaking impoundment that ultimately resulted in the company that owned it being assessed the largest DEP fine in history – $4.15 million.
The DEP also required the closure and remediation of that impoundment.
Township Supervisors are often the first people that residents reach out to if there are issues.
They reach out with road complaints, truck traffic complaints, air quality issues, water issues, noise complaints and many more.
I have stood in residents homes while they cried because they couldn’t take the vibrations, noise, or smells anymore.
Oil and Gas development is a 24/7 operation and often keeps those in close proximity up at night.
I have had to learn to read DEP permits, scientific studies, maps, engineering documents, etc just to be able to try to help our residents.
In 2019 and 2020 the first what I call “next generation” well pad was drilled in Cecil Township.
These well pads are bigger, louder, more invasive and more detrimental to the surrounding neighbors than any other oil and gas development we experienced before it.
Often when testifying at conditional use hearings in the township representatives from Oil and Gas companies describe them as temporary.
This is inaccurate.
The well pad I described earlier that started in 2019 is still in active drilling stage in 2025.
They have drilled 9 wells and have already notified the township that they intend to come back for 5 more wells next year on this pad.
Nearly 6 years of drilling, with many more years to come, is not temporary.
Cecil Township has 5 well pads in the township with more than 30 wells on them. With these wells come issues.
As I said earlier noise, truck traffic, vibration, air quality issues, water contamination just to name a few.
The township is often ill equipped to deal with the complaints we get and unfortunately the DEP is not a reliable level of protection for our residents.
We also often cannot trust the studies, documents, and information provided to us by the Oil and Gas companies.
In 2024 Cecil Township Board of Supervisors had gotten so many complaints from residents living in close proximity to Oil and Gas development with no resolutions from the companies that we decided to revisit our 500 foot setbacks.
Initially going into the hearings I had no idea where we would go or what would change if anything at all.
We listen to hours upon hours of residents' testimony from doctors, to scientists, to professors and more.
We listened to residents who currently live 500 feet from well pads, 1,000 feet from well pads, and 1,500 feet from well pads and every one of them said the same thing.
There was a direct impact on their health and wellbeing from being so close to this industrial development.
We had the opportunity to also hear testimony from representatives from Oil and Gas companies and “experts” that they brought in to show the safety of the industry.
Although, I don’t think their expert testimony went the way they expected it to.
I’ll give you an example – in spring of 2024 I had the opportunity to cross examine expert Dr. Christopher Long.
He has a degree from Harvard in Environmental Health and a Masters Degree from MIT in Environmental Engineering. He is also a board-certified toxicologist (DABT)- or so he says.
Initially, when I read his report prior to the hearing I was impressed.
He clearly has a lot of high-profile degrees and has done a lot of studies, including The Fort Cherry Study which is relied on by the industry to show safety on a regular basis.
But as I dug into the studies and read the reports things weren’t adding up.
I’ll start at the beginning, his “board certification for toxicology is simply a paper certification. He’s not a medical doctor, analytic chemist, epidemiologist, or any other scientist that would become “board certified”.
There’s actually no specific degree requirement to take the board certification test he took to stand before our board and tell us that oil and gas development is safe in close proximity to our residents' homes.
In the Fort Cherry study that he conducted he tested for VOCs [volatile organic compounds], but didn’t mention them all in the study.
When I asked him why on the stand he said he only included the ones that he was asked to include by the company that paid for the study.
He left out some of the most harmful VOCS. He also noted in the study that the method he used to test for the VOC acrolein wasn’t a proper scientific method.
At Cecil Township’s Augustine well pad he claimed that they do 24/7 air monitoring.
However, when I looked at the data I noticed that they only report the air data every 6 days. I wondered why - it seemed odd to me.
So, I looked up the methodology that they used (TO-15). That methodology requires the canisters that they are using to collect data/VOCs be left out no longer than 24 hours.
After 24 hours the VOCs begin to diminish in the canister and the data is inaccurate.
So I asked Dr. Long about this. I didn’t actually know the answer or what he was going to say.
He confirmed that they leave the canisters out for 6 days before collecting them. This was clearly in violation of the methodology and would clearly make the results invalid but they still to this day continue to rely on that data to show safety.
I won’t walk through the entire cross examination, but I can provide it for anyone who wants to watch it - it is about 30 min long.
At the end of the testimony I asked Dr. Long if he would recommend our residents live in close proximity to Oil and Gas development. He declined to answer the question.
After nearly 9 months of hearings Cecil Township Board of Supervisors in a 3-0-2 vote passed a setback of 2500 feet from occupied structures with the option for residents to sign a waiver to allow it closer (it cannot exceed the state setback of 500 feet).
If they know the risks and choose to allow development closer than they would be permitted to do so.
We do however have an obligation to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the residents who do not want to live in close proximity to Oil and Gas development and we could not in good conscience vote to allow it any closer than 2,500 feet.
Immediately after enacting the ordinance Cecil was met with lawsuits by two large companies in the industry, as well as more open records requests than our small township staff can deal with.
I believe the goal of this is to try to force us to back down from our position of protecting residents with greater setbacks by forcing us to spend money on legal fees they think we can’t afford.
In a lot of other municipalities these tactics have worked.
[Fisher also said in response to questions, in addition to the litigation and other tactics-- “Those of us that made this decision have had to deal with character attacks, death threats. But it's more than a township supervisor should have to say.”]
At the end of the day it comes down to this. I have spent a significant amount of time learning about things I need to know about to be able to help residents in Cecil Township.
Other municipalities and other supervisors may not do this. To be frank, it shouldn’t be my job.
That is why I am here today to ask you to take the same stance Cecil did and protect all residents in Pennsylvania with increase the setbacks.
Click Here for Supervisor Fisher’s written testimony.
Written Testimony/Comments
Written testimony and comments offered to the Committee included--
-- Cindy Fisher, Supervisor, Cecil Township, Washington County
-- Michele Stonemark, Resident, Cecil Township
-- Lois Bower-Bjornson, Frackland Tours, Clean Air Council
-- Dr. Edward Ketyer, President, Physicians For Social Responsibility - PA [PPT Slides]
-- Patrick Henderson, Vice President, Marcellus Shale Gas Coalition
-- Melissa Ostroff, Policy & Field Advocate, EarthWorks
Other written comments--
-- Environmental Health Project - Health Impacts From Shale Gas Development
-- Environmental Health Project - Research Review - Asthma Exacerbations
-- Environmental Health Project - Research Review - Adverse Birth Outcomes
-- Environmental Health Project - Research Review Childhood Lymphoma
-- Barbara W. Brandom, MD, Concerned Health Professionals Of PA
-- Stuart Day, Lawrence County Resident
-- PA Chamber of Business & Industry
-- American Petroleum Institute - Pennsylvania
Hearing Video
Click Here to watch the hearing video.
Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) serves as Majority Chair of the House Environmental & Natural Resource Protection Committee and can be contacted by calling 717-787-7647 or sending email to: gvitali@pahouse.net. Rep. Jack Rader, Jr. (R-Monroe) serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted by calling 717-787-7732 or click here to send an email.
(Photos: top- Range Resources Augustine Drill Pad in Cecil Township; Augustine Drill Pad showing scale of operation; bottom- Map of Shale gas wells (red dots), conventional oil and gas wells (blue/green dots) in Cecil Township (DEP Oil & Gas Program); 523 feet from nearest house; Well pad gas flare from bedroom window near Augustine well pad (WTAE). Other photos Courtesy of The Energy Age Blog.)
Related Articles - House Hearing:
-- 500 Feet Isn’t Enough - House Hearing I: Shale Gas Industry Says Setbacks Won’t Protect Residents, Public Health, Environment From Shale Gas Operations, Only ‘Rigorous Oversight’ Will; Standards Have Not Changed In 9 Years [PaEN]
-- 500 Feet Isn't Enough- House Hearing II: As A Township Supervisor We Have An Obligation To Protect The Health, Safety And Welfare Of Our Township Residents From Shale Gas Development [PaEN]
-- 500 Feet Isn't Enough - House Hearing III: What It’s Really Like Living Next To A Shale Gas Well Pad - Nosebleeds, Headaches, Nausea, Air Pollution, Vibrating House, Sleepless Nights, Anxiety, Truck Traffic [PaEN]Resource Links - Setbacks:
-- 500 Feet Isn’t Enough: 42 Scientific Studies, 20+ Years Of Experience With Shale Gas Drilling In PA; A State Grand Jury Report; Criminal Convictions; Public Complaints; Lawsuits; Media Reports All Document The Need To Increase Setbacks From Shale Gas Wells [PaEN]
-- 500 Feet Isn’t Enough: Michelle Stonemark Tells What It’s Really Like Living Next To A Shale Gas Well Pad - Nosebleeds, Headaches, Nausea, Air Pollution, Vibrating House, Sleepless Nights, Anxiety - In Cecil Twp., Washington County [PaEN]
-- 500 Feet Isn't Enough: Environmental Groups Urge Environmental Quality Board To Accept Rulemaking Petition For Study Increasing Setbacks From Shale Gas Wells [PaEN]
-- House Environmental Committee To Hold Oct. 30 Hearing On Bill Increasing Setback Safety Zones From Shale Natural Gas Drilling Sites, Infrastructure Based On Latest Science, Grand Jury Report [Background on the Issue] [PaEN]
Resource Links - Cecil Township:
-- Cecil Township Supervisors In Washington County Adopt 2,500 Setback From Shale Gas Well Pads From Homes, Businesses, 5,000 Foot Setback From Hospitals, Schools [November 2024]
-- Range Resources And MarkWest Liberty Midstream File Legal Challenges To The 2,500 Foot Shale Gas Facility Setback Ordinance Adopted By Cecil Township, Washington County [January 2025]
Resource Links - Health, Environmental Impacts:
-- Environmental Health Project Releases New White Paper: PA's Shale Gas - What We Can Do Now To Better Protect Public Health [PaEN]
-- Environmental Health Project: Lois Bower-Bjornson Shares Her First-Hand Experiences With Shale Gas Health, Environmental Impacts In Washington County [PaEN]
-- State Dept. Of Health Apologizes For Not Listening To Communities Suffering Health Impacts From Shale Gas Development; New Health Study Results ‘Just The Tip Of The Iceberg’ [August 2023]
-- University Of Pittsburgh School Of Public Health Studies Find Shale Gas Wells Can Make Asthma Worse; Children Have An Increased Chance Of Developing Lymphoma Cancer; Slightly Lower Birth Weights [August 2023]
-- State Dept. Of Health Invites Citizens To File Environmental Health Complaints Related To Natural Gas Development; Health Will Also Review Environmental Test Results [September 2023]
-- State Dept. Of Health Pushing For Changes To Reduce Adverse Health Impacts From Natural Gas Development [November 2023]
-- New State Health Plan Identifies Health Issues Related To Natural Resource Extraction, Climate Change In Top 5 Threats To Health Outcomes [April 2023]
-- 2025 PA Shale Gas & Public Health Conference Attended By Nearly 480 People Featured Health Experts, Scientists, Advocacy Groups On Health, Environmental Impacts Of Shale Gas Development [February 2025]
-- Presentations Now Available From 2022 Shale Gas & Public Health Conference In Nov. Hosted By PA League Of Women Voters & University Of Pittsburgh Graduate School Of Public Health [December 2022]
-- Fact Sheet: How Oil and Gas Operations Impact Your Baby’s Health
-- Frackland Video Tour, with Lois Bower-Bjornson, Clean Air Council
-- Senate Hearing: Body Of Evidence Is 'Large, Growing,’ ‘Consistent’ And 'Compelling' That Shale Gas Development Is Having A Negative Impact On Public Health; PA Must Act [June 2022]
-- House Committee Hearing On Increasing Safety Setbacks Zones Around Natural Gas Facilities Heard About First-Hand Citizen Experiences On Health Impacts, From Physicians On Health Studies And The Gas Industry On Job Impacts [October 2023]
-- Sen. Yaw, Republican Chair Of Senate Environmental Committee, Calls Bill To Reduce Shale Gas Industry Impacts On Health, Environment ‘Stupid’ [October 2023]
-- Senators Santarsiero, Comitta Introduce SB 581 Increasing Setback Safety Zones From Natural Gas Drilling Sites, Other Infrastructure, Based On Latest Science [January 2024]
Resource Links - Local Impacts Of Oil & Gas Development:
-- Freeport Township Declares Disaster Emergency After Residents Impacted By A Gas Related Water Contamination Event Have Been Without Permanent Water Supplies For 3 Years-- We’re Not Blaming Anybody, We Just Want Good, Clean Drinking Water [August 2025]
-- Springhill Township Becomes 2nd Township To Declare Disaster Emergency After Residents Were Impacted By A Gas Related Water Contamination Event In Greene County [August 2025]
-- Observer-Reporter: Study Shows Probable Link Between Freeport Twp. Water Well Contamination And Fracking In Greene County [PDF of Article]
-- Independent Research Study By Pitt, Duquesne Ties Water Well Contamination To Shale Gas Drilling In 2 Greene County Townships That Declared Water Disaster Emergencies [9.17.25]
-- PA American Water Identifies Water Source For New Public Water System To Replace Water Wells Contaminated By Shale Gas Fracking 20 Years Ago In Dimock Twp., Susquehanna County [3.13.25]
-- Coterra Energy Fined $299,000 For Contaminating 13 Private Water Supplies In Lenox Twp., Susquehanna County - Just A Few Miles From Dimock [7.29.25]
-- Late Night Road Dumping: Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater Continues To Be Dumped On Dirt, Gravel, Paved Roads; DEP Expected To Provide Update At April 24 Meeting [4.9.25]
-- PA Environment Digest: Click Here to learn more about oil and gas industry impacts.
Resource Links - Oil & Gas Compliance:
-- Criminal Convictions; Record Penalties, Restitution Of Over $158.3 Million Highlight Big Shale Gas, Related Petrochemical Industry Compliance History In Pennsylvania [March 2025]
-- DEP Reports 575 Water Supply/Stray Gas Complaints About Oil & Gas Operations In Last 2 Years; Investigation Can Take A Year, Sometimes 2-3 To Find Those Responsible [March 2025]
-- Freeport Township Declares Disaster Emergency After Residents Impacted By A Gas Related Water Contamination Event Have Been Without Permanent Water Supplies For 3 Years-- We’re Not Blaming Anybody, We Just Want Good, Clean Drinking Water [August 2025]
-- Springhill Township Becomes 2nd Township To Declare Disaster Emergency After Residents Were Impacted By A Gas Related Water Contamination Event In Greene County [August 2025]
-- Daily Grind Living Next To Oil & Gas Industry: Spills, Polluted Water Supplies, Smells Like Gas, Noise, Air Pollution, Explosions, Truck Traffic, Erosion, Radioactive Waste, Gas Flares, Dust, Lights, Road Dumping Waste, Abandoned Wells [March 2025]
-- AG Shapiro: Grand Jury Finds Pennsylvania Failed To Protect Citizens During Natural Gas Fracking Boom [June 2022]
-- Senate Hearing: First-Hand Account Of Health, Environmental Impacts From Road Dumping Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater - ‘Inhaling Oil & Gas Wastewater 24-Hours A Day’ [April 2024]
-- House Hearing: A First-Hand Account Of How Repeated, Unlimited Road Dumping Of Oil & Gas Drilling Wastewater Is Tearing Apart Dirt Roads And Creating Multiple Environmental Hazards [June 2024]
-- House Hearing: Penn State Expert Says ‘Pennsylvania Should Ban Road Spreading Of Oil & Gas Wastewater;’ Contaminants Exceed Health, Environmental Standards [June 2024]
PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:
-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Nov. 15 to 21: Fails To Restore Shale Gas Well Pad For 1,418 Days; Fails To Clean Up Spills At 2 Conventional Wells For 1,038 Days; Owner Abandons 35 Conventional Wells [PaEN]
-- DEP: Crude Oil Released From Failed Conventional Oil Well Gathering Line Travels Nearly Length Of 2 Football Fields In Hamilton Twp., McKean County [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - November 22 [PaEN]
-- DEP Invites Comments On Air Quality Permit For 8 Million Gallon EQT Midstream Oil & Gas Wastewater Storage Facility In Jackson Twp., Greene County [PaEN]
-- DEP Accepting Comments On Renewal Of Phase II Acid Rain Air Quality Permit For The 750 MW Natural Gas Marcus Hook Energy Power Plant, Delaware County [PaEN]
-- DEP: Comments Now Being Accepted For Renewal Of Title V Air Quality Permit For Hunterstown Power, LLC Natural Gas Power Plant In Adams County [PaEN]
-- DEP Invites Comments On Renewal Of Title V Air Quality Permit For The Energy Center Fuel Oil/Natural Gas Power Plant Serving Downtown Harrisburg Heating District, Dauphin County [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 55 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In November 22 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
Related Articles This Week:
-- 500 Feet Isn’t Enough - House Hearing I: Shale Gas Industry Says Setbacks Won’t Protect Residents, Public Health, Environment From Shale Gas Operations, Only ‘Rigorous Oversight’ Will; Standards Have Not Changed In 9 Years [PaEN]
-- 500 Feet Isn't Enough- House Hearing II: As A Township Supervisor We Have An Obligation To Protect The Health, Safety And Welfare Of Our Township Residents From Shale Gas Development [PaEN]
-- 500 Feet Isn't Enough - House Hearing III: What It’s Really Like Living Next To A Shale Gas Well Pad - Nosebleeds, Headaches, Nausea, Air Pollution, Vibrating House, Sleepless Nights, Anxiety, Truck Traffic [PaEN]
-- DEP Issues Air Permit For Largest Natural Gas Power Plant In US To Feed Proposed 3,200 Acre Homer City A.I. Data Center Campus In Indiana County [PaEN]
-- Montour County Planning Commission Recommends Against Talen Energy Request To Rezone 870 Acres For A Natural Gas Power Plant Expansion To Feed A.I. Data Centers [PaEN]
-- PUC Invites Comments On Proposed Model Tariff To Balance A.I. Data Center Growth And Ratepayer Protection [PaEN]
-- PUC: Natural Gas Utility Winter Reliability Reports Forecast Slightly Higher Usage, Costs [PaEN]
-- Dept. Of Human Services Begins Accepting Applications For Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) Dec. 3, After Federal Shutdown Delay [PaEN]
-- PUC Directs Staff To Develop Rule On Winter Terminations, Payment Arrangements, Other Consumer Protections
-- North American Electric Reliability Corp: Electric Grid At Elevated Risk Of Insufficient Energy Supplies During Extreme Weather Due To Rising A.I. Data Center Demands, 'Precarious' Natural Gas Supplies [PaEN]
-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - November 24 [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Inquirer: How An Energy Transfer/Sunoco Petroleum Products Pipeline Leak Disrupted A Quiet Bucks County Neighborhood: ‘Never Drink The Water’ [PDF of Article]
-- The Center Square: Lawsuits Target Northeast Supply Enhancement Natural Gas Pipeline From PA To NY Backed By President
-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Bellwether District- Site Of Former Philadelphia Refinery-- Could Soon Announce Its First Tenants
-- WITF/LancasterOnline: Mild Forecast For PA Winter Heating Bills In Peril As Natural Gas Prices Surge
-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: UGI Gas Company Contributes $500,000 For Customers Struggling To Pay Heating Bills
-- Post-Gazette/AP: New Analysis Shows More US Consumers Are Falling Behind On Their Utility Bills
-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: PUC Proposes Special Treatment For A.I. Data Center Power Connections To Contain The Cost Burden On Existing Ratepayers [PDF of Article]
-- York Daily Record: Where Does York County Rank In Electricity Production Across PA & US (Really High) [Data Center Series] [PDF of Article]
-- Utility Dive: PJM Members Fail To Agree On A.I. Data Center Interconnection Rules; Board May Develop A Proposal, But Timing Unclear
-- The Center Square: Consensus For Soaring A.I. Data Center Power Demands Still Elusive Among PJM Members
-- The Center Square: ‘Ghost’ A.I. Data Center Projects Haunt PJM Power Grid Planners, Raising Energy Costs
-- Utility Dive: North American Electric Reliability Corp: Winter Peak Demand Is Rising Faster Than Resource Additions
-- WHYY: PJM Electrical Grid To Decide Who Pays Bill For Massive A.I. Data Centers
-- PA Capital-Star: A.I. Data Center Growth Drives Communities In PA, Other States To Fight For More Say
-- Reuters: US A.I. Data Center Demand Raising Power Risks This Winter, NERC Says
-- Bloomberg: US Faces Winter Blackout Risks From A.I. Data Centers’ Power Needs, NERC Says
-- WFMZ: Montour County Planning Commission Votes Against Talen Energy Rezoning Request
-- York Daily Record: Where Does York County Rank In Electricity Production Across PA & US (Really High) [Data Center Series] [PDF of Article]
-- Utility Dive: FERC OKs NRG’s 19 GW Purchase Of LS Power Gas-Fired [5 In PA], Demand Response Assets; BP Wind Energy Sale Also Approved [PA Wind Farm]
-- US Dept. Of Energy Closes On $1 Billion Taxpayer Funded Loan To Constellation Energy To Finance Restart Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant To Power Microsoft A.I. Data Centers [Company Originally Claimed No Taxpayer Money Would Be Used To Restart The Plant]
-- PennLive - Charles Thompson: President’s Energy Dept. Approves $1 Billion Loan For Three Mile Island Nuclear Reactor Restart [Federal Legislation Makes Taxpayer Funding Available]
-- AP: US DOE Loans $1 Billion To Help Finance Restart Of Three Mile Island Nuclear Reactor [Company Originally Claimed No Taxpayer Money Would Be Used To Restart The Plant]
[Posted: November 18, 2025] PA Environment Digest
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