Tuesday, September 3, 2024

Cecil Township Proposes 2,500 Foot Setback Ordinance From Oil & Gas Infrastructure For Sept. 4 Hearing In Washington County

  Cecil Township, Washington County, is scheduled to hold a hearing September 4 on a proposed oil and gas ordinance that includes a 2,500 foot setback from all protected structures in the township, according to the Center for Coalfield Justice.

"This is exciting news after months of organizing and several hearings where residents advocated for this setback in an effort to protect their families," said the Center in a press release.  "Cecil residents are encouraged to attend, and will be able to provide public comments on the new proposal at the hearing."

The Center said, "Immediately following the public hearing, Cecil Township will hold a Special Meeting to address amendments to its oil and gas ordinance. A vote will not take place on the 4th; one additional hearing will be needed in order for the Board to consider final comments and vote after this proposal has met all the requirements for public notice.

"This is not a ban on drilling in Cecil Township. There are five existing well pads that will be grandfathered in and that cover more than 60% of the township. 

"In addition, landowners who want to waive the 2,500 foot setback and have drilling on their property can do so, as long as everyone within that buffer zone agrees."

"Many residents' pleas to the board for increased setback distances are based on their negative experiences of living near well pads and or the growing list of peer-reviewed research linking poor health outcomes to people living in close proximity to fracking.

The hearing will be held at the Cecil Township Municipal Building, 3599 Millers Run Road, Cecil starting at 6:00 p.m.  A Board of Supervisors special meeting is scheduled to follow at 7:00 p.m.

Questions should be directed to Lisa DePaoli, lisa@centerforcoalfieldjustice.org or call  412-229-7116.

Visit the  Center for Coalfield Justice website for more information.  

(Photo: Shale gas drill pad flare from bedroom window of a home that meets current 500 foot state setbacks.)

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Aug. 31 to Sept. 6 - Mystery Oil Leak Into Allegheny River; Holes In Shale Gas Casing; 65 Days Late In Plugging Conventional Well  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - September 7 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 48 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In September 7 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]

-- DEP Permitting Efficiency: 20,595 Permits Since 11/2023; Decisions On 16,745;  Zero  Currently Eligible For PAyback Did Not Meet Decision Deadlines; No Application Fees Refunded [9.6.24]

Related Articles This Week:

-- Abandoned Well Citizen Expert Laurie Barr, University Of Pennsylvania Prof. Jennifer Wilcox Recognized On The Grist 50 List [PaEN] 

-- Sen. Comitta: New PUC Pipeline Safety Regulations To Be Published As Final This Month For Public Utility Hazardous Liquid Pipelines  [PaEN] 

-- Environmental Health Project: CNX Resources Claims Shale Gas Drilling Poses No Public Health Risks Are ‘Misleading, Irresponsible, Dangerous’  [PaEN] 

-- Cecil Township Proposes 2,500 Foot Setback Ordinance From Oil & Gas Infrastructure For Sept. 4 Hearing In Washington County  [PaEN]

-- Center For Coalfield Justice Hosts Sept. 24 Program In Washington County On Increasing Setbacks From Oil & Gas Infrastructure  [PaEN]

-- US Dept. Of Interior Approves $76.4 Million To Plug Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Wells In Pennsylvania; 1,234 Violations For Abandoning Conventional Wells In Last 20 Months  [PaEN] 

-- Environmental Defense Fund, Moms Clean Air Force To Hold Public Meetings In 3 Northwest PA Counties On A Project To Test New Methods Of Locating Abandoned Conventional Oil, Gas Wells  [PaEN] 

-- Source Of 19-Day-Old Oil Discharge Into Allegheny River In Venango County Still A Mystery; Recreators Asked To Avoid The Area  [PaEN] 

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs Dropped 2 More Last Week To 16; Nearly 25% Drop In 2 Weeks 

-- DEP’s Oil & Gas Workload Report shows during the week ending August 30, DEP received Zero new permit applications for conventional wells and Three new permit applications for shale gas wells. 

-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports 2nd Quarter PA Natural Gas Production Dropped To Lowest Level Since 2020; Number Of PA Drilling Rigs Drop By Nearly 25% In 2 Weeks As A Result Of Drillers Trying To Raise The Price Of Gas  [PaEN] 

-- Center for Coalfield Justice Blog: Update On Underground Longwall Coal Mining In Greene, Washington Counties; Next DEP Report On Longwall Impacts Due… Soon  [PaEN]

-- PUC Invites Comments On Accelerated Removal, Replacement Of Older Plastic Pipe In Natural Gas Distribution Systems  [PaEN] 

NewsClips This Week:

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: PA To Receive $76 Million To Plug Hundreds Of Abandoned Conventional Oil, Gas Wells; DEP Holds Workshops On New Plugging Grants

-- Earthworks: Radically Misleading - Gov. Shapiro’s Dangerous Partnership With CNX Resources Nurts Communities, Ignores The Facts

-- Inquirer - Will Bunch: Everything You Know From TV About Pennsylvania And Fracking Is Wrong

-- Reuters: Anadarko, Other Natural Gas Companies Defeat Federal Lawsuit In PA Over Royalty Payments

-- Marcellus Drilling News: UGI Seeks To Temporarily Store LNG Gas In Trailers In Scranton Suburb During Winter  [PDF of Article

-- Scranton Times: UGI Claims Dickson City Boro Has No Jurisdiction Over Plan To Store LNG Gas In Trailers

-- Erie Times Guest Essay: Erie Manufacturer & Business Assn. Questions Biden’s Pause On Permits For New LNG Gas Export Facilities [Court Ended Pause July 1; PA Shale Gas Desperate To Sell Gas To Our Competitor China To Support Their Economy, Will That Help PA Manufacturing? ]

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Energy And Labor Are Both Needed To Power PA’s Future - By Marcellus Shale Gas Coalition & PA State Building Trades Union  PA Shale Gas Desperate To Sell Gas To Our Competitor China To Support Their Economy, Will That Help PA Manufacturing?]

-- US EIA: North America’s LNG Gas Export Capacity On Track To More Than Double By 2028

-- Utility Dive: Ratepayer Advocates Urge PJM To Include Power Plants With ‘Reliability-Must-Run’ Contracts In Next Electricity Auction; Would Have Lowered Overall Cost Of Last Auction By $5 Billion 

-- Utility Dive: Reregulation?  How Utilities And States Are Responding To PJM’s Record Electricity Capacity Prices [Part 1 of 3] 

-- Utility Dive: PJM Considers Fast-Track Review For Shovel-Ready Electric Generation Projects [Part 2 of 3] 

-- Utility Dive: Increasing Capacity Of Existing Generation, Batteries, Demand Response May Offer Near-Term Responses To Record PJM Electricity Auction Prices [Part 3 of 3] 

-- Bloomberg: High Natural Gas, Other Fossil Fuel Use Highlights US Challenge To Clean Energy Transition

-- Bloomberg: European Natural Gas Prices Approach Oversold Zone After 3-Day Sell-Off 

-- Reuters: US LNG Gas Export Dominance Tested As Europe’s Demand Wilts

-- Reuters: US Regulators OK First Step To Start New Louisiana LNG Gas Export Facility

-- Bloomberg: DOE Approves New Fortress Energy LNG Gas Export Facility In Mexico 

-- US EIA: North America’s LNG Gas Export Capacity On Track To More Than Double By 2028 

-- The Guardian: How An LNG As Export Facility Project Along The Gulf Coast Is Upending Residents’ Lives

[Posted: September 3, 2024]  PA Environment Digest

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