Politics & Government

Leetsdale Approves Gas Drilling Ordinance

The borough joins other municipalities across the state that have adopted new drilling regulations.

If a company wants to drill for natural gas in Leetsdale, it will have to follow a .

After a brief public hearing, Leetsdale Council voted Thursday night to approve a gas well drilling ordinance, which immediately goes into effect. Councilmen Tom Brown and Roger Nanni were absent.

The addresses issues such as drill-site design and installation, local road usage and permissible hours of operation.

Find out what's happening in Sewickleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Public commentary was recorded. Most residents who spoke didn’t make a point for or against drilling but instead raised questions about how the document would be made available after the vote and whether citizens would still be able to ask questions about the final ordinance.

“Sometimes we’re not invited to make comments, so I just wanted to make sure,” said Judy Fulton of Beaver Street.

Find out what's happening in Sewickleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Paul Scimio brought copies of the ordinance, which were distributed to residents who wanted one. The ordinance was also available to inspect and review at the borough office leading up to the public hearing.

Leetsdale Solicitor Richard Start put the decision into a legal perspective for residents, explaining that the borough cannot outright ban Marcellus Shale drilling, but it can regulate drilling. 

“If we were to prohibit this activity, in my opinion, …any challenge would succeed,” Start said.

The borough collected more than 30 ordinances from municipalities in Pennsylvania and other states and drafted an ordinance based on those.

Start said the ordinance is not a “friendly” ordinance but rather one that “very strictly” regulates . 

“We took what we deemed to be the best of and combined them into one document,” Start said.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Sewickley