Politics & Government

Residents in Sewickley Hills Air Concerns about Marcellus Shale

Council plans to reconvene a public hearing on Monday, April 25.

Sewickley Hills resident Ray Ott still has questions about the borough's proposed ordinance to regulate Marcellus Shale drilling, among them, how noise levels would be measured.

Ott, who owns 55 acres in the borough, said much of his property is in the proposed commercial and industrial zone where gas drilling would be permitted on a conditional use.

While he isn’t particularly against the drilling -- if it benefits the borough -- Ott said, "If it’s going to hurt us at all, I’m not for it.”

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A crowd showed up to a special public meeting Monday night in Sewickley Hills to voice concerns, offer opinions and raise questions about  drilling in the community. The proposed ordinance would control gas well drilling in Sewickley Hills by restricting it to the borough's commercial and industrial district, which lies in the area of Glenfield Road and Interstate 79.

After about two hours of public testimony, council decided to leave the hearing open until Monday, April 25 in order to make minor changes before reconvening to act on the ordinance. In the meantime, the planning commission will meet to review and adjust the ordinance based on council’s concerns.

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Councilman Noah Fardo pointed out a clause that would require well-testing on parcels within 2,000 feet from a drill site, and he noted that residents within 1,000 feet would be notified in case of an emergency. He suggested increasing the distance to 5,000 feet for both.

Many are rushing to put zoning regulations in place before a company attempts to drill there. The Marcellus Shale rock formation that underlies much of Pennsylvania is believed to hold trillions of cubic feet of natural gas that could help supply U.S. demand.

Extracting the gas involves horizontal drilling that requires large amounts of water mixed with sand and other components to “fracture” the shale under high pressure so the natural gas can flow freely.

Paul Poas of bordering  said he lives “very close” to the proposed drilling zone. Like many residents, he is concerned about the fracking process, the impact of giant wells, truck traffic and noise levels, and possible reduced property values.

“People come out here to live a certain lifestyle,” Poas said, adding that drilling companies are interested only in making money and not in maintaining the character of the town.

Kevin Weir of Pittsburgh said, “We all drink the same water and breathe the same air,” and that contaminated water, gas explosions and other catastrophes are not uncommon results of drilling. He said there have been numerous environmental violations and questions about health issues, including incidents of cancer.

 “Anybody that would want this in their area, shame on them,” he said.

Loretta Weir likened the drilling issue to a constitutional battle, saying that the people have a right to clean air and water.

 “A lot of municipalities are in the same position that you are in,” she said. 

Some asked if the proposed 5-acre-or-more zone couldn’t be reduced to three acres. Others asked if a moratorium could be placed on the drilling, or even an outright ban.

Solicitor Art Leonard said all of the questions raised Monday night have come up at other meetings and that existing laws favor the gas drillers. He cited a state Supreme Court decision against Salem Township that struck down the municipality’s entire ordinance because it imposed too many restrictions on gas drilling companies. The court decision left the entire community open to drilling, he said.

“If you try to say ‘You can’t do this and that,’ your ordinance is going to get struck,” Leonard warned.

Resident Joe Hajnas said he worried that the perimeters,  by his estimates,  would be too exclusionary. He suggested the borough review the minimal acreage.

Officials said the borough engineer was performing a feasibility study to determine if drilling would be possible in the industrial and commercial zone.

Rather than risk allowing drilling rigs anywhere, Councilwoman Cindy Phillips said, the borough wants a properly zoned district to be set aside for drilling and to keep it out of residential back yards.

Lori Gross encouraged everyone to become informed on the different perspectives and to attend an i at 6:30 p.m. April 14 at the Big Sewickley Creek Fire Hall.

Poas said he doesn’t think the borough was the right place for drilling.

 “I just urge Sewickley Hills to take a firm position on this … there’s no reason to make it easy on them,” he said.


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