There’s a reason that less than 9% of communities in the 33 Pennsylvania counties with shale drilling have passed ordinances specifically aimed at the drilling industry. They look at the grief experienced in places like Middlesex Township (Butler County) where Martians–a few parents from the local Mars School District–are agitating to prevent a shale well from being drilled 3/4 of a mile from the school (see Rex Drilling Operation Near Mars School Put on Hold). Those towns see how so-called non-profits like the Delaware Riverkeeper are operating outside of their jurisdictional (we would argue outside of their legal) parameters, costing communities like Middlesex big bucks (see Dela. RiverKeeper, Clean Air Council Cost Middlesex Residents $35K+). Other towns look at that festering mess and say, “no thanks,” which is kind of ironic since the towns themselves sued to overturn portions of the Act 13 law, giving them the right to enact their own oil and gas zoning regulations…
