PA Commonwealth Court Overrules Town Approval of Olympus Wells

Olympus Energy wants to drill six wells on a single pad in rural Elizabeth Township, a borough in Allegheny County, on the east bank of the Monongahela River. The pad would sit about 2,400 feet (nearly half a mile) away from Elizabeth Forward High School. Some parents of students and members of the administration pushed back against Olympus’ drilling plan, using the children as an excuse (see School Near Pittsburgh Pushes Back Against Olympus Plan to Drill). However, in January 2023, Elizabeth Township’s board of commissioners voted to approve the plan by a 5-2 margin (see Olympus Plan to Drill Wells Near Elizabeth High School Approved). Big Green went to work challenging the approval and just won their lawfare case in PA's usually conservative Commonwealth Court.

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