Antis Cheer as Allegheny Co. Moves to Pull Shale Air Exemptions

The Allegheny County Board of Health has fired the first shot in what looks like a slow-motion campaign to squeeze shale drilling out of the county. At its September meeting, the board voted unanimously to have the county health department look into whether Article 21, the county's air pollution rulebook, should be rewritten to remove permitting exemptions that oil and gas operations now enjoy. Nothing changes yet. But the idea came straight out of the board's own "Fracking Committee," chaired by a writer for an anti-fracking group, and the folks at Food & Water Watch are already celebrating. Here's what happened, what it could mean for drillers and landowners in Allegheny County, and why MDN isn't buying the "it's just a review" line.

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