Regulation

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    PA Dem Senator Calls for “Study” to Address DEP Permit Delays

    A Pennsylvania Senator from Wilkes-Barre, John Yudichak (Democrat) has floated a “memoranda” among his Senate colleagues asking them to join him in sponsoring a resolution (copy below) for an “independent performance review” of the state Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) and its shale permitting program. Since Tom Wolf assumed office as governor of Pennsylvania in January 2015, the DEP has been in a downward spiral when it comes to the speed with which they approve permits for the Marcellus Shale industry. The DEP has a policy of issuing erosion and sedimentation permits 14 days from the date of application. These types of permits are common and necessary when building roads, well pads, etc. Lately it has taken the DEP 250 days to issue those permits! Permits related to drilling wells are supposed to take no more than 45 days. Those permits now average 93 days. The DEP is hopelessly backlogged–and it’s getting worse. When PA’s traitorous Republican Senate sold out and signed on to a Marcellus Shale severance tax back in July, the Senate also approved (as part of the budget bill) fixes to speed up the permitting process (see PA Senate’s “Olive Branch” of “Relaxed Regulations” for Drillers). Senators included a provision to have third party contractors–people outside of the DEP–review applications at the DEP, including permits for oil and gas drilling, when the DEP can’t review those applications in a timely manner. There’s also a provision that certain permits, like those granted to drillers for sediment and erosion, will automatically be granted if the DEP drags its feet and doesn’t grant the permit by the current, specified deadline (45 days, with a possible 15 day extension). Since DEP can’t seem to fix its own mess, the Republican Senate is willing to “lend a hand” to help them get it done. Democrats are adamantly opposed to the plan. Enter Yudichak and his plan to “study” the situation. This is nothing more than a typical delay and stall tactic. Appear to be addressing the problem when you really aren’t. To which we say–“too much, too little, too late” Sen. Yudichak. Your guy (Wolf) has had nearly three years to fix it and he hasn’t–it’s time to let the Republican legislature get the job done…
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    Congress Needs to Fix State Vetoes of Federal Pipeline Projects

    As we have reported, history was made last Friday when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) overruled the New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) denial of a water permit for Millennium Pipeline’s tiny 7.8 mile pipeline spur from the main Millennium Pipeline to a natural gas power plant under construction in Orange County, NY (see History Made! FERC Overrules NY DEC on Millennium Pipe Permit). The DEC eventually denied the water permit, but not before taking 19 months to do it. According to federal law, states have a maximum 12 months in which to make a federal Clean Water Act water permit decision. FERC said NY took too long, and therefore waived the permit, allowing Millennium to proceed with construction of the pipeline. The federal law governing all of this was written to give states a voice, but not a veto, of federal pipeline projects. Whether or not a project gets built is NOT up to the individual states–it is up to FERC and (if necessary) the U.S. Court of Appeals. The law specifically foresaw one state denying a project that another state needs and wants. However, rogue states like socialist NY are pushing the bounds of law by denying pipeline projects authorized by FERC. So what if NY rejects a pipeline, denying a water permit, but does so within the 12 month time period? What then? The legal beagles at the Blank Rome law firm address that issue on their environmental blog. Mike Krancer (former PA DEP Secretary), Fred Lowther and Margaret Anne Hill write that it’s time for Congress to act to clarify the law and ensure NY (and other states) cannot block federally approved pipeline projects…
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    Williams Breaks Ground on Atlantic Sunrise Pipe, Ahead of Schedule

    Earth moving has begun for a compressor station in Columbia County. (Williams Partners)

    Well that didn’t take long! Yesterday MDN brought you the fantastic news that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) had granted Williams a certificate/go-ahead to begin construction on Atlantic Sunrise, a $3 billion, 198-mile natural gas pipeline project running through 10 Pennsylvania counties to connect Marcellus Shale natural gas from northeastern PA with the Williams’ Transco pipeline in southern Lancaster County (see FERC Greenlights Construction of Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline). FERC issued their permission to begin construction last Friday. Based on a previous Williams statement, we expected construction to begin tomorrow, on Sept. 20th. However, as soon as Williams had the certificate in their hands, they began construction–LAST FRIDAY. Where? Williams fired up bulldozers at two locations–one in Wyoming County, the other in Columbia County (both in northeast PA), to clear land for two new compressor stations they will build as part of the project. Yesterday both Williams AND Cabot Oil & Gas issued the same press release to announce construction has begun. Interesting that Cabot issued the release too, showing just how important this project is to Cabot’s future (and to their stock price)…
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    FERC Lifts Rover Horizontal Drilling Ban, Pipeline Work Resumes

    Rover Pipeline–$3.7 billion, 711-mile natural gas pipeline that (will eventually) run from PA, WV and eastern OH through OH into Michigan and on to Canada–began flowing natural gas through a large portion of the pipeline on Sept. 1st (see Big Portion of Rover Pipeline Now Up & Running – Thru Most of Ohio). In the past three weeks, Phase 1A of the pipeline has steadily increased its throughput and now flows over 700 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of yummy Utica/Marcellus Shale gas to Defiance, OH. However, it could flow more, if the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) would lift its considerable boot off Rover’s neck and let them finish Phase 1B pipeline work in eastern Ohio to feed more gas to the main part of the pipeline. The problem is that Rover had early missteps, the most serious of which spilled 2 million gallons of non-toxic drilling mud in a swamp near the Tuscarawas River back in April (see Rover Pipeline Accident Spills ~2M Gal. Drilling Mud in OH Swamp). An investigation by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) found the presence of diesel fuel in the drilling mud, which means the mud wasn’t so non-toxic after all (see OH EPA Says Diesel Fuel Found in Rover 2M Gal Drilling Mud Spill). Rover believes sabotage may have been the cause. Since April, FERC has blocked all new underground HDD work for the Rover project. Rover has asked (begged, pleaded) FERC, several times, for permission to restart the HDD work–at least in a few select locations. In August, FERC issued eight conditions before they would agree to lifting the HDD ban (see FERC Issues Rover 8 Commandments to Restart Horizontal Drilling). Rover says they have met all of those conditions. However, the OEPA says they have not. Last week OEPA asked FERC to continue blocking HDD activity until they (OEPA) are satisfied (see Rover Pipeline Still Battling Ohio EPA, Asks FERC to Lift HDD Ban). Rover fired off a letter to FERC that says OEPA’s public statements are opposite of their private statements with Rover. In other words, OEPA is lying. Who will FERC listen to? Now we know. They’re listening to Rover. Yesterday FERC lifted the ban on HDD for nine key locations–NOT including the Tuscarawas River site. FERC says they are still investigating that spill. FERC said, in lifting the HDD ban, that “Rover has demonstrated sufficient progress on the required rehabilitation and restoration of the areas affected by the inadvertent release and drilling mud contamination” and that the company is following FERC’s 8 Commandments. We’re pretty sure yesterday’s FERC decision won’t make the OEPA happy…
    Read More “FERC Lifts Rover Horizontal Drilling Ban, Pipeline Work Resumes”

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    Constitution, NFG Pipes to Seek FERC Relief from NY DEC Tyranny

    Yesterday we told that you history has been made–the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has broken the back of the New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) by overturning the DEC’s decision to block a short pipeline Millennium wants to build to a power plant in Orange County (see History Made! FERC Overrules NY DEC on Millennium Pipe Permit). The DEC has also blocked federally-approved pipeline projects in two other cases–the Constitution Pipeline, a $683 million, 124-mile pipeline from Susquehanna County, PA to Schoharie County, NY carrying Marcellus gas (a Williams project), and the Northern Access Pipeline, a $455 million project includes building 97 miles of new pipeline along a power line corridor from northwestern Pennsylvania up to Erie County, NY, to carry Marcellus gas northward (a National Fuel Gas Company project). Given Millennium’s success in having FERC overrule NY DEC, one would think these other two projects would also file requests with FERC for the same thing. According to Reuters, NFG already has filed such a request, and Williams is about to…
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    Sierra Club Radicals Use FL Court Case to Challenge 2 M-U Pipelines

    In August, the D.C. Court of Appeals ruled in a case that may have long-term, very negative consequences for the oil and gas industry related to pipeline development (see DC Court of Appeals Legislates New Law re FERC & Global Warming). The profoundly litigious, anti-fossil fuel radicals of the Sierra Club previously filed a lawsuit against the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) blaming FERC for not considering mythical man-made global warming as it conducted a review of three pipelines in the southeast. The Sierra Club is known for filing frivolous lawsuit after frivolous lawsuit. This is just one in a long line. The Southeast Market Pipelines Project is an umbrella project for three natural gas pipelines in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. The linchpin of the project is the Sabal Trail pipeline, which travels from Tallapoosa County in eastern Alabama, across southwestern Georgia, and down to Osceola County, Florida, just south of Orlando (nearly 500 miles), feeding gas-fired power plants in the region. The Sierra Club antis said the three projects together didn’t take into consideration an increase in carbon and methane that would result from the three projects getting approved, and that said carbon and methane will contribute to man-made global warming. The D.C. Court of Appeals agreed and instructed FERC to reconsider its environmental assessment of the three projects–vacating an approval of the main part of the project, the Sabal Trail pipeline. Just one teeny tiny problem (for the antis): all three pipelines–Sabal Trail, Hillabee Expansion and Florida Southeast Connection–are up and running. This decision likely will not shut them down. But the decision does have a big impact on projects not yet built. Drunk on their earlier success, yesterday the Sierra Club filed two requests (demands?) with FERC requesting the agency redo their already-done environmental impact statements for Dominion’s $5 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline from WV through VA and into NC, and for EQT’s $3.5 billion Mountain Valley Pipeline, from WV into VA. The Sierra Club says the Sabal Trail decision is all they need to force FERC into redoing the EIS’–to force FERC to consider mythical man-made global warming…
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    FERC Greenlights Construction of Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline

    Bad news for the Sisters of the Corn and the radicals at Lancaster Against Pipelines. On Friday the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) granted Williams permission to begin construction on Atlantic Sunrise, a $3 billion, 198-mile pipeline project running through 10 Pennsylvania counties to connect Marcellus Shale natural gas from northeastern PA with the Williams’ Transco pipeline in southern Lancaster County. Last week the Sierra Club and a mish mash of other nutball groups begged FERC to delay issuing an order that Williams can commence with construction, claiming FERC’s delay in considering a rehearing delayed a lawsuit and the lawsuit hasn’t had enough time to work it’s way through the court system (see Big Green Begs FERC to Delay Construction of Atlantic Sunrise Pipe). As was expected, Big Green’s begging and pleading fell on deaf ears. Williams previously said they plan to begin construction on Sept. 20th–this Wednesday. Ladies and gentleman, start your (backhoe) engines! Sisters of the Corn (see Lancaster Sisters of the Corn Lose Bid to Stop Atlantic Coast Pipe), you may want to pick up your wooden park benches and the flower trestle–what you call a “chapel”–in the middle of your corn field. Here comes the Atlantic Sunrise!…
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    Canadian Drillers Beg NEB to Approve Pipe Plan to Compete with M-U

    TransCanada, one of Canada’s leading midstream/pipeline companies, cooked up a deal last year to pipe natural gas from Canada’s West Coast to the East Coast in order to fend off cheap supplies of Marcellus/Utica gas that will flow into Canada when/if the NEXUS and Rover pipelines get built (see TransCanada Pipe Drops Price 42% to Compete with Marcellus/Utica). TransCanada dropped their pipeline price to lure drillers by (theoretically) making it less expensive to get gas from Western Canada, some 2,400 miles away, than from the Marcellus, just 400 miles away. The original open season last year was a bust because TransCanada insists on a 10-year commitment (see TransCanada Plan to Lowball M-U Gas Using Canada Pipeline a Bust). TransCanada revived their plan in February. Although it looked almost like the same deal all over again with the same 10-year term and about the same price, TransCanada dropped a minimum amount to be shipped and is letting shippers opt out after five years under certain conditions. The changes worked (see TransCanada Says Plan to Lowball M-U Gas Worked, Shippers Sign Up). The plan needs a bevy of regulatory approvals, the main one being the Canadian National Energy Board (NEB). The clock is ticking and time is running out. In hearings before the NEB last week, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers pleaded their case that the plan get approved. Without it, western Canadian gas simply can’t compete with cheap, abundant Marcellus/Utica Shale gas flowing north. In somewhat dramatic terms, Canadian drillers claimed the “future of western Canada’s natural gas industry could depend on pipeline company TransCanada winning regulatory approval” of their lowball plan…
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    PA House Should Nuke Anti-Landowner Section 1610 of Budget Bill

    In July when the Pennsylvania Senate passed their awful budget bill that includes a variety of new taxes, including a new severance tax on the Marcellus industry, they also slipped in Section 1610 which changes established lease law with respect to oil and gas wells that no longer produce anything (see PA Senate Slips Anti-Landowner Measure into State Budget Bill). Under existing law, when an oil or gas well stops producing–and the landowner quits getting royalty checks–the lease is considered terminated. Done. Finished. Under new Section 1610, drillers can resurrect those dead leases under a couple of conditions. If the landowner doesn’t officially state “your lease is now dead since you’re not producing anything” a driller can quick-like-a-bunny restart production at the well and send the landowner a royalty check, re-starting (or continuing) the existing lease with its existing terms. Or if the driller sends a notice to the landowner stating its intention to drill a new well on the property, and if the landowner doesn’t object (within a 3-month time limit), the driller is free to begin drilling a NEW well, under the OLD lease terms. Section 1610 really stinks, in our humble opinion. It means a driller can drill a new shale well after an old conventional/vertical well quits producing–without having to sign a new lease or pay a new bonus or negotiate a new royalty rate. An editorial in the profoundly anti-drilling (and far-left) Scranton Times-Tribune encourages the House to nuke the Section 1610 provision. This is one of those rare (perhaps first time!) cases when MDN agrees with the lefty libs at the Times-Tribune…
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    Big Green Begs FERC to Delay Construction of Atlantic Sunrise Pipe

    Last week the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued the final permit needed by Williams to begin construction on Atlantic Sunrise, a $3 billion, 198-mile pipeline project running through 10 Pennsylvania counties to connect Marcellus Shale natural gas from northeastern PA with the Williams’ Transco pipeline in southern Lancaster County (see PA Issues Final Permit for Atlantic Sunrise, Construction Sept 20). The only thing left before Williams fires up the bulldozers and backhoes and begins to dig is for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which has already fully approved the project, to issue a “you can begin building” order. Last week Williams said they hope/plan to receive that order imminently, and begin construction next week, on Sept. 20th. However, the radicals at the Sierra Club and a bunch of other loony leftist “environmental” organizations are riding in to ruin the day. They’ve filed an urgent request with FERC to delay issuing the order to begin building. Why? Because these cancerous groups previously filed a lawsuit in federal court that seeks to have FERC reverse their decision to approve the project. The first step in the process when radical groups challenge a FERC order is for FERC itself to reconsider whether or not to rehear arguments against a project. FERC did delay, using something called a “tolling order.” Because of the tolling order delay, the radicals could not (as they wanted all along) appeal the case to the liberal D.C. Court of Appeals, the next step in the process. The radicals say the now-appealed case before the 2nd Circuit hasn’t had enough time, therefore FERC should delay an order to allow construction to begin for Atlantic Sunrise…
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    Pinelands Commission Approves Pipeline Thru NJ Scrub Pines

    Click for larger version of map

    Anti-fossil fuel radicals behaved badly, as they usually do, at yesterday’s New Jersey Pinelands Commission meeting. Using “whistles, cowbells and shouts,” and holding “Pinocchio noses to their faces,” radical antis from groups like the Sierra Club tried to bully commissioners into denying approval of a $130 million, 28-mile natural gas pipeline proposed by New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG) to connect NJNG’s distribution system serving customers in Ocean, Burlington and Monmouth counties (in NJ) and the interstate pipeline system adjacent to the New Jersey Turnpike. Spoiled, rotten-acting children grow up to be spoiled, rotten-acting adults. Ever notice that truism? The pipeline runs through 12 miles of scrub pines that are “protected” in NJ. The “Southern Reliability Link” pipeline project, as it is called, is meant to provide a backup for hundreds of thousands of NJ residents who lost access to natural gas following Super Storm Sandy. Such reliability makes no difference to radicals (many of them out-of-state) who irrationally hate all fossil fuels. The Sierra Club sued to stop the project. The courts ruled that the Commission would need to hold a full vote on whether to approve it, so the Commission held a public hearing in July (see Antis Oppose Tiny Pipeline Thru Scrub Pines in N NJ at Hearing). Yesterday the full Commission voted, 8 to 4 (with 1 abstention), to approve the Southern Reliability Link. Finally! Of course the radicals say they will now launch yet another frivolous lawsuit to try and stop it, claiming the Commission “ignored the law” in approving the project. No, Sierra Club, YOU are the ones who continually ignore the law…
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    Time for FERC, Congress to Slap States into Line re Pipe Refusals

    West Virginia Dept. of Environmental Protection’s (WVDEP) capricious decision to yank a permit it previously granted for the Mountain Valley Pipeline is “the last straw” according to the legal beagles at the Blank Rome law firm. Last week WVDEP, under pressure in a lawsuit brought by the radical Sierra Club, decided to revoke a previously granted water crossing permit (see Trouble for Mountain Valley Pipe: WV DEP Withdraws Water Permit). The corrupt New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation is now making a habit of refusing these types of permits for projects in our beloved home state–so far refusing permits for the Constitution Pipeline, Millennium Pipeline, and Northern Access Pipeline projects. Given this recent activism by state agencies, the lawyers at Blank Rome say it is now time for both the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and Congress to act, to “stem this overreach by States.” In our words, it’s time to slap the states back into line. They lay out a case to do so…
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    Governors from PA-NY-DE Vote to Ban Fracking in Dela. River Basin

    Well they did it. Yesterday at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), representatives for the five voting members voted to begin the process of formalizing a permanent ban on fracking in the Delaware River Basin. It wasn’t unexpected, but it was hotly contested–by both sides in the debate. As we’ve previously chronicled, the DRBC is composed of five voting members: the governors of Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, New Jersey, along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The governors all sent people to represent them at the meeting, with clear instructions. The three Democrat governors–Tom Wolf (PA), Andrew Cuomo (NY), and John Carney (DE) all voted in favor of a resolution to take the next step in the process of a permanent ban, voting to adopt a draft resolution MDN previously shared (see DRBC Votes Tomorrow on Permanent Frack Ban Resolution). Gov. Chris Christie’s (NJ) rep abstained from the vote, and the Army Corps, which answers to the White House, voted NO. Steven Tambini, DRBC’s executive director, has clearly lost control of the organization. Or perhaps he never had control to begin with. Tambini urged critics to “withhold judgment” until they see the regulations that Big Green groups cook up. Big Green groups like THE Delaware Riverkeeper (aka Maya van Rossum) should be elated–but they still had sourpusses on. They didn’t like language in the resolution that would allow frack wastewater to be hauled/disposed of inside their precious Delaware River Basin playground. Meanwhile, landowners in Wayne and Pike counties in PA are getting the royal shaft–they will never be able to lease their land for drilling. In 2015 PA Gov. Wolf offered to help those landowners, in return for a political quid pro quo–support his severance tax plan (see PA Gov Wolf Offered Deal in ’15 to Open Dela. River Basin Drilling). The landowners did not support Wolf’s loony severance tax plan, so now it’s payback. Wolf is going to strip their property rights away…
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    Senators Try to Remove Sev. Tax Stain by Chiding Wolf re DRB Vote

    Following yesterday’s vote by the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) to take the first step in a permanent ban on fracking in the Delaware River Basin (DRB), reaction from those who support drilling was swift. The American Petroleum Institute issued a statement saying, among other things, that the DRBC’s intention to permanently ban fracking in the DRB is “bad public policy.” More than a few Pennsylvania legislators took issue with PA Gov. Wolf’s vote to endorse a permanent frack ban. Three ranking State Senators–Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, and Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Chair Gene Yaw, ripped into Wolf with a joint press release yesterday, saying they “strongly objected” to Wolf’s vote. The three said a permanent ban on natural gas drilling in the Delaware River Basin is “arbitrary, short-sighted and a blow to economic development, job-creation and landowner’s rights.” We appreciate their support. However, those same three Senators recently sold out the gas industry when they voted for a severance tax. They were part of the high-tax cabal that made the job of the House that much harder (thank God the House passed a no-severance-tax budget yesterday, see today’s companion story). While we appreciate the Senators’ support on the DRB frack ban issue, their bloviating against Wolf on the frack ban vote doesn’t remove the stain of their betrayal of the gas industry in voting for the severance tax. All three Senators need to go at the next primary…
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    Rover Pipeline Still Battling Ohio EPA, Asks FERC to Lift HDD Ban

    Rover project map – click for larger version

    Rover Pipeline–$3.7 billion, 711-mile natural gas pipeline that will run from PA, WV and eastern OH through OH into Michigan and eventually into Canada–starting flowing natural gas through a portion of the pipeline on Sept. 1st (see Big Portion of Rover Pipeline Now Up & Running – Thru Most of Ohio). Since then, Phase 1A of the pipeline has steadily increased its throughput and now flows over 700 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of yummy Utica/Marcellus Shale gas to Defiance, OH. However, it could flow more, if the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) would lift its considerable boot off Rover’s neck and let them finish Phase 1B–pipeline work in eastern Ohio to feed more gas to the main part of the pipeline. The problem is that Rover had early missteps, the most serious of which spilled 2 million gallons of non-toxic drilling mud in a swamp near the Tuscarawas River back in April (see Rover Pipeline Accident Spills ~2M Gal. Drilling Mud in OH Swamp). An investigation by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) found the presence of diesel fuel in the drilling mud, which means the mud wasn’t so non-toxic after all (see OH EPA Says Diesel Fuel Found in Rover 2M Gal Drilling Mud Spill). Rover believes sabotage may have been the cause (see ET Says Accident or Anti Sabotage Caused Diesel in Rover Mud Leaks). Since April, FERC has blocked all new underground HDD work for the Rover project. Rover has asked (begged, pleaded) FERC, several times, for permission to restart the HDD work–at least in a few select locations. In August, FERC issued eight conditions before they would agree to lifting the HDD ban (see FERC Issues Rover 8 Commandments to Restart Horizontal Drilling). Rover says they have met all of those conditions. However, the OEPA says they have not, and is asking FERC to continue blocking HDD activity until they (OEPA) are satisfied. Rover fired off a letter to FERC that says OEPA’s public statements are opposite of their private statements with Rover. In other words, OEPA is lying. Who will FERC listen to?…
    Read More “Rover Pipeline Still Battling Ohio EPA, Asks FERC to Lift HDD Ban”

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    Monroeville, PA Passes Restrictive Seismic Testing Ordinance

    Monroeville, PA (Allegheny County, suburb of Pittsburgh) voted last night to restrict seismic testing within municipal boundaries–a move meant to restrict future shale well drilling in the area by Huntley & Huntley. In a July story, MDN brought you the news that Cougar Land Services, a subcontractor working with Huntley & Huntley, is planning to conduct seismic testing in two rural areas of the municipality, including “small portions” of Monroeville’s northernmost and southernmost tips (see H&H: Seismic Testing Coming to Monroeville, Not to Oakmont). Monroeville Council voted in early August to publish a draft of its new seismic testing ordinance for 30 days of public comment, prelude to a final vote (see Monroeville, PA Close to Passing Restrictive Seismic Testing Ord.). The restrictions are meant to hassle anyone wanting to conduct seismic testing, i.e. Huntley & Huntley. Which is kind of sad, as H&H is headquartered in Monroeville. Kind of like spitting in the company’s face. Last night Monroeville hawked up a huge wad of phlegm and let a big one fly in the face of H&H. Not to worry. If the ordinance “is outside the state parameters,” H&H intends to sue. Just to add insult to injury and let the Marcellus industry know how unwelcome they truly are, the council also voted to put a new ordinance on the agenda that pretty much blocks all Marcellus Shale drilling throughout the municipality…
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