Butler County

As we have long chronicled, a few anti-drilling parents from the Mars School District (Butler County, far western part of the state), backed by a couple of Big Green groups from the other side of the state (THE Delaware Riverkeeper and the Clean Air Council, both based in the Philadelphia area), sued Middlesex Township to stop shale drilling in rural portions of the county. Rex Energy had applied for, was legally permitted for, but wasn’t allowed to drill a series of wells some three-fourths of a mile from the Mars School (for background, see our long list of “Martian” stories here). After costing local taxpayers more than $35,000 in legal fees, last November a county judge finally told Rex Energy they could go ahead and drill (see PA County Judge Rules Rex Can Begin Drilling First Martian Well). The fantastic news is, Rex has drilled! The company has drilled two initial wells which will be done within the next couple of weeks. Time to celebrate! NOTE: Somehow, against all odds, no children were harmed in the drilling of these wells…
Read More “Martian Victory! 2 Wells Near Mars School Nearly Done Drilling”

NOTE: MDN received a note from a subscriber (and lawyer) who has appeared before Judge Horan several times and believes our characterization is unfair and unwarranted. Indeed, the lawyer says Horan is “certainly not a radical” and has rendered industry-favorable decisions on several occasions. We appreciate it when subscribers take time to point out when our gut reaction, usually spot on, may not be. We want to be fair and not impugn someone’s reputation without cause.

Once again justice has been corrupted in a corrupt Pennsylvania court. It’s A.O.K. for four local residents (Martians) and two tax-exempt non-profit groups from the opposite side of the state to bring lawsuits to stop legal Marcellus drilling in Butler County, PA, costing Butler County taxpayers in excess of $35,000 in legal fees (see ACLU Asks County Judge to Toss Lawsuit Against Litigious Martians). The Martians have children in the Mars School District located 3/4 of a mile away from the proposed Rex Energy drilling site. Never mind other school districts in the state have allowed drilling ON CAMPUS. A dozen landowners in Middlesex and Adams Townships that want drilling to commence counter-sued the Martians and the Big Green groups for holding up a legal process (see Shoe Now on Other Foot: Landowners Sue Martian Anti-Drillers). Butler County Judge Marilyn J. Horan (Democrat) has tossed the landowners’ counter-suit out of the nearest ivory tower window. That’s “justice” for you in Butler County, PA. You may be interested to know that Judge Horan is a radical/activist judge, recently nominated by President Barack Hussein Obama to become a federal judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania–no doubt because of her radical views…
Read More “Landowners’ Countersuit Against Martians Tossed by Obama Judge”

It seems anti-drillers love to launch lawsuits, but when the shoe is applied to the other foot and lawsuits are filed against them, they don’t like it so much. Hypocrites. A small group of anti-drilling parents in the Mars School District in Middlesex Township (Butler County), PA–folks we call Martians–want to prevent the legal, legitimate, and now fully permitted right of Rex Energy to drill a few Marcellus Shale wells three-fourths of a mile away from the Mars School. We’ve long chronicled this battle (see MDN’s list of Mars School stories). Four local Middlesex residents used two non-profit, tax-exempt groups from the opposite side of PA, backed by Big Green money–THE Delaware Riverkeeper and the Philadelphia-based Clean Air Council–to file a lawsuit against the little town of Middlesex to stop any kind of drilling, a move that has so far cost local taxpayers over $35,000 in legal defense fees (see Dela. RiverKeeper, Clean Air Council Cost Middlesex Residents $35K+). So a group of 12 Middlesex landowners and a business launched their own lawsuit against the two Big Green groups and the four local residents claiming (rightly) that they are being economically harmed (see Shoe Now on Other Foot: Landowners Sue Martian Anti-Drillers). What do the anti-drilling parents and Big Green groups do? They go crying like little girls to the anti-American ACLU for help. The ACLU is asking a Butler County court judge to dismiss the lawsuit against the litigious anti-drillers ’cause they don’t like being sued. Seems it doesn’t feel too good when the shoe is on the other foot…
Read More “ACLU Asks County Judge to Toss Lawsuit Against Litigious Martians”

The most anti-American group on the planet that we know of, aside from ISIS/ISIL/Al-Qaeda, is the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). So we find it truly rich that the ACLU–always on the lookout to squash anything to do with the American way and freedom and apple pie–has now involved itself in what we loving call “the Martian controversy.” A small group of rabidly anti-drilling (and liberal) parents in the Mars School District in Middlesex Township (Butler County), PA want to prevent the legal, legitimate, and now fully permitted right of Rex Energy to drill a few Marcellus Shale wells three-fourths of a mile away from the Mars School. We’ve long chronicled this battle (see MDN’s list of Mars School stories). Four local residents used two non-profits backed by Big Green money and from the opposite side of Pennsylvania–THE Delaware Riverkeeper and the Philadelphia-based Clean Air Council–to file a lawsuit against the little town of Middlesex to stop any kind of drilling, a move that has so far cost local taxpayers over $35,000 in legal defense fees (see Dela. RiverKeeper, Clean Air Council Cost Middlesex Residents $35K+). So a group of 12 Middlesex landowners and a business launched their own lawsuit against the two Big Green groups and the four local residents claiming (rightly) that they are being economically harmed (see Shoe Now on Other Foot: Landowners Sue Martian Anti-Drillers). What do the anti-drilling, liberal, wacko parents and Big Green groups do? They go crying like little girls to the ACLU and now the Big Bully ACLU has ridden into town to tell the 12 landowners and local business they have no right to file a lawsuit! In America!!!…
Read More “ACLU Bullies Threaten Butler County Landowners over Martian Lawsuit”