Many officials hold leases with shale drillers
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South Fayette Township solicitor Jonathan Kamin presents several motions at the start of a township zoning board hearing at South Fayette Township Middle School on Wednesday. -
Kenneth S. Komoroski, counsel for Range Resources, listens at the zoning board meeting.
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During a contentious meeting in South Fayette last week, the township's zoning hearing board delayed a decision about a challenge mounted by gas driller Range Resources after calls for several members of the board to recuse themselves from discussions because they have signed gas leases with the Texas-based driller.
"It cannot be more clear to me that it's a conflict of interest," said South Fayette solicitor Jonathan Kamin, who wants zoning board members to recuse themselves so supervisors can appoint alternate members to hear Range's response to a recently approved gas well drilling ordinance.
"I can't imagine that they're voting in the best interest of the community and that's what they're supposed to do," said Keith McDonough, a spokesman for the Friends of South Fayette citizens group. "They should be avoiding even the appearance of impropriety."
PG PDFA review undertaken by the Post-Gazette shows that the circumstances in South Fayette are far from unusual.
In Washington County, which has seen heavy gas well drilling in recent years, 27 percent of local elected officials have signed drill leases.
Of the 349 elected officials representing 66 municipalities countywide, 94 hold leases that were signed during the past four years, county records show.
There are 15 municipalities in which the majority of council members and supervisors have leases.
Another six municipalities are governed entirely by leaseholders, including mostly rural and sparsely populated areas such as Carroll, Blaine, Donegal, Morris, Green Hills and South Franklin.
In Carroll, near Monongahela, each of the three township supervisors has a gas lease, along with township solicitor Herman Bigi, tax collector Timothy A. Matesich, code enforcement officer Dennis Butler and three of five planning commission members.
While it may seem that the deck is stacked in favor of gas well drillers, Mr. Bigi says that's not the case.
"What are you going to do?" he said. "Everyone in these rural areas has leases."
Mr. Bigi points out that many elected officials in the region have been major property owners, in some cases, for generations.
He also represents officials in West Pike Run, where two of the three township supervisors have gas leases, along with four of five planning commission members.
First Published October 16, 2011 12:00 am
