March shale hearing planned
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Allegheny County Council will take a second look at how -- or whether -- Marcellus Shale gas drilling should be done in the county.
Council voted Tuesday night to have a hearing on the issue at 5 p.m. March 10 in the Gold Room of the courthouse. The members took the action after hearing from about a dozen speakers. They all urged county officials to consider the risks of environmental damage linked to the methods used to fracture rock deep in the earth and release natural gas.
Council held a similar session in July, but several residents said that meeting was not thorough enough.
A number of speakers called for a ban on drilling within the county until additional studies are completed showing that the work can be done safely.
Elizabeth and Mark Schneider, two of the organizers of the Lincoln Place Action Group, said all council members should promise to attend the March meeting.
They also should be more attentive, Loretta Weir, of Munhall, said. By the time residents had a chance to express their concerns about gas drilling at the July hearing, most members of council had left, she said.
Many dangerous, cancer-causing chemicals are used in the underground rock splitting, or "fracking" methods, used in Marcellus Shale drilling, Anita Barkin, of Jefferson Hills, said. A headlong rush to extract the natural gas threatens the region's quality of life and risks repeating the environmental mistakes of the past, she said.
Katherine Luke, a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh and a member of Pittsburgh Students Environmental Coalition, voiced her support for a proposal before county council to require a 2,000-foot buffer zone between a drilling platform and the nearest residence. That measure is being studied in a council committee.
State law mandates only a 200-foot setback, and it is not clear if the county can impose a stricter standard.
Mel Packer, of Point Breeze, urged county officials to show courage in standing up to drilling companies, even if it meant the loss of campaign contributions.
First Published February 16, 2011 12:00 am
