Judge rules that gas drilling settlement should be open for review
A Washington County judge has ruled that court records outlining a legal settlement between a Mt. Pleasant Township couple and a group of gas drilling companies should not have been sealed by the court.
Judge Debbie O’Dell Seneca today reversed the August 2011 ruling by former Judge Paul Pozonsky to seal the settlement between Stephanie and Chris Hallowich and Range Resources, MarkWest Energy Partners and Williams Gas/Laurel Mountain Midstream. The Observer-Reporter and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette filed suit to have the records unsealed, contending they contain pertinent information and should be open to public review.
The Hallowiches claimed that drilling operations, a compressor station and gas processing plant near their property made it worthless and posed health risks to their family. It was not immediately known if the settlement would be released today or if the newspapers will have to wait until a 30-day appeal period passes before they can review it.
Read more in tomorrow’s Observer-Reporter