Oct 9, 2014 2 min read

Chartiers Township will be required to let the public review its evacuation plan, according to a state Office of Open Records decision that effectively reversed its initial determination.

The OOR determined that although the plan is not considered public under the state Right-to-Know law, it is subject to public inspection under the Federal Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act.

The Observer-Reporter filed a Right-to-Know request for the evacuation plan two weeks after about 100 township residents were evacuated when lightning struck a MarkWest processing plant and caused a natural gas leak in May. The township denied the request, citing an exemption under the law, and the newspaper appealed it to the OOR in Harrisburg.

Appeals officer Benjamin A. Lorah sided with the township and denied public access to the plan in a determination issued in July, but he later accepted a petition to reconsider the decision. A provision allowing for public inspection of emergency plans under the EPCRA was not previously considered.

The township has 30 days to file an appeal with Washington County Court, but township manager Jodi Noble did not indicate the township was considering the option.

“The evacuation plan is available for inspection at any time,” Noble said in an email, but added that appointments are preferred.

The evacuation plan is part of a “functional checklist” that details the township’s response to specific emergencies, according to the township. The plan includes evacuation procedures, control points used to limit traffic and the planned stations of emergency personnel. It also includes information provided by MarkWest, such as power supply sources, access locations and site infrastructure.

An Observer-Reporter staff writer will be reviewing the documents today.