Jan 13, 2015 3 min read

McMURRAY – Drilling for natural gas has the potential of generating thousands of dollars for Peters Township property owners who have signed leases with drilling companies.

The catch, however, is if – or when, or even how – drilling will take place in Peters.

At the heart of the issue is whether gas drilling can take place in the township, and at the same time whether Peters can meet a number of constitutional issues and state laws that pertain to drilling, he said.

“A major issue that council must address is can the township develop a rational and legal method of designating properties or areas of the township that can be developed for mineral extraction (gas drilling)?” said township manager Michael Silvestri. “The township’s comprehensive plan does not specifically identify areas for gas drilling and would need to be revised to do so.”

Peters Council will hold a public hearing Monday in council chambers to discuss and gather public input on gas drilling. There are no gas wells in the township, but there are horizontal wells in adjacent municipalities whose drilling activity goes underneath sections of Peters’ perimeters. Plus, gas companies – namely EQT – have been acquiring leases from Peters’ property owners in the event that drilling is eventually allowed.

The upcoming public hearing will address the township’s Mineral Extraction Overlay Districts, which places industrial zoning within residential areas, Silvestri said.

“Since Act 13, signed into law by outgoing Gov. Tom Corbett, you can’t have industrial operations, like drilling, going on in a residential area,” he said.

In August, Peters passed a municipal curative amendment, which gives it a six-month time frame to review and analyze ordinances to determine their validity. It also gives the township the opportunity to make changes, if necessary.

“This is going to be a controversial issue on both sides,” he said.

The Marcellus Shale natural gas formation, discovered approximately 10 years ago, is located in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and parts of Ohio and New York, and covers about 65,000 square miles. It has been a hot topic for both its economic benefits and from groups opposed to its development because wells are drilled through water tables to extract the gas.

“This is going to be the first hearing that we will be having on this,” Silvestri said. “We want to get feedback. Ninety-five percent of Peters Township is residential. We are going to need to rezone. Let’s put something out there.”