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PennFuture working for communities

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Thomas Shepstone’s Aug. 31 letter to the editor, “PennFuture interested in helping itself,” is a perfect example of a gas industry insider spouting the usual nonsense, peppered with denigrating and derogatory attacks on anyone attempting to protect their community from the harmful effects of fracking.

However, the issue at hand is not about PennFuture’s past, or about a former Department of Environmental Protection employee, but about citizens who don’t want dangerous unconventional gas wells near their children who attend Mount Pleasant Township schools, or allowing such wells in districts zoned for residential use.

Shepstone may not like the fact that PennFuture is leading the fight against unconventional shale gas drilling in Mount Pleasant, but there are many residents who are most appreciative of PennFuture’s efforts. Those who have turned to PennFuture for help have done so because they believe their constitutional rights are under attack, trampled by an industry that cares for nothing more than exploitation, profit, and unbridled control over townships like Mount Pleasant. Mount Pleasant is an example of just one of many communities where residents are rising up against a bullying and arrogant industry.

I, like Shepstone, am not a resident of Mount Pleasant, but I am concerned about potential drilling in my own community of Upper Burrell. Communities across Pennsylvania are being forced to accommodate an industry that is intruding into zoning areas where it is completely incompatible with established uses.

This isn’t an issue of who favors drilling and who doesn’t. It’s about sound laws meant to protect the rights of all citizens. Children are especially vulnerable to the debilitating effects of air pollution emanating from drilling sites. Study after study brings these facts to our attention and they cannot be ignored. Having drilling sites near schools and other such vulnerable populations violates the rational and constitutional principles of compatible land use.

The efforts of PennFuture in Mount Pleasant and other places across our commonwealth are to be commended. I am sure that most are thankful for an organization such as PennFuture, as it makes every effort to not only protect our environment but also endeavors to protect our rights under the constitutions of Pennsylvania and the United States.

Ron Slabe

Upper Burrell

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