Pennsylvania court reverses decision that barred proposed gas wells in rural township

A state judge in Pennsylvania this week "reversed a lower court's decision that barred proposed gas wells in a rural township," Ellen M. Gilmer reports for EnergyWire. "The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court ruled Monday that the Fairfield Township Board of Supervisors was justified in approving a plan for two natural gas wells on private land in the township, about 90 miles north of Harrisburg." (Wikipedia map: Fairfield Township)

"The board approved the application of Inflection Energy LLC to build and operate two wells on the land of two local families, drawing appeal from neighbors who say the well pads would diminish their quality of life and threaten the local environment," Gilmer writes. "The reasoning was based in part on the state Supreme Court's landmark 2012 plurality opinion in Robinson Township v. Commonwealth, which found that the state constitution's environmental rights amendment gives municipal governments a duty to protect the public trust and that they may not be barred from regulating where drilling occurs." (Read more)