HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The solicitor for a town in heavily drilled southwestern Pennsylvania will explore a lawsuit over the state's newly signed Marcellus Shale law because of provisions that limit local officials' authority to regulate drilling activity.
Robinson Township in Washington County on Monday night gave solicitor John Smith the authority to challenge the law, which Gov. Tom Corbett signed earlier in the evening.
Township supervisor Brian Coppola says the loophole-riddled bill effectively strips away every Pennsylvanians' personal property rights, particularly in suburban and urban areas. He says it also will scare off developers over worries that a drilling rig, waste impoundment or compressor station could be set up nearby.
Corbett says the law increases the uniformity and fairness of local regulations while preserving the traditional zoning authority of local government.