Posts Tagged ‘Partnership President’

The organization represents six communities in the Back Mountain area.

By Rebecca Briarbria@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

DALLAS TWP. – Members of the Back Mountain Community Partnership hope to pass an ordinance that addresses natural gas drilling issues.

The partnership is an inter-municipal group composed of Dallas, Franklin, Jackson, Kingston and Lehman townships and Dallas borough.

The group voted Thursday afternoon at Misericordia University to have their solicitor, Jeffrey Malak, perform research as to what can be done to control the drilling process.

Partnership President Al Fox said he did not want to comment as to what the ordinance may contain because he is not sure legally what can be in it.

“Whatever we can do we need to do as quickly as we can,” Fox said.

Malak said the Oil and Gas Act pre-empts local interference in gas drilling.

“I can give you some options of what some other municipalities are doing,” Malak said. “There’s not a one size fits all.”

In a related matter, the partnership shared responses from EnCana Oil and Gas Inc. on questions the public asked company officials during the January meeting.

Fox said the company answered only six of the many questions that were asked during the meeting. The responses briefly addressed issues such as the chemicals used and the prevention of cross contamination.

Tom Yoniski, a representative for state Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, said he can set up a public forum with Penn State University and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to inform the public of the state’s plans to protect water quality.

In other news, the partnership approved proceeding to jointly apply for Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency funding to purchase Tasers for each municipality’s police department. Franklin Township does not have a department and uses state police coverage, but voted to proceed with the application for the group.

Up to $10,000 is available for each municipality, said Joe Chacke, of NEPA Alliance, a nonprofit organization that provides administrative and professional services to the BMCP at no cost.

Also, Richard Heffron and Veronica Ciaruffoli, of the Luzerne County Government Study Commission, gave an overview on the status of the commission.

Rebecca Bria, a staff writer, may be reached at 970-7436.

Copyright: Times Leader