Peters to survey residents about drilling
Before it changes its zoning ordinance to accommodate natural gas drilling within its borders, Peters Township officials will survey its residents on what they think about natural gas drilling and whether they want to allow it in the municipality.
“We need to get some input from the community,” said Michael Silvestri, Peters Township manager, who has been charged with developing the survey, which should be completed by the end of the month.
Peters formed a committee made up of township officials, as well as commission and planning commission members, to examine natural gas drilling, its zoning ordinance and to decide whether or not to make the needed changes to allow natural gas wells to be constructed. The committee held its first meeting on March 5.
Because of changes in state law, Peters must eliminate its Mineral Extraction Overlay District, which would have allowed natural gas drilling in 15 areas of the township, all zoned residential. To date, no gas wells have been drilled in Peters, but some property owners have leased their land to natural gas companies in anticipation of drilling activity.
Peters faces a major obstacle when it comes to making the necessary changes that would allow drilling – it is a built-up municipality with numerous residential developments. It is not clear what section of the township could be re-zoned to allow drilling to take place. Plus, if a section of the township is re-zoned for gas wells, then the surrounding parcels must have a similar use. In other words, a heavy industrial district cannot be next to a residential zone, said John Smith, Peters solicitor.
“We zone by district,” Smith said. “They have to be compatible.”
The committee agreed to revisit the township’s comprehensive plan to see what could be changed to allow gas extraction. The comprehensive plan, which serves as a framework for future community development, does not specifically identify areas in Peters for gas drilling and would need to be revised to do so. Silvestri said the state has been clear that municipalities have to allow natural gas drilling.
“We need to go through the process,” he said. “We need to look at the plan and the community and see where drilling can occur.”
David Ball, township commission chairman and member of the committee, said Peters has been looking at the drilling issue for five years.
“As we go down the trail, we have to come up with an ordinance that applies to all industries,” Ball said. “It has to be able to withstand a rigorous legal scrubbing, so let’s make sure we go through everything.”