Protestors who are opposed to unconventional natural gas drilling on Krendale Golf Course are seen holding signs as they stand along the road at different points to mark a one mile radius around the well site.

BUTLER TWP — Rex Energy will move forward with natural gas drilling at Krendale Golf Course, a decision which has reinvigorated local groups' opposition to the well pad's placement and prompted one man to vow to fight the pad's construction in court.

The company says plans to drill on the golf course have been in the works for years now.

“The project has essentially been on hold for the last three years,” said Michael Endler, a vice president and Appalachian regional manager for Rex Energy. “We anticipate that we will be developing that project within the next 12 months.”

These developments have spurred action from groups like the Section 27 Alliance, an organization dedicated to stopping companies wanting to drill in residential areas of Butler Township, and Marcellus Outreach in Butler, a group that opposes unconventional drilling or “fracking,” in general.

Drilling at Krendale has been a controversial issue for years. Butler Township commissioners approved the well pad in September 2014 by unanimous vote, despite opposition from 14 residents who spoke against the well.

One of those residents was Joseph McMurray, president of the Section 27 Alliance. He said drilling for natural gas is too dangerous for residential areas, and vowed to take legal action against Rex Energy if the company proceeds with its plans for a well pad on Krendale Golf Course.

“The primary issue with (the Krendale pad) is that it's being permitted in an area that is zoned residential,” McMurray said.

McMurray and his group teamed up with Marcellus Outreach in Butler to place an ad in the Butler Eagle last week. The ad showed an image of a one-mile radius, marked in red, around the Krendale pad where people could be evacuated from or asked to stay in their homes in case of a fire or explosion at the well pad.

The graphic highlighted the fact that two schools, Alameda Plaza, the VA complex and senior living facilities are within the one-mile radius.

A full report appears in the Sunday Butler Eagle.