No vote taken on gas well plan
LANCASTER TWP — The township supervisors Monday night listened to comments concerning a proposed well site for Marcellus Shale natural gas but they did not vote on whether to approve a conditional use permit for the operation.
About 30 residents packed the community center to listen to Rex Energy representatives give a presentation on the project, which would have two wells drilled on one pad on residential property off Saltworks Road.
The evening was orderly except in the beginning when a township resident was taken down to the floor by a police officer and escorted out of the building before the hearing started.
That resident, identified by township officials as Ed Davies, was upset that the meeting didn't start on time and he loudly interrupted the supervisors as they tried to start the proceedings.
He was asked to leave by the supervisors and refused to do so. He was eventually charged with disorderly conduct, according to a police officer there.
During the public hearing, officials with Rex Energy stated that the proposed well site would be on 3.6 acres.
They also stated that Rex Energy operates about 10 well pads in the township and that the company is pleased with how the township has responded to its operations.
Only a handful of residents asked questions, the majority of which went unanswered by the Rex Energy officials.
Those questions concerned the hydraulic fracturing process and access roads to the site. The company officials declined to answer those questions, citing that the public hearing was intended only for inquiries concerning the site's location.
However, one question was answered when a Rex official said the company would abide by noise ordinances.
Rex officials did meet privately with residents after the public hearing and talked with them about their concerns.Michael Endler, senior director of civil and environmental engineering for Rex Energy, previously said the company expects the wells to be “completed and in production” this year, if given final approval by the supervisors.He estimated that construction of the wells could take two to three months, while the drilling would take an additional month.Endler said the project will have a “minimal impact” on traffic, and he added that Rex Energy will make improvements to Saltworks Road after the wells are drilled.The project already has been reviewed by the township's planning commission, which recommended that the supervisors approve the plan.The supervisors said Monday night they will give Rex Energy a written answer regarding the plan on or before May 1.The supervisors next meet April 2.
