ADAMS TWP — After months of contention among neighbors over the six Rex Energy natural gas wells proposed for a Denny Road farm, the planning commission on Wednesday night voted 4-3 to recommend the township supervisors prohibit surface mining and unconventional gas drilling within 1,250 feet of any Mars School District property.

A parent group asked the supervisors three months ago to prohibit drilling within two miles of the Mars schools to ensure the 3,200 students in the district’s five schools, which are within a mile of the well site, would be safe in an emergency at the wells and to protect them from pollutants they say would result from the drilling operations.

Other residents in the township opposed the idea, saying the move would infringe upon their rights to do as they please with their property.

The supervisors in April told the planning commission, township solicitor and engineers to work together to come up with a recommendation regarding the issue.

An hour of public comment during Wednesday’s packed planning commission meeting saw residents pepper the commission with reasons for and against the two-mile prohibitive overlay.

Those in favor doubted that the school district would be able to evacuate students if an explosion occurred. They said getting enough buses in to move thousands of students would be impossible, and others asked where the students would be evacuated to.

Mars parent Brian Nakel read from a Rex Energy document sent to shareholders that called drilling for and producing gas “high risk activities with many uncertainties.”

“Take the money off the table and tell me why this has to be so close to our schools,” Nakel said.

William Allison said his son has asthma, and shale gas drilling poses a risk to those with respiratory ailments who are within a half-mile of a well site’s operations.

“Even if nothing goes wrong and everything is done according to (state Department of Environmental) standards, he is at an increased risk,” Allison said.

Michele Obid said more than 4,000 trucks would enter and exit the Geyer well pads. She said studies show that traffic fatalities have increased by 4 percent near drilling sites statewide, while they have decreased by 19 percent in areas remote from drilling.

Obid said she understands that lifelong residents and farmers should have the right to do with their land as they choose, but new residents with children in the schools cannot be ignored.

“I don’t understand, in the eyes of law, how one group of people can have more of a right to their property than another group,” Obid said.

Those who oppose the overlay also were vocal, and gave their own reasons for the commission to reject the overlay.

Many said they consider the DEP to be the experts on shale gas drilling, and said the current 500-foot setback requirement is sufficient to keep the schools safe. They said only West Virginia has more stringent well site setback requirements, at 625 feet from any structure.

Others told the commission that as taxpayers, they should not be denied the right to sign leases connected to the Geyer wells.

David Rogers, an Adams Township resident and the senior director of land at Rex Energy, said the rigorous protocols and safeguards that Rex Energy uses to protect public safety, along with the DEP’S standards, ensures the safe development of oil and gas.

“As an Adams Township resident, I firmly believe that Pennsylvania’s current setback distances, which are among the most stringent in the nation, provide for safe and responsible shale development,” Rogers said.

Kim Geyer, whose farm would have the development of the wells, told the commission that the issues and decision made by the township officials could set policies and affect property rights across the state.

She said Pennsylvania is the second largest shale gas producer in the US, and the second most rigorous regarding safety laws. She said if the DEP had justification to support overlays, they would have required them.

“The 500-foot setback (requirement) has protected the citizens in every case,” Geyer said.

She also stated that the DEP’s expertise and decisions regarding drilling should be the accepted standard, not research provided by the parent group.

“The burden of research should be on the DEP, not the community,” Geyer said.

After an hour of public comment, the planning commission members discussed the issue.

Tom Franceschina said he favored a 2,500-foot overlay around the schools. He said his real concern is an explosion at the wells like the one in February in Greene County.

He said when the Greene County explosion occurred, first responders were mandated to remain 900 feet from the site. He also felt that just the sound from an explosion at the Geyer wells would shatter the windows at the nearest schools.

“I believe 2,500 feet from the well pad is not going to impact people,” Franceschina said.

Regarding property rights, he said the gas could be extracted using horizontal drilling.

Martin McKinney, the commission chairman, said he has researched shale gas drilling exhaustively since the issue cropped up.

He said in the five-state region including Pennsylvania, there are 223 schools within one mile of shale gas wells. He said other school districts and municipalities in the county have signed leases with drillers.

While McKinney agreed that added precautions should be taken around the schools, property owners should not be denied opportunities to manage their land as they see fit.

“I believe in property rights,” McKinney said. “Legally, the people that have large parcels are allowed to do these (drilling) activities.”

Steve Madeja made a motion to recommend the supervisors institute a 1,250-foot overlay around the schools that would prohibit drilling. McKinney, Brett Schultz and Marilyn Watson voted in favor.

Franceschina, Dan Bogdanich, and Robert Downie voted against the move. Downie also favored a 2,500-foot overlay.

After the meeting, McKinney’s prediction that no decision would appease everyone seemed to come true.

Amy Nassif of the Mars parent group said she was disappointed because the research provided by the group supports a two-mile overlay.

“I felt that they had to make a compromise between property rights and protecting the children,” Nassif said.

Parent group member Patrice Tomcik said the decision is a shame because she has not seen proof that gas drilling is safe around children.

“(The 1,250-foot setback) is better than 500 feet, but its not adequate to protect children,” Tomcik said.

Bob Geyer said the decision, if approved by the supervisors, would not affect his well site because it is further than 1,250 feet from any school property.

Geyer said his family are third-generation residents of the township, and that he has the best interests of the community in mind. He said Route 228 poses a greater risk than the wells.

“I’m closer (to the proposed well pads) than anybody,” Geyer said.

Janice Kennedy, an outspoken opponent of the overlay, said she was not happy with the decision because the DEP already has setbacks and no other state has an overlay.

Kennedy felt a vote to appease those in favor of an overlay is not appropriate, and that the chances of a well failure are slim.

“To put restrictions other than what the DEP has made? I side with the people who make the laws I have to abide by,” Kennedy said.

The supervisors will now vote on whether to accept or reject the planning commission’s recommendation.

Their next meeting is at 7:30 p.m. Monday.

The parents group held a news conference before the planning commission meeting to reiterate their assertions that the Geyer wells would pose a hazard to the Mars students and staff.

Three Rex Energy representatives who attended the meeting had no comment on the planning commission’s decision.