March 1 was the deadline to appeal the Titan Well Pad decision. With the approval of the Titan Well Pad by Murrysville Council December 20, 2019, Olympus Energy, formerly Huntley & Huntley had 30 days from the time council submitted their findings in February with a series of conditions to file an appeal. These conditions include a 3-year time limit in which Olympus must complete all their wells, a requirement for Olympus to notify nearby residents before drilling starts and hold informational meetings, a requirement for Olympus to train first responders to deal with potential emergencies, and a requirement that Olympus notify the council within 24 hours of receiving a noise complaint from a resident.
While we are disappointed that the well pad was approved, we feel these conditions are the most protective we have seen and show that the council considered public comments from residents and our input.
“The conditions are a good start. But both residents and the council need to understand that these conditions will not enforce themselves,” Gillian Graber, the Executive Director of Protect PT said. “Fracking is a heavy industrial process that will disturb the quiet rural setting that residents enjoy. Murrysville Council and residents will have to remain vigilant to see that these conditions are enforced to protect the health, safety and welfare of the community.”
The Conditional Use Hearing for the Titan Well Pad on Bollinger Road began in June and ended on December 20 with the well pad being approved. Protect PT participated in the hearings for this well pad on behalf of our members who live near the site. Throughout the hearings, Protect PT provided evidence, including expert testimony, that a well pad would be a detriment to the health and safety of residents near the site and along the truck route. Read testimony from Laura Dagley, a medical advocacy coordinator for the Pennsylvania branch of Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR). At the final hearing, open to public comment, residents expressed concern for noise, air pollution and falling property values.
Olympus Energy currently has 318 violations with the PA Department of Environmental Protection. It will be up to the community and the municipality to hold the operator accountable if Olympus violates the terms of the agreement.
Find out more about our air monitoring and noise monitoring programs or email kathleen@protectpt.org for more information on monitoring.