Protect Penn Township: Safeguard Our Health and Quality of Life from Fracking

Here, in Penn Township, every resident has the right to a healthy place to live. 

The Commissioners of Penn Township took an oath to serve the public by protecting our health, safety, and constitutional right to clean air and water (according to Article 1, Section 27 of the PA Constitution). We call on our commissioners to uphold that oath now, especially as they're updating the current ordinance during the rezone effort.

Protect PT has written a model ordinance for the Commissioners to adopt, calling on the commissioners to:

1. Increase the distance from 600 to 2,500 feet between fracking and our homes, schools, and workplaces to allow families to breathe unpolluted air and prevent industrial noise and truck traffic from disrupting work and rest.

2. Require fracking companies to have liability insurance in case of accidents, fires, and/or explosions. Require bonding to repair local roads and other infrastructure so that taxpayers don't carry the financial burden.

3. Impose fines on companies for current damage and withhold future approvals that would permit future violations of local laws that are in place to protect our health and quality of life.

These provisions from Protect PT's model ordinance will ensure clean air and water for all Penn Township residents, protecting us and our children from exposure to environmental hazards that can lead to increased risk of cancer, asthma, and unfavorable birth outcomes.

We call upon the Penn Township Commissioners to honor their obligations by passing Protect PT's model ordinance into law.