Last week, Joanne Wagner got what —for her—is good news.
The drilling company Range Resources withdrew its application to drill near her childrens’ school in Washington County, Pennsylvania. The company already developed one well nearby. The latest plan would have added three more.
“Our school ultimately would be completely surrounded by wells,” if the plan had gone ahead, Wagner says.
But citing low oil and gas prices, the company said it was backing off its drilling plans near Fort Cherry School District, a small district southwest of Pittsburgh.
Fort Cherry is one of many school districts where drilling rigs are becoming commonplace. A 2013 report from the environmental group Penn Environment found 26 wells permitted in the state within a half-mile from a school.
Read more of this report at the website of our partner The Allegheny Front.
