PennFuture scores big victory for local governments and citizens rights

On Friday, Judge Marc F. Lovecchio of the Court of Common Pleas of Lycoming County decided in favor of local residents by vacating and setting aside a conditional use permit that would have allowed Inflection Energy, LLC to build and operate an unconventional shale gas pad in the middle of a residential neighborhood in Fairfield Township. The case is believed to be the first decision testing the role of local government to regulate natural gas developments in the post-Robinson Township world. 

For the uninitiated, the Supreme Court in Robinson Township relied on Pennsylvania’s Environmental Rights Amendment to strike down portions of the state's Oil and Gas Law (Act 13), which compelled local government to allow gas operations across all zoning districts, including residential districts.  Otherwise, the state threatened to penalize local governments by withholding any "impact fees" intended to address harm caused to local communities by the industry. I know, nice guys.

In this case, Inflection applied for a conditional use permit for its proposed gas well pad.  A number of residents spoke out against the well pad before the Fairfield Township Board of Supervisors, testifying to concerns about air pollution, noise pollution, light pollution, traffic congestion, and the impact of the operations on their property values and general well-being. The company introduced the testimony of two witnesses, neither of whom were experts in land-use matters. Often, their testimony consisted of nothing but conclusions, such as that the operations were compatible with existing uses authorized for residential districts, without any explanation of how the witness reached those conclusions.

On appeal, PennFuture made three arguments: (1) that the language of the ordinance expressly authorized gas operations in the industrial zoned district, and it was therefore inappropriate to use a conditional use permit to allow it in the residential zoned district; (2) that the township's decision was not supported by substantial evidence on the record; and (3) that the township had violated the residents' substantive due process rights and failed to comply with its obligations under Article I, Section 27 by authorizing the gas well operation in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

The Township and Company argued that the citizens had waived their rights to raise their various challenges, that the Township properly used its conditional use process, that the Township's findings were supported by substantial evidence, and that no constitutional violations were committed.

Even though the Court "saw merit" in PennFuture's first argument, Judge Lovecchio rejected the idea that the ordinance expressly allowed gas operations only in industrial districts. Instead, the Court vacated the conditional use permit on the basis that the Township's findings were not supported by substantial evidence. The Court stated that the company failed to provide the Township with any evidence to support the conclusion that the proposed use was similar and compatible, while the citizens had “presented substantial evidence that there is a high degree of probability that the use will adversely affect the health, welfare and safety of the neighborhood."

Deciding the case on the basis of substantial evidence relieved the Court of the need to address PennFuture's constitutional arguments. Nonetheless, the Court made plain that the Township had an obligation to protect the constitutional rights guaranteed to its citizens under Article I, Section 27 of the Pennsylvania Constitution. The rights of citizens to a healthy environment, the Court said, "cannot be ignored and must be protected.” 

In so ruling, the Court adopted both the rationale and express language of the Supreme Court's decision in Robinson Township.

The case is Gorsline et al. v. the Board of Supervisors of Fairfield Township and Inflection Energy, LLC et al.  The full opinion can be found here.

George Jugovic, Jr. is chief counsel for PennFuture and is based in Pittsburgh.

PA's Environmental Rights Amendment: A Note of Thanks

"Go to the source" is a cardinal rule for reporters, investigators, and researchers of all stripes. For lawyers, it sometimes involves the laborious process of digging up a law's "legislative history" — events occurring during the process of enacting the law that might inform the search for its meaning.

It is a pleasant surprise when someone else does that hard legwork and brings the sources to you.

Such room service recently was delivered by the Widener University School of Law's Environmental Law Center in the form of "A Legislative History of Article 1, Section 27 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania." Article 1, Section 27 is better known as the "Environmental Rights Amendment."

The Legislative History was compiled by Distinguished Professor of Law John C. Dernbach and Reference and Government Documents Librarian Edmund J. Sonnenberg. The two did the hard work of tracking down all of the primary source documents, from the first House Bill to the proclamation signed by Governor Shapp confirming that the amendment had become part of the Pennsylvania Constitution on May 18, 1971.

In between are excerpts from the House and Senate Legislative Journals tracking the progress of the amendment through two legislative sessions, the text of the ballot question presenting the amendment to the public for adoption, and the tallies of the popular vote on that question and four others appearing on the same ballot.

Perhaps of greatest interest, however, are Professor Robert Broughton's legal analysis of the proposed amendment, which was entered into the House Legislative Journal in 1970, and the set of questions and answers distributed to the public during the run-up to the 1971 public referendum by the primary sponsor of the amendment, then Representative (and later Senator) Franklin L. Kury.

Even if you have no special interest in constitutional or environmental law, the compilation offers a fascinating glimpse into a piece of Pennsylvania history, as well as a lesson in bi-partisanship.

As Dernbach and Sonnenberg note, interest in Article 1, Section 27 among attorneys and the public skyrocketed last year with Pennsylvania Supreme Court's decision in the Robinson Township case. In explaining the meaning and effect of the amendment, Chief Justice Castille's plurality opinion in Robinson Township relied on several of the documents found in the Widener compilation. As current and future cases explore the contours of the Environmental Rights Amendment, attorneys and judges alike will benefit from having these sources conveniently assembled in one place.

We are certain that we are not alone in saying thank you, Professor Dernbach and Mr. Sonnenberg.

But our greatest thanks go to the original source — Senator Kury. The "Legislative History of Article 1, Section 27" is a reminder of his remarkable efforts, without which there would be no Environmental Rights Amendment to discuss.