House Environmental Committee hears competing testimony on expanding setbacks for fracking infrastructure

Chairman Vitale convened the House Environmental Committee to hear testimony on proposed increases to setback requirements for unconventional natural gas infrastructure under House Bill 1946.

The bill, introduced by the committee chair, would raise Pennsylvania's current 500-foot setback from buildings to 2,500 feet and extend protection for ‘‘vulnerable buildings’’ such as schools and hospitals to 5,000 feet, while increasing setbacks from water-extraction points and streams. Vitale read excerpts from a statewide grand jury report that recommended larger buffers and framed the hearing around residents’ complaints about noise, vibrations, air pollution and water concerns.

Cindy Fisher, a Cecil Township supervisor, told the committee she and other supervisors spent months reviewing resident testimony and technical materials before passing a local ordinance in late 2024 that requires a 2,500-foot buffer from occupied structures and 5,000 feet from schools and hospitals. Fisher cited local enforcement actions, including a 2014 impoundment incident that led to a DEP fine of $4,150,000 and remediation, and said the township has faced litigation and voluminous public-records requests after adopting the ordinance. "I've stood in residents' homes while they…