City Council against gas drilling

City Council passed a preliminary bill yesterday that would ban natural gas drilling within city… City Council passed a preliminary bill yesterday that would ban natural gas drilling within city limits.

The Council voted 8-0 in favor of the ban championed by council member Doug Shields, who proposed it in early September.

The council will vote on the final bill next Tuesday.

“I am gratified by the unanimous support of my colleagues for this critical piece of legislation,” Shields said in a news release. “I hope that other municipalities across the Commonwealth will follow our example.”

Shields represents District 5, which includes part of Squirrel Hill, Point Breeze and neighboring areas.

The bill proposes a ban on all drilling within city limits. According to Pitt’s University Center for Social and Urban Research, oil and gas companies have leased 1,600 parcels of land in Allegheny County over the past two years.

This proposed ban comes just as State Attorney General and Governor-elect Tom Corbett said that he plans on lifting the state-wide moratorium on gas drilling when he takes office in January.

Governor Ed Rendell halted gas drilling with a moratorium late last month.

Shale drilling has caused a ruckus among environmental activists across Pennsylvania, especially in Pittsburgh. Anti-drilling activists have said that hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, can lead to water pollution and other environmental issues.

In the face of criticism, spokesmen for the Marcellus Shale Coalition, which represents Pennsylvania gas drilling companies, continue to defend the process. They point to a 2004 study by the Environmental Protection Agency which found fracking to be safe.

Last Wednesday, more than 200 people marched through Downtown to protest the natural gas drilling.