On March 9th, Union Township residents organized together to pressure their Board of Supervisors to delay a vote to approve the conditions for the Sarah Well Pad. They won an extension.
Community members made it clear that they needed the Board of Supervisors to postpone their planned vote to approve EQT’s application for the Sarah Well Pad because the existing conditional use provisions did not adequately address the concerns that were raised in the previous public hearing. Because of this community pressure, the board did postpone the vote, and residents have until the next board of supervisors meeting on Wednesday, March 23rd, to work together to advocate to the board of supervisors that these additional conditions are in the best interests of both the residents and the township.
Concerned about negative health impacts, flooding, increased truck traffic, and contamination of their air and water, community members turned to CCJ and Food and Water Watch for support. CCJ helped the residents to phone bank and get organized prior to last week’s meeting. Residents want to ensure that the proposed well pad operates in a way that doesn’t harm kids and families. In preparation for the meeting, township residents worked together to push for reasonable, common-sense protections from EQT’s proposed Sarah Well Pad. These residents reminded all involved that the Board of Supervisors is tasked with representing the community, not just their own private interests. Community members are asking for the monitoring of air emissions, testing of private water supplies in the impacted area, noise monitoring and mitigation for residents, and a plan to decrease the impacts of flooding due to runoff from the facility.
If you or someone you know lives in or around Union Township and is interested in helping to advocate for impacted residents, please contact Organizing Director Heaven Sensky at heaven@centerforcoalfieldjustice.org or by calling 724-229-3550, ext. 103.
