A group of residents in Westmoreland County hopes a judge will halt expansion of gas drilling in their township, and will throw out a zoning ordinance that allows drilling in most of the community.
Since energy companies have been fracking, they've been trying to figure out the best way to deal with the chemical and mineral-laced water that gurgles out of the wells. Some of the wastewater is transported to Ohio where it is injected thousands of feet into the ground, and where it's been known to cause earthquakes. But a new company in thinks it can do better by building on an old technology.
Three environmental groups had appealed to a state Environmental Hearing Board to temporarily block construction on Sunoco's controversial gas pipeline.
Fracking has been banned in New York since 2015. But a proposal to store natural gas in underground caverns in the state's scenic Finger Lakes region is bringing the issue back to the forefront.
