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 The Pennsylvania Supreme Court voted 4-2 in mid-December saying
key provisions in Act 13, a 2012 law that governs oil and gas
drilling, is unconstitutional.
In a state known for its shale gas bounty, the decision broadened
the rights of local governments to restrict the controversial
fracking process within their city limits, dealing a blow to oil and
gas interests.
The state is asking the Supreme Court to remand the case to a
Pennsylvania court for further evidence, exhibit and testimony
gathering.
The state Department of Environmental Protection is also asking the
court to reconsider its decision, saying its duty to protect public
parks falls under provisions struck by the December decision.
Seven municipalities and the Delaware Riverkeeper Network had
challenged Act 13 in 2012, alleging it violates the state's
constitution.
The ruling followed similar cases in New York state earlier this
year that allowed two small towns to restrict natural gas drilling
within their limits. Three cities in Colorado also voted against
fracking last year.
The Marcellus shale in Pennsylvania and West Virginia might have
produced more than 13 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas in
December, according to estimates from the U.S. Energy Information
Administration.
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Environmental groups say fracking, the technology behind the recent
oil and gas boom in the United States, can contaminate water
supplies. The process injects a slurry of water, sand and chemicals
into deep wells to release trapped oil or gas.
(Reporting by Selam Gebrekidan; editing by Andre Grenon)
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