Upper Milford Supervisors say ‘Fracking’ law Must Go

The passed a resolution last night putting on the record its displeasure with the controversial state “fracking” law known as Act 13.

With the 3-0 vote, the board also unanimously agreed to forward the resolution supporting the repeal of Act 13 to the offices of state Rep. Justin Simmons R-131, state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-134 and state Sen. Bob Mensch.

The Upper Milford Supervisors actually began talking about Act 13 in June when township resident Barnaby Ruhe came before the board to discuss both the environmental and political dangers of the measure. He asked the board to join the more than 100 townships across the state that are opposing the law.

Opponents of Act 13 typically list the relatively unknown environmental dangers of fracking as well as the way the state law usurps the zoning rights of local governments as their primary reasons for seeking its repeal.

against it, the Supervisors invited a representative from state representative Simmons' office to attend the board’s July 5 meeting. At that meeting, Eric Davis, a Simmons’ staffer, told the board that Simmons did vote in favor of Act 13, adding that if the Supervisors have a problem with the measure, they can ask Simmons to vote to repeal the law.

Davis was in attendance at last night’s meeting during which he read a prepared statement from Simmons.

Supervisor Robert Sentner said that he had done extensive research into Act 13 and fracking since the July 5 meeting and had found much of what he learned to be quite upsetting.

“I don’t see anything good coming out of this,” Sentner said. “If half the stuff you read on the Internet (about fracking) is even a 10th of the way true, it’s not good.”

Township resident Barry Williams brought the discussion on Act 13 to a rapid close, telling the board it was time to move on from the topic of fracking since Act 13 is a state law and there really isn’t anything the Upper Milford Board of Supervisors can do about it.

“Fracking is the law,” Williams said. “The voters need to tell Simmons to vote for the repeal. We need more voices to say ‘we don’t want this.’

“We can talk until we are blue in the face. I am tired of coming here week after week and hearing you talk about this. I would like you to make a resolution supporting the repeal of Act 13. That’s all you can do.”