Upscale Pittsburgh suburb rejects drilling ban

PETERS, Pa. (AP) — By a margin of more than 4-to-1, voters in an affluent Pittsburgh suburb say natural gas drilling can go on in their township.

In Tuesday’s general election, nearly 5,200 Peters Township voters rejected a referendum that would have barred drilling, compared with slightly more than 1,100 who voted for a ban.

About 2,400 people signed ballot petitions circulated by the Peters Township Marcellus Shale Awareness group to put the referendum on the ballot. The question withstood a Washington County Court of Common Pleas challenge last month.

Township officials had opposed the measure, saying an ordinance passed in August already restricts natural gas drilling to a small fraction of township parcels, and limits environmental impacts and noise.