In an effort to raise money for education, school districts and municipalities are allowing drilling and fracing on publicly owned property.
The East Allegheny school board on Monday night voted unanimously to approve a lease agreement that will allow EQT Production Company to do Marcellus Shale drilling on district land.
District Solicitor Daniel Beisler said the company will work for six months to find possible drilling sites on district parcels. EQT representatives will look at 170.28 acres in fourteen different tracts to see if the school district owns the mineral rights under those properties, he said.
The closest potential drilling site to the high school/middle school campus would be on properties the district owns behind the middle school, at a minimum of 500 feet away from school buildings, Mr. Beisler said. View entire article here.