Gas Well Setback Legislation Again Introduced

Legislation to increase the required setback distances between unconventional gas wells and buildings was recently introduced in the state House. It’s an issue that has been debated for years but hasn’t been changed.

State Rep. Greg Vitali, majority chairman of the state House Environmental and Natural Resource Protection Committee, recently introduced H.B. 1946.  Currently, unconventional wells are prohibited from being drilled within 500 feet of any building, 1,000 feet of any drinking water source and 300 feet of any natural body of water under Act 13, which was passed by the legislature in 2012 to regulate unconventional gas well development in Pennsylvania. Vitali’s bill would extend those setback distances to  2,500 feet from any building, 5,000 feet from any school or hospital, 2,500 feet from any drinking water source, including water wells, surface water intakes or reservoirs, and 750 feet from streams, springs and wetlands.

“Current setback distances allow for drilling way too close to homes, schools, hospitals, drinking water supplies and other things, putting public health and the environment at risk,” Vitali said in a release. “Well pads emit methane, volatile organic compounds and particulate matter, which are injurious to human health. Well pads also periodically spill produced water containing chemicals that contaminate our waterways.”

A number of studies have linked health issues, including increased asthma, to the proximity of gas wells and there have been calls to increase the separation between residential areas and wells.

A 2020 statewide grand jury report that found state agencies failed to protect public health in their oversight of the natural gas industry made a number of recommendations for improvements, including expanding no-drill zones from the present 500 feet to 2,500 feet.

Democratic Sens. Steven Santasiero and Carolyn Comitta, announced earlier this year that they would introduce a similar setback bill in the Senate, but no legislation has yet been filed. The pair introduced the same bill in 2024, but it never reached the Senate floor.

Some communities have been making efforts to increase setback distances for unconventional wells by making changes to their local zoning ordinances. Cecil Township in Washington County, which has had heavy drilling activity, in 2024 approved increased setbacks. Range Resources, which operates most of the wells in Cecil Township, appealed the ordinance change and it is now pending in Washington County Court.