skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Saturday, March 15, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Second federal judge orders temporary reinstatement of thousands of probationary employees fired by the Trump administration; U.S., Canada political tension could affect Maine summer tourism; Report: Incarceration rates rise in MS, U.S. despite efforts at reform; MI study: HBCU students show better mental health, despite challenges.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump administration faces legal battles on birthright citizenship; the arrest of a Palestinian activist sparks protests over free speech. Conservationists voice concerns about federal job cuts impacting public lands, and Ohio invests in child wellness initiatives.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Farmers worry promised federal reimbursements aren't coming while fears mount that the Trump administration's efforts to raise cash means the sale of public lands, and rural America's shortage of doctors has many physicians skipping retirement.

Lawsuit Seeks to Silence Fracking Opponents

play audio
Play

Wednesday, May 25, 2016   

PITTSBURGH -- The future of a lawsuit seeking damages from opponents of gas drilling near their homes and schools is in the hands of a judge.

The lawsuit, filed by gas leaseholders and a developer, seeks more than $500,000 from homeowners and environmentalists who are challenging a zoning ordinance that opens most of Mars Township to fracking. The leaseholders have said they're being deprived of the right to sell what's under their property. But Vic Walczak, legal director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania, said the lawsuit is really meant to intimidate people exercising their rights.

"Under the First Amendment," he said, "you simply cannot be sued or in any way punished for engaging in these time-honored political and legal activities."

A motion to dismiss the leaseholders' lawsuit was heard at the Butler County Courthouse late last week and the judge now is considering the arguments in the case.

Walczak called the leaseholders' complaint a SLAPP suit, which stands for strategic lawsuit against public participation. He said developers commonly file SLAPP suits -- not to win, but to harass those who oppose their plans.

"It has a tremendous chilling effect on people's willingness to participate in the political process," he said, "and so it's a way of attacking your opposition and minimizing any kind of dissent."

Drilling already has begun at a well pad within 1,000 feet of homes, and about half a mile from district schools.

Walczak said the homeowners' concerns are well founded, as the recent explosion at a gas well in nearby Salem Township made very clear.

"If that same explosion had occurred at the Geyer well," he said, "it would have incinerated the homes where these folks live and caused some serious problems at the school."

A similar lawsuit was dismissed in October. The current suit is an amended version of that previous complaint.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
According to Wisconsin's Judicial Code of Conduct, judges are not required to recuse themselves based on an endorsement or campaign contributions. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Early voting for the Wisconsin Supreme Court race starts next week and, although the seat is technically nonpartisan, both candidates have clear …


Environment

play sound

As the warming climate continues to reshape the environment, its impact on people's health is becoming increasingly evident in Florida. Doctors and …

Health and Wellness

play sound

Maryland is facing a $3 billion budget deficit, and planned cuts in 2026 would include millions in disability assistance. But one advocate says those …


A rally for property tax cuts is set for Monday at the Indiana Statehouse. Organizers have encouraged attendees to wear green to signal their opposition to high property taxes. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Indiana lawmakers introduced a third property tax plan this week, aiming to protect local governments from funding cuts while offering minimal relief …

Social Issues

play sound

Nearly half of Americans age 50 and older are using credit cards to pay for basic living expenses, according to a new AARP survey, and a Minnesota …

Expanded oil and gas subsidies, included in current versions of upcoming federal tax legislation, would support a massive expansion of LNG projects to more than double national export capacity by 2030. (Jeeraphun/Adobe Stock)

play sound

Forty religious leaders from different denominations gathered in Texas this week to call for an end to fossil-fuel subsidies and expansion of related …

Health and Wellness

play sound

Researchers at the University of Michigan have found that Black students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Predominantly Blac…

Environment

play sound

The Sierra Club's Utah chapter said electric utility PacifiCorp's long-term plan to embrace renewable energy has changed and is now placing more relia…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021