Politics & Government

Meeting Between Cecil, DEP Over Worstell Impoundment to be Private, Rescheduled

The meeting between Cecil Township supervisors and the state Department of Environmental Protection regarding the Worstell waste water impoundment on Swihart Road operated by Range Resources needs to be rescheduled.

While the board originally set the meeting for 11 a.m. July 29 at DEP's regional headquarters in Pittsburgh, township officials on Tuesday confirmed that a department spokesman called to say that date wouldn't work.

DEP spokesman John Poister called the township to let them know that a date between Aug. 6 and Aug. 9 would work better for the department.

The request for a public meeting came after the township sent a letter to the state Department of Environmental Protection in November regarding concerns over the site—especially in light of information that Range Resources is planning a major modification there.
 
But Poister confirmed that it will not be public.

Township officials said that Poister told them space was a concern, and that only the five supervisors, Manager Don Gennuso and legal counsel would be permitted to attend.

Reached Tuesday, Supervisor Andy Schrader, who had previously said he will not attend private meetings, said he believes the meeting should be public.

"Why would I want to go and meet privately?" he asked. "I might have five questions and I might be able to get them answered, but what about the 10 questions residents might have who live nearby?"

Schrader said he would be reaching out to DEP personally to lobby for the meeting to be public.

"The whole point was to have a public meeting to address everyone's questions," he said.

Schrader added that email correspondence dated June 10 between Poister and the township manager indicated that other guests would be permitted to attend, and that accommodations would be made for a larger group if necessary. 

But reached Tuesday, Poister said it was his understanding that the department never intended for the meeting to be public—saying it was meant to be a "conference" between the board and the DEP's oil and gas representatives.

He said space was also a reason for the meeting to be private, saying the DEP had no large spaces suitable for public meetings.

Asked why DEP declined to hold the meeting in Cecil Township's large meeting room, he said that the oil and gas folks from the department would "prefer" to meet at headquarters.

Under the state Sunshine Law, meetings involving a quorum must be public unless they meet the specification set forth for an executive session. Boards may meet behind closed doors for issues involving personnel, the purchase of property, litigation, and the negotiations for collective bargaining agreements. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Canon-Mcmillan