Penn State Extension Service hosts Webinar on Act 13 Presented by Steve Saunders
The Penn State Extension Service presented the initial webinar for its 2012 Educational Outreach series on August 9. Steve Saunders was asked to develop and present a program to review the recent decision in Robinson Township v. Commonwealth in which the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court struck down a major component of Act 13 (enacted earlier this year) which completely overhauled Pennsylvania’s Oil and Gas Act. Saunders’ presented “A Blow to Act 13: The Impact of the Commonwealth Court’s Decision on Local Zoning and Natural Gas Development in Pennsylvania” to an audience of municipal officials, lawyers, industry representatives, interested citizens and members of the media.
His power point program focused on the evolution of zoning regulation in Pennsylvania in the era of natural gas development and featured a segment addressing the consequences of the Robinson Township case (now on appeal to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court) in which he was joined by Scott Coburn, General Counsel for the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors. Saunders and Coburn also fielded questions from the audience regarding the application of the remaining portions of Act 13 that were left intact by the decision and what action local governments should take while waiting for the outcome of the appeal. The presentation will be archived on the PSE Natural Gas website and is available for viewing at http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas/webinars