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Nockamixon Township bridge reopens
Allentown Morning Call -
Allentown,PA,USA
By Scott Kraus | Of The Morning Call Bucks County has reopened a
180-year-old stone bridge in Nockamixon Township that
provided political grist for the |
Nockamixon gas leases could turn to gold
phillyBurbs.com -
Philadelphia,PA,USA
By THERESA HEGEL About three years have passed since many
Nockamixon residents leased their mineral rights to a Michigan
drilling company. ... |
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Nockamixon Twp. tries to dim the lights
Allentown Morning Call -
Allentown,PA,USA
By Charles Malinchak | Special to The Morning Call Nockamixon
Township's reputation of being the darkest place in upper Bucks
County got darker Tuesday ...
Township sees the light
By THERESA HEGEL
The Intelligencer
Nockamixon is in the dark — and hopes to stay that way.
The township has been putting the finishing touches on a proposed
lighting ordinance that could be voted on as early as next month.
The board voted 3-2 Tuesday night to accept revisions to the law,
developed by the township's planning commission and environmental
advisory committee, and readvertise it for consideration at its
June 17 meeting.
“Nockamixon is identified as having some of the darkest skies in
Bucks County,” said township engineer Steve Baluh of C. Robert
Wynn Associates Inc. in Quakertown.
Theresa Hegel can be reached at 215-538-6381 or
thegel@phillyburbs.com
May 21, 2008 7:35 AM
By JENNA PORTNOY
The Intelligencer
Some residents who live near a defunct county owned dump in
Nockamixon say Bucks County is taking the wrong approach in its
plan to test their wells for various pollutants.
The testing will look for components that were found to exceed
permitted levels in the liquid flowing out of Hidden Valley
landfill near the horse park on Route 611. The permit allows the
county to discharge the liquid, called leachate, into an unnamed
tributary of the Gallows Run, which ultimately feeds into the
Delaware. |
Fire company plans to replace engine
phillyBurbs.com -
Philadelphia,PA,USA
Upper Black Eddy Fire Co. covers all of Bridgeton and parts of
Nockamixon and Tinicum. "In our area, you can't have a big
truck," he said. ...
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http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/113-05162008-1534943.html
Quarry hearing delayed
By THERESA HEGEL
The Intelligencer
A public hearing over Hanson Aggregates' application to
increase the size of its quarry in Nockamixon was postponed for
the second month in a row.
The hearing was continued to 7 p.m. June 26.
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DEP testing wells for benzene
Allentown Morning Call -
Allentown,PA,USA
By Scott Kraus | Of The Morning Call State labs testing about 20
private wells near the defunct Hidden Valley landfill in
Nockamixon Township will be ... |
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Drilling companies sue Nockamixon
By CHRISTOPHER RUVO
The Intelligencer
Companies who want to drill for oil and natural gas in Nockamixon
sued the Upper Bucks township in Bucks County Court on Wednesday.
The suit claims the companies are being deprived of their right to
explore for energy sources by two township ordinances that are
illegal.
Arbor Resources Limited Co. and Pasadena Oil & Gas Wyoming, both
of Traverse City, Mich., and Hook ’Em Energy Partners and Pearl
Energy Partners, both of Austin, Texas, asked the court to strike
down the ordinances because they are unconstitutional, clearing
the way for them to get to work on the 240 drilling leases they
hold in Nockamixon.
The suit says the ordinances, which seek to regulate natural gas
and oil drilling in the township, are invalid because they are
superseded by rules already in place by the Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection.
Nockamixon’s attorney Jordan Yeager shot back that the local laws
are legit because they cover areas the state and federal
regulations do not address, giving added protection to
Nockamixon’s residents and natural resources.
“They seek to protect the health, safety and welfare of the people
who live here,” said Yeager.
Supervisor Nancy C. Janyszeski did not want to comment extensively
on the suit because she hadn’t reviewed it yet. “I can only say
we’re looking out for the welfare of our residents,” she said.
Arbor and its associates say they have met state requirements to
drill. They have permits from the DEP to dig at two locations in
Nockamixon so far, the Cabot property off Beaver Run Road and the
Fleck property off Route 412.
They’ve also tried to meet the township’s ordinances — one enacted
in 2006, the other in 2007 — but say they’re fed up with jumping
through unnecessary hoops, court papers say.
“The ordinances effectively prohibit the development of oil and
natural gas within the township, and their requirements are not
rationally related to its purported purpose,” the suit said.
The companies take issue with the following local rules because
they say they are covered by the DEP:
Requiring that all drilling and production be 600 feet from
residences or buildings used for public assembly.Requiring all
drilling to occur on a property that is at least 12.5
acres.Allowing only one well pad site per property.Requiring the
companies to submit soil erosion and water quality tests for local
approval.The companies also don’t like that Nockamixon’s zoning
officer is authorized to inspect their properties.
May 15, 2008 12:06 AM
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/113-05152008-1534228.html
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Gas exploration
rules fuel lawsuit
Company contends Nockamixon Twp.'s restrictions are illegal.
By Scott Kraus
| Of The Morning Call
May 15, 2008
The
Michigan company hoping to extract natural gas from
deep beneath Nockamixon Township has filed a lawsuit asking
Bucks County Court to pre-empt two township
ordinances that restrict gas and oil exploration.
The suit, filed by Arbor Resources and three related legal
entities, seeks an injunction prohibiting the township from
enforcing the ordinances, which put a variety of regulations on
oil and gas drilling.
The suit says the restrictions are ''unreasonable and
arbitrary'' and in violation of local landowners' property
rights.
The ordinances ''are unlawful because regulation of the
development of oil and natural gas'' in the state ''is
exclusively and comprehensively within the control'' of the
state Department of Environmental Protection, the suit says.
Township solicitor Jordan Yeager said he had not seen the suit
and couldn't comment on it.
''The earlier board of the township studied the issue carefully
and decided it was in the best interest of the township to pass
the ordinances that are in place,'' Yeager said.
Heather Lamparter, among three attorneys representing Arbor and
its related entities, said the company had no comment. Arbor has
acquired 240 ''oil and natural gas leasehold interests'' from
township property owners.
Two municipalities in western
Pennsylvania, including Oakmont Borough, lost court
battles with the oil and gas industry in 2007, with state
appeals courts ruling against their efforts to restrict
exploration, which is governed by the state's Oil and Gas Act.
Nockamixon's ordinance restricts gas drilling to industrial and
quarry zones and imposes requirements involving well locations,
emergency plans and natural resources.
The state granted Arbor permits to drill for natural gas on land
in two locations in the township in 2007: the former Cabot
Revere property off Beaver Run Road and private land off Route
412 known as the Fleck property.
Both are in zones where township ordinances prohibit drilling.
Arbor's suit argues that despite its opinion that the ordinances
are invalid, the company has ''made a good faith effort to
comply with the Township's unlawful restrictions,'' only to be
greeted with ''ever-increasing demands'' by the Nockamixon
officials.
''The township's purpose is to discourage oil and gas
development, as evidenced, in part, by the fact that the board
enacted [the 2007 ordinance] only after the plaintiffs made it
known that they were planning to develop oil and natural gas
leasehold interests within the township,'' the suit says.
Township Supervisor Bruce Keyser said Nockamixon ''stepped
down'' and let Arbor drill at Cabot, a light industrial zone,
and has tried to work with the company to make sure its
operation protects the township and its residents.
But he said the company would go only so far, and appeared to
balk at the request that it build an earthen berm to protect
nearby Rapp Creek -- an environmentally sensitive waterway.
''If something does happen, [the berm] will stop it from going
into the stream,'' Keyser said. ''All we are asking them to do
is what we ask everybody in the township to do. Â… It really
infuriates me.''
Keyser said he believes Arbor would like to drill elsewhere in
the county, such as the Fleck property, which is in a
residential zone, because it can't get the heavy equipment it
needs to drill at Cabot over the county's Beaver Run bridge.
The suit says the company has begun ''construction of
facilities'' to develop its oil and gas interests in Bucks
County.
The gas exploration effort has divided the township, with some
landowners hoping to reap financial benefits from mineral-right
payoffs if and when the company finds gas, while others fear
drilling's effect on property values, the local environment and
local groundwater reserves.
scott.kraus@mcall.com
215-230-4930
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Bucks agrees to test wells
phillyBurbs.com -
Philadelphia,PA,USA
The county has owned Hidden Valley landfill in Nockamixon
between Revere and Ferndale since the late 1960s. It was closed by
court order about a decade ...
Bucks to test wells near landfill
Allentown Morning Call -
Allentown,PA,USA
... has agreed to test for contaminants in about 20 private
wells in the vicinity of a defunct county-owned landfill on Route
611 in Nockamixon Township. ... |
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CBS) April 20, 2008
COVER STORY: Water Woes
The Colorado River is the water source for 27 million people in
seven Western states. But years of drought and increased demand
have cut the water supply in half, leaving the river at risk.
Environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. calls the Colorado "a train
wreck at this point," and scientists are predicting that the Lake
Mead Reservoir along the Colorado could be a virtual dry hole by
the year 2021. In our Sunday Morning Cover Story,
correspondent Jerry Bowen looks at the water crisis in the
West, and how farmers and city dwellers are addressing the very
real possibility that there won’t be enough water to go around. He
talks with Kennedy, with the water planner for Las Vegas, with an
avocado grower in California forced to stump nearly a-third of his
avocado trees, and with the scientist whose research sounded the
alarm about the Colorado.
http://earthawareeditions.com/catalog/
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http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/113-04162008-1519810.html
Amid fears, well ordinance passes
By THERESA HEGEL
The Intelligencer
Nockamixon supervisors passed an ordinance Tuesday night
restricting well drilling in an effort to preserve water in the
often parched township.
More than 60 people — some of them left standing — jammed into the
township building for an hour-long public hearing before the vote.
Most of those present supported the law, presenting anecdotal
evidence of wells habitually drying up.
Residents of Frogtown Road, near Palisades High School, in
particular spoke out in favor of the ordinance. One resident
ticked off four wells on the road that recently had to be
redrilled.
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Mountainview Plaza in Nockamixon Township
http://wfmz.com/view/?id=250398
A cash reward is on the table for anyone who can help catch an
arsonist in Bucks County. Last month, someone set fire to to the
Mountainview Plaza in Nockamixon Township. The businesses there
burned to the ground.
Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for
information leading to an arrest. You can call in your anonymous
tip to 1-800-4PA-TIPS. |
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By JENNA PORTNOY
The Intelligencer
Don’t be surprised if Bucks and Montgomery
County Democrats show up to work a bit foggy-headed this morning.
They had reason to celebrate Monday when word spread that
registered Democrats overtook Republicans by a combined 11,000
voters in the two counties — 7,533 in Montgomery and 3,472 in
Bucks. |
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/147-03232008-1507519.htmlBusiness owners, state at odds over roadwork progress
By CHRISTOPHER RUVO
The Intelligencer
While some of an $11 million Route 32 repair project has been
completed, a scenic stretch of the riverside roadway in Upper
Bucks is still waiting for the fix-up to begin three years after
flood damage partially closed it.
A state transportation official said work on River Road, the
route's other name, in Nockamixon and Bridgeton will begin in the
spring, allowing a fully repaired road to open by summer's end at
the latest.
The northbound lane here has been closed since 2005 when heavy
Delaware River flooding inflicted damage.
Already steaming mad over what they say are the state's broken
promises about repair starts and completions, businesses in the
area that rely on tourist traffic sure hope the summer timeline
holds true.
"We're sitting around waiting and nothing is getting done,"
said Tom Schweder, owner of Indian Rock Inn, a bed-and-breakfast
in Nockamixon along the affected road. "They're telling us
mid-summer but I'll believe it when I see it."
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According to Assistant Park Manager Eric Ihlein the
construction work is scheduled to
begin on the $10.8 million project on March 12 or 13. Ihlein
stated that the “behind scenes”
work is in progress and the equipment will show up on March 12 or
13.
FEMA is funding 75 percent.
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Minor Flooding floods Delaware |
Construction worker injured in fall
phillyBurbs.com -
Philadelphia,PA,USA
A construction worker was seriously injured when he fell from the
second floor of a new home being built in Nockamixon
Township just before 8 Tuesday ... |
Gas drilling postponed
Bucks County Courier Times
NOCKAMIXON - The Michigan company that wants
to extract natural gas from beneath Nockamixon is postponing work
because its equipment is too heavy to cross a local bridge.
To access the Cabot Corp. property off Beaver Run Road, where
it has obtained the necessary state-issued permit to drill, Arbor
Resources' equipment would have to traverse the 106-year-old
Beaver Run Road bridge over Rapp Creek. But the truck carrying
Arbor's rig weighed 110 tons and the stone masonry arch span can
only support up to 40 tons, said Joe Bush, director of public
works for the county.
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/147-02262008-1493729.html
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Township ponders grant for water data
By NICOLE FOULKE
The Intelligencer
In response to growing concern over the state of local water
supplies, Plumstead is considering a grant proposal that would
allow the township to gather more accurate water supply data.
February 6, 2008 6:11 AM
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/113-02062008-1483333.html
phillyBurbs.com -
Philadelphia,PA,USA
By CHRISTOPHER RUVO A recent water shortage at a dairy farm in
Nockamixon is another sign that the Upper Bucks township needs
to enact a local law ...
Quarry concerns to be aired
By RILEY YATES
The Intelligencer
Solebury residents will have a chance this week to tell
environmental regulators their concerns about embattled New Hope
Crushed Stone Quarry.
February 11, 2008 7:04 AM
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/113-02112008-1485783.html
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