![\"frackFI\"](\"http:\/\/files.cdn.ecowatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/frackFI-150x150.jpg\")
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A gas company is attempting to use a half-century old Pennsylvania law to frack underneath the land of property owners who refuse to allow the controversial practice of fracking<\/a> on their land, yet a majority of Pennsylvanians may be unaware as two of the state’s top three newspapers have failed to mention the contentious issue.<\/p>\n[caption id=\"attachment_330546\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"500\"] Hilcorp Energy, a Texas-based oil and gas company, is pushing legal action<\/a> in Pennsylvania to be able to drill underneath the property of landowners that have refused to sign a lease if enough of their neighbors have already signed, a practice known as “forced pooling.” The “unused and outdated<\/a>” law, which is “pitting neighbor against neighbor” as reported by<\/a> the Associated Press, would “shred private property rights” according to the Pittsburgh Tribune Review<\/em>, the only of the three highest circulating papers in Pennsylvania to cover the story. The other two, The Philadelphia Inquirer <\/em>and the Pittsburgh Post<\/em>-Gazette<\/em>, have completely overlooked the issue which has received national<\/a> attention.<\/p>\n The “forced pooling” law would force landowners to allow the use of fracking to extract natural gas reserves underneath their property without their consent, creating<\/a> concerns about the impact on property values<\/a> and the threat of water pollution. A leaked document from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stated<\/a> that natural gas extraction has caused methane to leak into domestic water wells, causing “significant damage” to the drinking water supply of the town.<\/p>\n Pennsylvania isn’t the only state dealing with the “forced pooling” issue. Energy companies have been exploiting<\/a> similar laws in many states<\/a> including in Illinois and Ohio to the outrage<\/a> of unsuspecting landowners. In Ohio, citizens are “furious” about the ruling that one citizen fears<\/a> will “make him legally responsible for spills and other damage” according to the Associated Press. Some<\/a> residents have “resigned to losing future income,” while dozens of others are pushing forward lawsuits in an attempt to stop the forcible drilling. <\/p>\n There is a similar sentiment in Pennsylvania even among those who support natural gas drilling and fracking. For example, Pennsylvania’s Gov. Corbett (R-PA)—a strong proponent of natural gas extraction in Pennsylvania—opposes the law, likening it<\/a> to “private eminent domain<\/a>.” And Marcellus Drilling News, a pro-fracking news site, has expressed disapproval of<\/a> Hilcorp’s use of the law, calling it “the low road.” <\/p>\n Hilcorp first requested to use the 1961 Pennsylvania law in July<\/a>, when property owner Bob Svetlak refused to give up the land he has lived on<\/a> since 1949, and moved forward with a legal action<\/a> in October. The case bounced around different ruling bodies<\/a> in the state with a final hearing eventually scheduled for late March 2014 that was subsequently postponed<\/a> until early May due to the controversy surrounding the issue.<\/p>\n Since Hilcorp’s first request in July, the Pittsburgh Tribune Review<\/em> has published an editorial against the law, saying it “shreds private property rights” and is “patently unconstitutional.” But the two other top Pennsylvania newspapers—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette<\/em> and The Philadelphia Inquirer<\/em>—have remained silent on the issue over the same period (which is based on a Nexis search of hydraulic fracturing or frack! or Hilcorp from July 1, 2013, to April 13, 2014):<\/p>\n While never addressing the “forced drilling” issue, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette<\/em>, which publicly<\/a> “supports a well-regulated gas drilling industry,” has been calling for fracking underneath the state’s public lands—an issue that also has many citizens concerned<\/a>—praising<\/a> a deal to drill underneath a county park and decrying<\/a> a proposed moratorium on drilling underneath state parks. The Philadelphia Inquirer<\/em>, on the other hand, has been publishing editorials calling for prudence<\/a> and accountability<\/a> when it comes to fracking, but like the Post<\/em>-Gazette,<\/em> has never addressed the “forced drilling” issue.<\/p>\n Researcher <\/em>Daniel Angster contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n ——–<\/p>\n YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE<\/strong><\/p>\n Congress to EPA: Investigate and Address Water Contamination From Fracking<\/a><\/p>\n Court Order Allows Fracking Company to Ban Local Woman From 40 Percent of County<\/a><\/p>\n![\"frackFI\"](\"http:\/\/files.cdn.ecowatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/frackFI.jpg\")
<\/a> ‘Forced pooling’ allows companies to drill underneath the property of landowners that have refused to sign a lease if enough of their neighbors already have. Photo credit: Daniel Foster \/Flickr[\/caption]\n![\"papapers\"](\"http:\/\/files.cdn.ecowatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/papapers.png\")
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