Residents Pack Manchester Township Board Meeting to Hear Presentation on Problems Associated with Oil Drilling

The Stewards of Western Washtenaw  and Citizens for Oil-Free Backyards (COFBY) hosted a 45-minute presentation at the Manchester Township board meeting on March 10, 2015. Dr. Ian Moyer, a Scio Township resident, associate professor at the University of Michigan, and a member of the COFBY group, spoke about potential oil and gas development in Manchester Township and what townships can do to mitigate the effects of this activity.

The focus of the presentation was the ancillary problems that oil and gas exploration bring to local communities. Dr. Moyer’s talk described tools that have been used in other Michigan townships to protect the citizens and environment such as moratoriums and ordinances.

About 30 residents from both Manchester and Sharon townships attended the meeting along with State Representative Gretchen Driskell. A video of this presentation will be made available on the COFBY website.

One of the landowners whose properties had been identified on a map that showed properties with signed leases in Manchester township spoke in favor of oil and gas drilling. He asked the crowd how many people were also in favor of oil drilling, and only one person raised his hand.

Manchester Township Supervisor Gene DeRossett cited recent Michigan Department of Environmental Quality changes that he thought reflected some of COFBY’s proposals. However, both Representative Driskell and Professor Moyer pointed out that these protections were only being provided in counties with populations of 750,000 and above. Michigan only has three such heavily populated counties: Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb. Washtenaw County has a population of about 350,000.

Sharon and Manchester townships–and other largely rural townships–do not enjoy the same legal protections as more urban areas in Michigan. Since oil drilling cannot be banned by state law, there is a growing movement among townships and other local entities to enact ordinances to mitigate the negative effects of oil drilling. These include water, noise, air, and light pollution. Discussions are now taking place in the Michigan state legislature to change the laws that restrict townships’ ability to regulate oil drilling.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.