Sharon Township Enacts 12 Month Moratorium on Oil & Gas Drilling
Sharon Township Hall
On Thursday, April 2, the Sharon Township Board of Trustees voted unanimously 5-0 to enact a moratorium on oil and gas activity in the township. The text of the moratorium can be found HERE. Sharon Township is the third local government in Washtenaw County to pass such a moratorium in the past eight months, following Scio Township in September 2014 and the City of Dexter in March 2015.
According to Citizens For Oil-Free Backyards (COFBY), a grassroots non-profit based in Scio Township, 11 leases comprising a total of approximately 650 acres have been recorded in Sharon Township to date. If 40-acre drilling units were planned for the township, the land area leased at this time would be enough for approximately 10 wells and associated production facilities if there were no compulsory-pooled properties (those forced to participate by law in order to complete a drilling unit).
During the past few months, COFBY provided information on oil and gas development to township residents and officials, including a recent presentation to the township board at the request of concerned local residents. “We are pleased and grateful that our Township Supervisor and Board have the wisdom and foresight to enact protective measures to preserve and protect our safe drinking water and our property values,” said Trudi Cooper, co-founder of the local group Stewards of Western Washtenaw, after the moratorium vote.
COFBY’s president, Laura Robinson, stated, “The area of Washtenaw County in which Sharon Township is located has seen a tremendous uptick in oil and gas leasing and exploration over the last year or so because, along with much of the rest of the county, it lies in a geological band of potential oil and gas reserves. The Sharon Township Board of Trustees has taken a proactive and careful stance in enacting this year-long moratorium early in the process. This will enable the Board to take the necessary time to examine its ordinances to ensure the protection of residents’ health, safety, and welfare, and to consider the role of oil and gas development in the township.”
Stewards of Western Washtenaw has pursued a similar course with Manchester Township and so far has met with less success. According to one of the organizers, Lorri Coburn, the Manchester Township Supervisor wants to continue gathering information and is not comfortable discussing a moratorium until the board has heard from the Michigan Petroleum Assn. and the MDEQ. They are scheduled to give a presentation to the Manchester Twp. Board on Tuesday, May 12th at 7:30.
Stewards of Western Washtenaw is asking Manchester Village and Township residents to consider coming to the Manchester Township Board meetings on Tuesday, April 14 at 7:30pm as well as the May 12 meeting to speak up during the public comments section. Coburn stated, “A moratorium is not a ban on drilling. It delays drilling so the township can enact ordinances to mitigate the effects of drilling, such as noise, light, air and water pollution, and truck traffic. We also need to make sure that the sites are maintained, that storage of oil is safe, and that oil companies have letters of credit to pay for any accidents.”
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