For the purpose of this subchapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
APPLICANT. Any person, owner, operator, partnership, company, corporation and its subcontractors and agents who has an interest in real estate for the purpose of exploring or drilling for, producing, or transporting oil or gas.
BUILDING. An occupied structure with walls and roof within which persons live or customarily work. The term shall not include a barn, shed or other storage building.
COLLECTOR STREET. A public street or road which, in addition to providing access to abutting lots, intercepts other collector streets or state roads and provides a route for carrying volumes of local traffic to community facilities and arterial streets.
COMPRESSOR. A device used alone or in series to raise the pressure of natural gas and/or byproducts to create a pressure differential to move or compress a liquid, vapor or gas.
COMPRESSOR STATION. A facility designed and constructed to compress natural gas and/or oil that originates from a single well site or a collection of such well sites, operating as a midstream facility for delivery of gas and/or oil to a transmission pipeline, distribution pipeline, processing plant or underground storage field, including one or more natural gas and/or oil compressors, associated buildings, pipes, valves, tanks and other equipment.
DEPARTMENT. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
DERRICK. Any portable framework, tower mast and/or structure which is required or used in connection with drilling or re-working a well for the production of oil or gas.
DRILLING. Any digging or boring of a new well or re-working of an existing well to explore, develop or produce oil, gas or other hydrocarbons or to inject gas, water or any other fluids or substances into the earth.
DRILLING EQUIPMENT. The derrick, all parts and appurtenances to such structure and every piece of apparatus, machinery or equipment used, erected or maintained in connection with oil and gas drilling, as defined herein.
DRILLING PAD. The area of surface operations surrounding the surface location of a well or wells extending only to the heel of the pad. Such area shall not include an access road to the drilling pad.
EFFECTIVE DATE. The date upon which this subchapter is approved by the Township Board of Supervisors.
HYDRAULIC FRACTURING (FRACKING). The process of injecting water, customized fracking fluid, steam, or gas into an oil or gas well under pressure to break apart rock layers in order to release gas and improve recovery of gas.
LOCAL STREET. A public street or road designed to provide access to abutting lots and to discourage through traffic.
NATURAL GAS PROCESSING FACILITY. A facility that is not a compressor station that receives natural gas and associated hydrocarbons from a gathering line system serving one or more well sites that compresses, condenses, pressurizes or otherwise treats natural gas and which removes water and water vapor and/or separates materials such as ethane, propane, butane and other constituents or similar naturally occurring substances from natural gas to allow such natural gas to be of such quality as is required or appropriate for transmission or distribution to commercial markets, including, but not limited to: cooling facilities, storage tanks and related equipment and facilities.
OIL AND GAS. Crude oil, natural gas, methane gas, coal bed methane gas, propane, butane and/or any other constituents or similar substances that are produced by drilling an oil or gas well of any depth into, through and below the surface of the earth.
OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT or DEVELOPMENT. The well site preparation, construction, drilling, redrilling, hydraulic fracturing, and/or site restoration associated with an oil or gas well of any depth; water and other fluid storage, impoundment and transportation used for such activities; and the installation and use of all associated equipment, including tanks, meters, and other equipment and structures whether permanent or temporary; and the site preparation, construction, installation, maintenance and repair of oil and gas pipelines and associated equipment and other equipment and activities associated with the exploration for, production and transportation of oil and gas. This definition does not include gathering, transmission and distribution pipelines or compressor stations or natural gas processing plants or facilities performing the equivalent functions.
OIL AND GAS DRILLING. The removal of oil and gas resources from the ground by means of drilling, as defined herein, in accordance with a valid permit issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) under the provisions of the PA Oil and Gas Act (58 P.S. §§ 601.101 to 601.605), as now or hereafter amended.
OIL AND GAS DRILLING DEEP WELL. Oil and gas drilling, as defined herein, drilled to depths deeper than the base of the Elk Sandstone or its stratigraphic equivalent for the sole purpose of exploring the Marcellus Shale.
OIL AND GAS DRILLING SHALLOW WELL. Oil and gas drilling, as defined herein, drilled to depths shallower than the base of the Elk Sandstone or its stratigraphic equivalent and any well site that proposes drilling of a single well for no more than seven consecutive days total in any calendar year.
OIL AND GAS DRILLING SUBSURFACE FACILITIES. Activities performed under the surface of the ground that are part of the operation of oil and gas drilling, as defined herein, located on properties within the unit for a particular well site, but that are not included in the well site, including, but not limited to: horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing zones, underground gathering and transmission pipelines established in accordance with Public Utility Commission (PUC) guidelines, water distribution lines and similar underground facilities incidental to oil and gas drilling.
OIL or GAS WELL or WELL HEAD. A pierced or bored hole drilled or being drilled in the ground for the purpose of, or to be used for, producing, extracting or injecting gas, oil, petroleum or another liquid related to oil or gas production or storage including the structure that is placed over the opening upon completion of drilling and that is maintained during production.
OPERATOR. Any person, partnership, company or corporation and its subcontractors and agents who have an interest in real estate for the purpose of exploring or drilling for, producing or transporting oil or gas.
OWNER. A person, who owns, manages, leases, controls or possesses an oil or gas well site.
PROTECTED STRUCTURE. Any occupied residence, business, school, church or public building located within 1,000 feet of an oil or gas well, as defined herein, that may be adversely affected by noise generated from the drilling or hydraulic fracturing at the well site, as defined herein, excluding any structure owned by an oil or gas lessor who has signed a lease with the operator granting surface rights to drill the subject well or whose owner or occupants have signed a waiver relieving the operator from complying with the noise abatement provisions of this subchapter.
STORAGE WELL. A well used for and in connection with the underground storage of natural gas, including injection into or withdrawal from an underground storage reservoir for monitoring or observation of reservoir pressure.
TOWNSHIP. Township of Greene.
TOWNSHIP STAFF. Township of Greene Board of Supervisors, or other designated agent of the township.
WATER IMPOUNDMENT. An open, earthen receptacle in the ground intended to store fresh water or wastewater to supply one or more oil and gas drilling well sites.
WELL SITE. All of the area occupied by the drilling equipment, as defined herein, and all surface facilities, structures, water and other fluid storage impoundments and storage tanks and associated equipment including tanks, meters and other permanent or temporary structures and equipment incidental to oil and gas drilling, as defined herein, including facilities and equipment necessary for site exploration, preparation, site construction, drilling, hydraulic fracturing, site restoration, production and operation of the well upon completion of drilling.
WORKOVER OPERATIONS. The work performed in a well after its completion in an effort to secure production where there has been none, restore production that has ceased, or increase production.
(Ord. 3-2011, passed 2-6-2012)