One of the main reasons our township has been instrumental in MERC is because the issues surrounding oil and gas development are too big to confront alone. MERC shares our goal -- to create a cooperative partnership with the oil and gas industry that will insure reasonable industrial development in
our neighborhoods.

The following article by Mr. Grabowski, a member of the Pleasanton Township Board, is excerpted from a statement he made at a public meeting in Manistee County on proposed oil and gas legislation.

In 1994, Pleasanton Township adopted an Industrial Facilities ordinance affecting the oil and gas industry. The ordinance requires companies to obtain special use permits for processing plants, and to minimize the noise from their compressors. It also requires companies to provide their development plans to neighboring residents and township officials.

I am happy to report that we have gotten full compliance from the oil and gas companies that have undertaken Antrim natural gas projects in Pleasanton. They have told the township that they want to work with us, and pledged that being a good neighbor is very important to them.

These companies are complying with our ordinance because it is reasonable, similar to the minimal requirements imposed on other industries, and in no way prohibits them from doing business here. We welcome this cooperation, and are pleased that we have a working relationship with the industry.

It hasn't always been this way. One company that now has a project up and running in our township was absolutely furious that we were going to require anything at all from them.

This company had plans for over 40 wells and three compressor stations. They sent letters to leaseholders, warning that the Industrial Facilities ordinance was going to make doing business impossible in Pleasanton Township, and that local officials were robbing them of their private property rights. The letters further warned that we had a hidden agenda, which was to stop oil and gas development altogether.

Well, the reality of course is much different, and residents packed our township hall to implore us to make sure our ordinance was obeyed fully. They overwhelmingly supported the defense of our ordinance against attacks from the Geological Survey Division, (the state agency that promotes as well as regulates the development), and the oil and gas industry.

Now -- Pleasanton could never have gotten this far without establishing a network of other Michigan townships, communities, and organizations that are dealing with oil and gas development in their backyards. This is why we are one of the founding members of the Michigan Energy Reform Coalition. MERC has provided our township with a statewide view of things, and has given us the access to information and expertise vital to making intelligent decisions.

One of the main reasons our township has been instrumental in MERC is because the issues surrounding oil and gas development are too big to confront alone. MERC shares our goal -- to create a cooperative partnership with the oil and gas industry that will insure reasonable industrial development in our neighborhoods.

It comes as no surprise that some members of the oil and gas industry are loudly complaining that the proposed legislation will put them out of business, and that MERC's hidden agenda is to stop oil and gas development. We have heard these ridiculous accusations before. And we have learned our lesson, which is to let reality take its course, to stick to the truth, to be patient, and with time, our reasonable demands will be met.

The days of letting the oil and gas companies and the GSD behave like dictators are over. The days of companies ignoring the people who live and work amongst their projects are over!

The bills currently under consideration by the Legislature are for minimum changes that are long overdue. They are just the start of a process of insuring that townships, counties, and citizens have a say in the health, safety, and quality of life in their communities. We hope our legislators see that these bills become law.u