Smart Talk: what the Act 13 court ruling means for Pennsylvania

• Marie Cusick
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  Marie Cusick was the Harrisburg reporter for StateImpact Pennsylvania.

The state Supreme Court’s decision last month striking down portions of Act 13 was a victory for the local governments and environmental groups who argued the 2012 oil and gas law was unconstitutional.
Widener Law Professor John Dernbach’s work was frequently cited in the court’s majority opinion.
Dernbach appeared today on witf’s public affairs show, Smart Talk, to discuss the implications of the ruling, which found parts of Act 13 violated the Environmental Rights Amendment of Pennsylvania’s constitution.
The amendment guarantees citizens the right to “clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment. ”
“Bringing Article 1 Section 27 to its proper status as constitutional law has a broader implication than simply the Marcellus Shale industry,” said Dernbach. “The argument is not that the environment trumps everything else. The argument is we need to find a way to make environmental protection work together with economic development.”
Click here to listen to the entire radio program.
 

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