Cecil Township Supervisors finished seven months of research, public hearings and debate about revisions to their gas and oil ordinance. A 3-1-1 vote authorized changes to the existing ordinance that allows wells to operate within 500 feet of a structure. By the same vote, supervisors repealed the ordinance that created the oil and gas overlay districts. The new ordinance will require new wells to be 2500 feet away from any protected structure and 5000 feet away from schools and hospitals. Operation hours will change from the current 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM time frame to 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM. The new ordinance also contains a clause that if a property owner is within the 2500 foot setback, that owner can negotiate with their neighbors to form a consensus to allow drilling closer than the required 2500 feet. Additional sound and vibration restrictions have also been added. A capacity crowd was on hand to witness the approval. Not one resident was identified to be against the approval. The final vote saw Supervisors Tom Casciola, Cindy Fisher and Frank Egizio vote in favor of the changes. Supervisor William Ciaffoni abstained and Supervisor Darlene Barni recused. In a public hearing held immediately before the voting meeting, Supervisor Cindy Fisher delivered an emotional statement summing up what the supervisors had been through over the last seven months. She called out a representative of Range Resources in the audience for what she described as harassment of her and two other supervisors for charges filed against them regarding the Sunshine Law. That representative was identified as Andrew Ritter, Vice President of Legislative & Regulatory Affairs. Ritter declined to comment on the board’s action.