GASP Joins CROWD, EHP & Protect PT to Demand Stronger Permit for Leto Well Pad in West Deer

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with local families and environmental advocates, the Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) on Monday attended a public hearing to challenge the installation permit for the EQT Leto Well Pad and Dehydrator in West Deer Township.

GASP joined our partners at Concerned Residents of West Deer (CROWD), a dedicated group of neighbors who have spent years fighting to protect their community from heavy industrial shale gas operations in residential and densely populated areas. We also collaborated with the Environmental Health Project (EHP) and Protect PT to raise concerns regarding the Leto project’s potential air quality and public health impacts.

This hearing marked the latest chapter in a long-standing battle for some concerned residents of West Deer Township. The Leto project has been a lightning rod for controversy since its inception.

While West Deer supervisors initially approved the conditional use for the well pad in 2023, some residents have remained steadfast in their opposition. Local advocates argue that the site is fundamentally unsuitable for hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as fracking because of its density and potential for noise, light, and—most critically—air pollution.

Most recently, on Monday, April 13, the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) accepted public comment on the permit, which governs how air -pollution- control equipment will operate on-site.

Those pieces of equipment are known sources of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs), which can contribute to respiratory issues and other long-term health complications.

CROWD said health impacts were a major concern.

"EQT's Leto well site, where they plan to build the dehydrator that will spew approximately 70 tons of toxic pollutants yearly, is surrounded by old coal mining "patch" homes; the houses are built close to one another, with 855 people living in this small community. These pollutants are known to cause acute & chronic health issues, as well as contributing to cancer, especially in children and elderly, which make up 53% of this neighborhood," the group said in a statement.

They added:

"The cumulative effect of gas operations in this small area, including fracking wells, an approved compressor station, an interconnect, and nonstop diesel truck traffic, is very concerning.  Adding a TEG dehydrator to this industrial buildout in a residential area is unacceptable. With over $2 billion in profit, EQT can certainly afford better technology that is less polluting and will be more protective of the families and vulnerable populations living in this area."

Environmental Health Project agreed.

“Given the vast body of scientific research linking shale gas development to adverse health outcomes, combined with EQT's history of health and safety violations, we hope the Allegheny County Health Department exercises its authority to ensure adequate precautions are taken at this site,” Talor Musil of EHP said.

"We see companies like EQT add polluting equipment to communities in a piecemeal fashion in order to hide the true pollution burden from the community and local government,” Gillian Graber of Protect PT said. “That is why it is imperative that the ACHD consider the full buildout of polluting infrastructure and employ the precautionary principle to protect the health of the community.”

GASP was proud to stand with community members and support their grassroots work.

“Public health should never be a secondary consideration to industrial expansion,” GASP Executive Director Patrick Campbell said. “We were there to help ensure the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) hears the community's demand for the most stringent protections possible under the law.”

You can read GASP’s full comments here.