July 22, 2021

Litigation, land use and trends in local ordinances

The PIOGA Press

This article is an excerpt from The 2021 Babst Calland Report, which represents the collective legal perspectives of Babst Calland’s energy attorneys addressing the must current business and regulatory issues facing the oil and natural gas industry. The full report is available online at reports.babstcalland.com/the-2021-babst-calland-report-1.

Pennsylvania royalty cases

In two recent cases litigated by Babst Calland, courts applying Pennsylvania law reaffirmed that operators were entitled to deduct post-production costs from royalty payments based on lease language containing references to “at the wellhead” provisions. On April 28, 2021, the Court of Common Pleas of Butler County in Dressler v. PennEnergy Resources considered this issue where the lease provided that the gas royalty was to be paid based on “gas sold at the well.” The court held that phrase equated to “at the wellhead” language, which mandates using the net back method for calculating royalties―thus justifying post-production cost deductions.

A nearly identical decision was rendered by the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania less than two weeks later in Coastal Forest Resources Co. v. Chevron USA, Inc. There, the district court held that the lease’s royalty provision containing “at the wellhead” language had to be broadly interpreted to also allow for post-production cost deductions. Both cases relied on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision in Kilmer v. Elexco Land Servs., Inc., where “at the wellhead” was defined, to justify their holdings. It is likely that the two decisions will help temper further royalty litigation on the propriety of post-production deductions.

Oil and gas lease negotiations are not covered by the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law

On March 24, 2021, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued its 6-1 decision in Commonwealth v. …

July 22, 2021

PHMSA issues advisory bulletin on minimizing natural gas releases from pipeline facilities

The PIOGA Press

(by Ashleigh Krick)

On June 7, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued an advisory bulletin (ADB) reminding owners and operators of gas and hazardous liquid pipeline facilities of a self-executing mandate from the “Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act of 2020” (PIPES Act of 2020).

Statutory mandate

The mandate, codified at Section 114(b) of the PIPES Act of 2020, provides that by December 27, 2021, “each pipeline operator shall update the inspection and maintenance plan prepared by the operator under section 60108(a) of title 49, United States Code, to address the elements described in the amendments to that section made by [Section 114(a)].”

Section 114(a) of the PIPES Act of 2020 added to 49 U.S.C. § 60108(a) that, in deciding on the adequacy of an inspection and maintenance plan, PHMSA or a certified state authority must consider the extent to which the plan will contribute to “eliminating hazardous leaks and minimizing releases of natural gas from pipeline facilities” and “the extent to which the plan addresses the replacement or remediation of pipelines that are known to leak based on the material (including cast iron, unprotected steel, wrought iron, and historic plastics with known issues), design, or past operating and maintenance history of the pipeline.”

Additionally, Section 114(a) added to 49 U.S.C. § 60108(a) that inspection and maintenance plans must “meet the requirements of any regulations promulgated under section 60102(q).” Section 60102(q) is a new rulemaking mandate from Section 113 of the PIPES Act of 2020 that requires PHMSA to issue new leak detection rules for operators of regulated gas gathering, transmission, and distribution lines by December 27, 2021.

Section 114(a) also provided that PHMSA or a relevant state authority must review each plan not later than December 27, 2022, and then every five years. …

July 19, 2021

Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission Proposes Significant Changes to the Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Regulations

Pipeline Safety Alert

(by Keith Coyle and Ashleigh Krick)

On July 15, 2021, the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission (PA PUC) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Order (NOPR) proposing to change the regulations applicable to public utilities that transport petroleum products and other hazardous liquids in Pennsylvania.  The NOPR follows an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANOPR) that the PA PUC published on June 29, 2019, seeking comments on an expanded regulatory framework for hazardous liquid public utilities.  The proposed regulations go beyond the minimum federal pipeline safety regulations in 49 C.F.R. Part 195 and would impose significant new requirements on public utilities in Pennsylvania.

Below is a summary of the significant items from the proposed regulations.  Public utilities in Pennsylvania that transport hazardous liquids should carefully review the proposed regulations, the potential impact to their operations, and provide comments to the PA PUC accordingly.  Comments will be due 60 days from the date the NOPR is published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.

Reporting (§ 59.133-59.134)

  • Proposes to require that an operator provide an unredacted failure analysis report based on laboratory testing and root cause analysis to the PA PUC within 120 days of a reportable accident or within 10 days of report completion, whichever comes first. If the reports are not completed within those timeframes, the public utility must provide updates to the PA PUC every 14 days. The analyses must be conducted by a PA PUC-approved independent third-party lab and consultant.
  • In addition to the requirements in 49 C.F.R. Part 195, Subpart B, the PA PUC proposes to require notification of the following:
    • Proposed major construction, major reconstruction, or major maintenance involving an expenditure of more than $300,000 or 10% of the cost of the pipe in service, whichever is less, 45 days prior to commencement.

    • …

July 16, 2021

Solar Development Application Denied Due to Tie Vote – Appeal Filed

Pittsburgh, PA

Renewables Law Blog

(By Anna Jewart)

On June 4, 2021, following 21 nights of public hearings held over the course of 15 months, a conditional use application for a proposed 75 megawatt solar energy system filed by Brookview Solar I, LLC, was denied by operation of law due to a two-two tie vote, with one abstention, by the Board of Supervisors of Mount Joy Township, Adams County.  The applicant faced many of the same challenges and opposition frequently levied against traditional energy sources.

In November 2019, the applicant submitted its application for a solar energy field, proposed to be sited across eleven properties totaling approximately 374 acres of land located largely within the Township’s Baltimore Pike Corridor District (“BPC”) and partially within its Agricultural District (“AC”).  Solar energy systems are a permitted use in the AC district and permitted as a conditional use within the BPC district under the Township Zoning Ordinance, subject to extensive use-specific regulations.  The Board began holding public hearings on the application in January 2020 and concluded in March of 2021.  On June 4, 2021, a motion to approve the application with conditions resulted in a 2-2-1 vote, as did a motion to deny the application.  Under Pennsylvania case law, where a judicial or quasi-judicial body is equally divided, the subject matter with which it is dealing must remain in status quo, in this case resulting in a denial of the application.  Due to the 2-2-1 vote, the Township did not prepare official written findings, but submitted two draft decisions in support of the Board’s motions to deny and approve the application, as well as an official decision simply noting the denial as an operation of law.  The applicant appealed to the Adams County Court of Common Pleas on June 28, 2021. …

July 15, 2021

Corporate solar interest surges as companies exit pandemic and turn focus to ESG issues

Pittsburgh, PA

Renewables Law Blog

(By Bruce Rudoy)

A financial rebound is in progress as COVID-19 becomes less of a driver to business and our general livelihood, and it is one that is apparent in the renewables sector. Experts see growth fueled not just by pent-up demand, but also growing attention to ESG considerations and renewables’ financial advantages.

Corporate merger and acquisition activity was up significantly with solar developers expanding their pipelines, oil and gas companies diversifying into renewables, and funds buying up renewable assets.

According to Mercom CEO Raj Prabhu, Solar project acquisitions reached a record high in the second quarter, he said, with more than 24.7 GW of capacity acquired. That total came from 34 corporate M&A deals, compared to 20 in the first quarter of this year and 13 in the second quarter of 2020.

In the first half of 2021, solar project acquisitions reached 39.3 GW, more than doubling the 14.7 GW acquired in the first half of 2020.

Venture capital funding in particular has experienced a strong recovery. Funding for VC was 680% higher in the first half of the year, compared with last year, with $1.6 billion raised in 26 deals, according to Mercom.

Renewables have been rapidly gaining market share for years. In 2020, the United States saw its fifth consecutive year of renewables consumption growth, reaching a record high of 12% of the country’s total consumption, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

EIA estimates solar energy accounted for about 11% of last year’s renewable energy consumption, and “overall, 2020 U.S. solar consumption increased 22% from 2019.”

By comparison, the agency said fossil fuel consumption fell last year by 9% to “the lowest level in nearly 30 years.”

The trend is represented globally as well. …

July 8, 2021

Federal Court rules on WV royalty statute

GOWV News

(by Jennifer Hicks)

The United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia recently held that a 2018 amendment to W. Va. Code § 22-6-8 (the “Flat Rate Statute”) “clearly does not apply retroactively.” Although the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia has not yet addressed this issue, this federal court decision is indicative of how the highest court in West Virginia may answer the question raised by plaintiffs in royalty litigation across West Virginia: Does the 2018 amendment apply retroactively to alter the way royalties are paid for wells drilled on a flat rate lease before May 31, 2018?

In Corder v. Antero Resources Corporation, Civil Action No. 1:18-cv-30 (N.D. W.Va. May 12, 2021), the Court analyzed several issues related to the payment of oil and gas royalties pursuant to various royalty provisions. One of the leases at issue was what is commonly referred to as a “flat rate” lease, under which the lessee was required to pay “$100 per year for each and every gas well obtained on the premises[.]”

Flat rate leases are governed in West Virginia by W. Va. Code § 22-6-8, which was originally enacted in 1982 and first amended in 1994, to require that no permit for a flat rate well would be issued unless the lessee swore by affidavit that it would pay the lessor no less than one-eighth of the total amount paid to or received by or allowed to the lessee at the wellhead for the oil and gas so extracted, produced or marketed. In 2017, in Leggett v EQT Prod. Co., 800 S.E.2d 850, 862 (W.Va. 2017), the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia interpreted this language as allowing a pro-rata deduction or allocation of all reasonable post-production expenses actually incurred by the lessee, and held that a lessee may utilize the “net-back” or “work-back” method to calculate royalties owed to a lessor pursuant to a lease governed by W. …

July 7, 2021

Report: Energy Sector in Limbo over Permitting, ESG and Climate Policies

Joseph Markman
Hart Energy

The Babst Calland law firm’s annual report includes a chat with Sen. Joe Manchin and an assessment of the impact of President Biden’s government-wide climate approach.

President Joe Biden’s ambition to entirely wean the U.S. from fossil fuels by 2035 is “unattainable, not doable,” Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) told a Babst Calland law firm panel during a recent webinar. The recording is included in the firm’s annual energy industry report, released June 30.

“There’s no way that we can eliminate our way to a cleaner climate,” the chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources said, noting that the country could not make a sufficient worldwide difference because other countries will not follow its lead in cutting oil, gas and coal from the global energy mix. “Not going to happen.”

In its report, Pittsburgh-based Babst Calland focused on how the oil and gas industry, recovering from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, is at an inflection point as it awaits the full impact of President Joe Biden’s climate-centric policies and the emergence of ESG (environmental, social and governance) concerns in investing decisions.

Manchin told the attorneys he was concerned about the federal permit approval process, and how the sluggish system could hinder the oil and gas industry’s—and the country’s—ability to build the infrastructure necessary to put the energy transition into effect. The senator has supported legislation to speed the permitting process.

“I don’t know any other way to get it done,” Manchin said. “We might not live long enough to see half of it being built if we don’t do something.”

The report addressed regulatory delays, as well, noting how they continue to threaten major pipeline projects in the Appalachian region. …

July 2, 2021

Pennsylvania DEP Releases New PFAS Sampling Data and Proposes Additional Actions to Address “Forever” Chemicals

Environmental Alert

(by Matt Wood)

On June 3, 2021, the Wolf administration released the complete results of sampling for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) by the Pennsylvania Department of Environment Protection (PADEP) from certain public drinking water systems located throughout the Commonwealth.  PFAS, a “family” of manmade chemicals in use since the 1940s, have myriad applications in consumer, commercial, and industrial products.  More recently, PFAS have been discovered in various environmental media (e.g., drinking water sources), plants, animals, and humans.  Due to their persistence in the environment – they do not tend to break down naturally – PFAS have been called “forever” chemicals and some research suggests that exposure to PFAS can cause various adverse health effects.

Originally initiated in June 2019, the PADEP-led sampling effort targeted public drinking water systems within a half mile of potential PFAS sources (e.g., manufacturing, fire training, and military facilities).  PADEP also sampled outside of the half-mile radius of potential sources to establish a baseline.  Samples collected in 2019 were analyzed for six PFAS chemicals, but those collected in 2020 and 2021 were analyzed for 18 PFAS chemicals using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Method 537.1 (updated November 2018).  As part of the 2020 and 2021 sampling events, PADEP resampled the 2019 sites in order to obtain additional occurrence data.

Of the 18 PFAS chemicals analyzed from the 412 total samples, only eight were found at the sampled sites: PFOS, PFOA PFNA, PFHxS, PFHpA, PFBS, Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), and Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA).  PFOA and PFOS were the most common, being present at 112 and 103 sites, respectively.  In only two locations, however, did the combined PFOA/PFOS concentration exceed the combined PFOA/PFOS 70 parts per trillion (ppt) Health Advisory Level (HAL) set by EPA, which is intended to identify the concentration of PFOA/PFOS in drinking water at or below which adverse health effects are not expected to occur over a lifetime of exposure.  …

July 1, 2021

Guidance on steps to protect your business against cyberattacks

Smart Business 

(by Sue Ostrowski featuring Ashleigh Krick)

Recent high-profile cybersecurity breaches have highlighted how vulnerable even the largest businesses are to disruption. But even the smallest of businesses face risks, says Ashleigh Krick.

“Organizations may think they are not at risk and do not have valuable information, but they should think again,” says Krick, an associate at Babst Calland. “It does not matter what information you have when a hacker just wants money. It’s not just about data; it’s also about shutting down your business to force you to pay a ransom.”

Smart Business spoke with Krick about steps every business can take to protect itself.

How have recent cyberattacks drawn attention to the vulnerability of businesses?

Recent cyberattacks on Colonial Pipeline and JBS Foods have demonstrated the cyber vulnerabilities of even our nation’s most critical industries. In May, Colonial Pipeline fell prey to a ransomware attack, forcing it to halt transportation of gasoline and other fuels on the largest refined products pipeline on the East Coast. The effect was felt by everyone along the East Coast, as disruption to gasoline supply caused consumer panic and gasoline prices to skyrocket.

Not a month later, JBS Foods, the world’s largest processor of fresh beef and pork, was attacked by ransomware, causing its plants to shut down and rendering the business incapable of processing meat. We are still seeing effects from that, which could disrupt the U.S. market and international markets.

In the aftermath of these attacks, the federal government became immediately involved in how businesses were responding to ransomware attacks and questioning whether mandatory cybersecurity standards in the most critical industries are needed. …

July 1, 2021

PADEP Issues Guidelines for Implementing Area of Review Regulatory Requirement for Unconventional Wells

RMMLF Mineral and Energy Law Newsletter

(By Joseph K. Reinhart, Sean M. McGovern & Matthew C. Wood)

On September 4, 2021, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) published notice of its final technical guidance titled “Guidelines for Implementing Area of Review (AOR) Regulatory Requirement for Unconventional Wells,” No. 800-0810-001 (Sept. 4, 2021) (AOR Guidance). See 51 Pa. Bull. 5757 (Sept. 4, 2021). The AOR Guidance clarifies the AOR as “1,000 feet in all directions” from the plan view projections for horizontal and vertical unconventional wells. See 25 Pa. Code § 78a.52a(a). Vertical buffer distance for offset wells located within the AOR is 1,500 feet for all unconventional wells. See 25 Pa. Code § 78a.73(c). The final guidance document was effective upon date of publication, replacing PADEP’s 2016 guidance. Operators should reference the AOR Guidance regarding well placement and offset wells, for evaluating and monitoring nearby wells to prevent communication between wells, and for reporting and resolving incidents. The AOR Guidance also serves as an overview of PADEP’s well adoption permitting process.

Final issuance of the AOR Guidance followed a 60-day public comment period during which PADEP received approximately 55 comments from 10 commenters and made several changes to the draft version. Key changes to the AOR Guidance, as identified in the Pennsylvania Bulletin, include:

  • clarifying the ability of operators to survey an area that extends beyond the prescriptive AOR regulatory language;
  • removing language assigning responsibility for recently plugged offset wells to the operator who had completed the plugging;
  • relocating language pertaining to briefing the hydraulic fracturing operations team about adjacent operator coordination;

    • …

October 1, 2021

PADEP Issues Draft Technical Guidance Regarding Synthetic Liners and Caps at Coal Refuse Disposal Areas

RMMLF Energy Law Newsletter

(By Joseph K. Reinhart, Sean M. McGovern, Gina N. Falaschi and Christina Puhnaty)

On August 21, 2021, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) issued a draft revision of its technical guidance that explains PADEP’s considerations when evaluating liners and cap systems installed at coal refuse disposal areas pursuant to 25 Pa. Code chs. 86, 88, and 90. See PADEP, Draft TGD No. 563-2112-656, “Liners and Caps for Coal Refuse Disposal Areas” (Aug. 21, 2021) (Draft TGD). These systems of liners and protective caps, called “barrier layers,” are intended to prevent adverse impacts to groundwater and surface water and to prevent precipitation from coming into contact with coal refuse by preventing or reducing water migration through the refuse material. See 25 Pa. Code §§ 90.50(a)–(b), .101–.102, .122. As noted in the preamble for the rulemaking that established section 90.50(b), “[t]his statutory requirement was intended to ensure that precipitation contacting the coal refuse is kept to a minimum, thereby reducing the volume of water needing treatment after the site is closed.” 31 Pa. Bull. 3735, 3736 (July 14, 2001). PADEP noted that this draft technical guidance document, when finalized, would not mandate that existing structures be replaced or retrofitted.

PADEP’s current guidance serves as a guide for the use of liners for impoundments, stockpiles, and coal refuse disposal areas. See PADEP, TGD No. 563-2112-656, “Liners and Caps for Coal Refuse Disposal Areas” (July 17, 2021). PADEP’s draft revision of this technical guidance is significantly different from the current guidance in that the revised draft guidance incorporates protective caps and emphasizes PADEP’s preference for barrier layers constructed using synthetic material rather than clay. …

July 1, 2021

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Dismisses Appeal of Unconventional Drilling Zoning Approvals

RMMLF Mineral and Energy Law Newsletter

(By Joseph K. Reinhart, Sean M. McGovern, Gina N. Falaschi and Matthew C. Wood)

On June 22, 2021, a few weeks after hearing oral arguments, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania dismissed as having been improvidently granted appeals by environmental advocacy group Protect PT to overturn two Penn Township Zoning Hearing Board (Board) decisions to grant special exceptions for gas well development in the township. Protect PT v. Penn Twp. Zoning Hearing Bd., 252 A.3d 600 (Pa. 2021) (mem.).

The companion cases originated from the Board’s 2018 decisions to approve special exception applications by Olympus Energy LLC (Olympus) to develop oil and gas operations at two well pads in Penn Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. In the hearings, Protect PT asserted that the cumulative impacts of the gas well development near residential neighborhoods could increase the probability of negative environmental, safety, and health impacts in the community. The Board ultimately approved Olympus’s applications, concluding the proposed development satisfied the requirements of the township’s zoning ordinance (subject to certain conditions) and that Protect PT failed to present sufficient, credible evidence to rebut the Board’s conclusion.

Protect PT first appealed the Board’s decisions to the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas, which denied the appeals and affirmed the Board’s decisions without taking additional evidence. Protect PT subsequently appealed to the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. Before the commonwealth court, Protect PT argued that the Board capriciously disregarded the evidence presented to it in granting Olympus’s applications. See Protect PT v. Penn Twp. Zoning Hearing Bd., 238 A.3d 530 (Table), 2020 WL 3640001 (Pa. …

July 1, 2021

PADEP’s RGGI Rule Nears the End of the Regulatory Process

RMMLF Mineral and Energy Law Newsletter

(By Joseph K. Reinhart, Sean M. McGovern and Gina N. Falaschi)

Continuing from previous issues of this Newsletter, this report provides recent updates on the Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board’s (EQB) proposed CO2 Budget Trading Program rulemaking, which would link Pennsylvania’s program to and implement the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) within the commonwealth beginning in 2022. See Vol. XXXVIII, No. 2 (2021), Vol. XXXVIII, No. 1 (2021), Vol. XXXVII, No. 4 (2020), Vol. XXXVII, No. 3 (2020), Vol. XXXVII, No. 2 (2020), Vol. XXXVII, No. 1 (2020), Vol. XXXVI, No. 4 (2019) of this Newsletter. RGGI is the country’s first regional, market-based cap-and-trade program designed to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the power sector. The proposed regulation would limit CO2 emissions from Pennsylvania’s fossil fuel-fired electric generating units with a nameplate capacity of 25 megawatts or greater that send more than 10% of their annual gross generation to the electric grid. The proposed initial emissions cap for Pennsylvania in 2022 is 78 million tons of CO2, which would decline annually.

The public comment period for the proposed rule ran from November 7, 2020, until January 14, 2021. The Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) released its comments on February 16, 2021. See Comments of the Independent Regulatory Review Commission, Environmental Quality Board Regulation #7-559 (IRRC #3274, CO2 Budget Trading Program (Feb. 16, 2021). The IRRC recommended that EQB (1) explain the choice to institute the program through regulation rather than legislation; (2) provide analysis of its statutory authority to enact the proposal; (3) consider recommendations from commentators on public health, safety, and welfare, economic or fiscal impact, and adequacy of data; …

June 30, 2021

The 2021 Babst Calland Report Highlights Legal and Regulatory Perspectives at a Transformational Time for the U.S. Energy Industry

Babst Calland published its 11th annual energy industry report: The 2021 Babst Calland Report – Legal & Regulatory Perspectives for the U.S. Energy Industry. Each of our nation’s energy sectors is impacted by local, state and federal policies, many of which are addressed in this inclusive report on legal and regulatory developments for the energy industry in the United States.

This edition features commentary from Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, who spoke with Babst Calland energy clients at a special briefing on June 25, 2021. A link to the webinar recording is available in this Report.

To request a copy of The 2021 Babst Calland Report, click here.

The Babst Calland Report represents the timely collective perspectives of more than 45 energy attorneys on the current state of the U.S. natural gas and oil, coal, and renewable energy sectors. For the first time, this Report is presented as an easy-to-navigate digital site featuring 12 sections, addressing the following key topics:

  • Business Outlook for the U.S. Energy Industry
  • Climate Change Initiatives from the Biden Administration
  • Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration Priorities
  • Environmental Law Developments
  • Environmental Justice Issues
  • Appalachian Basin Regional Developments
  • Coal Mining Regulatory Changes
  • Expansion of the U.S. Renewable Energy Market
  • Real Estate & Land Use Developments
  • Litigation Trends
  • Changes in Employment & Labor Law
  • Emerging Technologies Affecting the Energy Industry

Joseph K. Reinhart, shareholder and co-chair of Babst Calland’s Energy and Natural Resources Group, said, “The energy industry, once again, is at an inflection point and a moment of resiliency as it experiences a rebound in pricing and recovers from the impact of the global pandemic. …

June 23, 2021

Commonwealth Court Considers Municipal Boundary Disputes

The Legal Intelligencer

(by Blaine Lucas and Anna Jewart)

This past May, a curio story made international news when a Belgian farmer moved a stone monument on his property by approximately 7.2 feet.  While this typically would have remained unknown, except to the farmer and perhaps to his neighbor, the farmer did not consider that the stone had been placed in 1819 to mark his home country’s border with France, and moving it resulted in an approximate 3,000 square foot loss of territory for the French.  Luckily, the change in location was quickly caught and resolved without international incident.  The quick discovery and resulting amicable resolution between the two nations was made possible in large part because the local Belgian municipality, Erquelinnes, had geo-localized the stones in 2019 for its 200th anniversary and knew exactly where it should have been.  A few days after the story went viral, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court addressed what happens when municipalities here misplace their historic markers and later disagree over the location of their common boundaries.  In Woodward Twp. Mun. Corp. of Clinton County, Pa. v. Dunnstable Twp. Mun. Corp. of Clinton County, Pa., Nos. 704 C.D. 2020, 733 C.D. 2020 (Pa. Cmwlth. May 12, 2021), disagreement over boundary stones and surveys dating back to 1844 resulted in a modern-day battle of the experts to determine exactly where the shared boundary of the two townships actually lies.

Although it was avoided by the farmer in Erquelinnes, wars and lawsuits are often fought over the location of boundaries, whether they are private, municipal, or international.  Consequently, Pennsylvania law provides certain protections for the agreed upon location of municipal boundaries, and establishes procedures for both how to change them willingly, and how to resolve disputes surrounding their location.  …

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