Township officials had opposed the measure, saying an ordinance passed in August already restricted natural-gas drilling to a small fraction of township parcels, and limited environmental impacts and noise.
"This has been one of the most contentious and divisive elections in all my experience in the township, on and off council," Township Council Chairman Robert Atkison said. "I hope now we can all get over that and take on the real issues facing the township."
Township officials said the drilling ban would have invited lawsuits by property owners who wanted to lease their land to drillers, and perhaps by the drillers themselves. The August ordinance limits drilling to parcels 40 acres or larger, restricts access to certain roads, and requires buffers between wells and various structures, including homes.
Jules Lobel, a University of Pittsburgh law professor who represented the anti-drilling group in court, said the issue concerned the "whole question of local control over one's life, over things that matter."
Drilling opponent Rod Fletcher lamented: "We got creamed."
