A yearslong battle against fracking in Penn Township continued Thursday when a local environmental group asked the state to deny permits for two unconventional gas wells.

Fifteen members of Protect PT protested outside the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s southwest regional office on Washington’s Landing in Pittsburgh. They expressed concerns about permits for gas wells submitted by Pine-based Apex Energy for the Drakulic Well Pad, located along First Street in Trafford.

“We will not stand for this anymore,” said Gillian Graber, executive director of Protect PT. “We are tired of being the sacrifice zone for the entire state. We are tired of it, and we won’t take it anymore. We will challenge this permit as far as we possibly can.”

DEP spokeswoman Lauren Fraley said Apex in July submitted two permits for Drakulic well pads 1H and 2H. Those are under review. DEP is obligated to review the applications in accordance with state laws and regulations, she said.

According to Protect PT, about 900 residents live within a half-mile of the proposed sites and roughly 2,800 live within one mile — an areas that also includes Level Green Elementary School.

“I’m very concerned about my community,” said Larry Irr, who lives almost a half-mile from the site.

Irr, 69, who spoke during the protest, said concerns with the proposed fracking site largely center around an emergency plan, which he called “woefully deficient.” He noted that if an evacuation was necessary, Route 130 is the only way out.

The community also is home to many children and elderly residents, Graber said.

Other concerns expressed by Protect PT centered around noise and the potential for toxins to leak into the air and water.

Several residents surrounding the proposed well site sent objection letters to the DEP and requested a public hearing, Graber said.

“DEP received and reviewed comments on the well permit applications from members of the community, including individuals and a nongovernmental organization named Protect PT,” Fraley said. “DEP twice offered to meet with Protect PT to provide a forum to discuss and attempt to resolve concerns. Protect PT indicated that it was not interested in such a meeting in response to DEP’s first offer, and Protect PT did not respond to DEP’s second offer.”

Talks surrounding the Drakulic Well Pad have been ongoing for several years. Apex in 2017 received approval from Penn Township’s Zoning Hearing Board for special zoning exceptions for the Backus, Drakulic and Deutsch pads. The zoning hearing board a month prior approved the Numis well pad near Pleasant Valley and Beulah roads.

The approvals came after the township settled with the energy company to avoid a $300 million lawsuit filed after the zoning hearing board in 2016 rejected well pads Beattie, Draftina and White. In the settlement, Apex agreed to several stipulations that included hiring a third party to track air and sound quality during construction.

In addition, company officials said they would create a 24-hour emergency hotline for township officials and build sound-blocking barriers around the sites.

That same year, Protect PT filed a lawsuit contending the zoning hearing board erred when it granted permits to Apex Energy to begin drilling at four sites. The environmental group has continued to challenge Drakulic well pads 1H and 7H, filing appeals with the Environmental Hearing Board.

Those who gathered at the DEP office on Thursday held several cardboard and poster board signs, which read “Pro-gas is anti-health,” “Families over frack pads,” “Fracking scares me to death” and “Not in our neighborhood,” which was accompanied by a cutout of Mr. Rogers.

Another protester donned a white sheet, symbolizing a ghost, and held a sign reading, “Boom and bust industry turns our communities into ghost towns.”

Following the protest, Graber said she would deliver a letter regarding concerns expressed during the event to Jim Miller, director of the southwest regional office. She also called on the Legislature in Harrisburg to make changes to the fracking industry.

“We want Harrisburg to listen because we know this doesn’t stop here with this office,” Graber said. “We know that Harrisburg has the power to do something about this and to uphold our constitutional rights, and we hope that they will do so, finally, after a decade of destruction to our communities.”

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