I've been very busy with holiday related stuff at home and work related stuff at work, but I did want to remark on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court striking down parts of Corbett's Crony drilling laws.
In the rush to develop shale gas here in the Commonwealth, the Republican controlled house and senate, backed by Governor Bought-and-Paid for, passed regulations very favorable to the drilling industry. Part of the law stripped local governments of their right to zone property.
So if a driller bought land in a residential neighborhood, you could not stop them from drilling a well, putting up storage facilities, regulate truck traffic, etc. Several muncipalities sued, claiming that they had the right to zone land for industrial, commercial, residential and agricultural use, and thus had a right to limit industrial activities in residential areas.
This crazy law also prevented doctors from advising their patients about the potential hazards posed by the chemicals used in hydrolic fracking. I guess the legislature and the governor were unfamiliar with the First Amendmanet?
In any case, its nice to see the Court issue a ruling that benefits the little guy.