Pennsylvania’s environmental regulator will study a plan to sharply increase the distance between new natural gas drilling sites and homes, schools and hospitals.

That development follows a vote Tuesday by the state’s Environmental Quality Board, which adopts regulations by the Department of Environmental Protection. The board approved a petition by two environmental groups for the department to formally review a proposed regulation that would increase from the current 500 feet the minimum distance that gas pads can be built from certain sensitive locations.

The proposal calls for the setback from homes to increase to 3,281 feet (1 kilometer) and from schools and hospitals to 5,280 feet (1 mile). The rule would also ban new gas development within 750 feet of a surface water body.

The pr

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