Motions filed by members of the state Legislature and the Marcellus Shale industry to intervene in a legal challenge to Act 13—the commonwealth’s new law regulating drilling and related activities—were denied Friday.

Argument on the matter was held in Harrisburg Tuesday, and the ruling is the latest movement in the challenge filed by a cluster of municipalities, one organization and a medical doctor who have said the new regulations are unconstitutional.

In the order, senior Judge Keith B. Quigley ruled that the interests of the Pennsylvania Gas Association, Marcellus Shale Coaltion, MarkWest, Penneco Oil Co. and Chesapeake Appalacian would already be well represented by the court.

It also ruled that Senate President Pro Tem Joseph Scarnati and House Speaker Samuel H. Smith, who moved to intervene on behalf of the Legislature, were not eligible to be parties in the case.

To read the full order, click on the attached PDF in the right corner of this article.

“Less parties in the litigation process will allow it to move forward in a more expedited fashion,” said Cecil attorney John Smith, who is spearheading the challenge.