Responding to the announcement that the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources had successfully auctioned $128.4 million in gas exploration leases, the Pennsylvania Sierra Club called on Gov. Rendell to restore the funding to the agencies that administer state lands.

Last fall, state parks and state forests were subject to several budget cuts, which would require closure of some 24 state parks and reduce recreational access in state forests.

Jeff Schmidt, director of the Pennsylvania Sierra Club stated: “The budget ax fell unfairly on the two agencies which manage the gas exploration process - the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Department of Environmental Protection.” Numerous staff people were furloughed in both agencies.

“When gas exploration companies can offer $4000 an acre to look for gas, we know that it is not a struggling, infant industry, as has been portrayed in its press releases,” Mr. Schmidt said.

Major companies, such as Anadarko Exploration, Chesapeake, and Seneca Resources, submitted bids for the leases. In addition to the 32,000 acres recently leased, 600,000 acres of the state forests has been opened to drilling.

“It is time to a step back and look at the consequences to our forests,” Mr. Schmidt continued. According to the Governor’s office, 1,984 Marcellus gas well permits were issued last year, and 763 wells were drilled.

The Pennsylvania Sierra Club has supported a proposed gas severance tax on gas produced in the Marcellus Shale region of Pennsylvania. “Gas drilling causes unavoidable and damaging environmental effects. A severance tax would compensate the Commonwealth for repairing the long-term damage to our environment.”