PA Environment Digest

The Game Commission presented its annual report this week to the House Game and Fisheries Committee again highlighting the need for additional financial resources to accomplish its mission and reported environmental problems with the first two Marcellus Shale natural gas wells drilled on State Game Lands.

"It has been 11 years since our last increase. As I always mention, I do not know of any company that is surviving on a revenue stream based on 1999 values. Certainly the rest of state government has not been held to those levels," said Carl Roe, Executive Director of the Game Commission. "In fact, if our budget would have been allowed to increase at the same rate as the rest of the state, we would have been able to spend $95.2 million instead of the roughly $68 million we have spent for the past three years.

"A license increase is about funding the wildlife resources of the Commonwealth. It is about how you want to resource our efforts to take care of wildlife for the citizens of the Commonwealth.

"In addition to no increase in revenues, we were also hampered to perform our mission by the hiring freeze and other actions. We were not allowed to hire key personnel that we needed to address critical problems. Examples of that was not hiring members of our forest inventory team and delaying the hiring of our one geologist that does our oil, gas and mineral, activities.

"What was difficult to understand was that our budget was approved and we had monies to hire these important positions. It was very frustrating and the reality is since we have a separate special fund it did not affect the bottom line of the general fund budget at all.

"We were also not allowed to purchase much needed vehicles last year and so far this year we have not been able to purchase vehicles again even though they are in the budget and approved. This just complicates matters as we are delaying needed infrastructure issues that will come due in the future."

Roe also reported the first two Marcellus Shale natural gas wells drilled on State Game Lands in Centre and Clearfield counties resulted in incidents of "environmental degradation."

He said in one case fracking the well caused the contamination of a water supply for a fish hatchery. In the other instance a collection pipe was laid across a stream that resulted in a leak to the stream.

He noted again the inability to hire additional staff inhibits the ability of the Commission to prevent problems in the field. "If you're not watching, things tend to happen," said Roe.

Roe also highlighted the Commission's efforts to invite public comments and questions on the state's deer management program, including the upcoming open houses.

A copy of Roe's testimony is available online. Click here to download the annual report.

Rep. Ed Staback (D-Schuylkill), serves as Majority Chair, and Rep. Ron Miller (R-York) serves as Minority Chair.

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