Thirty-five conservation, outdoor, environmental protection, and civic engagement organizations Wednesday issued a letter to state legislators urging opposition to Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposal to lift an existing moratorium on natural gas leasing in Pennsylvania’s state forests.

The letter also calls on legislators to vote against any budget proposal that incorporates revenue from new gas leases.

“Gov. Corbett plans to sign away the future of our natural forests, endangering them and threatening the long term benefits they provide for Pennsylvania’s future,” said Steve Hvozdovich of Clean Water Action. “Our legislators have a responsibility to stand up to him and to vote against this dangerous proposal.”

A petition circulated by the allied organizations has already gained thousands of signatures. The groups will deliver those signatures to Gov. Corbett on February 25 during a joint day of action.

"Our state parks and forests are owned by the people of this state and they are ready to step up and ensure they are protected from the dangers of gas drilling,” said Adam Garber of PennEnvironment. “The Governor’s proposal is a danger they don’t want—and that’s why thousands have spoken out in just the last two weeks to protect the places they love—for now and future generations.”

The groups argue that the long-term risks to the health of these forests significantly outweighs the short-term benefit of plugging holes in the state budget and outline the environmental and economic risks of the proposal.

“Is nothing sacred?” asked Karen Feridun of Berks Gas Truth.  “State forests were created to provide access to nature for our families, not to plug holes in the Governor’s budget.”

The letter cites a Franklin and Marshall poll that found 68 percent of Pennsylvanians opposed to further drilling in state forests.  It also disputes the idea of “non-impact drilling,” noting that areas adjacent to drilling activity face include noise disturbance, heavy truck traffic, air pollution, and, as the recent tragic gas well fire in Greene County demonstrated, threat of genuine emergency.

"The thousands of Pennsylvanians who have been struggling with the on-the-ground realities of natural gas development can attest to the fact that there is no such as thing as non-impact drilling,” said Joanne Kilgour, Chapter Director of the Sierra Club in Pennsylvania.  “It is a misrepresentation of reality, and an insult to those who have lived with wells on or near their property, to suggest otherwise."

Finally, the letter notes that of 1.5 million acres of state forests above the Marcellus Shale formation, nearly half have already been made available to gas drillers under both the Rendell and Corbett administrations.  Many of those leases are as yet undrilled, suggesting that this new plan has more to do with the state budget than with energy independence, as Gov. Corbett would have people believe.

"The ongoing, environmentally damaging, and politically unpopular desolation of state parks and forests is the result of bad decisions from both Democrats and Republicans,” said Josh McNeil of Conservation Voters of PA.  “If Gov. Corbett pushes forward with this proposal, legislators from both parties have an obligation to stand up against yet another bad decision.”

Background

Gov. Rendell issued an Executive Order in 2010 prohibiting further leasing on State Forest and Park land after his Administration leased 137,000 acres of State Forest for Marcellus Shale drilling.  The moratorium was issued on October 26 just days before the November gubernatorial election.

Gov. Corbett has proposed to issue a new Executive Order prohibiting the leasing of further State Forest or Park land, but allowing new leases where they will not involve any additional drill pads or infrastructure or where horizontal drilling can take place from private land adjacent to DCNR-owned land without having an impact on the surface.

DCNR Secretary Ellen Ferretti told the Senate Appropriations Committee Wednesday the $75 million expected to be generated from this new leasing would be prioritized for use by DCNR.  She also said neither DCNR’s current budget nor the Enhanced Penn’s Woods infrastructure initiative would depend on the additional leasing.

Secretary Ferretti explained the state does not own the mineral rights to 80 percent of State Park land and 20 percent of State Forest land and cannot prohibit the owners of those mineral rights from exercising their rights.  She said DCNR would work with these owners to obtain voluntary agreements to limit any adverse impacts on parks or forests.

The text of the environmental groups’ letter follows:

Dear Legislators:

The undersigned organizations urge you to oppose Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed plan to end the existing moratorium on gas leasing in state forests and ask you to vote against any budget that incorporates revenue from that plan.  Reopening state forests to new gas development fills a one-time budget gap with decades of risk and the vast majority of Pennsylvanians oppose it.

Pennsylvania state forests are recreational and ecologic gems as well as leading drivers of our tourism economy. Our state forests consist of more than 2.2 million acres of pristine wilderness that are home to a variety of animals including black bear, wild turkey, native brook trout, and rare birds. Parks and forests offer opportunities for hiking, cross-country skiing, mountain biking, horseback riding and is one of the best sources for hunting and fishing.

Gov. Corbett’s proposal to balance the 2014 budget by opening up our state forests to further gas leasing threatens both the environmental and economic benefits our forests provide. His proposal would end the moratorium on new leases for natural gas drilling former Gov. Ed Rendell put in place. Former Governor Rendell issued the moratorium in October 2010 because he determined that more forest drilling would “jeopardize fragile ecosystems.”

The public agrees with former Gov. Rendell’s decision. A poll in September 2013 by Mercyhurst University found that 67 percent of Pennsylvanians thought gas extraction should not occur in state parks. A more recent January 2014 poll by Franklin and Marshall College found that 68 percent of Pennsylvanians oppose additional gas development in state forests. Gov. Corbett’s proposal is an affront to the wishes of Pennsylvanians. Advancement and support for this proposal would signal that our government is not listening and that the opinions of citizens don’t matter.

Gas exploration and drilling causes impact to the state forests. There is no such thing as no-impact drilling. Even proximity to drilling puts our forests at risk. Pollution respects no boundaries. Accidents with natural gas drilling operations like spills of toxic wastewater, explosions, and methane migration have occurred across the Commonwealth. Additional drilling will mean noise and light disturbance from heavy machinery, seismic exploration, construction of new roads and pipelines, and increased truck traffic.  These potential dangers and activities increase the risk of upsetting the natural habitat of animals, disrupting the peace that is associated with enjoying nature and threatening the health of nearby families.

Nearly half of the 1.5 million acres of state forest the Commonwealth owns that overlays with the Marcellus shale have already been leased, while much of the leased land has yet to be drilled. Have we not already leased enough land for the natural gas industry? According to a study the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) finished in 2010, all of the unleased forest land is in ecologically sensitive areas or cannot be accessed without cutting through ecologically sensitive areas.  According to former DCNR Deputy Secretary John Quigley, the Rendell administration scoured the state forest for tracts that were not ecologically sensitive and could still be leased. “We found all the needles in the haystack at that time, said Quigley. “I don't know where there are additional tracts like that.”

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently reminded us that we have an obligation to protect our forests for future generations. Once the integrity of our state forests are destroyed there is no turning back. Our state forests were established as sacred places for the enjoyment of all and the conservation of the natural environment—not as future industrial sites used to fill short term revenue needs. We need to preserve these places for future generations as they were preserved in the past for us.

Again, we ask you to oppose Gov. Corbett’s proposal to lease our state forests for natural gas drilling and any budget proposal that includes it. We look forward to any comments or questions you may have on this subject and offer our support to any leader standing in opposition to this irresponsible and irrevocable action.

Respectfully,

Clean Water Action

Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania

Damascus Citizens for Sustainability

Pro-Pike-PA

Citizens for Water

Upper Burrell Citizens Against Marcellus Pollution (CAMP)

Center for Coalfield Justice

Earthworks

Berks Gas Truth

Lehigh Valley Gas Truth

Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper

Sierra Club PA Chapter

Delaware Riverkeeper Network

Mountain Watershed Association

Sierra Club Southeastern PA Group

Pipeline Safety Coalition

South Hills Activists Against Dangerous Drilling

Westmoreland Marcellus Citizens' Group

Peach Bottom Concerned Citizens Group

PA Forest Coalition

Independence Conservancy

Raymond Proffitt Foundation

Sierra Club, Allegheny Group

South Branch Tunkhannock Creek Watershed Coalition

Pennsylvania Council of Churches

Responsible Drilling Alliance

Aquashicola/ Pohopoco Watershed Conservancy

Quittapahilla Audubon Society

Protecting Our Waters

Greenpeace

PennEnvironment

Food and Water Watch

Pine Creek Valley Watershed Association, Inc.

League of Women Voters Pennsylvania

Keystone Trails Association

2/24/2014