Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware), Minority Chair of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, Thursday has filed two new Right-to-Know requests seeking information about Gov. Corbett’s plan to raise $75 million through the additional leasing of state parks and forests for natural gas drilling.

The new requests were filed with the Office of the Budget and the Governor’s Office.

Rep. Vitali also said he will appeal the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' April 11 denial of his original request seeking the same information.

Rep. Vitali noted that in its denial, DCNR specifically directed him to the Office of the Budget.  He also filed a Right-to-Know request with the Governor’s Office because the Governor’s Energy Executive Patrick Henderson is a likely possessor of this information.

Rep. Vitali said he is requesting this information because the legislature needs to know which parks and forests are under consideration for drilling, how many acres will be leased, which companies will be doing the drilling and how the $75 million figure was calculated.

“It’s important to obtain this information so we can put a face on this proposal,” Rep. Vitali said “The legislature and the public need to be aware of the specific consequences of Corbett’s plan.”

The budget presented by Corbett on February 4 proposed raising an additional $75 million from "non-surface impact” drilling. Rep. Vitali is opposed to this proposal. He said that the better way to raise revenue through gas drilling is with a severance tax.

Rep. Vitali said drilling is a highly industrial activity, an expansion of which will undoubtedly have negative impact on state parks and forests.

DCNR acknowledged the negative impacts of drilling in its Shale Gas Monitoring report, released Wednesday, that states: "Natural gas development ... affects a variety of forest resources and values, such as recreational opportunities, the forest’s wild character, scenic beauty, and plant and wildlife habitat.”

According to the DCNR monitoring report, 44 percent of state forestland, or 673,000 acres, that sits atop the Marcellus Shale, is already subject to drilling.

NewsClips:

State Forests Becoming Less Wild With Growth Of Drilling

DCNR Report Quantifies Marcellus Impacts On Public Lands

DCNR Releases First Marcellus Monitoring Report

Report On Gas Drilling In State Forests Released

Drilling In State Forests, Impacts And Trade-Offs

Letter: State Is Good Steward Of Drilling On Public Lands

Op-Ed: Corbett Drilling Plan Is Good For Parks

Another GOP Lawmaker Backs Drilling Industry Tax

State Reaps $582M Windfall On Gas Drilling In State Forests

4/21/2014