Civic, religious and environmental groups Thursday called on Gov. Tom Corbett to reverse his decision to permit additional leasing of mineral rights in state parks and forests for natural gas drilling during a news conference organized by Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware), Minority Chair of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.

"This is bad public policy," said rep. Vitali. "If Gov. Corbett wants to raise additional revenues from gas drilling he should impose a severance tax instead."

The Rev. Sandra L. Strauss from the Pennsylvania Council of Churches said the governor's decision violates the Pennsylvania constitution, which calls for the land to be preserved for all -- now and into the future – and notes that public natural resources are common property.

"Our children and grandchildren will inherit the environmental problems we leave behind," Strauss said. "Future generations already face tremendous debts. It's up to us to speak up, reminding our governor and our General Assembly of their duty to uphold Pennsylvania's Constitution, and raising our faith voices to call for a halt to the governor's disgraceful action."

Pennsylvania Sierra Club Chapter Director Joanne Kilgour said the impacts of drilling are already being felt on state lands, and she noted that from 2008 to 2012, more than 300 notices of violations were issued to gas drilling-related companies for incidents such as brine spills and residual waste discharges. An expansion of drilling, she said, would make matters worse.

"This summer, as you are hiking with your spouse, teaching your children to fish, and picnicking along the banks of a clean trout stream, imagine the loud, polluting noise of a compressor station or hundreds of large, industrial trucks passing by on the way to a nearby well pad," Kilgour said.

Delaware Riverkeeper Maya Von Rossum said the governor's order will invite, inspire and spawn industrial development along state parks and forests, and eventually pave the way for the state to open parks entirely for drilling.

Also speaking were PennFuture Policy Director Steve Stroman, PennEnvironment Advocate Kristen Cevoli, Clean Water Action Central Pennsylvania Campaign Coordinator Nathan Sooy, Pennsylvania League of Women Voters President Susan Carty and Ralph Kisberg from the Responsible Drilling Alliance.

Forty-four percent of state forestland, or 673,000 acres, already is subject to Marcellus shale drilling.

Meanwhile, Rep. Vitali is awaiting details from the Corbett administration about plans for expanded gas drilling. The Pennsylvania Office of Open Records last week granted Rep. Vitali's appeal seeking details about Corbett’s plan to raise the $75 million through the additional leasing of mineral rights.

Rep. Vitali sought information about what parks and forests are under consideration for drilling, how many acres would be leased, which companies will be doing the drilling and how the $75 million figure was calculated.

He has yet to hear from the administration, and said the information is needed to properly consider the budget that General Assembly will vote on next month.

Governor’s Energy Executive

Patrick Henderson, the Governor’s Energy Executive, issued this statement in response to Rep. Vitali's comments--

“It is ironic that Rep. Vitali now opposes limited, no-surface disturbance leasing of DCNR lands, when he was more than willing to vote multiple times to support budgets in 2009 and 2010 that relied on oil and gas revenues under former Gov. Rendell.  

“Unlike Gov. Corbett’s executive order, the leasing of 130,000 acres under the Rendell Administration allowed surface disturbance on state lands.  Rep. Vitali held no press conferences and issued no news releases condemning this action – which he voted for – and which transferred nearly $400 million to the Commonwealth’s general budget.

“Under Gov. Corbett, natural gas development is held to among the highest environmental standards in the nation.  Gov. Corbett authorized 15 additional DCNR staff to monitor and oversee shale gas development on state forest land; created a citizen-led natural gas advisory committee; issued the first ever comprehensive impacts assessment of gas development; authorized an impact fee that has generated over $630 million; and signed into law a sweeping enhancement of environmental protection standards in 2012.

“Under the Governor’s plan, no new surface disturbance will occur on state lands. Using advancements in technology, we can safely extract natural gas, at competitive market rates, from already planned or existing sites on adjacent properties.  This will help to generate, over time, hundreds of millions of dollars for the benefit of the Commonwealth’s citizens.  All royalty proceeds go directly to state park and forest improvements.

“We have offered to meet with Rep. Vitali and many of the groups assembled at today’s conference on several occasions, but is seems they are more interested in partisan politics than constructive discussion.”

Gov. Corbett issued an Executive Order last week laying out the ground rules for any new drilling on State Forest or State Park lands.

Click Here for a fact sheet on the Executive Order and Non-surface Disturbance Leasing of DCNR Lands.  For more information, visit DCNR’s Natural Gas Development and State Forests webpage.

On June 2 the House Democratic Policy Committee holds a hearing on the proposal to expand gas drilling leasing on State Forest, State Park lands in Room 418 of the Capitol starting at 10:00.

NewsClips:

Rendell DCNR Officials Testify At Court Hearing On State Leasing

Injunction Sought To Block Additional State Forest Drilling

Court Hears Testimony In Lawsuit To Stop State Forest Drilling Plan

Court Hears Request To Block State Forest Leasing

Environmental Groups Files To Stop More State Gas Leasing

Op-Ed: Fracking Has Gone Far Enough In Penn’s Woods

Op-Ed: It’s A Good Thing PA Is Not An Anti-Fracking State

Editorial: Use Park Drilling Cash For Parks

Editorial: State Forests Already Host Plenty Of Gas Drilling

Editorial: Corbett Takes Protection Away From Sensitive Lands

Corbett: No Interest In Adding Natural Gas Severance Tax

Bumsted: Handicapping A Shale Extraction Tax

Cabot Drilling Company Wins Governor’s Community Impact Award

6/2/2014