Post by melody on Aug 23, 2013 11:18:52 GMT -5
COALITION PETITIONS CORBETT ADMINISTRATION FOR HEARINGS ON LOYALSOCK DRILLING
By Mike Howells, PA Legislative Services
8/22/13
A coalition of environmental and recreational advocacy groups today submitted a petition of more than 12,000 signatures to the Corbett Administration, urging a “formal, comprehensive public input process,” including six public hearings, on the subject of opening up areas of Loyalsock State Forest to natural gas drilling.
The coalition consists of groups including PennEnvironment, PennFuture, the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Keystone Trails Association, Audubon Pennsylvania, the Responsible Drilling Alliance, and the Pennsylvania Forest Coalition.
PennEnvironment Field Director Adam Garber criticized Gov. Corbett and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) for failing to keep any records of testimony from the lone hearing held thus far on plans to open up further areas of Loyalsock to the natural gas industry.
“Our message is clear,” Garber said. “The people of Pennsylvania are the owners and stewards of this land, yet instead of garnering input from the state’s citizens, Gov. Corbett’s administration has avoided every opportunity for official public input.”
Retired Bureau of Forestry official Butch Davey, who managed areas of Pennsylvania forests that have been subjected to drilling operations, offered an account of the effects of drilling on state lands. He presented a comparison of scale between conventional drilling operations versus newer fracking techniques used to obtain gas in the Marcellus Shale and indicated new drilling sites are considerably more impactful than older ones.
Davey said his desire is for a statewide public discussion to allow Pennsylvanians to decide “what do we really want to do.”
Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) said the goal of the coalition and the state ought to be ensuring Loyalsock State Forest remains in substantially the same condition it is presently in. He contended the issue is a statewide one, noting constituents in his district own land and property in rural areas like Lycoming County, where the forest is located and gas drilling is ongoing, and alleged the plan submitted by drilling company Anadarko Petroleum “would truly destroy the character” of Loyalsock.
“Make no mistake,” Rep. Vitali remarked. “The governor does have the power to affect this outcome.”
Jeff Schmidt, Director of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Sierra Club, noted that the comments of the Sierra Club’s former national president, who testified at the initial hearing, were never recorded by DCNR.
“It is clear that the Corbett Administration has to stop the charade and undertake a real public hearing process,” he said.
Steve Stroman, policy director for PennFuture, said it is impossible for DCNR and the administration to determine whether right-of-way agreements are in the public interest without public input, and echoed the call for further hearings.
Paul Zeph, director of conservation for Audubon Pennsylvania, detailed several species of bird that make their home in the forests of Loyalsock and whose livelihood depends on protecting the woodland there, which has been identified by the Audubon Society as an Important Bird Area. Among them, he identified the scarlet tanager, wood thrush, black-throated warbler, black-throated green warbler, and northern goshawk.
Curt Ashenfelter, executive director of the Keystone Trails Association, described various trails running through Loyalsock that would be disrupted or have to be redirected as a result of expanded drilling operations. He also noted the potential for other negative impacts associated with drilling activity that have been experienced in other forest areas, including seismic charges placed on trails, and industrial level of noise pollution.
In conjunction with the petition, which a Corbett official was on hand to receive on behalf of the administration, the coalition announced the launch of a new website to support the initiative, www.saveloyalsock.org.
By Mike Howells, PA Legislative Services
8/22/13
A coalition of environmental and recreational advocacy groups today submitted a petition of more than 12,000 signatures to the Corbett Administration, urging a “formal, comprehensive public input process,” including six public hearings, on the subject of opening up areas of Loyalsock State Forest to natural gas drilling.
The coalition consists of groups including PennEnvironment, PennFuture, the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Keystone Trails Association, Audubon Pennsylvania, the Responsible Drilling Alliance, and the Pennsylvania Forest Coalition.
PennEnvironment Field Director Adam Garber criticized Gov. Corbett and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) for failing to keep any records of testimony from the lone hearing held thus far on plans to open up further areas of Loyalsock to the natural gas industry.
“Our message is clear,” Garber said. “The people of Pennsylvania are the owners and stewards of this land, yet instead of garnering input from the state’s citizens, Gov. Corbett’s administration has avoided every opportunity for official public input.”
Retired Bureau of Forestry official Butch Davey, who managed areas of Pennsylvania forests that have been subjected to drilling operations, offered an account of the effects of drilling on state lands. He presented a comparison of scale between conventional drilling operations versus newer fracking techniques used to obtain gas in the Marcellus Shale and indicated new drilling sites are considerably more impactful than older ones.
Davey said his desire is for a statewide public discussion to allow Pennsylvanians to decide “what do we really want to do.”
Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) said the goal of the coalition and the state ought to be ensuring Loyalsock State Forest remains in substantially the same condition it is presently in. He contended the issue is a statewide one, noting constituents in his district own land and property in rural areas like Lycoming County, where the forest is located and gas drilling is ongoing, and alleged the plan submitted by drilling company Anadarko Petroleum “would truly destroy the character” of Loyalsock.
“Make no mistake,” Rep. Vitali remarked. “The governor does have the power to affect this outcome.”
Jeff Schmidt, Director of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Sierra Club, noted that the comments of the Sierra Club’s former national president, who testified at the initial hearing, were never recorded by DCNR.
“It is clear that the Corbett Administration has to stop the charade and undertake a real public hearing process,” he said.
Steve Stroman, policy director for PennFuture, said it is impossible for DCNR and the administration to determine whether right-of-way agreements are in the public interest without public input, and echoed the call for further hearings.
Paul Zeph, director of conservation for Audubon Pennsylvania, detailed several species of bird that make their home in the forests of Loyalsock and whose livelihood depends on protecting the woodland there, which has been identified by the Audubon Society as an Important Bird Area. Among them, he identified the scarlet tanager, wood thrush, black-throated warbler, black-throated green warbler, and northern goshawk.
Curt Ashenfelter, executive director of the Keystone Trails Association, described various trails running through Loyalsock that would be disrupted or have to be redirected as a result of expanded drilling operations. He also noted the potential for other negative impacts associated with drilling activity that have been experienced in other forest areas, including seismic charges placed on trails, and industrial level of noise pollution.
In conjunction with the petition, which a Corbett official was on hand to receive on behalf of the administration, the coalition announced the launch of a new website to support the initiative, www.saveloyalsock.org.
