Post by melody on Mar 27, 2014 19:22:01 GMT -5
* March 19, 2014 02:55 PM
* Rep. Rick Mirabito
* Legislation Empowering Citizens to Protect Public Lands
*
*
* In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation to give citizens
* much greater input into significant decisions affecting State Forest
* lands in Pennsylvania and to require much greater transparency and
* accountability on the part of the Department of Conservation and
* Natural Resources (DCNR), the state agency which makes these decisions.
*
* Pennsylvania's State Forests are public lands, and DCNR is required by
* law to manage our State Forest lands as a trustee for the benefit of
* all Pennsylvanians, including generations yet to come. Recent
* developments involving the Loyalsock State Forest in Lycoming County
* have shown that DCNR currently is not required to inform or engage the
* public in a meaningful way when it makes significant and far-reaching
* decisions regarding the management of these public lands.
*
* This legislation will amend the Conservation and Natural Resources Act
* to require DCNR to provide notice and seek public input before
* authorizing any major unconventional gas development project on State
* Forest lands in Pennsylvania.
*
* The bill does not cover shallow gas or oil wells.
*
* Citizens have a right and a responsibility to know what developments
* are being proposed on public lands for their input to be meaningful.
* Specifically, the bill will require:
*
*
*
* - a public comment period;
*
*
*
* - at least one public hearing or meeting;
*
*
*
* - access for the public during the comment period to proposed
* development plans; and
*
*
*
* - a requirement that DCNR share with the public during the comment
* period the agency's analysis of the potential impacts of the proposed
* unconventional gas development on ecological, wildlife, recreational,
* cultural and aesthetic resources.
*
* The development of the lands already leased for gas development will
* have significant short-term and long-term impacts. This legislation
* does not diminish DCNR's authority to make decisions regarding natural
* gas development on State Forest land. The legislation, however, does
* allow the public to obtain information and an opportunity to comment on
* how industry leases will be developed to ensure that industry and the
* state avoid, diminish or mitigate adverse impacts.
* Rep. Rick Mirabito
* Legislation Empowering Citizens to Protect Public Lands
*
*
* In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation to give citizens
* much greater input into significant decisions affecting State Forest
* lands in Pennsylvania and to require much greater transparency and
* accountability on the part of the Department of Conservation and
* Natural Resources (DCNR), the state agency which makes these decisions.
*
* Pennsylvania's State Forests are public lands, and DCNR is required by
* law to manage our State Forest lands as a trustee for the benefit of
* all Pennsylvanians, including generations yet to come. Recent
* developments involving the Loyalsock State Forest in Lycoming County
* have shown that DCNR currently is not required to inform or engage the
* public in a meaningful way when it makes significant and far-reaching
* decisions regarding the management of these public lands.
*
* This legislation will amend the Conservation and Natural Resources Act
* to require DCNR to provide notice and seek public input before
* authorizing any major unconventional gas development project on State
* Forest lands in Pennsylvania.
*
* The bill does not cover shallow gas or oil wells.
*
* Citizens have a right and a responsibility to know what developments
* are being proposed on public lands for their input to be meaningful.
* Specifically, the bill will require:
*
*
*
* - a public comment period;
*
*
*
* - at least one public hearing or meeting;
*
*
*
* - access for the public during the comment period to proposed
* development plans; and
*
*
*
* - a requirement that DCNR share with the public during the comment
* period the agency's analysis of the potential impacts of the proposed
* unconventional gas development on ecological, wildlife, recreational,
* cultural and aesthetic resources.
*
* The development of the lands already leased for gas development will
* have significant short-term and long-term impacts. This legislation
* does not diminish DCNR's authority to make decisions regarding natural
* gas development on State Forest land. The legislation, however, does
* allow the public to obtain information and an opportunity to comment on
* how industry leases will be developed to ensure that industry and the
* state avoid, diminish or mitigate adverse impacts.
