Post by melody on Feb 16, 2015 10:40:20 GMT -5
Despite Executive Order, state parks and forests remain vulnerable to gas drilling
Author: Jason Gottesman, PLS
Friday, February 13, 2015/Categories: News and Views
Gov. Tom Wolf at the end of January reissued a Rendell-era Executive Order placing a moratorium on natural gas drilling and development on state parks and forest lands.
However, the order only applied to land where the Commonwealth owns both the surface and subsurface rights.
This leaves privately held subsurface mineral rights in state lands open to natural gas drilling should the subsurface owners enter lease agreements with gas companies.
Currently, the Commonwealth owns only 20 percent of subsurface mineral rights in state parks and 80 percent of such rights in state forest lands.
This does not mean that the Wolf administration is without arrows in its quiver to try and stop natural gas development in these state lands.
During his campaign, now-Gov. Wolf indicated one possible solution--particularly as it pertains to Ohiopyle--would be to use current natural gas revenues received by the Commonwealth to buy up subsurface mineral rights.
In recent conversations with the Wolf administration, The PLS Reporter has learned that this remains on the table as one of a panoply of options.
“Gov. Wolf is concerned about the potential impact on Ohiopyle,” said Gov. Wolf’s spokesperson Jeff Sheridan. “If the mineral rights owners decide to explore natural gas extraction, he will work with [Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Acting] Sec. Dunn to explore the state’s options to protect this important natural asset.”
Reached for comment, the department itself said a strategy for preservation will be considered should the situation arise.
“DCNR will work with the governor’s office to determine what our options are should we be approached about accessing natural gas at Ohiopyle, or any other state park, where the subsurface rights are held privately,” said department press secretary Christina Novak.
Environmental advocates expressed concern about the possibility of future drilling in state parks.
“State parks are the gem of the public land system in Pennsylvania,” said Davitt Woodwell, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, a group of affiliated environmental organizations aimed at protecting and restoring Pennsylvania’s natural and built environments.
He argued land’s recreational purpose should be maintained as the sole purpose and not be used as public or private revenue generators or resource suppliers.
“We need to do everything we can to make sure there’s no surface development in the state parks,” he said.
In order to do this, he said buying mineral rights under state land is one possible solution, though he doubted the resources exist to do that for all state parks and forest land.
“We’re unfortunately in a situation where I think you have to wait and see and take each one of those situations as they come along,” he said.
Despite all this, Woodwell pointed out—as a practical matter—surface disturbance of state parks is unlikely.
“You’re not going to do anything that's not going to be good from a PR perspective to drill here,” he stated.
Author: Jason Gottesman, PLS
Friday, February 13, 2015/Categories: News and Views
Gov. Tom Wolf at the end of January reissued a Rendell-era Executive Order placing a moratorium on natural gas drilling and development on state parks and forest lands.
However, the order only applied to land where the Commonwealth owns both the surface and subsurface rights.
This leaves privately held subsurface mineral rights in state lands open to natural gas drilling should the subsurface owners enter lease agreements with gas companies.
Currently, the Commonwealth owns only 20 percent of subsurface mineral rights in state parks and 80 percent of such rights in state forest lands.
This does not mean that the Wolf administration is without arrows in its quiver to try and stop natural gas development in these state lands.
During his campaign, now-Gov. Wolf indicated one possible solution--particularly as it pertains to Ohiopyle--would be to use current natural gas revenues received by the Commonwealth to buy up subsurface mineral rights.
In recent conversations with the Wolf administration, The PLS Reporter has learned that this remains on the table as one of a panoply of options.
“Gov. Wolf is concerned about the potential impact on Ohiopyle,” said Gov. Wolf’s spokesperson Jeff Sheridan. “If the mineral rights owners decide to explore natural gas extraction, he will work with [Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Acting] Sec. Dunn to explore the state’s options to protect this important natural asset.”
Reached for comment, the department itself said a strategy for preservation will be considered should the situation arise.
“DCNR will work with the governor’s office to determine what our options are should we be approached about accessing natural gas at Ohiopyle, or any other state park, where the subsurface rights are held privately,” said department press secretary Christina Novak.
Environmental advocates expressed concern about the possibility of future drilling in state parks.
“State parks are the gem of the public land system in Pennsylvania,” said Davitt Woodwell, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, a group of affiliated environmental organizations aimed at protecting and restoring Pennsylvania’s natural and built environments.
He argued land’s recreational purpose should be maintained as the sole purpose and not be used as public or private revenue generators or resource suppliers.
“We need to do everything we can to make sure there’s no surface development in the state parks,” he said.
In order to do this, he said buying mineral rights under state land is one possible solution, though he doubted the resources exist to do that for all state parks and forest land.
“We’re unfortunately in a situation where I think you have to wait and see and take each one of those situations as they come along,” he said.
Despite all this, Woodwell pointed out—as a practical matter—surface disturbance of state parks is unlikely.
“You’re not going to do anything that's not going to be good from a PR perspective to drill here,” he stated.