| ACT NOW! Drilling Has Consequences |
PA State Forests are in trouble- and so are the communities that depend upon them. If you have any inkling of enjoyment from our state parks, forests and game lands, not to mention our abundant trout streams and recreational areas or concern about the quality and quantity of our water supply, then please take a moment to read and act!
The proposed budget agreement announced September 11, 2009 includes a massive giveaway to huge, energy corporations that want substantial and immediate access to drill, in our public forests and parks. PA proposes to balance part of the budget at the cost of our state forests. To raise this money, the state would have to lease 100,000 acres of additional state forest land for drilling- far more than officials at the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) believe can be leased without severely fragmenting the forest, degrading water resources and burdening roads and other infrastructure. Forestry experts agree this can't happen!
660,000 acres of Pennsylvania state forest land are already open to oil and gas drilling. The current budget agreement includes $100 million in revenue from drilling on state forest land this year, plus another $125 million next fiscal year. This recent state budget agreement does not include a severance tax on gas companies who extract the natural gas through drilling, even though it impacts Pennsylvania taxpayers. The budget deal also opens up additional state parks and forests to gas drillers. Any further expansion of fossil fuel extraction within Pennsylvania's public land must be based on careful study and a full understanding of the environmental, fiscal and community impacts, not as a knee-jerk budget-plugging measure.
Why do we care? As Berks County's leading agent for the conservation of the environment, and a member of the PA Land Trust Association (PALTA), the Berks County Conservancy supports the thoughtful and sustainable stewardship of our public and private natural resources. We believe in a balanced approach with consideration to the employment and economic development needs of our state and the protection of our environment. Further, we know our friends and members would be interested in having this information so they as citizens can act as they see fit.
We urge you to please ACT NOW! Tell your legislators that you don't want to see massive destruction of our state forests and parks just to support an expedient solution to our current budget crisis. Our state forests are treasured state lands and should continue to be protected so our children and grandchildren can enjoy them. Tell your state legislators that opening up much of the state's forest lands to gas drilling, and refusing to consider a natural gas severance tax is NOT the way that Pennsylvania should solve its budget crisis.
Ask your Legislators to:
- Please oppose proposals that would open up additional acres of publicly-owned State Forest lands to gas drilling until potential impacts can be assessed and appropriate protections can be put in place.
- Suggest that they consider a natural gas severance tax and dedicate a portion of the revenue to land, water and wildlife conservation as well as affected local governments.
- Request that the budgets of DCNR and DEP are not subject to cuts disproportionate to other state agencies.
Go to http://www.legis.state.pa.us to find your state representative. Use the box on the upper right hand corner of the web page. Phone calls are the best way to contact your legislators and their staff; emails are OK. A call followed up by a quick email to reinforce your request is best! For more information go to: www.landandwater.org www.10000friends.org www.pennfuture.org Please call now. Our forests, parks and the health of local municipalities and rural communities who depend upon them are in jeopardy.
Thank you! Kimberly J Murphy, President Berks County Conservancy |
