Not one was for it. None. They were housewives, retirees, former gas industry workers, doctors, mothers, outdoor businessmen - and they came from a multitude of Pennsylvania towns across the state and beyond. They were young, old, or somewhere in between, and not a one of those 500 citizens at the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' public meeting in Williamsport on June 3 supported it. Not a one of them stood up and said that drilling for natural gas in the Loyalsock State Forest is a good idea.
How could they? The facts overwhelmingly point in the opposite direction. Though the reasons given were many, the crowd's message was solidly one: Keep away from Rock Run and the Old Loggers Path. Wearing stickers saying
Keep it Wild - Keep Drilling Out and holding up bright green signs with the same message, the audience responded loudly with applause and the chant "Keep it wild - keep it wild - keep it wild" as point after point was made against drilling in the Loyalsock State Forest. Some stood, waiting in line almost two hours in a hot and non-air-conditioned Wendle Hall at Lycoming College to deliver their message to a dour and detached DCNR panel that looked obviously pained to be there.
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The DCNR panel. IMAGE: Wendy Lynne Lee
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Marcellus Program Manager Arianne Proctor revealed publicly for the first time selected details from Anadarko Petroleum Corporation's proposed development plan for the Clarence Moore lands. A stunned audience listened as Proctor discussed the twenty-six well pads, four compressor stations, and five earthen water impoundments planned for the area, along with 15.6 miles of new roads, 15.5 miles of rebuilt roads, 34 miles of new pipeline right of way, and a communication system with poles and towers from 60-feet to 200-feet tall.
Anadarko proposes to install most of this where the watersheds of Rock Run and Pleasant Stream foster delicate wildlife in their mountaintop bogs and generate exceptional wild trout streams; where the Old Loggers Path hiking trail meanders through the forested mountains, connecting sweeping vista points along the way. But not to worry - Anadarko will paint, fence and screen those compressor stations with plants, and they've already assured us that they will "minimize surface disturbance."
Time and again the commenters referred to their right to clean air, pure water, and the "preservation of the natural, scenic, historic, and esthetic values of the environment" guaranteed by Article 1, Section 27 of the Pennsylvania Constitution. Many asked why the DCNR can't just say NO under the current
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Jack McKee makes his comment.
IMAGE: Wendy Lynne Lee
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legal situation, given that the DCNR has exclusive rights to 18,870 acres of the Clarence Moore lands.
DCNR Secretary Richard Allan testily responded that contrary to "misinformation" being presented by "certain organizations," the DCNR does not have complete control over the 18,870-acre
area, ruling out DCNR's ability to completely stop drilling. Without elaborating, Secretary Allan maintained that DCNR has only "a more than normal control over a portion of the surface."
DCNR Chief Counsel Dennis Whitaker confused the audience by suggesting that the DCNR would commit a regulatory "taking" of Anadarko-owned oil and gas if it denied Anadarko access to the 18,870-acre area. He glossed over the fact that the DCNR's power to deny access comes from its deed, not from its regulatory powers. Fielding questions along with Secretary Allan and Mr. Whitaker were Ms. Proctor, State Forester Dan Devlin, and District Forester Richard Glinski.
Comments covered a wide range of subjects, from technical environmental concerns to loss of recreational opportunities. Some offered possible solutions, suggesting ways for the state to purchase back the mineral rights. Another appealed to DCNR to do something "courageous and heroic" by sparing the Loyalsock Forest. Others demanded more public meetings across the state for the Loyalsock Forest and for all public lands. Still others put the DCNR and Anadarko on warning that they will not stay silent should drilling proceed but will fight for their Loyalsock, firmly promising, "I'll see you in the forest."
One woman asked if the state considered the psychological value of the forest. "I would rather go to Rock Run than take a Prozac," she said. A similar thought was eloquently stated by 92-year-old Jack McKee, a life-long resident of Williamsport whose first fishing trip was at Rock Run almost 80 years ago.
Proctor acknowledged the impacts to the forest would be substantial, but emphasized several times that the DCNR has not accepted or approved Anadarko's plan, and that the plan would be subject to many changes if it moves forward. But many feel that this is already a done deal - that the DCNR has already agreed to exchange this part of the Loyalsock State Forest for so many pieces of silver.
DCNR's mission is to conserve, protect, and enhance Pennsylvania's natural resources for present and future generations' use and enjoyment. DCNR seemingly chose to not keep a record of any of the comments made and held this meeting only when public outcry demanded it. Although this should only be the beginning of the discussion between DCNR and its citizen stakeholders, this meeting was billed as "the completion" of public interaction.
We must demand that DCNR follow their mission and do their job to preserve the Loyalsock State Forest - to Keep it Wild for the citizens of Pennsylvania.
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Waiting in the public comment line for a chance to speak
. IMAGE: Wendy Lynne Lee
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