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For Immediate Release
April 21, 2010
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Senator Mary Jo White Statement on State Forest Leasing &
Natural Gas Development
(Harrisburg) – Last week, Department of Conservation and
Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary John Quigley came before the Senate
Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, as well as the Senate Republican
Caucus. Secretary Quigley assured us that development of the Marcellus Shale
natural gas was occurring in a responsible manner on state forest land, and that
his agency was well-positioned to ensure that the integrity of our state forest
system was maintained.
Given these assurances immediately prior to his
confirmation vote, I am astonished at his comments as reported from the recent
symposium at Bucknell University.
Secretary Quigley is reported to have said that Marcellus
Shale cash "has become the crack cocaine of state government." I doubt Governor
Rendell, who appointed Mr. Quigley and who has agreed to the limited leasing of
state forest land that is now in place, would agree with this assessment.
Before the Senate, Secretary Quigley testified that the amount of leasing to
date will not threaten the state's highly valued Sustainable Forest
certification. An internal memo from Secretary Quigley to Governor Rendell last
year stated that the state could actually lease an additional 48,000 acres
beyond what is already available and still maintain our certification.
At a February budget hearing, Secretary Quigley stated that
he is preparing a new lease offering for early summer. Included in his budget
request is an allocation to hire additional staff to ensure that the lease terms
covering natural gas development on state forest land are adhered to. I
strongly support the addition of these staff. Additionally, leases for state
forest land contain rigorous environmental standards that preclude surface
disturbance in wild and natural areas, limit the number and location of wells,
and generally cap all surface well pad disturbance at less than 2% of the acres
actually leased. In exchange, Pennsylvania has received nearly $270 million in
lease payments – money which has been used to educate our children, fund our
hospitals and protect our natural resources.
It is fair to discuss the rate and timing of a severance
tax on natural gas. We should also be mindful that natural gas activity is
already generating hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue for state and
local governments through lease and royalty payments, sales and use tax, and
other economic impacts. However, we should not confuse the issue of paying a
severance tax with ensuring compliance with our environmental laws. DCNR does
not have enforcement powers over gas producers; that is the responsibility of
the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Last year, with bipartisan
legislative support DEP increased its permitting fees substantially to add
nearly 100 new enforcement staff. Recent actions by DEP have demonstrated that
existing laws provide more than sufficient authority to deal with gas producers
who violate our laws.
It is DCNR's job to manage our forests, and it is Secretary
Quigley's job to be honest with elected officials – and the public. If
Secretary Quigley truly believes that the legislature and Governor are complicit
in "a degradation of Penn's Woods the likes of which is unprecedented" in our
history, then he should not have given us false assurances during his
confirmation process. The Senate thought Mr. Quigley was up to the task.
Perhaps we were wrong.
CONTACT:
Patrick Henderson
(717) 787-9684
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