February 19,
2014
By Joanne Kilgour, Director of the Sierra Club PA Chapter,
Over the
past several years, the landscape of Pennsylvania has been permanently altered
by natural gas development. Now, Governor Corbett plans to open up state forest
and parklands to additional gas leases, even before the release of DCNR’s
overdue report on the impacts of past drilling in state forests. By including
state parks, Corbett will be breaking what has been a permanent policy against
leasing ANY state park lands for gas. This is a bad precedent for
state parks that, up until now, were considered sacred.
Both
Governor Corbett and DCNR Secretary Ferretti contend that no surface activity
or surface impacts will result from this proposed new leasing. These
statements may sound comforting, but we cannot rest easy. In fact, Secretary
Ferretti in her own testimony earlier this morning admitted that additional
wells may be constructed on well pads within the boundaries of state
forests. Not only will this kind of direct, incremental surface activity occur,
but the very idea that there can be non-surface impact leasing is misleading.
Surface
impacts are not limited to new wells, well pads, pipelines, compressor
stations, access roads, or open pits, but rather they include loss of critical
habitat, changes to the local hydrology and geology, loss of valuable ecosystem
services such as flood control, noise and light disturbances, and increased air
pollution.
Further,
there will be impacts to recreation and the economic benefit to the state from
tourism driven by the natural beauty of the state forest and park system.
Increased light and noise disturbances paired with forest fragmentation and
habitat loss are also likely to result in fewer game animals and a reduction in
hunting.
And these
are only the certain impacts – in addition, as we have seen recently with the
tragic fire at the gas wells in Greene County, there will be risks of leaks,
spills, blowouts, and fires – none of which respect the artificial boundary
between private land and the lands held in trust by the Commonwealth.
The
thousands of Pennsylvanians who have been struggling with the on-the-ground
realities of natural gas development can attest to the fact that there is no
such as thing as non-surface impact drilling. To suggest otherwise is a
misrepresentation of reality, and an insult to those who have lived with wells
on or near their property
Joanne Kilgour
Chapter Director
Sierra Club PA Chapter
717-232-0101
