Selling out state forest land

(Ryan Talbott, from Pittsburgh, is Forest Watch Coordinator for the Allegheny Defense Project.)

Pennsylvania has lifted a ban on shallow oil and gas drilling in our state forests. DCNR is also considering leasing state forest land for deep gas well drilling.

Why? So oil and gas companies could make even more record profits.

The decision comes as oil and gas drilling is at record levels across the state, producing public outcry from communities impacted by the drilling.

Our state is buckling to political pressure from the oil and gas industry rather than protecting the quality of the state forests for all Pennsylvanians.

Governor Rendell promised to bring increased recreation and tourism to the Pennsylvania Wilds region, but instead the governor is giving us oil and gas wells.

Tourists are attracted to our state forests' scenic beauty. Any recreation and tourism potential that exists in these areas will be lost once oil and gas companies move in.

Approximately 1,300 oil and gas wells are located on 2.1 million acres of state forests in Pennsylvania. These wells were drilled prior to the ban that has been in place since 2003, when public outcry forced DCNR to put the moratorium in place.

This is in stark contrast to the 10,000 oil and gas wells that have been drilled in the 513,000-acre Allegheny National Forest where recreation and tourism has already been documented to be decreasing as oil and gas drilling increases.

DCNR is opening a Pandora's Box by lifting the ban at a time when the oil and gas industry is demanding more access to our public lands. We need to be protecting these remote forest areas for the clean water they provide.

Our state forests are not a cash register for oil and gas special interests to liquidate our wildlife habitat and cripple our recreation and tourism industry.

In 2006, all of the state's oil and gas wells produced a tiny fraction of what this country consumes every day. The idea that Pennsylvania can drill its way to energy independence is foolish.

This is the type of economic development promoted in third world countries. It does not create the type of high-tech, sustainable jobs we need.

The only thing DCNR is doing is lining the pockets of oil company executives at the expense of our state forests. Pennsylvanians should be outraged.