According the Pa. DCNR website, there is nothing new about gas drilling on state forestry lands. “Since 1947, many hundreds of gas wells have been drilled on state forestry lands, and between 450 and 500 wells are producing today. Over the last 55 years, the total income from gas storage royalties and rentals has reached $129 million.” Since 1955 that money has been going into the Oil and Gas Lease Fund to be

used for conservation programs. But recently there has been an alarming new concept in Harrisburg, the idea of using our public lands as a way to bail the Commonwealth out of our budget crisis.

The Commonwealth’s two-year budget agreement requires DCNR to supply $60 million from oil and gas leases in 2010 and $180 million in 2011. On January 12, the DCNR announced that bids on gas leases on 32,000 acres on land tracts in Moshannon, Sproul, Elk, Susquehannock and Tioga state forests will bring in $128 million, over twice the anticipated revenue. We oppose forcing the DCNR to lease additional state forest land for gas drilling (and raiding the Oil & Gas Lease Fund). Instead, we support a severance or extraction tax on the recovery of natural gas that would include revenues for local governments impacted

by natural gas drilling and the construction of pipelines. We encourage you to contact your local state legislators, as well as the following influential state senators.



Senator Dominic Pileggi, Pennsylvania

Senate Majority Leader, Harrisburg Office:

(717) 787-4712, Toll free: (888) 984-3478,

E-mail: dpileggi@pasen.gov



Senator Jake Corman, Chair of Appropriations

Committee, Harrisburg Office:

(717)787-1377



Senator Joe Scarnati, Lieutenant Governor

& President Pro Tempore of the Pennsylvania

Senate, Harrisburg Office: (717) 787-7084