FROM:           State Rep. Mike Hanna, D-Clinton/Centre

TO:                 Bob Heisse, Executive Editor, Centre Daily Times

DATE:           June 24, 2009

In response to the June 9 column by State Rep. Kerry Benninghoff about the SCI Rockview land transfer, I must speak out in defense of the conservation of the rich natural resources of our region. Rep. Benninghoff’s legislation (H.B. 1158) provides for the transfer of the SCI Rockview lands, also known as Spring Creek Canyon, to several entities, including Benner Township (Centre County), the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. The remaining several acres would be sold to the highest bidder. 

I, along with the many conservationists in our region, have concerns with this plan because it does not put in place the master planning and conservation easement processes that are the only way to truly protect the land. Under Rep. Benninghoff’s plan, the Game Commission would take over the land and would have the ability to lease the land to Penn State University for agricultural use without compliance with the developed master plan and without the enforcement of conservation easements by the state Department of Conservation and National Resources and the ClearWater Conservancy.

The Game Commission, which has been criticized for focusing too heavily on law enforcement, is not the ideal entity to manage this sensitive environmental land. In the House's last session, legislators ultimately

rejected a proposal similar to H.B. 1158 because the Game Commission was unwilling to accept the conservation easement to be granted to DCNR and the ClearWater Conservancy.

I have proposed legislation that would give a portion of the land to Penn State to ensure proper protection and conservation. Penn State would, of course, pay less for the land than a private purchaser because it takes on a tremendous financial burden by agreeing to comply with the master plan and the conservation easements, which contain specific language requiring the deeds to contain restrictive covenants guaranteeing that the property will not be sold and will only be used for agricultural education by Penn State, or it "shall immediately revert to the grantor (the Commonwealth)."

Penn State is best suited to protect this land. It will honor the Memorandums of Understanding developed to govern land use, including the protection of the right to public hunting. The conservation easement, enforced by DCNR and the ClearWater Conservancy, will protect against any development inconsistent with the master plan, which many stakeholders took the time to carefully develop to address the many complicated issues involved with preserving this delicate natural resource.

State Rep. Mike Hanna (www.pahouse.com/Hanna) represents the 76th Legislative District in Clinton and Centre counties.