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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Greg Vitali
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Vitali, Briggs to host committee hearing on leasing state forests
for natural gas drilling in Marcellus Shale region
HARRISBURG, March 4 – State Reps. Greg Vitali, D-Delaware, and Tim Briggs, D-Montgomery, will co-host a House Majority Policy Committee hearing on leasing additional state forest land for natural gas drilling from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday, March 18 at the Upper Merion Township Building, 175 W. Valley Forge Road, King of Prussia.
The list of speakers includes Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary John Quigley, Western Clinton County Sportsmen Club President Ray Werts and Chesapeake Bay Foundation Pennsylvania staff attorney Matt Royer.
Vitali has introduced, and Briggs is co-sponsoring, H.B. 2235, which would put a five-year moratorium on leasing additional state forest land for natural gas drilling. The bill also would give DCNR sole discretion to decide if state forests can withstand additional drilling and requires the agency to compile a yearly report on the impact of drilling in state forests.
Vitali introduced H.B. 2235 in response to the revelation of an agreement between budget negotiators to raise another $180 million for the 2010-11 budget by leasing additional state forest land for gas drilling.
"This hearing will allow the committee and the public to learn more about the many impacts drilling has on our state forests," Vitali said."I believe it is time for us to take a step back and analyze what is happening before moving forward."
"With so many complex issues surrounding drilling on state land, it is only prudent for us to have a hearing like this to hear from experts about what drilling means for our forests and our communities," Briggs said. "Finding the right balance between being environmentally responsible while working to create jobs in a challenging fiscal climate is not a task to be taken lightly, and this hearing will be a great opportunity to investigate the matter further."
The hearing is open to the public. However, only members of the committee may ask questions of those who testify.
About 1.5 million acres of Pennsylvania state forest sit atop the Marcellus Shale formation, which experts believe is rich in natural gas. With the leasing of 32,000 acres in January, 692,000 acres of state forest land is now available for drilling.
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