DCNR Secretary: No Plans To Lease More Forest Land For Drilling | StateImpact Pennsylvania Skip Navigation

DCNR Secretary: No Plans To Lease More Forest Land For Drilling

Scott Detrow / StateImpact Pennsylvania

A drilling rig in the Tioga State Forest


Governor Corbett’s 2012-2013 budget does not include any plans to lease out additional state forest land for natural gas drilling. During yesterday’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources House budget hearing, Secretary Richard Allan said that won’t change any time soon.
Capitolwire has more:

The Corbett administration has put the idea of additional leasing of state forestland for natural gas development on the back-burner for now, officials said Tuesday.
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Richard Allan said to his “personal knowledge,” the administration is not discussing lifting the moratorium Gov. Ed Rendell’s administration placed on leasing state-owned forestland.
During DCNR’s budget hearing before the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Greg Vitali, D-Delaware, cited a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review news report wherein a Corbett spokesman said the administration was considering lifting the moratorium.
“Could you tell me what you know about any plans to lift the moratorium on state forest leasing for gas drilling?” Vitali asked.
“To my knowledge, that statement is incorrect. I had inquired about that. But my personal knowledge is that we are not discussing additional leasing in state forests,” Allan responded.

Up Next

Anti-Impact Fee Commissioner May End Up Supporting Levy