State Lands: Drivers of the PA Economy

Problem:

Governor Corbett issued an executive order reopening our state forests to leasing for natural gas drilling to fill in a one-time budget gap.

• All of the un-leased forest land is in ecologically sensitive areas. Incidents, including spills of diesel fuel and brine, have occurred in state forests.ⁱ
• Nearly 1,500 acres of forest had been converted for well pads and infrastructure, including some areas of once-contiguous forest that have been fragmented by new development.ⁱ
• Pipeline crossings impacted Exceptional Value, High Quality, or Cold Water Fisheries designated streams at 35 different locations.ⁱ
• New development makes areas vulnerable to the spread of invasive species. Researchers found 11 invasive plant species at 14 of the 18 well pads they looked at. ⁱ
• There are fewer opportunities for remote recreational experiences in forests with gas development and three designated state forest hiking trails have been affected by gas development.[i]

The Governor believes his proposal will not result in any additional disturbances. 

There is no such thing as a non-surface impact gas lease.

Proximity of drilling activities to our forests and parks alone puts them at risk. Pollution respects no boundaries. Additional drilling will result in noise and light disturbance from heavy machinery, seismic exploration, construction of new roads and pipelines, and increased truck traffic. 

These potential dangers and activities increase the risk of:

• Threatening the health of nearby families who have few safeguards to protect them from accidents and leaks.
• Upsetting the natural habitat of animals
• Proliferating invasive species
• Increasing forest fragmentation
• Disrupting the peace that is associated with enjoying nature
• When the parks can no longer be enjoyed, people go elsewhere to experience the outdoors and take their tourism money with them

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PROTECT THE PARKS

Oppose Governor Corbett’s order reopening our state forests natural gas leasing and exposing state parks to unconventional leasing for the first time.

Call or write to your Senator or Representative.

Not sure who they are or how to reach them? Click here. 

Ask your legislators to:

Ø  Vote against any budget that includes leasing our state forests and parks to raise money

Ø  Tell their leadership that they plan to vote against any budget that includes leasing state parks and forests

For more information on natural gas drilling, visit: sierraclub.org/naturalgas or call 717.232.0101 

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[i] http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_20029147.pdf

Statement on Governor Corbett's Plans to Lease More State Forests and State Parks for New Drilling

Delivered by Chapter Director, Joanne Kilgour, June 17, 2014

Over the past several years, the landscape of Pennsylvania has been permanently altered by natural gas development. Now, Governor Corbett plans to open up state forest and parklands to additional gas leases. The Corbett Administration claims that these new leases will create no additional long-term surface disturbance – but we will not be deceived by this misleading rhetoric.

We KNOW that the impacts of natural gas development do not respect the artificial boundary between public and private land. We KNOW that previously leased lands are likely to see new wells, well pads, compressor stations, access road, and pipelines. We KNOW that not a SINGLE well pad in state forest land has been fully reclaimed.

Joanne Kilgour speaking at the Capitol

We - like the thousands of Pennsylvanians who have been struggling with the on-the-ground realities of natural gas development - KNOW that there is no such thing as non-surface impact drilling. To suggest otherwise is a misrepresentation of reality, and an insult to those who have lived with wells on or near their property.

The Environmental Rights Amendment to the PA Constitution states: “Pennsylvania's public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of ALL the people.”

The Governor’s plan for our state lands is out of step with the very constitution he is sworn to uphold. Additional leasing will only extend the harm to our valued state forests and parks, turning land held in the public trust into an industrial zone held in trust for the gas companies. Please stand with us and call on the legislature to say no to new leasing of our land.

Cast your ballot for the environment!

Be prepared: The PA primary is less than one week away! The importance of voting in the primary cannot be overstated, as elected officials will be facing critical environmental issues during their tenures. Vote!  Make a plan to vote prior to Election Day. Identify your polling location, and know the time of day you plan to vote. Remind friends and family about voting. Know Your Candidates: Most candidates provide important information about their environmental voting record, or positions on environmental issues, on their candidate websites. If your local Sierra Club group has obtained a Club endorsement for a strong environmental candidate in the May primary you should find information on your group’s website.  Questions about endorsed candidates may also be directed to your group’s political chair.  Many groups assist campaigns by providing volunteer support through phone banking and canvassing. Statewide Endorsement: The PA Chapter has endorsed Brad Koplinski in the race for Lieutenant Governor.

Click here for more information on candidate backgrounds and click here for gubernatorial candidate energy issues. Thank you for being an environmental voter! Joanne Kilgour, Director Sierra Club PA Chapter

Go Loon-y

Our Chapter Director Joanne Kilgour (a Maine native) and Lake Erie Group Outings Leader, Tom Heigel, let their true feathers show:

Are you a skilled bird whisperer? Share your calls with us! pennsylvania.chapter@sierraclub.org

Corbett's Smog Plan Does Little to Protect our Lungs

By Joanne Kilgour, Director, Sierra Club PA Chapter

This op-ed originally appeared in the York Dispatch.

Smog pollution is a serious health issue in Pennsylvania.  More than eight million Pennsylvanians live in areas with unsafe air due to dangerous levels of smog pollution.  That means nearly two-thirds of Pennsylvanians are at risk of inhaling a pollutant that is often compared to getting a sunburn on your lungs. Smog puts people at increased risk of developing asthma and heart disease, and triggers asthma attacks and heart attacks that can be fatal.  When smog levels rise, air-quality alert days mean that children, seniors, and other vulnerable groups must stay inside or face serious risks to their health.

On Wednesday the American Lung Association released its annual State of the Air Report, which found that York County residents continue to suffer from bad air quality.  The county scored an “F” grade for smog (or ozone) pollution, and the York/Harrisburg/Lebanon metro area ranked 64^th worst in the country out of 277 metro areas surveyed for smog pollution.  This is particularly bad news for the more than 44,000 county residents who have asthma (including over 10,000 children), the 22,000 people with COPD (a chronic lung disease) and the 30,000 people with heart disease.

Unfortunately for these vulnerable people, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) under Governor Corbett is not helping.  In April, the DEP unveiled a plan supposedly aimed at controlling smog pollution that does nothing to limit smog-causing nitrogen oxides (NOx) pollution from coal-fired power plants, in spite of the fact that coal plants are the largest source of NOx pollution in the state.  While the eight largest plants are capable of cutting their average NOx emissions by about 40% using already installed technology, the limits set in the plan would actually allow these plants to increase their smog-causing pollution without any penalty.

These limits proposed by the DEP are three to four times higher than limits being considered in neighboring Maryland and New York for their coal power plants. That means Pennsylvania families could continue to suffer, even as other states take steps to clean up their air.

York County is home to the Brunner Island power plant, which is the 6^th largest coal power plant in the state.  It is also the only remaining large coal power plant that has not installed a common control for smog-causing pollution known as Selective Catalytic Reduction or SCR.  This technology is like a much bigger version of the catalytic converter on your car, and can reduce smog-forming pollution by 80-90 percent.  Without SCR, Brunner Island is contributing unnecessarily to the air quality woes not only of York County, but of Lancaster and Philadelphia, which have their own serious smog problems.

To add to the problem, the DEP proposal would allow the operator of Brunner Island, PP&L, to average emissions over its fleet of coal plants to comply with the already weak standard.  That means that even if the overall pollution limits were lowered, PP&L could comply by slashing emissions from its Montour plant, nearly two hours north of York, while smog-causing emissions continue from Brunner Island virtually unchecked.  That is simply unfair to people who have to breathe in York County, Lancaster County, and other areas directly downwind.

It is time for Governor Corbett’s DEP to live up to its name and protect the health of all Pennsylvanians. The DEP can start by improving their draft smog plan to include meaningful limits on smog-causing pollution from coal-fired power plants consistent with the use of modern, pollution-cutting SCR technology on every plant.  Our families deserve healthy air, so it’s time for Governor Corbett to cut pollution from coal plants and ensure we can all breathe easier.

You can learn more about Governor Corbett’s proposed smog plan, find out about attending upcoming public hearings and submit a comment through June 30^th at sc.org/pacutsmog