Save Our State Forests & Parks!
The mission of the Pennsylvania Environmental Defense Foundation
is to aid, assist and educate the people of Pennsylvania
by advocating and enforcing their rights to a clean environment.
Over the years, PEDF has been involved in much litigation and success.
But now . . .
there has never before been a threat to Pennsylvania's State Forests and Parks
like the continued impacts of leasing State land for natural gas extraction.
ALL of our rights to Pennsylvania's natural resources under our Constitution
are threatened by --
* leasing MORE State Forest land,
* the continued illegal use of the Oil and Gas Lease Fund,
* and the diversion of funds from that leasing for purposes
that do not protect and conserve those State lands.
is to aid, assist and educate the people of Pennsylvania
by advocating and enforcing their rights to a clean environment.
Over the years, PEDF has been involved in much litigation and success.
But now . . .
there has never before been a threat to Pennsylvania's State Forests and Parks
like the continued impacts of leasing State land for natural gas extraction.
ALL of our rights to Pennsylvania's natural resources under our Constitution
are threatened by --
* leasing MORE State Forest land,
* the continued illegal use of the Oil and Gas Lease Fund,
* and the diversion of funds from that leasing for purposes
that do not protect and conserve those State lands.
It must be stopped.
drilling rig in the forest
According to the 1955 Oil and Gas Lease Fund Act (OGLF), "All rents and royalties from oil and gas leases of any land owned by the Commonwealth, except rents and royalties received from game and fish lands, shall be placed in a special fund to be known as the 'Oil and Gas Lease Fund' which fund shall be exclusively used for conservation, recreation, dams, or flood control or to match any Federal grants which may be made for any of the aforementioned purposes." (emphases ours)
Since the start of the Marcellus Shale leasing program in 2008, $383,000,000 have been siphoned from the OGLF by the governor and the State Legislature to pay down the State's general budget deficit, without the proper authority. And now our elected officials want to transfer more.
Enough is enough.
Restoration of loss from the OGLF is sorely needed for protecting the State's lands in at least the following ways:
- To resolve a greater than $500,000,000 backlog in the State Forests and Parks repairs and replacements budget;
- To pay for a comprehensive impact analysis of the cumulative environmental and economic impacts of the current 700,000-acre leasing program;
- To protect the integrity of State Parks subject to private leasing and gas extraction, and from indirect impact from leases on State Forest and private lands adjacent to our State Parks;
- To purchase additional lands to buffer or mitigate the current State lands being impacted by oil and gas extraction; and
- To establish a bona fide trust fund for future restoration of State lands impacted by oil and gas extraction.