Listen to the people on drilling, gas tax

About 2 p.m. on the Friday before Memorial Day, Gov. Corbett quietly announced his signing of an executive order lifting the moratorium on additional leasing of state lands for gas drilling. The moratorium was put in place by former Gov. Ed Rendell in 2010.

Corbett's order is part of his plan to raise $75 million by leasing mineral rights in Pennsylvania state parks and forests for "non-surface impact" drilling. The plan was part of his Feb. 4 budget proposal.

This plan would allow new well pads adjacent to state parks to access gas under them. It would also allow new drilling on existing well pads in state forests to access newly leased mineral rights.

Despite repeated requests and a May 22 directive from the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records, the Corbett administration has yet to reveal what state parks and forests would be impacted, how many acres would be leased, or which drilling companies have expressed an interest.

Additional leasing of Pennsylvania's state parks and forests for gas drilling is a bad idea.

Natural-gas drilling is a highly industrial activity. The installation of a new well pad requires several acres of land to be cleared, as well as access roads, a water-sediment basin, gas lines, compressor stations, and other infrastructure.

Drilling a new well on an existing pad also has an impact. Several million gallons of water are required. There is a significant amount of truck traffic, along with noise and air pollution. Leaks, spills, and other accidents are always a possibility.

In fact, the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources recently stated in its shale-gas monitoring report: "Natural-gas development ... affects a variety of forest resources and values, such as recreational opportunities, the forest's wild character, scenic beauty, and plant and wildlife habitat."

The report also notes that 44 percent of state forestland, or 673,000 acres, that sits atop the Marcellus Shale, is already subject to drilling.

Drilling and related activity is not compatible with the traditional use of state parks and forests by hikers, campers, horseback riders, mountain bikers, hunters, fishers, boaters, and environmentalists.

Additional revenues are certainly needed for this year's budget. But there is a better way to raise revenue: the severance tax. According to the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center: "Replacing Pennsylvania's impact fee with a modest 4 percent severance tax could generate $1.2 billion annually by 2019-20, three times that of the current fee."

Polling has consistently indicated that a substantial majority of Pennsylvanians support a severance tax and oppose drilling in state parks and forests. Corbett should listen to the people he represents.