Gas at a glance

• $174 MILLION GAS LEASE REVENUE APPROVED FOR TRANSFER BY PA SENATE

The Pennsylvania Senate voted 33 to 17 to approve legislation—Senate Bill 490 (MJ White-R-Venango)—diverting $174 million in natural gas leasing revenue from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to the General Fund to help fill a budget gap for fiscal year 2008-09. Since 1955, a state law has directed money from the sale and drilling of nonrenewable oil and gas resources in state forests to a fund that invests in conservation, maintenance and improvement of PA parks and forests. Among the senators voting against the bill was Senator Lisa Baker (R-Luzerne).

• ‘ENERGIZE PA’ PROPOSAL SEEKS TO EXPAND DRILLING ON STATE FOREST LANDS

Up to 390,000 additional acres of state forest land is being targeted for natural gas drilling by the House Republican Energy Task Force in its “Energize PA” plan. The proposal would provide an additional $260 million per year for state and local governments and conservation districts while promoting the creation of 7,000 new private-sector jobs. View the video blogs on the proposal at www.paenvironmentdigest.com/newsletter/default.asp?NewsletterArticleID=11955 to learn more.

• TEMPORARY HOLD ON LEASING STATE LAND SOUGHT

The Conservation and Natural Resources Advisory Committee has requested a temporary hold on leasing additional state forest land for Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling until the environmental impacts of drilling on the first 74,000 acres can be evaluated.

The Memorandum of Concern, addressed to Governor Edward Rendell and Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Michael DeBerardinis, notes, “We believe that to lease additional substantial acreage of state forest lands at this time would be an abrogation of the public trust of these public lands, and would be a short-sighted approach to the use of the resources managed by this state agency [DCNR].”

The committee also recommended future revenues from leased lands be retained in DCNR’s Oil and Gas Lease Fund to help maintain state parks and forests and to address any environmental issues arising from the drilling.

• PA DEP LEADER SAYS IMPACTS INEVITABLE

Acting Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection John Hanger recently acknowledged that it will be impossible to completely protect the state’s natural resources, including water, during activities related to natural gas drilling.

In a Reuters story by Jon Hurdle, Hanger said the value of the gas underlying Pennsylvania outweighed damage drilling may cause. “You can’t do a large amount of drilling and have zero impact,” Hanger said. “There’s going to be a lot of good that comes from drilling in Pennsylvania, but there are also going to be some problems.”

Hanger predicts that Marcellus Shale gas reserves will bring billions of dollars to the state and create tens of thousands of jobs. He pledged the agency’s diligence in dealing with drilling impacts, but noted that the risks must be measured against the gains.

• FRACK FLUIDS LISTED ON DEP WEBSITE

DEP officials recently published a list of fracking chemicals on the agency’s website. Visit www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/minres/oilgas/new_forms/marcellus/marcellus.htm for a “Summary of Hydraulic Fracture Solutions.”