Rendell halts natural gas drilling
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HARRISBURG -- Gov. Ed Rendell has carried out an executive order placing 1.5 million acres of state forest land off-limits for natural gas drilling, getting praise from environmental groups but sharp criticism from Senate Republican leader Joe Scarnati.
Brickbats were flying Tuesday between Democrat Rendell and Republican Scarnati over the moratorium order, which bans any more drilling pads from being located in state forests, other than on the 700,000 acres of forest land already designated for gas drilling by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Penn Future's leader Jan Jarrrett and Sierra Club Director Jeff Schmidt applauded the decision.
"More [drilling] leases would fragment the habitat and destroy the very essence of the forests, along with our valuable outdoor tourism industry that attracts hunters and anglers from across the nation," Ms. Jarrett said.
The leasing moratorium resulted in part from an ongoing feud between Democrats and Republicans over the failure to enact a severance tax on natural gas pumped from underground Marcellus Shale, much of which lies deep below state forests.
Mr. Rendell blamed the GOP-led Senate for "failing to negotiate in good faith" to enact a tax compromise. He said legislators had "broken a promise to the people" to enact such a tax this session, with much of the revenue to be used to protect the environment. The Legislature has now gone home, and the Senate says it won't be back after Tuesday's election.
Mr. Scarnati rejected the Rendell criticism, saying the Senate has always been willing to pass a reasonable extraction tax on shale gas. But he claimed the high tax rate that Mr. Rendell and House Democrats want will hurt the industry just as it begins to bring hundreds of new jobs to Pennsylvania.
"I understand he likes headlines, but in six days he won't get any more headlines," said Mr. Scarnati, who is also the lieutenant governor, referring to the fact that a new governor will be elected next Tuesday.
First Published October 27, 2010 12:00 am
