On April 1, 2008 (April Fool's Day, no doubt), while the top oil company executives were dragged before the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, the Clinton and Obama campaigns took the opportunity to blast the major oil companies that are making windfall profits due to high crude oil and natural gas prices. The oil companies defended their profits despite increasing anger from consumers at the pump.
Ironically, on the very same day, while Hillary Clinton was blasting oil companies' record profits, Ms. Clinton's chief supporter in Pennsylvania, Governor Ed Rendell, lifted a moratorium on oil and gas drilling in Pennsylvania's state forests.
In 2002, Pennsylvania's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) proposed auctioning 500,000 acres of state forest land for oil and gas drilling. After intense public criticism, however, the DCNR changed course...well, a little anyway. The DCNR responded to public criticism by decreasing the size of the auction from 500,000 acres to 200,000 acres!
Eventually, the DCNR ended up auctioning about 50,000 acres, a ninety percent reduction from its original proposal.
In 2003, following the fallout of the DCNR's auction, the agency placed a moratorium on oil and gas drilling in Pennsylvania's state forests. The moratorium has been in place ever since...until now. In 2007, the DCNR announced its intention to lift the moratorium as the oil and gas industry stepped up pressure to open these lands while oil and gas prices were at record levels.
Once again, the citizens of Pennsylvania spoke out and told the DCNR to protect our state forests. All you have do is look at the state's only national forest, the Allegheny National Forest, to see the impacts of oil and gas drilling.
But the DCNR did not listen and lifted the ban on April 1, 2008. This will allow oil and gas companies to drill shallow oil and gas wells in addition to deep gas wells. And what does the oil and gas industry and their supporters in the state legislature have to say?
“It’s a good first step and I think the auction will be successful,” Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Association Executive Director Steve Rhoads said, adding most of the forestland that will be auctioned off is located in Tioga and Lycoming counties...
“This is a positive move forward,” state Rep. Martin Causer, R-Turtlepoint, said. “Perhaps they should be opening up even more acreage. I know myself and several other legislators have been pushing for this.”
Causer said the move is a start in making the state and country more energy independent.
“Increased domestic production is part of that equation,” Causer said. “We are really in the center of where the activity is planned to take place. It’s very important for our local economy and it was definitely time to open the (state) land up.”
Of course, this is total nonsense. All of the oil and gas extracted from Pennsylvania on an annual basis represents a mere fraction of what our nation consumes on a daily basis. Increased drilling in Pennsylvania's remote and pristine state forests will not make us more energy independent.
Pennsylvanian's can expect their state forests to be ripped apart like the only national forest in the state has been. And this is all thanks to Governor Ed Rendell, who surrendered to the will of the oil and gas industry rather than stand up for the citizens of his state and protect their public forests.
What does all this say about Hillary Clinton? On the very day Ms. Clinton was blasting the oil industry, her chief supporter in Pennsylvania was surrendering to the demands of the oil and gas companies so they can make even more profits at the expense of our public forests.
Please call Governor Rendell and tell him to reverse the DCNR's decision to lift the ban on oil and gas leasing on state forests:
Phone: (717) 787-2500
You can also email the Governor using this web-based form here.
Be sure to tell Governor Rendell that:
- Oil and gas drilling in state forests will not reduce our dependence on foreign fossil fuels.
- Recreation and tourism in our state forests will be significantly impacted by oil and gas drilling.
- Oil and gas drilling in our state forests will significantly impact wildlife habitat caused by road, well pad, and pipeline construction.
- Oil and gas drilling in our state forests will needlessly threaten water and air quality.