THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE BILL

INTRODUCED BY VITALI, HARPER, McILVAINE SMITH, HOUGHTON, BOYLE, BRADFORD, BRIGGS, CALTAGIRONE, COHEN, CURRY, DeWEESE, FRANKEL, FREEMAN, GERBER, GOODMAN, HANNA, JOSEPHS, KESSLER, KIRKLAND, KORTZ, LENTZ, MANDERINO, McGEEHAN, MELIO, MOUL, MUNDY, M. O'BRIEN, PASHINSKI, PAYTON, SANTARSIERO, SIPTROTH, STABACK, STURLA, R. TAYLOR AND MURT, FEBRUARY 2, 2010

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, FEBRUARY 2, 2010  

AN ACT

Providing for a moratorium on leasing State forest lands for the

purposes of natural gas exploration, drilling or production;

imposing duties on the Department of Conservation and Natural

Resources; and providing for report contents.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1.  Short title.

This act shall be known and may be cited as the State Forest

Natural Gas Lease Moratorium Act.

Section 2.  Moratorium.

(a)  Establishment.--Notwithstanding any other provision of

law, a moratorium is established during which State forest lands

may not be leased for the purposes of natural gas exploration,

drilling or production.

(b)  Expiration.--The moratorium in subsection (a) shall

expire five years after this act takes effect.

Section 3.  Duties of department.

(a)  Monitor and assess.--The Department of Conservation and

Natural Resources shall have a duty to monitor and assess the

impact of the leases granted for the purposes of natural gas

exploration, drilling or production on State forest lands that

took effect prior to and during the moratorium imposed in

section 2(a). The Department of Conservation and Natural

Resources shall continue to monitor and assess after the

moratorium expires under section 2(b).

(b)  Report.--The Department of Conservation and Natural

Resources shall submit an annual report to the General Assembly

and the Governor regarding the effect of natural gas

exploration, drilling or production on State forest lands that

occurred prior to and during the moratorium imposed in section

2(a). The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources shall

continue to submit the annual report after the moratorium

expires under section 2(b).

Section 4.  Report contents.

The contents of the report required under section 3(b), shall

include, but not be limited to, the effect of natural gas

exploration, drilling or production on State forest lands on the

following:

(1)  Water and soil quality.

(2)  Forest fragmentation.

(3)  Plants, wildlife, habitats and invasive species.

(4)  Air quality.

(5)  Social fabric, including, but not limited to:

(i)  Tourism.

(ii)  Recreation.

(iii)  Hunting.

(iv)  Fishing.

(v)  Community aesthetics.

(vi)  Quality of life.

(6)  The staffing needs of the Department of Conservation

and Natural Resources regarding the monitoring, assessment

and regulation of natural gas exploration, drilling or

production on State forest lands.

Section 5.  Post-moratorium leasing.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources shall

not offer State Forest land for lease for the purposes of

natural gas exploration, drilling or production once the

moratorium expires unless it, in its sole discretion, determines

the State Forest can be sustained in a balanced state that

preserves water and air quality, plant and animal habitats and

the multiple ecosystems, recreational, social and aesthetic

values of the forest with the proposed lease.

Section 20.  Effective date.

This act shall take effect immediately.