Black Moshannon State Park will not see any Marcellus Shale drill rigs on it — for now.
The state owns the gas rights beneath only about 15 to 20 percent of the total acreage of state parks, but it does own those in Black Moshannon, and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has no plans to lease it, according to spokeswoman Chris Novak.
However, the park is surrounded by privately leased lands, Novak said, increasing the likelihood that drilling will occur in that area.
“In the cases where we don’t own mineral rights, we don’t have a lot of control, except to work cooperatively,” Novak said. “In areas where we do own the mineral rights, it’s not our intention to lease.”
That could change if Gov. Tom Corbett continues his
exploration into the possibility of leasing more state land for natural gas drilling. In February, Corbett rescinded an executive order issued by former Gov. Ed Rendell designed to add additional protections from drilling to state parks.
During the announcement of that decision, Corbett spokesman Kevin Harley said that the administration “believes that we should be drilling on state land.”
Read more: http://www.centredaily.com/2011/04/07/2632538/agency-unlikely-to-allow-drilling.html#ixzz1IpUTG632
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