Lawmakers urge Corbett not to lease state forest land

With newly minted Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett’s first budget address a week away, some lawmakers worry the Republican will lease more state land to the gas industry.

Corbett, who faces a $4 billion budget gap, opposes any new taxes, including a tax on the burgeoning natural gas industry. And he’s already reversed a policy put in place under former Gov. Ed Rendell that would have made it difficult to lease more state land.

State Rep. Greg Vitali is one of 70 lawmakers who signed a letter asking Corbett not to lease any more state forest land for gas drilling.

“The land that remains is environmentally valuable, it includes old growth forests, fragile ecosystems, habitats for rare and endangered species,” said Vitali. We really shouldn’t be using our forests as a cash cow to balance our budget.”

There are about 20 gas-producing wells now operating on state forest lands today. Calls to Corbett’s office were not returned