Dear SEPAC,
The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission and Dr. Austen need the voices of all of our members. Below is a letter that was sent to all members of West Chester Fish, Game & Wildlife. The ask is to have your members contact their respective State Representative and State Senator and ask them to support a tax on the natural gas extracted from our public lands.
Please send an email or a letter to all of your members and ask them to make the two phone calls. If they don't know their Senator and Representative, they can find them at this website by putting in their zip code in the top right corner box;
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/
Thank you for your time and support,
Glade
Dear Member,
We need you to take action and make your voice heard on a very important environmental issue that will have an impact on Pennsylvania's aquatic resources for generations to come.
The Facts
Pennsylvania sits on top of one of the largest deposits of natural gas in the world – the Marcellus Shale formation. This formation lays under 54 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties.
Advances in drilling technology have now made it possible to now economically tap into this formation.
In 1999, the PA Department of Environmental Protection issued 2,000 drilling permits. In 2008, this jumped to a record 7,792 permits.
Most states tax the extraction of natural gas from publically owned lands.
Based on available natural gas in the Marcellus Shale, Governor Rendell's proposed tax is projected to initially raise more than $100 million a year and will rise to $630 million by 2014.
Funds from this tax would allow for an environmental reserve to restore land and water that will be harmed by this drilling.
Further, funds will also be used to support the efforts of the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission to restore and protect watersheds as well as increasing public access.
Investing Severance Tax Proceeds in Aquatic Resource Conservation
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission encourages anglers, boaters, and other conservationists to support investing a portion of a potential natural gas severance tax in aquatic resource conservation.
Access
· To ensure fishing and boating access for future generations, we need to identify the best opportunities before they are lost and maintain the access opportunities in places like the Marcellus Shale-rich portions of the Commonwealth.
· An investment in public access could be leveraged many times over, replicating the incredible success of the Erie Access Improvement Program statewide.
·
Habitat
· Aquatic habitats will likely be negatively impacted by increased natural gas drilling, transmission, and associated activities.
· Lake and stream habitat enhancement projects address stormwater management problems, benefit aquatic organisms, restore fish passage, mitigate the impacts of climate change, and bring flowing waters back to life.
· Severance tax royalties should be dedicated to maintaining and improving habitat for both game and non-game aquatic species.
Environmental Review and Compliance
· Since 2005, the Fish and Boat Commission has nearly tripled the number of oil and gas well permit reviews conducted each year.
· The Commission is working with partner agencies to ensure that water withdrawals, effluent, and infrastructure development associated with energy extraction and land development do not unduly harm our natural resources. Commission waterways conservation officers and biologists are increasingly involved in well site inspections and other work associated with Marcellus Shale permits.
· The Commission is struggling to keep up with this increased volume of reviews and enforcement without additional funding or additional staff. While DEP has been able to raise its permit fees and add additional staff, the Commission cannot do so without specific legislation.
The Message: Invest in Access, Habitat, and Protection
Dedicating a portion of a severance tax to access, habitat, environmental review, and compliance would be wise investments for the Commonwealth as we meet energy demands while protecting, conserving, and enhancing aquatic resources and providing fishing and boating opportunities.
We are asking you as a concerned angler, sportsman or conservationist to please directly contact your Pennsylvania Senator and Representative by way of a letter, email or phone call. Ask them to support a tax on the extraction of natural gas from our publically owned lands and to invest a portion of that tax in Pennsylvania's aquatic resources. You can find your respective officials at www.legis.state.pa.us
Thank you for your time and your support for this very important issue.
The Executive Committee