Chesapeake Bay Foundation Pennsylvania Executive Director Harry Campbell issued this statement following Gov. Tom Wolf’s moratorium on natural gas drilling in state forests and state parks:
“The Chesapeake Bay Foundation commends Gov. Wolf’s decision to cease issuing new permits for natural gas extraction in the Commonwealth’s parks and forests. Pennsylvania’s forests and our natural landscapes provide real and measureable benefits well beyond vistas. Forests provide natural flood control, clean the air, keep drinking water sources clean, and support a number of important industries.
“CBF does not oppose natural gas development if done safely, nor have we called for a permanent ban on gas development in the region. But because of concerns regarding the unknown large-scale impacts of the industry, in 2011 CBF called for and continues to believe a federal study of cumulative impacts of all unconventional natural gas extraction in the Chesapeake Bay watershed is necessary. No such study has been initiated, however.
“Our goal is to ensure that energy development in Pennsylvania and the Chesapeake Bay region takes place in as safe and environmentally responsible a manner as possible.”
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