5 Things We Learned From Senate, House Hearings On DCNR’s Budget

The Senate and House Appropriations Committee hearings on Gov. Wolf’s proposed budget for the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources are now complete.  Here are five things we learned as a result of those hearings--

1. DCNR Infrastructure Backlog Reduced By About $400 Million: Acting DCNR Secretary Cindy Dunn told the House Appropriations Committee the backlog of infrastructure projects in State Parks and Forests was now about $600 million thanks to a combination of funding sources including the Capital Budget, Enhance Penns Woods and others.  In 2013, then DCNR Secretary Richard Allan told the Committee during his budget hearing there was a $1 billion infrastructure backlog.

2. DCNR Land Disturbed By Drilling 1,600 Acres: In response to a question by Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming), Majority Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, Dan Devlin, DCNR Director of the Bureau of State Parks, said about about 1,600 acres of State Forest land are disturbed by current drilling operations out of a total of 2.2 million acres of DCNR land.

3. Little Interest In Leasing More State Forest Land For Drilling: Sen. Mario Scavello (R-Monroe) asked about whether cuts have been made in response to additional natural gas leasing revenue-- $95 million-- anticipated, but not coming in this year as a result of the Governor’s moratorium.  Dunn said there has been no interest in additional gas leasing on State Forest land.  “That money was not going to be coming anyway…if we were sitting here today without a moratorium we would not be seeing that $95 million,” she said. “Budgets are an estimate that provided way ahead of reality and it was not going to materialize as $95 million, I don’t know what it could have been maybe zero.”

4. DCNR Did Not Issue Drilling Moratorium: Sen. Yaw noted the Governor issued an executive order imposing a moratorium on additional natural gas leasing on DCNR lands, but a recent court decision said the DCNR Secretary is the only one who could issue a moratorium on drilling.  He asked if Dunn had issued a moratorium.  Dunn said she has not issued a drilling moratorium, but agreed with the Governor’s action to give DCNR breathing space to better regulate drilling activities.

5. New PNDI Permit Review Tool:  Dunn said DCNR plans to roll out a new version of the PA Natural Diversity Inventory Environmental Review Tool to help developers, pipeline companies and others conduct reviews of projects for impacts in sensitive species.  Devlin said the new tool should be available to key stakeholders for review in the Spring with the goal of releasing it publicly later in the year.

Click Here for a copy of Acting Secretary Dunn’s written testimony.  Click Here for a summary of DCNR’s House budget hearing.  Click Here for a summary of the Governor’s proposed environmental budget.

Written testimony and a video of each House hearing will be posted on the Republican House Appropriations Committee webpage.  Information about Senate budget hearings are posted on the Senate Republican Caucus website.

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