Ad Crable’s column (“What happens to our forests once the fracking stops?” Dec. 1) asks what Pennsylvania is doing to safely develop clean-burning shale gas on state-owned lands and elsewhere.
Through robust environmental regulations and the Marcellus Shale Coalition’s recommended practices for Well Site Planning, Development and Restoration, a commitment to sharing the land with wildlife, and the fact that many in this industry are outdoorsmen and women, Pennsylvania has the right rules in place to minimize the industry’s footprint, while maintaining the beauty of Penn’s Woods.
In fact, many Marcellus operators have partnered with state and national conservation groups to re-vegetate disturbed areas, creating early succession habitat for birds and small game species.
The use of horizontal drilling technology greatly reduces surface disturbance by allowing operators to tap a much larger resource base from one location, instead of drilling dozens of vertical wells to harvest the same volume of gas. This is a clear environmental winner and is changing the outlook of national energy supply dramatically.
For decades, resource development, recreation and wildlife have coexisted in many state forests and the Allegheny National Forest — an example of how “multi-use” forests can be managed effectively to ensure that coexistence.
The recommended practices our organization has adopted, coupled with strict regulations, further ensure coexistence and that the only sites chosen are those we can safely develop and restore to a level that enhances local habitat.
Dave Spigelmyer
President
Marcellus Shale Coalition
NOTE: Click HERE to view this letter online.
