Please take a moment today to add your voice to the growing chorus urging Governor Corbett and his Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to prevent gas drilling in the Loyalsock State Forest's Clarence Moore lands.
First, sign the on-line petition to Governor Corbett requesting him to direct his DCNR to hold public hearings across the Commonwealth on Anadarko Petroleum Corporation's proposed development plans for the Clarence Moore Lands.
DCNR has unusual powers to protect this extraordinary section of the Loyalsock State Forest, and it is critical that information about any proposed drilling activity be subject to public review and input. As Rick Carlson, former DCNR policy director under both Republican and Democratic administrations, makes amply and eloquently clear in an op-ed this week, DCNR has yet to meaningfully engage the public and has kept the public in the dark about DCNR's and Anadarko's plans for the forest.
Second, share the petition to Corbett with all of your friends and anyone you know who cares about protecting Penn's Woods.
Third, send a copy of your petition and any comments that you would like to add to DCNR in care of loyalsock@pa.gov.
Fourth, send all or selected portions of your petition to your state representative and your state senator, and request that they use their power to urge the Corbett administration to protect the Loyalsock's Clarence Moore lands and ensure that any decision on gas development takes place only after meaningful public review and input.
Citizens can identify their state legislators and obtain legislative mailing and e-mail addresses by typing in their address at this web site.
Remember that your efforts are not only on behalf of the Loyalsock. As Rick Carlson points out in his op-ed, this lack of meaningful public input is likely to play out in scores of sites in our forests and parks across Penn's Woods where natural gas development on state lands is possible unless the public demands a change in policy.
The Loyalsock is a line in the sand. Please do your part to help keep them out.
