Corbett Under Fire for Leasing State Land to Gas Drillers
You probably missed it last Friday when Gov. Tom Corbett ordered state park and forest land opened up to gas drillers. (Philebrity didn’t, and captured the moment with this great headline.) But the controversy isn’t going to go away.
Democrat for Congress Kevin Strouse on Tuesday slammed Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett for his “disgraceful” decision to allow natural gas drilling under state parkland and protected forests.
The candidate for the 8th Congressional District also questioned the timing of the governor’s decision just before the holiday weekend, “knowing that people’s attention would rightly be focused on remembering the sacrifices of the men and women who gave their lives to keep our country free. His actions are disgraceful, and I call on Congressman [Mike] Fitzpatrick to repudiate them and ask his party’s governor to reverse this executive order.”
Fitzpatrick’s campaign released a letter appearing to support the decision:
“As an environmental advocate, the decision to ban long-term surface disturbances will ensure that Pennsylvanians can enjoy our state’s park and game lands without obstruction,” the letter said. “Natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania, and across the country, is one piece of an all-of-the-above energy strategy that advances our economy while responsibly protecting the environment.”
