June 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 63

Our paramount concern is protecting our
ground and surface waters.
-Maryland Secretary of the Environment Robert Summers

environmental and parks advocates point out that the Growing
Greener Program, which was severely cut in the recent state budget, should be the beneficiary of a practice allowing permanent
depletion of the state's natural resources without returning a portion of the profits to protect natural resources and land in perpetuity.
The impacts of hydro-fracking on recreation-based economies are not fully known yet, but anecdotal reports from some
states point to trouble.
" There is no doubt that the increased truck traffic and impacts associated with gas drilling will affect the recreational
use of parks and forests, " says Marci Mowery, president of the
Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation. Mowery notes that
a mountain-biking group from New England that had been coming to Pennsylvania for years for multi-day rides said it would not
be returning-the heavy truck traffic, broken roads, and noise
have ruined their experience. This type of negative impact on
tourism has prompted the foundation to consider creating a website to provide real-time information on road conditions, truck
traffic, and other issues created by the fracking industry.

State's Policies Vary Widely
The policies of states with Marcellus Shale gas deposits vary considerably. In New York, approximately 12 percent of the state's
public forest lands are leased for drilling. Yet, there is a statewide
policy of no drilling in state parks. New York is waiting on a regional study promised by Environmental Protection Agency for
this September, but some believe that timetable will slip.
Maryland has taken a strong stand on fracking by refusing to
grant any permits, whether for private or state land. While Governor Martin O'Malley failed to get the state legislature to approve
a two-year study on the impacts of fracking, the state has issued
no permits. In recent testimony before the U.S. House Environment and Public Works Committee's Water and Wildlife Subcommittee, Maryland Secretary of the Environment Robert Summers
testified, " We are mindful of the tremendous benefits that could
accrue to the environment and the economy by exploring and exploiting our gas reserves, but we are equally alert to the risks of
adverse public health and environmental effects. Our paramount
concern is protecting our ground and surface waters. "
In Ohio, Governor John Kasich is seeking approval from the
state legislature to open state parks to oil and gas drilling, although the budget bill has not identified which of the state's
200,000 acres would be opened for leasing. In August 2010,
West Virginia's Department of Natural Resources announced
it would consider leasing up to 40,000 acres of state lands for
gas drilling.
The spread of leasing and the prevalence of accidents has
caused the federal government to re-consider the standing

	

exemption for the fracking industry. The U.S. Department of Energy recently created a panel to make recommendations within
90 days on immediate steps that might be taken to make fracking cleaner and safer.

If Not by Fracking, Then How?
The environmental concerns about fracking are immense, and
advocates for parks and public lands have a significant challenge
to ensure the integrity of the park experience. But at the same
time, some advise considering the benefits of this energy source
in a larger frame of reference.
" We cannot demonize natural gas, " says John Quigley, who
notes that it is an energy source that our nation possesses in
abundance and it is one fossil fuel resource that can reduce impacts of climate change. He says the need to get it right now is
all the more important considering that there are 3,000 gas wells
operating now in Pennsylvania but 150,000 have been permitted for drilling.
Natural gas is readily available to us if we can find the proper
balance in ensuring protections for our air, water, natural resources, and lands, Quigley asserts, saying, " It's all about balance. "
In considering what it will take for the gas drilling industry to
co-exist with parks and public lands, Mowery of the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation notes the state only owns the
subsurface rights to 20 percent of its parkland. Leasing rights
to 80 percent of resources under state parks are controlled by
the private sector. " We know we can't stop this drilling, and it
is not necessarily a bad thing if it is done right, " Mowery says.
" What must be done to make it right is to control the pace, carefully monitor what takes place, and then control the impacts. "
Mowery cites the positive example of the lessons learned
from Cherry Springs Park, one of the country's premier dark
sky parks, a public park ideally situated for star-gazing. When
the burning of natural gas at night, called " flaring, " was causing
light pollution to ruin the star-gazing activities, the park manager and the park's friends group invited representatives from the
nearby drilling operations to visit and see what made the park
unique. It resulted in a voluntary plan by the drilling companies
to not flare their wells during the dark phases of the moon, which
has allowed the park to continue its nighttime programs and activities for the public.
" We know people love their parks, and we are working to
protect them, " Mowery says. " When it comes to fracking, we
need to try to achieve the most minimal impact possible, and
then to try to mitigate any impacts that do occur. And, we need
to keep an open dialogue going with the drilling companies. " 
Richard J. Dolesh is NRPA Chief of Public Policy.

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