by Jim Foster, Secretary, KTA Board of Directors
On November 17, 2014, I represented the KTA at a meeting of Pennsylvania conservation, environmental, and wildlife organizations. There were about 20 people in attendance, representing Pennsylvania conservation, environmental, and wildlife organizations. The meeting was chaired by Cindy Dunn, president and CEO of PennFuture and formerly the Deputy Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Our goal was to prepare a document we could all agree upon that lays out the important environmental and conservation priorities we will recommend to the incoming Tom Wolf administration. We covered topics such as state-owned lands, more public engagement, energy priorities, appointments, clean water issues, budgets and funding, building codes, and land use. I was able to raise most of the items that we had developed as priorities for the KTA.
Over the next few weeks, selected individuals will summarize our thoughts on each issue in a document that will be circulated. The goal is to have a summary document of no more than 4 pages ready within a few weeks.
I think this was a very worthwhile exercise. By the way, we were all encouraged to separately submit our organization’s particular priorities. Below is a list of priorities and recommendations prepared by the KTA Board of Directors. I submitted our list to the Wolf transition team in mid-November. We hope to have the opportunity to discuss these with the Wolf team at some point.
• Gas Drilling on State-Owned Lands. Pennsylvania should reduce gas drilling in state forests and parks, especially in areas near our most precious trails. The state should not enter into any new agreements for such drilling and reduce current commitments to the extent possible.
• Extraction Tax. Pennsylvania should seek revenue from drilling activity through an extraction tax, not from drilling in state forests and parks.
• Restore Funding to State-Owned Lands. Pennsylvania should restore adequate funding to our state forests, parks, and game lands. Priorities should include restoring and preserving open and undeveloped spaces and purchasing mineral rights on state-owned lands. A portion of funds garnered from an extraction tax should be dedicated to these objectives.
• Adequately Fund Trails. Pennsylvania should resume providing adequate funding for our hiking and shared-use trails, including the maintenance of existing trails, the construction of new trails, and the purchase of corridor lands to protect important trails. A portion of funds garnered from an extraction tax should be dedicated to these objectives.
• Adequately Fund the DEP. Pennsylvania should ensure that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has adequate funding generally but particularly in light of its greater responsibilities from increased gas drilling activity.
• Pennsylvania Wilderness Act. Pennsylvania needs a wilderness act on its state-owned lands. State forest wild areas and natural areas are not truly protected. We need a legal framework that will forever protect Pennsylvania’s special places instead of allowing them to be subject to the state governor’s whims.
• Reestablish a Conservation Corps Program. Consider reestablishing the Youth Conservation Corps and/or the Pennsylvania Conservation Corps. In years past, these programs introduced many young people to Pennsylvania’s outdoors through conservation projects around the state, including constructing and maintaining trails. If reestablished, these programs should focus on introducing young people to the natural world through a solid work environment and developing real-life work skills.