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Issues > Oil & Gas Drilling
The first commercial oil well in North America was drilled in northwestern Pennsylvania in 1859 by Colonel Edwin L. Drake. By the early 1900s Rockefeller's Standard Oil was staunchly entrenched in the oil fields of northwestern Pennsylvania. The oil boom, however, would not last. While the big boom days of oil are over and the industry is mostly moving out, they are still looking to drill for every last crude reserve that they can. Natural gas has created a new boom of its own. Unfortunately, nearly 95% of the mineral rights in the Allegheny National Forest are privately held, meaning that under antiquated mining laws private developers can cut roads into the forest and drill virtually at will. Today, thousands of active and abandoned wells are scattered throughout the Allegheny leaving a long trail of toxic spills. In fact, this one relatively small national forest contains more oil and gas wells than the other 154 national forests combined. Oil-related spills and leakage introduce toxins such as benzene, toluene, and xylene into forest streams. The EPA has characterized northwestern Pennsylvania as having a chronic oil spill situation resulting from thousands of wells, tanks, and brine ponds. Likewise, natural gas pipelines can have serious leaks that go without notice for months. These spills threaten the drinking water of local residents, the streams used by trout fishing enthusiasts, popular hiking trails, and core wildlife habitat with little to no oversight. In addition, roads and well pads fragment habitat and contribute sediment to streams. The Allegheny Defense Project is looking for unique, creative means to put an end to these hazards, but we need your help! Drilling in Pennsylvania State Forests Unlike the Allegheny National Forest, most of the drilling rights underlying Pennsylvania's state forests are owned by the state. This gives the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) far more leeway in how these resources are managed. In 2002, the DCNR proposed to lease half a million acres of state forest and park land for deep-well oil and gas development. After significant public outcry, the DCNR revoked half of that acreage. In the end, only a fraction of the acreage offered for lease were actually bid upon. However, should the wells that will be drilled on these lands hit significant gas reserves, we can expect to see a major push by the industry for additional deep well leases. The state Bureau of Forestry (BoF) is currently working to develop a five-year plan for the state forests. In their recently-released draft plan, they have proposed a moratorium on shallow well oil and gas drilling. The Allegheny Defense Project strongly applauds the BoF for taking this step, but we feel that the impacts of deep-well drilling need to be better addressed, and that this drilling needs to at minimum be limited, and, preferably, be halted as well. See the Forest Service document where they admit NEPA applies to oil and gas drilling in the Allegheny National Forest, "Meeting Minutes for OGM Discussion Concerning Development in the NRA on the ANF" Read the article from the 2003 Special Issue of the Hellbender Journal," Drilling to Infinity in the Allegheny" Read the article from the Autumn 2002 issue of the Hellbender Journal, "Struggle to Defend Salmon Creek Continues" Read the article from the Autumn 2002 issue of the Hellbender Journal, "Pennsylvania Auctions Off 60,000 Acres of Oil and Gas Rights on Public Lands" Read about the environmental impacts of deep-well drilling View the Allegheny National Forest oil and gas slide show (coming soon!) Read press release, Pennsylvania Plans to Auction Off Half a Million Acres of State Forest and Park Lands for Oil and Gas Drilling April 5, 2002 Read press release, Supersedeas Not Granted, but the Fight Goes on to Save Salmon Creek January 16, 2002 Read press release, Judge Issues Temporary Order Suspending Oil and Gas Corporation's Permits for Construction Activity in Allegheny National Forest January 10, 2002 Read press release, Conservationists File Appeal to PA Environmental Hearing Board Over Oil and Gas Permits January 7, 2002 Read press release, U.S. Forest Service Gives Oil and Gas Corporations Green Light, Every Time November 14, 2001 Read article, "Oil and Gas Exploitation in the Allegheny" from the Summer/Fall 2001 issue of the Hellbender Journal
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