1Encouraging the Governor and the Secretary of Conservation and
2Natural Resources to prevent drilling operations in the
3Clarence Moore Lands and preserve the character of the
4Loyalsock State Forest.

5WHEREAS, The Loyalsock State Forest encompasses 114,494 acres
6in Lycoming, Sullivan and Bradford Counties; and

7WHEREAS, The Loyalsock State Forest is home to a wealth of
8magnificent natural and recreational resources; and

9WHEREAS, The heart of the forest includes the Old Loggers
10Path, a 27-mile hiking path that does not cross a single paved
11road and features deep forests that are becoming increasingly
12rare; and

13WHEREAS, The Old Loggers Path has attracted hikers from
14across the country and the world; people from England and Mexico

1have signed the trail registers on the Old Loggers Path; and

2WHEREAS, It also contains the Devil's Elbow Natural Area, a
3remote plateau of rare plants, bogs and hemlock forests; and

4WHEREAS, The forest is home to Rock Run, an Exceptional Value
5stream, often described as the single most beautiful stream in
6this Commonwealth; and

7WHEREAS, The forest's size, water quantity and quality and
8lack of disturbance make it an especially valuable nesting
9habitat for interior bird species, including the Northern
10Goshawk, a rare raptor, and the State-endangered Yellow-Bellied
11Flycatcher; and

12WHEREAS, There are 25,621 acres of Loyalsock State Forest,
13known as the Clarence Moore Lands, where the Commonwealth owns
14only the surface estate and does not own oil and gas rights; and

15WHEREAS, The subsurface oil and gas rights to this acreage
16are owned by Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and International
17Development Corporation; and

18WHEREAS, This land is divided into an 18,780-acre tract and a
196,841-acre tract; and

20WHEREAS, A Commonwealth Court decision in 1983 gives the
21Commonwealth the legal power, authority and right to prevent
22Anadarko and International Development Corporation from using
23the surface of 18,780 acres of the Clarence Moore Lands to
24extract oil and gas; and

25WHEREAS, Anadarko has entered into discussions with the
26Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to develop the
27Clarence Moore Tracts; and

28WHEREAS, According to the Department of Conservation and
29Natural Resources, Anadarko has proposed a development plan that
30includes the siting of 25 wellpads, clearing 60-foot-wide swaths

1of land for pipelines that traverse the Old Loggers Path
2multiple times, the construction of compressor stations and
3impoundment pits in the area; and

4WHEREAS, Anadarko's proposal would significantly degrade the
5wild character of the Loyalsock State Forest; and

6WHEREAS, Under Section 27 of Article I of the Constitution of
7Pennsylvania, the Department of Conservation and Natural
8Resources has a legal duty to conserve, maintain and enhance
9State Forest lands for the benefit of all Pennsylvanians,
10including future generations; and

11WHEREAS, The Conservation and Natural Resources Act
12specifically requires the Department of Conservation and Natural
13Resources to protect, maintain and regulate the occupancy and
14use of State Forest lands; therefore be it

15RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives encourage the
16Governor and the Secretary of Conservation and Natural Resources
17to exercise all of their constitutional, statutory and
18discretionary powers to prevent drilling operations in the
19Clarence Moore Lands to the maximum extent possible, so as to
20preserve the wild character of the Loyalsock State Forest.