March 23rd, 2015
GIS Map Provides Unique Perspective on Current and Potential Drilling on State Lands

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HARRISBURG, Pa., March 23, 2015 — Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future (PennFuture) and FracTracker Alliance have created a unique GIS map that enables the public to investigate how shale gas development is changing the face of our public lands. 

The map shows, in one place:

• Pennsylvania’s State Forests, Parks and Game Lands;
• State Forest tracts containing active oil and gas leases;
• State Forest areas where the oil and gas rights have been “severed” from the surface lands and are owned by third parties;
• State Forest lands that are to be protected for recreational use under the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund Act;
• The location of unconventional shale gas wells that have been drilled on State Forest and State Game Lands; and
• The boundaries of watersheds that contain one or more High Quality or Exceptional Value streams.

“The goal of this project was to highlight the relationship between unconventional shale gas development and public resources that the state holds in trust for Pennsylvania’s citizens under Article I, Section 27 of the Pennsylvania Constitution,” said PennFuture Chief Counsel George Jugovic, Jr.

“FracTracker was pleased to work with PennFuture to create this Public Lands map,” said Brook Lenker, executive director of FracTracker. “We believe it will be a useful tool for understanding the current and potential impacts of natural gas development on Pennsylvania’s treasured public lands.”

John Norbeck, President of PennFuture, said, “The Commonwealth’s award-winning state parks and state forests are special places that Pennsylvania citizens have long cherished. We hope this map will be a useful tool for all Pennsylvanians in planning their recreational, educational, and advocacy activities.”

Full link to the map:
http://maps.fractracker.org/latest/?appid=65007967d5cc4464bc65fb8a0835e9f0

PennFuture is a statewide public interest membership organization founded in 1998 with offices in Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Wilkes-Barre. The organization’s activities include litigating cases before regulatory bodies and in local, state, and federal courts; advocating and advancing legislative action on a state and federal level; public education; and assisting citizens in public advocacy.