Here's a story you have to read. Especially if you want to be able to say "I told you so" at cocktail parties after Western Pennsylvania becomes the center of a new debate (battle?) over oil and gas. It's a story about the Allegheny National Forest in Northwestern Pennsylvania.
What? You hadn't heard? The Allegheny has more oil and gas wells than all the other national forests combined. (It also has one of the most valuable--and controversial--stands of hardwood in the world. But that's a different story. One you could write a book about.)
So why all the oil and gas? Well, first of all, there is a lot of oil and gas there. Bradford and Warren, both towns bordering the forest, have refineries. It's the birthplace of the petroleum industry. Bradford was, in essence, the first Saudi Arabia. It used to have a chandelier store, I understand.
See, history is important. The Forest Service did not establish the Allegheny until 1923. At the time, it had been cut so heavily that the region was known as the Allegheny Brush Heap. So the government decided to make it a national forest. By buying the land.
But not the mineral rights.
That's right. Unlike most other national forests, the government does not own the subsurface rights on the Allegheny. Because it didn;t want to pay for them. As such, the Forest Service is legally required give the owners of those subservice rights access to the minerals. You want to stop drilling? Buy the subsurface rights.
Have you seen the price of oil and gas recently? Better bring your checkbook.
Another interesting point from the article:
Jim Kleissler, Allegheny Defense Project executive director, said the Forest Service hadn't used the options available to it under existing state and federal laws to control the drilling, which has increased fourfold in the past three years.
"Given the numbers, it's hard to imagine that it's not a major issue for the Forest Service," Mr. Kleissler said. "Oil and gas exploration affects all areas of recreation, wildlife conservation and stream quality. If it chose to, the Forest Service could prevent it or limit where and how it happens."
So it seems Mr. Kleissler is back in full force. He had taken a hiatus a while back. To run the Thomas Merton Center. In Pittsburgh.
Kleissler and company ran a highly successful litigation campaign against the Forest Service's logging operation in the 1990s. The activists eventually lost in court, but not before delaying a major project so long that the Forest Service had to go back to the drawing board. THey were assisted throughout by free legal assistance from folks affiliated with Pitt's Environmental Law Clinic. Which was funded by the ketchup people. And caused a huge stink a few years back concerning state funding, academic freedom and other stuff.
Lots of forces lining up here.
Know what happens when these forces get out of control? People burn things down and threaten to shoot each other.
maybe i've said it before...the answer isn't finding more oil in PA or elsewhere...it's using less. really, this is one time the answer is easy. but trying convincing americans, even those who claim to be environmentally correct (hell, they have to drive deep into the woods to set those fires...can't imagine they hike back with their cans of gasoline). okay, that's extreme...but larry david's (co-creator of TV's Seinfeld) wife is an environmentalist, but they live in an LA house that's more than 5,500 square feet...do you think that any place that big in California doesn't use a ton of energy every day? i mean, barbara streisand has a 10,000 square foot 24/7 air conditioned barn to house her memorabilia. and she calls herself an environmentalist.
you can mock my bike riding. but you can't mock the fact that i spend about $40 a month on gas. i really do try to practice what i preach.
as for the allegheny brush heap...that sounds like a case where the loggers would have put themselves out of business (RE: the nyt article about oregon logging). If the end result is the same (no logging jobs) isn't it better to leave aroud some trees so that you don't have to go to a museum just to see them?
Posted by: sean mcdaniel | August 21, 2006 at 05:07 PM