Gov. Tom Corbett believes allowing companies to drill deep beneath state parks and forests for natural gas could generate $75 million for Pennsylvania. Corbett is proposing ending a moratorium on Marcellus Shale drilling, and allowing companies to drill more than a mile underground from bases on private land outside the parks and forests.

The proposal has drawn mixed reactions from local lawmakers.State Sen. John Yudichak, minority chairman of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, is concerned drilling would damage the parks forest land, and instead urges the governor to impose a tax levy."Disregarding a scientific study by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the governor is proposing to end a long-standing Marcellus Shale drilling moratorium by allowing for the expansion of natural gas exploration on some of our most sensitive state forest land and our treasured state parks," he said."Never, in Pennsylvania history, has a governor allowed for unconventional natural gas drilling on our state parks to make up for a state budget shortfall. I have serious concerns that we our mortgaging the future of our state parks and state forest lands for shortsighted, one-time budget fixes."Instead of shortchanging the taxpayers of Pennsylvania, who have already paid for our state parks and forest lands, we should be exploring the many good, Democrat and Republican, ideas that would impose a fair severance tax on Marcellus Shale and generate nearly a billion dollars in new state revenue that could be invested in education, economic development and environmental protection," he said.Yudichak is not the only elected official to question the move.Delaware County Democratic Rep. Greg Vitali said he has filed a Right-to-Know request with DCNR for details of the plan, including how many acres would be leased, which state lands would be drilled under, and how Corbett arrived at the $75 million figure."We have been compelled to take this action because this information has not been forthcoming from the Corbett administration," said Vitali, Democratic chairman of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee. "It is simply not believable that Gov. Corbett could propose such a plan without having an estimate of how many acres they would need to lease and what state parks and forests might be impacted. The governor's proposal cannot be properly considered by the legislature without this information. Additionally, the public needs this information to give us their input on Corbett's proposal."State Sen. David G. Argall, R-29, anticipates much discussion in the Legislature."I realize there is sensitivity to the issue of gas drilling as a whole and especially in our world-renowned state parks. I expect the Senate, through budget negotiations, to look more extensively at what the governor is proposing. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I expect this issue to be heavily debated," he said.Corbett's proposal to lease the mineral rights under state lands surfaced in his 2014 budget. The drilling, he said, would be done from pads on private property outside the state land, which is managed by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and not disturb the surface. The gas would be extracted more than a mile underground by way of directional and horizontal drilling.Specific areas and acreage will be analyzed by reviewing interest from operators who can access the gas through horizontal drilling without additional disturbance on the surface of state land, according to DCNR's website.According to DCNR Secretary Ellen Ferretti, the state owns about 20 percent of the mineral rights under state parks and about 80 under state forests.Corbett's plan may reverse a moratorium on leasing of state forest lands enacted by former Gov. Ed Rendell.