Tell DCNR to Stop Renovo Gas Pipeline and Threat to Public Lands in PA

From PennEnvironment (http://www.pennenvironment.org):

State officials are considering approving construction of a gas pipeline through one of Pennsylvania’s great outdoor treasures — Sproul State Forest. Pipeline construction and fracking’s toxic legacy have already wreaked havoc on too many of our beloved public lands, like the spill that contaminated Marsh Creek just last year.¹

Allowing more pipeline construction through our public lands is a recipe for disaster. Email state environmental officials at https://pennenvironment.webaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=45799 and tell them to put a stop to this proposal today.

Sproul State Forest is the largest of Pennsylvania’s state forests. Located in north-central Pennsylvania, Sproul encompasses over 300,000 acres of wilderness that is enjoyed by many for hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, camping, boating, and for peace and solitude.² Sproul also is also home to a dozen pristine waterways designated as Wilderness Trout Streams.³

Despite Sproul’s importance, state officials may approve a proposal by Renovo Energy to construct a pipeline to move gas through the forest for a gas-fired power plant it’s proposing to build. If approved, they would clear at least 20 acres of wilderness, and fill in two High Quality streams and two Exceptional Value wetlands in the forest — designations reserved only for waterways with the cleanest water in the state.⁴ Along with the impacts to beloved wilderness and waterways, the pipeline would carry gas that contains methane — and methane emissions are speeding up global warming.

Pipelines and preserving our public lands don’t mix. Tell DCNR to deny Renovo’s gas pipeline today.

Only days after being elected to the state’s highest office in 2015, Gov. Tom Wolf signed an executive order banning further fracking leases in Pennsylvania’s state forests and parks.⁵ While Renovo’s proposal to build a pipeline through Sproul State Forest may not violate the letter of that executive order, it certainly violates its spirit — which is that fracking poses a risk to our public lands that’s not worth taking. It’s time for the Wolf administration to put their money where their mouth is, and defend Sproul State Forest from fracking’s encroaching web.

Take this action today and help protect Pennsylvania’s beloved state forests.

Thank you for standing up for our public lands.

1. Bill Rettew, “Pipeline drilling fluid leaks into Marsh Creek Lake,” Daily Local News, August 12, 2020.
2. “Sproul State Forest,” Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, accessed August 10, 2021.
3. “Fishing,” Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, accessed August 10, 2021.
4. Joseph Minott, “DEP steamrolling power plant approval is out of step with agency rhetoric,” Pennsylvania Capital-Star, July 28, 2021.
5. Susan Phillips, “Gov. Wolf bans new drilling in state parks and forests,” State Impact Pennsylvania, January 29, 2015.