Help AMC Tell the Story of Marcellus Shale's Greatest Treasures

The Appalachian region is witnessing a boom in natural gas development. This is mostly happening in the area known as the Marcellus Shale formation, which consists of some of the most beautiful and least developed parts of the Mid-Atlantic region, including large sections of the Poconos, the Catskills, the Allegheny National Forest, and the Delaware Water Gap. Other shale formations have the potential to also produce natural gas, which then must be moved to market through existing and new pipelines for commercial and residential uses. In Pennsylvania, over half of the state parks lie within this shale region and are threatened, and about one third of the state forests are already leased for natural gas extraction. The AMC’s commitment to conservation includes an obligation to evaluate and address natural resource extraction, especially when adverse impacts affect public lands and waters.

Many activities involved in natural gas development have potentially dangerous consequences for our land, water, air, and climate. All of these impacts threaten publicly cherished environmental and recreational resources.

At the core of AMC’s natural gas policy is a commitment to protect our public lands. The policy is outlined in the club’s broader Energy Policies, and states that “public lands deserve special attention to assure that the values for which they were initially protected remain available for public benefit.”

View the AMC's Energy Policies.

The policy is guided by the following principles:

Keeping drilling activity off public lands:

• Public lands which do not already have privately-owned mineral rights must remain off-limits to natural gas developers.
• Drilling-related construction – such as roads, pipelines, and storage tanks – must be kept to an absolute minimum.
• Land disturbed by gas development must be returned to its natural pre-drilling condition.

Protecting access to public lands:

• Drilling activities during construction, operation, and decommissioning must not prevent the public’s access to public lands.
• Escrow funds should be established pre-project for the purpose of land rehabilitation.
• Lease revenue funds should be collected and used for stewardship of public lands and for additional land acquisition.

Protecting air and water quality and minimizing greenhouse gas emissions:

• The gas industry’s exemption from compliance with the reporting sections of the Safe Drinking Water Act should be eliminated.
• Gas developers should demonstrate adequate safeguards and bonded assurances that pre-project air and water quality will not be degraded either on or off-site.
• Short-term, minor air and water impacts must be mitigated.
• Operations should cease drilling and drilling-related activities should they cumulatively contribute to an air or water quality event.
• Projects should each demonstrate that their activities represent an overall reduction of greenhouse emissions.

Help AMC Tell the Stories of the Greatest Treasures at Risk From Gas Development
AMC is telling the story of Marcellus Shale's Greatest Treasures - outstanding public lands and waterways in the Marcellus Shale region.  We are collecting stories from our members and supporters who have had extraordinary experiences recreating in these treasured places.  If you have a story to tell about a Marcellus Treasure and what it means to you, we would like to share that story with others.

Half of Pennsylvania's state parks lie within the borders of the Marcellus formation, and one-third of our state forest has already been leased for natural gas development.  From fragmented forest habitats, to bubbling streams, natural gas drilling and related activities have already made an impact on these public places.

Some of the spectacular places that have been, or could be affected by natural gas drilling include the Pine Creek Gorge and the Endless Mountains, The Poconos, and the Allegheny National Forest.  The scale of the drilling boom, combined with the environmental threats posed by drilling, have made it more important than ever to understand and communicate the value of our public lands and to reaffirm our commitment to their protection.  No one can tell that story better than the outdoor recreationists who paddle, hike, and climb in our state's many public treasures.  

That's why AMC is collecting stories that attest to the ecological, recreational, and aesthetic value of our public lands and waters in the Marcellus Shale region.  We need members to submit stories about their favorite Marcellus treasures.  It could be a story about the park where you first went camping as a child, or maybe a memory of a sunrise reflected in the waters of the Upper Delaware.  These kinds of stories highlight the values found in our public lands, as well as the risk of losing those values.  By collecting and publishing these stories, we can tell a larger story about why our public lands matter and must be protected.

To submit your Marcellus story or for more information, contact:

Cathy Frankenberg
520 Long St.
Bethlehem, PA 18018
610-868-6903
cfrankenberg@outdoors.org