[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 48 (Thursday, March 19, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H3690-H3691]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       ALLEGHENY NATIONAL FOREST

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I bring a serious economic 
concern from my district today. In the northwest corner of my district 
in beautiful rural Pennsylvania lies the Allegheny National Forest, 
established 86 years ago when the Federal Government purchased 513,000 
acres that it encompasses.
  By agreement in 1923, the subsurface mineral rights in the forest did 
not convey with the purchase, and oil and natural gas have been 
harvested ever since. Because of the value of timber harvested and the 
oil and natural gas produced, the ANF serves as the economic engine of 
the region, providing good-paying, family-sustaining jobs for many in 
the oil, natural gas, timber and forest products industry.
  In addition, the ANF is not taxable, since it is owned by the Federal 
Government, making the municipal governments even more reliable on the 
development of oil, natural gas and the timber in it. Mr. Speaker, 
what's important to note here is that the Federal Government entered 
into an agreement with the owners of these subsurface minerals, an 
agreement which has been honored for 86 years.
  Unfortunately, that process has come to a halt. In reacting to 
lawsuits brought by environmental groups, Forest Service and Justice 
Department lawyers, who most likely have never stepped foot in the 
Pennsylvania ANF, are now managing the forest, instead of dedicated ANF 
Forest Service professionals, who despite many challenges over 8 
decades, have carried out their duties admirably.
  So when the Forest Service does not issue new permits to proceed with 
harvesting oil and natural gas, people lose their jobs and the local 
economy suffers. To demonstrate that this is much more than a legal 
battle between the Forest Service and environmental groups, I will read 
a part of one of my many communications I have received from 
constituents.
  ``With local drilling being slowed to a virtual halt, we have seen 
the `ripple effect' significantly decrease our business. The timber 
industry is in the worst shape that we have ever seen, and now loggers 
are not even needed to clear right-of-ways for roads, locations and 
pipelines.
  ``For the first time in 30 years we have had to reduce our workforce 
and contribute to the nearly double-digit unemployment rate.''
  I find it to be the height of hypocrisy that the Secretary of Energy 
recently asked OPEC not to decrease its oil production, while at the 
same time our

[[Page H3691]]

government is taking actions to prevent the production of our own oil 
and natural gas. Importing 60 percent of our oil and sending $700 
billion to foreign, often unfriendly countries should dictate 
government policy that promotes the production of our own oil, not the 
opposite.
  If the Allegheny Defense Project, which is run out of Portland, 
Oregon, more than 3,000 miles from the beautiful Pennsylvania ANF, 
continues to use the legal system and their environmental shield to 
stop the legitimate and environmentally safe harvesting of timber, 
natural gas and oil from the ANF, or any other forest, I ask that they 
consider the effect of such efforts on the communities, families and 
individuals who depend on the safe and sound harvesting of those 
commodities to keep their jobs and to pay their bills.
  Oil and gas production is western Pennsylvania. It's part of our 
life. It's what we do. It's where Colonel Drake sunk the world's first 
commercial oil well 150 years ago this year. The safe and 
environmentally sound harvesting of our resources in the Allegheny 
National Forest has been going on for decades. There is no reason it 
should be delayed or stopped now, especially during a recession.
  Mr. Speaker, it has been 63 days since the Forest Service has issued 
any permits for new oil and gas wells in the ANF. This is unacceptable.
  I trust that the Forest Service and the Department of Agriculture 
will resolve this problem quickly so that our community can get back to 
work producing our own oil and natural gas. And, if not, I will return 
to this floor and continue to do all I can until it is resolved.

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