[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9282-9283]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     MINERAL RIGHTS IN PENNSYLVANIA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, since coming to Congress, 
I have had the distinct honor to represent the Pennsylvania's oil 
region and the Allegheny National Forest.
  Among our many economic drivers in Pennsylvania, energy development 
played a critical historical role in Pennsylvania and the country and 
continues to be among our essential legacy industries in the Fifth 
Congressional District of Pennsylvania.
  While some of this energy production originally started with mining 
in the 18th century, the Pennsylvania oil rush in the mid-1800s changed 
America and has since had profound impacts on the world abroad.
  In the late 1850s, Edwin Drake, who later adopted the title of 
``colonel,'' came to Titusville in search of oil deposits. Unsuccessful 
at first, he eventually made a breakthrough by drilling vertically 
through iron piping.
  In 1859, Drake drilled 70 feet down and finally struck oil in 
Titusville, Pennsylvania. The result was the world's first commercial 
oil well and the birth of the modern petroleum industry.
  Immediately after this innovation, the great oil rush began in 
Pennsylvania, attracting John D. Rockefeller and Standard Oil, among 
others.
  Due to this important history, 700 square miles of the region were 
designated in 2004 as the Oil Region National Heritage Area, as 
recognized by the U.S. National Park Service.
  In the following decades, after Drake's well, the oil industry grew 
throughout northwestern Pennsylvania, along with the production of 
high-value hardwood timber and forest products.
  Finally, in 1923, the Allegheny National Forest was established in 
four nearby counties: Warren, Elk, Forest, and McKean. When the 
Allegheny was created, the Federal Government only purchased the 
surface rights, intentionally leaving the mineral rights in private 
hands due to the then well-established oil industry and its importance 
to the local economy.
  Since then, the Allegheny has largely operated harmoniously as a 
multiple-use forest, providing energy, forest products, good local 
jobs, recreation, conservation, wildlife habitat, and environmental 
benefits.
  However, mineral rights owners and the local industry have had 
significant challenges in recent years due to efforts by some to force 
more Federal regulations on oil and gas production in the Allegheny.
  In 2009, the Forest Service settled out of court with environmental 
activists to apply, for the first time, the National Energy Policy Act 
to the leasing and permitting process in the forest.
  After nearly a decade in the courts, the settlement was correctly 
overturned when the court opined that the Forest Service lacked the 
legal authority to require new regulations because the Federal 
Government does not own the mineral rights.
  Throughout this process, some tried to justify settlement by pointing 
to a provision contained in the Energy Policy Act of 1992, which 
directed the Forest Service to write new oil and gas regulations, 
specifically on the Allegheny because of its split estates.
  In the years between 1992 and the settlement, this provision was 
never implemented because of the well-established working relationship 
between the Forest Service and local mineral owners.
  In short, there was no reason to move forward with new rules because 
production was already more than adequately regulated.
  Since the courts have repeatedly spoken in favor of the mineral 
rights owners and ruled that the Federal Government has no authority to 
write such rules, I have introduced H.R. 2316, the Cooperative 
Management of Mineral Rights Act, to correct the existing law.
  This legislation, if implemented, will repeal the requirements 
contained in the 1992 Energy Policy Act. By removing this language, the 
bill will help ensure that mineral rights owners and the Allegheny 
National Forest will be able to continue to access their property and 
the Forest Service does not write new rules in the forest.
  This legislation will also help to prevent further litigation, 
additional economic hardship in the region, and further waste of 
taxpayer dollars. The bill does not affect existing environmental 
regulations in any way.
  In the last Congress, the House passed the previous version with a 
bipartisan overwhelming vote.
  I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues during the 
115th Congress passing this legislation into law.


              Reflecting on Yesterday's Horrific Incident

  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I want to reflect just 
briefly on the horrific incident that occurred yesterday. It impacted 
so many friends and colleagues, and I certainly offer prayers for Steve 
Scalise and all those who were injured in that terrible incident.
  I offer my appreciation for the bravery of the Capitol Police that 
prevented many deaths from occurring with their heroic efforts of 
running to the sounds of the gun, even after the one officer being 
wounded, pulling herself up to prevent further injury and certainly 
fatalities.
  I also want to offer a call to replace, starting within this 
institution, on this floor, the attacks of hateful personal politics 
and resistance, and to replace that with respect, to return respect to 
this Capitol, to this floor, to our Nation, to our communities, and 
certainly to our families.
  And I just pray to God that God--the Scripture talks about how God 
will take acts of evil and use them for good, and I just pray that the 
evil, the horrific evil that was conducted yesterday,

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that this be an example that God will use that for good and that we 
replace the hateful rhetoric and resistance with respect.

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