The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy selects our policy positions with great care and strategic forethought. We have identified the following issues as the ones that are most likely to have the greatest impact on our land and water conservation objectives.

Natural Gas Development in Pennsylvania

Over the last several years Western Pennsylvania has seen a dramatic increase in the amount of exploration and extraction of natural gas. To address this increased activity, the Conservancy has responded by developing a public policy statement, taking a leadership role in disseminating information, and offering guidelines for addressing conservation concerns related to natural gas exploration and extraction.

You can download our Oil, Gas and Minerals Policy (12/2011).  We also have a simple informative document for landowners facing this issue called "Conservation Guidance for Landowners on Natural Gas Development" (6/2010). Western Pennsylvania Conservancy scientists collaborated with The Nature Conservancy to model the potential impacts of Marcellus Shale natural gas and wind development in Pennsylvania. You can download the “Pennsylvania Energy Impacts Assessment” (PDF) online.

Wind Energy

WPC supports the development of renewable energy sources, including wind, in locations that do not negatively affect the integrity of biologically significant areas of Pennsylvania. Areas identified through the county natural heritage inventories play a vital role in supporting the full array of native species and habitats in Pennsylvania, as do the commonwealth's remaining tracts of unfragmented forestland and migratory pathways. View our full position here (PDF).