Pennsylvania public parks and state forests are managed by the Commonwealth’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, on the verge of being self-funded with income from natural gas development.

Most people would view this as good news: The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) is within striking distance of becoming self-funding. Only $30 million (out of a $136.5 million budget) comes out of Pennsylvania taxpayer pockets – just 22%. We’d call a self-funding government agency nothing short of a miracle! What does one of Pennsylvania’s Democrat legislators call it? A problem – because the self-funding comes from lease and royalty payments to the DCNR from Marcellus Shale wells drilled on state-owned land, and not from shell games in moving money around in Harrisburg to derive political power.

http://naturalgasnow.org/pennsylvania-forests-and-parks-funded-by-n...