Glenn Thompson: “Last week, I introduced a bill that protects private property rights in Pennsylvania's only national forest, the…”

“Last week, I introduced a bill that protects private property rights in Pennsylvania's only national forest, the Allegheny National Forest. H.R. 245, the Cooperative Management of Mineral Rights Act of 2019, will ensure that private property owners and energy producers in the Allegheny National Forest have access to the property. Despite being successfully and sufficiently regulated by the Commonwealth for decades, a Federal law passed in 1992 required the Forest Service to write new regulations on oil and gas production in the ANF. However, Federal courts have repeatedly ruled that the Forest Service does not have the authority to do so because the minerals in the ANF are privately owned. My bill corrects this Federal law by repealing the improper 1992 requirement. In fact, the House of Representatives previously passed my legislation, twice, with strong bipartisan support, overwhelmingly in 2016 and unanimously in 2017. I hope we can get this commonsense legislation across the finish line during the 116th Congress. I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this important legislation to put the brakes on excessive litigation in the ANF and protect private property rights. ____________________”