Political Quotes

“Since first being elected to serve the citizens of Pennsylvania's Fifth Congressional District, I have had the honor to represent both the Allegheny National Forest and Pennsylvania's historic Oil Region, where the commercial oil industry began in 1859. This region of north central Pennsylvania was built on our natural resources, and this legacy remains a deep part of our heritage. The Oil Region designation came about because of the city of Titusville, which has been aptly nicknamed ``the valley that changed the world.'' It was there in 1859 that Colonel Edwin Drake drilled the world's first commercial oil well, which set the wheels in motion for the worldwide commercial use of petroleum. Some 60 years following Colonel Drake's historic well, the Allegheny National Forest was created in nearby Warren, Elk, Forest, and McKean Counties. Like so many areas of the West, this national forest is intrinsically connected to the prosperity of our communities. A mixed use of oil and gas production, timbering, hardwood research, recreation, and tourism make the Allegheny National Forest unique to the East Coast and truly a treasure for the mid-Atlantic region. In the Allegheny, more than 90 percent of the mineral rights are owned by the private sector. With the long history in oil and gas development in the region, private landowners had the foresight to reserve their mineral rights when the Federal Government acquired these surface lands. You see, Mr.…”