This letter is about opinion in last weeks Farmers Friend titled, DRBC gas pains.

Yes you have some of what you said about clean water correct and let’s hope it stays clean. You hail the DRBC as the holy grail redeemer of keeping water clean and pure for 8 million people.  You think the state of Pa should keep paying them? Let the state pay the landowners to keep their land if the drills can't drill.

As a farmer in Susquehanna County living just 1 mile from the Wayne County line I am at a disadvantage as to the DRBC's mighty power of not allowing the production of natural gas here on my land. I can see the bigger picture from where I live. Growing up here, there were hundreds of small dairy farms and many more hundreds of small farms growing their own beef, pork, chickens and crops for them and food from vegetable gardens for most of their food.

Today I can count on one hand the number of dairy farms in my township, (one) and going east into Wayne county I can say there are about 30 dairy farms and most of the rest of the small farms have been bought up by developers who may or may not develop the land.

As the baby boomers come west there will be more demand for houses. More demand for recreation and more demand for roads and parking lots. Can see where this is going?

The DRBC and every one of the 8 million people you profess they protect benefit from the natural gas being pulled from mile deep wells that have been proven safe and are constructed securely. Yet the 8 million people who are benefiting now in the form of low natural gas prices and our countries use of this for making synthetic oil for lubrication. Most people, when they think of oil, is that is is used for gasoline; more over the lubrication of our economy's machines. The point I am making here is the DRBC better rethink its mighty grip on the people who ironically depend on them to speak correctly on their behalf. 

Remember the days of the Gifford Pinchot family's destruction of the land, removing all the trees holding back the soil and allowing it to pollute every river stream and water source through out this eastern part of America. The very same thing will happen again, in the form of eliminating the largest protector of the 8 millions water supply. Yes the farmers and the large landowners, through no fault of their own will be forced to sell the farm and stone walls and trees and be forced to sell the precious water shed that the DRBC is holding over their heads.

There are not many farmers left and those that are depend on their income from a global economy and now on futures markets who don't give a rat’s you-know-what if the dairy farmer keeps his farm or loses it to a developer. I for one hope the DRBC releases the grip on the gas industry and do what they say that they are doing, protecting the water for the 8 million. Gee, only %50.

Sincerely,

Peter A Seman

Thompson, PA