OUR OPINION: TOURISM INDUSTRY
GOV. TOM Corbett?s kayak trip in Northeastern Pennsylvania last week, ostensibly to promote tourism, gave many people the same queasy sensation as when they first saw presidential candidate Michael Dukakis perched in an army tank.
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Gov. Tom Corbett touts tourism in Northeastern Pennsylvania, but will he safeguard the region?s wild and scenic areas?
BILL O?BOYLE/THE TIMES LEADER
It just felt fake.
The governor, whose Susquehanna River excursion covered parts of Wyoming and Luzerne counties, rightly acknowledged that drawing visitors to the state?s outdoor recreation spots and rural businesses is ?essential to our local economies.?
Indeed, Pennsylvania relies on a robust tourism industry, catering to state park patrons and museum-goers, anglers and skiers. But as a tourism official from the Endless Mountains Visitors Bureau attested, state funding for marketing its destinations has been on a steady decline. Similarly, state dollars have been yanked in this year?s budget from the agency that oversees the state park system; the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will receive $55 million, down from $82 million.
Meanwhile, the natural gas industry continues to make inroads into many of Pennsylvania?s most wild and pristine places, raising concerns about habitat destruction and other potential harms.
If prime trout streams get spoiled, how will the state account for the lost dollars from visiting fishermen? Will hunting revenues be hurt as drilling pads pop up across the Northern Tier?
Does anyone expect birdwatchers to book motel rooms in territory bustling with heavy trucks and other sounds of industry?
The governor continues to try to float past these and other issues, saying an extraction tax on the natural gas industry isn?t necessary.
On this matter, he?s all wet.
A healthy tourism industry and a strong natural gas industry might be able to co-exist. However, Corbett and the General Assembly need to ensure that adequate safeguards are in place to protect our wild areas; those safeguards include beefed up regulations regarding natural gas exploration and a drilling tax dedicated in part to environmental cleanup.
Please, governor, don?t leave the residents of our beautiful, mountain regions up a creek without a paddle.
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