CATSKILL LANDOWERS ASSOCIATION OPPOSES GAS

DRILLING REGULATION WITHOUT COMPENSATION

Contact: Patricia Odell

Executive Director
Catskill Landowners Association
914-260-6685

MARCH 3, 2010—Margaretville, NY. The Catskill Landowners

Association, a powerful group of landowners dedicated to the
protection of landowners' rights, announced today that it is
opposed to any suggested regulation imposing a broad
scale general ban on natural gas drilling on private property within
the Catskills region, unless landowners receive just compensation
for the loss of this property right.

“The Catskill Landowners Association views natural gas

exploration and development as a right vested in land ownership,
not something that can be legislated away on a whim,” Catskill
Landowners Association President Robert Bishop said. “We do
support appropriate regulation of this activity in order to protect
our water systems and the scenic beauty of the Catskill region as
long as landowners are justly compensated.”

As stated in the Position Paper, The Catskill Landowners

Association views natural gas exploration and development as a
right vested in land ownership. We support appropriate regulation
of this activity in order to protect our water systems and the scenic
beauty of the Catskill region. The new regulatory framework as
proposed in the Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact
Statement provides New York State with greater ability to protect
our natural resources during the implementation of the new drilling
processes required to extract our deep deposits of natural gas.
To address the issue of financial resources, The Catskill
Landowners Association remains concerned that New York State
has insufficient financial resources to adequately supervise
extensive gas drilling and to ensure that our environment is
protected. A fee structure for permitting gas exploration should be
developed to ensure that the costs of adequate regulatory oversight
are funded by the companies seeking permits. Those funds
generated from drilling permit fees should be restricted to the uses
required for regulatory oversight of natural gas exploration and
extraction.

In addition, CLA opposes any suggested regulation that would

impose a general ban on natural gas drilling on private property
within the Catskills region unless the landowners receive just
compensation for the loss of this property right.

CLA MISSION STATEMENT

The Catskill Landowners Association, Inc., founded in 1993, is a

non-profit association of landowners dedicated to the proposition
that enlightened private stewardship has and will continue to
provide a most effective method of preserving the aesthetic and
environmental integrity of Catskill lands. CLA exists to develop
better communication among its members on issues of common
concern and to promote broader understanding of the important
role of responsible private landowners in the sound management
and conservation of natural resources in the Catskills. CLA
endorses the State’s efforts to preserve the overall natural character
of the Catskills for future generations and will support the
enactment of state laws and policies which protect the forest
preserve as well as respect the rights of responsible private
property ownership. CLA will resist the efforts, whether by
eminent domain or unnecessary regulation, to take private property
rights away from owners who manage their properties in
accordance with sound environmental practices