Pittsburgh Presbytery ends ban on shale gas leases

By Don Hopey

The Pittsburgh Presbytery has ended a yearlong moratorium on shale gas leasing and development on church property, which could clear the way for construction of a gas pipeline across its Crestfield Camp & Conference Center near Slippery Rock where 3,500 children and adult visitors a year attend ministry camp.

The decision not to renew the year-old ban on shale gas development was made by approximately 230 voting members of the Presbytery at its May 9 meeting after a spirited discussion, and did not follow the recommendation of a special Presbytery shale gas task force that proposed extending the ban for another year.

Approximately one-third of the Presbytery voted in favor of renewing the moratorium.

At the same meeting, the Presbytery also approved a recommendation by its executive committee allowing negotiation of a lease with Shell Oil and Gas Co. for a 32-inch gas pipeline across an unused and undeveloped corner of the 226-acre Crestfield property. Most of the revenue from a pipeline lease would flow into the camp’s coffers.

“I personally, along with other representatives from our church, support extending the moratorium to allow for consideration of a soon-to-be-released Congressional report on shale gas fracking, and to make sure that the long-term environmental interests of Camp Crestfield won’t be endangered by the [pipeline] project,” said the Rev. Randy Bush, pastor of East Liberty Presbyterian Church.

Reports that East Liberty Presbyterian and other churches are withholding financial support from Camp Crestfield to protest the pipeline project are untrue, Rev. Bush said. However, he said his church must fulfill a prior financial commitment to the Community House homeless shelter before giving money to support the camp.

The camp is dependent on funding support from the region’s 150 Presbyterian churches because its operating budget was all but eliminated for this summer by the Presbytery due to budgetary constraints.