During a three-and-a-half-day conference in Valley Forge last week, the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania adopted 23 resolutions that, pending ratification by its leadership, will become part of the organization's 2008-09 policy statement.

One of the resolutions calls for action to address the potential negative impacts oil and gas exploration may have on local municipalities.

According to the resolution, the association supports action by the governor and General Assembly that will minimize the impact oil and gas development will have on local water supplies, pipelines, roads and bridges.

The resolution also calls for an examination of the issue as it relates to permitting, planning and taxation.

Lycoming County Commissioner Ernie Larson said Wednesday that he was particularly interested in the resolution because of the interest companies have in developing natural gas resources in the county.

Currently, municipalities who are impacted most by natural gas exploration have no way of raising revenue from natural gas windfalls, he said. Natural gas income is not subject to real estate taxes, which is a primary source of revenue for municipalities, he added.

"My biggest concern is sharing revenue," Larson said. "The municipalities are going to need to keep up with the impacts that are going to occur because of gas exploration."

"The revenue is not there at this time," he said. "It's going to take legislative action to resolve the issue."

"I think one of our major concerns is that the revenue stays in the locality affected most by oil and gas exploration," Larson said. "The two biggest issues is the impact on (local) roads and water."

A wide range of water issues were addressed in resolutions that call for legislation to assist local governments with flood mitigation and prevention, provide them with the tools to raise money and undertake activities to improve stormwater management, and meet more stringent state and federal water quality standards.

A resolution supports statewide use of best practices for dealing with people with mental health or substance abuse disorders who are involved in the criminal justice system.

Another supports state policies and best practices regarding the detention of juveniles, with a focus on the safety of detained youth, detention facilities staff and the community.

Yet another calls for more flexibility in how local children and youth services may use state funding so that local needs may be met more efficiently.

According to chief county clerk Fred Marty, Commissioner Rebecca A. Burke and Thomas Murphy, Penn State Cooperative Extension at Lycoming County educator, presented a session on natural gas exploration.

Burke heads a county gas drilling task force that was formed recently to address local issues pertaining to gas exploration. For more than three years, Murphy has helped spearhead a initiative dedicated to educating landowners and others about gas exploration.

According to Larson, the presentation attracted a large number of county officials interested in how gas exploration might impact their communities.

In other association business, Burke was elected as a delegate to the association's board of directors.

Commissioner Jeff C. Wheeland was appointed to the Energy, Environment and land Use Committee, while Larson will serve on the Community and Economic Development Committee.