宾州州长乔什·沙皮罗（Josh Shapiro）在7月12日签署了第27号法案，推翻了该州最高法院2025年5月关于Proctor家族信托拥有州游猎地下矿产权的判决[1]。这项争议的矿产权涉及约60,000至100万英亩土地，价值约10亿美元的天然气开采权益[1]。该法案以高度不透明的方式在24小时内通过预算议案并获得签署，未经公开审议[1]。
根据记录，自2009年或2010年以来至2025年5月期间，仅争议的400英亩土地就产生了210万美元的钻探收入[1]。州游猎委员会2024-25财年约一半的年度资金（约1亿美元）来自天然气租赁等自然资源开发[1]。Proctor家族通过律师Sherman Powell在6月向参议员致信反对该法案[1]，并已雇用三家哈里斯堡政府关系公司进行游说[1]。
Proctor家族及其律师质疑该法案违反宪法，主张政府无权通过立法剥夺私产[1]。相关诉讼目前仍在进行中[1]。
Pennsylvania has passed legislation that reverses a state Supreme Court ruling in favor of the Proctor family trust regarding valuable mineral extraction rights beneath state-owned land.[1] Governor Josh Shapiro signed Act 27 into law on July 12, 2025, after the measure was embedded in a budget bill and approved within 24 hours without public hearings.[1] The law directly contradicts a May 2025 state Supreme Court decision that determined the Proctor family trust held ownership of mineral rights on approximately 60,000 to one million acres of state game lands, a decision involving roughly $1 billion in natural gas mineral rights.[1]
The Proctor family's legal team has challenged the constitutionality of Act 27, arguing that the state cannot strip citizens of private property through legislation.[1] Sherman Powell, representing the trust, wrote to state senators in June opposing the measure.[1] Commonwealth Court Judge Stacy Wallace characterized the legislative process as something that "really does not pass the smell test," suggesting concerns about the law's propriety.[1] Litigation over the matter remains ongoing.[1]
The disputed mineral rights hold significant financial implications for the state's land management. Between 2009 or 2010 and May 2025, drilling activities on the contested 400 acres alone generated $2.1 million in revenue.[1] The state game lands commission derives approximately half of its annual funding—roughly $100 million in the 2024-25 fiscal year—from natural resource development including natural gas leasing.[1]