A Clearfield County lawmaker is calling for a legislative investigation into last week’s resignation submitted by the director of the Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks.

State parks Director John Norbeck told the York Daily Record that he was forced to resign because of philosophical differences with Gov. Tom Corbett’s administration over commercial timbering and gas drilling in state parks.

Veteran 74th District Rep. Bud George, who is retiring at the end of the year, has asked for a hearing to be scheduled as soon as possible to probe what he calls Norbeck’s “troubling and apparently forced resignation.”

George said in a written statement, “If smoke indicates fire, this has turned into an inferno. We need to get to the bottom of this, and quickly.”

Norbeck said he received a termination letter on Oct. 1 but was able to negotiate a two-week extension. Among the differences outlined in the Daily Record story was a proposal to mine limestone at Laurel Ridge State Park in Somerset County.

The request by Amerikohl Mining was denied twice but will reportedly go before Department of Conservation and Natural Resources officials again in the coming weeks.

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