PITTSBURGH — Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett says he opposes a key wish-list item of the state’s booming natural gas industry, a process called “forced pooling.”

Corbett told a drilling industry gathering in suburban Pittsburgh today that forced pooling is tantamount to private eminent domain and that he doesn’t agree with it.

The process is on the books in some other states and can be used to force holdout landowners to lease their below-ground gas rights under certain conditions.

Corbett also told the audience that he views the energy industry as a key to helping Pennsylvanians get back on payrolls as the state climbs out of the recession.

Pittsburgh, Corbett’s hometown, is an emerging hub for companies exploring the Marcellus and Utica shales beneath Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.

By The Associated Press