Pa. Shale Impact Fees Raise $400 Million
HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Since Pennsylvania's Marcellus shale impact fee took effect as part of Act 13 this past Februry, more than $400 million has been brought in by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. Nearly $198 million is expected to come into the state from the 2012 collections, Gov. Tom Corbett says.
"Act 13 is a law that has helped bring Pennsylvania forward both economically and environmentally," Corbett said in a prepared statement. "In addition to enacting some of the most rigorous environmental standards in the nation, we've brought in more than $400 million for our communities directly impacted by unconventional drilling, along with other environmental efforts across the state."
Collections for 2012 were due April 1 to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. This is in addition to the $204 million collected during the first round of collections. Collections this year are slightly lower than last mainly because of the lower price of natural gas.
The CEO of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, Kathryn Klaber, called the $400 million in fee collections “exciting news for the commonwealth.” In a statement posted on the industry group’s website, Klaber noted the impact fees are in addition to “the hundreds of millions in natural gas-related tax revenue, [which] are ensuring that critical projects and investments will continue across the state, regardless of where natural gas production occurs.
“It’s also a stark reminder that these benefits should not be tempered by policies that discourage safe, tightly-regulated natural gas development, especially as it relates to local zoning,” Klaber said.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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