The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, through Act 13, receives an impact fee on each Marcellus shale well which is then distributed to local municipalities, counties and state agencies. More details on the impact fee distribution and rates is available on the Pa. Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission’s website. In 2012 alone, $204 million in impact fee dollars were distributed.
The commonwealth has also leased some state game and forest lands for natural gas development. While each lease is unique, the state has negotiated an 18 percent royalty rate for a few tracts of land in central Pennsylvania. The state minimum is 12.5 percent.
