It was heartening to read about some of Act 13’s positive impacts on Cambria County in a recent editorial (“Marcellus Shale’s fair share,” May 26), but roundly criticizing the bipartisan impact fee in favor of a severance tax fails to provide Tribune-Democrat readers with important facts and context.
Indeed, over the past several years, Marcellus Shale operators in Pennsylvania have paid more than $1.7 billion in taxes; and in the past two years, our industry has generated more than $400 million in impact fees across the commonwealth.
In addition to the grant awards mentioned in the editorial, Cambria County received $244,000 in impact-fee revenue in 2012, Somerset County nearly $385,000 and Blair County roughly $255,000.
The various ways these counties are using the money to improve infrastructure and emergency services, even in areas with less drilling activity, have been reported on the pages of this newspaper.
What’s becoming increasingly clear is that the bipartisan Act 13, which includes both the impact fee as well as common sense modernizations to the state’s regulatory framework aimed at protecting our environment, is doing a lot of good in all corners of Pennsylvania.
Our industry – which supports more than 240,000 Pennsylvania jobs – is fully committed to safely and responsibly producing homegrown, clean-burning natural gas, as well as growing local businesses and a talented workforce.
This is an ongoing story that keeps getting better.
Kathryn Klaber, CEO
Marcellus Shale Coalition
Pittsburgh, Pa.
NOTE: Click HERE to view this letter online.
