Pennsylvania has a historic opportunity before it: cleaner air, more affordable energy and sustained job creation. Philadelphia is a large part of that.
Opportunities are blossoming along the Marcellus Multiplier, and for good reason. Since sustainable shale development has come to the region, once shuttered refineries are again online; companies that had previously gone overseas in search of cheaper energy are re-shoring back to the United States; manufacturers are being sent back to work, buoyed by the cheap price of domestic natural gas; and construction crews are needed just about everywhere in the state for each aspect of shale gas production.
In addition to the more than $1.6 billion in Pennsylvania state taxes that the industry has paid since 2006, the natural gas impact fee has generated more than $406 million in two years for various programs, with the majority of the revenue going to local communities. The Marcellus Shale Coalition offered details on the allocations, noting that of the $202.4 million generated in 2012, $28 million was directed to state agencies; $102.7 million to local governments; and $71.8 million to the Marcellus Legacy Fund. More information about the impact fee and its effect on all Pennsylvania communities can be found at the PUC’s Act 13 website. Billions of dollars have trickled down the supply chain to produce more jobs and opportunities for all corners of Pennsylvanians.
While opportunity is already evident throughout the Philadelphia region, more is still to come, especially through the export of liquefied natural gas; using compressed natural gas to power our transportation needs; and using domestic, clean-burning natural gas in power generation, which leads to cost-savings and improved air quality.
