PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Following Gov. Tom Wolf’s budget address, Marcellus Shale Coalition president David Spigelmyer issued the following statement:
“We’re disappointed that Governor Wolf continues to focus on additional energy taxes, which will further harm the Commonwealth’s economic competitiveness and cost good-paying, Pennsylvania jobs.
“While we’re cautiously optimistic that the national energy market may begin to recover from the recent global downturn, higher energy taxes – along with the Wolf administration’s wave of job-crushing regulations – will stunt our industry’s ability to reinvest in Pennsylvania, impacting tens-of-thousands of hardworking men and women who rely on a stable market for family-sustaining jobs.
“We understand the tough budget challenges ahead, but Pennsylvania’s unique natural gas tax — called the impact fee — has already generated more than $1 billion in new revenue for communities, environmental and conservation programs and state agency budgets that oversee natural gas development. Instead of saddling the industry with higher costs, Governor Wolf and the General Assembly should work to advance solutions that serve to maximize the generational manufacturing opportunities and economic growth potential for Pennsylvania and its citizens.”
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