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47 state mayors and commissioners tell Corbett to "put Pa. taxpayers first"
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47 state mayors and commissioners tell Corbett to "put Pa. taxpayers first"
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| Evan Lopez |
Today, 47 big-shot mayors and commissioners from around the state — mostly Democrats, as far as I can tell — wrote a letter to gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett, asking him to rethink his opposition to a Marcellus Shale severance tax. And true, he should. As his Democratic foe Dan Onorato points out in a press release, though, Common Cause Pennsylvania found that Corbett is the "No. 1 Pennsylvania recipient of contributions from the gas industry over the last decade" — meaning it's unlikely he'll do a 180 anytime soon. What Onorato fails to mention in the press release, however, is that he's also taken a good amount of campaign contributions from the gas industry himself — at least $74,000 — as have many other Democrats. (During the gubernatorial primary election, Montgomery County commissioner Joe Hoeffel was the only Dem who vowed to not take any donations from Shale drillers.)
Anyway, check out the letter:
October 6, 2010
Tom Corbett
Corbett for Governor
200 North Third Street, 13th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17101Dear Mr. Corbett:
As locally elected officials from across the state, we believe the Marcellus Shale is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Pennsylvania. We can grow our economy, create local jobs and preserve our natural resources — but only if it's done right.
But your plan will protect Big Oil & Gas at the expense of taxpayers in our communities, and we are writing to ask you to start putting Pennsylvania taxpayers first.
In the towns, cities and counties that many of us are elected to serve, we are already seeing wear-and-tear on our roads as a result of the heavy equipment that the industry requires. We don't want our taxpayers to be stuck with the bill to fix these infrastructure challenges.
And for all of us — those in the Marcellus Shale region and those outside it — protecting the drinking water of the families in our communities is a top priority and a deep concern. We need proper oversight so that our water is safe to drink and our rivers are not polluted.
As the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association recently reported, over the last 2 1/2 years, drilling companies have been cited for 1,500 environmental and safety violations in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania State Police have found âsignificant increases in heavy truck traffic in areas where Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling operations are taking placeâ — and in one 3-day enforcement period this summer, they ordered 250 vehicles to be taken off the road and kept out of service. The oil and gas industry cannot be allowed to police itself.
This does not have to be a partisan issue. Many Republicans — including the Senate Republican leadership and 12 members of the House Republican caucus — agree that there should be a severance tax, just like every other major gas-producing state already has.
Please put Pennsylvania's taxpayers first and do not leave us — and our tax-paying constituents — to pay for all the costs while the gas drillers make hundreds of millions of dollars from our natural resources.
There's a common-sense approach that will enable us to develop the potential of the Marcellus Shale and protect Pennsylvania's taxpayers. We hope you will stop sticking up for your Big Oil & Gas donors and instead look out for Pennsylvania taxpayers.
(List of Signers After the Jump)
Local-Elected Officials Signing Letter to Tom Corbett
Phil Krivacek, Mayor
Duquesne (Allegheny County)
Rich Hrivnak, Mayor
Plum (Allegheny County)
Dominick Pomposelli, Mayor
Wilmerding (Allegheny County)
John Dindak, Mayor
West Homestead (Allegheny County)
Don Baumgarten, Mayor
Castle Shannon (Allegheny County)
John Thompson, Mayor
Wilkinsburg (Allegheny County)
Mark Vogel, Mayor
Braddock Hills (Allegheny County)
Louis Payne, Mayor
East Pittsburgh (Allegheny County)
Greg Erosenko, Mayor
Monroeville (Allegheny County)
Nicholas Yanosich, Mayor
Industry (Beaver County)
Debbie Giska Rose, Mayor
Conway (Beaver County)
Francis Szatkiewicz, Mayor
Ohioville (Beaver County)
Diane Ellis-Marseglia, Commissioner
Bucks County
Thomas Trigona, Mayor
Johnstown (Cambria County)
Bill O'Gurek, Commissioner
Carbon County
Kathi Cozzone, Commissioner
Chester County
Josh Maxwell, Mayor
Downingtown (Chester County)
Leo Scoda, Mayor
Phoenixville (Chester County)
Carolyn Committa, Mayor
West Chester (Chester County)
Mark McCracken, Commissioner
Clearfield County
Richard P. Viello Jr., Mayor
Lock Haven (Clinton County)
Joel Long, Commissioner
Clinton County
C. Sherman Allen, Commissioner
Crawford County
George Hartwick, Commissioner
Dauphin County
Jayne Young, Mayor
Lansdowne (Delaware County)
Ronald Beimel, Commissioner
Elk County
Blair Zimmerman, Mayor
Waynesburg (Greene County)
Jeffrey Pisarcik, Commissioner
Jefferson County
Mike Washo, Commissioner
Lackawanna County
Corey O'Brien, Commissioner
Lackawanna County
Rick DeBlasio, Commissioner
Lawrence County
Steve Craig, Commissioner
Lawrence County
Ed Pawlowski, Mayor
Allentown (Lehigh County)
Mary Anne Petrilla, Commissioner
Luzerne County
Tom Leighton, Mayor
Wilkes-Barre (Luzerne County)
Judith Church, Commissioner
McKean County
Bonnie Heath, Mayor
Pottstown (Montgomery County)
Joe Hoeffel, Commissioner
Montgomery County
John Stoffa, County Executive
Northampton County
Sal Panto, Mayor
Easton (Northampton County)
Mantura Gallagher, Commissioner
Schuylkill County
Francis McAndrew, Commissioner
Schuylkill County
Pamela Tokar-Ickes, Commissioner
Somerset County
MaryAnn Warren, Commissioner
Susquehanna County
Bracken Burns, Commissioner
Washington County
John Lignelli, Mayor
Donora (Washington County)
Tom Balya, Commissioner
Westmoreland County
[...] 47 state mayors and commissioners tell Corbett to ?put Pa. taxpayers first?Philadelphia Citypaper (blog) [...]
[...] 47 state mayors and commissioners tell Corbett to âput Pa … [...]
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