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Outrage as shale gas drilling bill moves to the governor's desk
Corbett applauds the draft legislation, passed with virtually no time for public comment.
Outrage as shale gas drilling bill moves to the governor's desk
This week was, if nothing else, a fascinating look at how things are working in Harrisburg these days. Tom Corbett may not have passed his pet school vouchers plan last year, but he's definitely setting the agenda when it comes to an equally important issue: treatment of the natural gas industry hungry for more access and less regulation as they look to harvest fuel from the Marcellus Shale.
He said in a statement yesterday: “After long negotiations and a lot of hard work, we have reached a consensus on how to address the impacts in the Marcellus Shale regions. I am very pleased with the cooperative spirit shown by the General Assembly and their staffs while working to resolve this complex issue. I look forward to signing this legislation into law.”
So that's one side of the story. The other: secret, backroom negotiations that led to a deal with almost no input by Democrats or, for that matter, the public. Phllly-based Democrat Rep. Michael O'Brien said in a statement:
To no one’s surprise, they crafted the bill in 24 hours and put it up for a vote, leaving little time for the public to review its contents or comment about it. Also not surprising, the legislation is a sweetheart deal for gas drillers. The GOP bill imposes a fee, not a tax. The fee is about the lowest in the nation. It also sets the stage to allow drillers to go around local zoning ordinances designed to protect communities and water supplies. And what little the state will get for a new “Marcellus Shale Legacy Fund” will be divided among programs that include more giveaways to drillers.
For Pennsylvanians, it fails to effectively address the real issues around drilling -- protecting our air and water, protecting local zoning rights, and having the drillers pay a fair tax on the valuable resource they are extracting from our ground.
The bill passed 101-90 with all Philly Representatives except Thomas Murt, who represents just a small corner of the city, voting "no." On the plus side, many feared that the governor's budget address would include plans to end the moratorium on gas drilling in state forests, but it looks like any such plans are on hold.
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