'People Want A Drilling Tax That Protects Our Environment'

Marcellus Shale drilling presents Pennsylvania with a rare opportunity to support families reeling from the recession, invest in job creation and infrastructure, and build stronger communities throughout Pennsylvania, according to officials, advocates and citizens addressing a press conference outside the Montgomery County Courthouse today.

Legislators in Harrisburg, however, are moving toward enacting an impact fee that would give gas drillers an even-better deal than they asked for, several speakers said at the event, hosted by the Better Choices for Pennsylvania Coalition.

One plan (HB 1950), headed toward a vote in the state House, would impose a fee equal to a mere 1 percent over the life of a typical shale well, while a Senate-approved plan (SB 1100) would assess the equivalent of a 2.2% rate. Both plans are a missed opportunity, speakers said, coming in below rates in many energy-rich states and even trailing the effective rate in a tax plan introduced by a gas industry group last year.

Rev. Joyce M. Anderson, the Pastor of Haws Avenue United Methodist Church in Norristown, urged lawmakers and Governor Corbett to impose a drilling tax that allows the bounty of the Marcellus Shale to be shared with all Pennsylvanians.

“I am a pastor, and I can tell you that a 1% drilling fee is like passing out rocks from the excavation as souvenirs to the people who already live here,” Rev. Anderson said. “It is less than fair; it is insulting and stingy.”

Other speakers addressed the devastating impact of state budget cuts to services ranging from assistance to victims of domestic violence to services for people with disabilities.

“Every month families come to see our day program for adults with disabilities, but have no idea when or if they will ever get the funding for their children to attend a program like ours that provides essential support and services to their loved one as well as the entire family system,” said Stephanie M. Vincent, Day Services Manager for LifePath Montgomery County Day Services.

“Once these individuals graduate out of the school system, they will have no services and no funding, joining the almost 16,000 Pennsylvanians on waiting lists for the kind of services LifePath provides,” she added.

Beth Sturman, Executive Director of Laurel House in Norristown, voiced support for an alternative drilling tax plan proposed by Republican state Representatives Tom Murt and Gene DiGirolamo that would provide funding for early childhood education, victims of domestic violence and job creation — as well as the environment and local communities.

"We all want a Pennsylvania where victims of domestic violence have somewhere to turn,” Sturman said.

Mary Onama, Executive Director of the Victim Services Center of Montgomery County, voiced a similar vision, saying: “Victims of sexual assault are women, children and men of all ages. They experience devastating mental and physical injuries which left untreated affect their ability to work, care for their families, attend school, or function. It is vital that funds from the natural gas tax be set aside to support services for victims of sexual assault.”

Montgomery County Senator Daylin Leach and Norristown Area School Superintendent Janet Samuels also spoke at the press conference today.

Kate Atkins, outreach coordinator for Better Choices for Pennsylvania, thanked several lawmakers from both parties, including Representatives Murt and DiGirolamo, Democratic Representatives Greg Vitali and Camille “Bud” George, and Republican Representative Marguerite Quinn, for sponsoring meaningful Marcellus plans that support shared priorities like schools, infrastructure, environmental protection and supports for vulnerable Pennsylvanians.

“Poll after poll shows that people want a drilling tax that protects our environment and builds a stronger economy in communities across the Commonwealth,” Atkins said. “Pennsylvania should follow the lead of most energy-rich states that use drilling revenues to make these kinds of investments.

“The Legislature still has the opportunity to enact a meaningful drilling tax and to use the revenue to reverse the cuts that have been so damaging to Montgomery County families. I want to urge them not to let this opportunity slip by.”

Learn more at http://betterchoicesforpa.com.