Compromise bill on Marcellus Shale fees goes to Corbett

[maddezmom]

HARRISBURG - After nearly four years of debate and false starts, Pennsylvania is one signature away from finally imposing a fee on natural gas extraction from the Marcellus Shale.

The House voted shortly before 4 p.m. Wednesday to approve a compromise plan for a so-called "local impact fee" on drillers. The Senate passed it on Tuesday, and the measure now heads to Gov. Corbett, who helped author the compromise.

"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," Corbett said. "I am very pleased with the cooperative spirit shown by the General Assembly and their staffs while working to resolve this complex issue."

Under the bill, the fee would fluctuate depending on the price of natural gas and, starting in 2013, on the rate of inflation. If the price of natural gas is between $3 and $5, the fee would be $310,000 per well over 15 years. That fee would be lower if the price of gas falls below $3, and would increase if the price of gas rises above $5. The price now is less than $2.50, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

more:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/138963999.html

[rurallib]

1. That seems like a really small impact fee

I am out in Iowa so haven' followed this closely.
But with the amount of damage they can do to the land and water, $20,000/year seems quite low.

[Lugnut]

2. It's better than nothing.

At least the affected municipalities will get some help cleaning up the gas company messes. It falls very short of an actual extraction tax which is what PA should be imposing on the frackers. It's a BS move to shut people up.

[blue neen]

3. Meanwhile, the pillaging of Pennsylvania continues unabated:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1074417