HARRISBURG, Nov. 15, 2011 — State Sen. Judy Schwank today issued the following statement on legislation that creates a Marcellus Shale impact fee (Senate Bill 1100), which passed the Senate today by a (29-20) vote:
“We have a responsibility to restore and protect our ground water and streams, but Senate Bill 1100 makes a meager attempt at best to do so. It fails to reasonably require the natural gas industry to make a realistic and reasonable contribution in fair exchange for the wealth it is extracting from our ground,” said Schwank, who voted against the measure. “In the epic struggle over whether we will have a ‘tax’ or a ‘local impact fee,’ environmental stewardship has become not much more than a sidebar.
“This issue does not just impact the Marcellus Shale region. It impacts every single Pennsylvanian,” Schwank said. “The fresh water, the soil, and the air belong to all of us.
“Natural gas drilling is booming in Pennsylvania and there is no doubt that it will have a lasting economic and environmental impact on Pennsylvania. It is important that we properly regulate the industry with careful and thoughtful measures that will benefit this commonwealth now and for generations to come. This legislation could have been an important opportunity to learn from the mistakes of the past to make ourselves stronger in the future. But I’m afraid we’ve missed the mark with this vote.”
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