PA Fish and Boat Commission Executive Director to Make Case for Severance Tax
2 min readPress Release
WILLIAMSPORT – Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) Executive Director John Arway will be the featured speaker at a special evening program being hosted by the Susquehanna Chapter of Trout Unlimited and the Clean Water Institute of Lycoming College to discuss Marcellus Shale. The event will take place at 7 p.m. on September 22 in Room D-001 of the Academic Center on the Lycoming College campus.
Joining Mr. Arway at the meeting will be William Worobec, president of the PFBC Board of Commissioners. Mr. Worobec represents the Commission’s 5th District, which includes Bradford, Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga and Union counties.
Mr. Arway will offer the Fish and Boat Commission’s perspective on the current and potential impacts of Marcellus development to aquatic resources, fishing and boating. He will explain the Commission’s role as it relates to enforcing pollution laws and advising on Marcellus activities and make the case for enactment of the proposed severance tax. He will also describe the authority to enforce water pollution laws vested in the Commission as far back as 1909 and the important roles that Commission staff continues to play in making sure that Marcellus and other projects are designed and implemented with as little impact to the resource as possible.
Mr. Arway will explain how the Fish and Boat Commission wants to help the industry protect our waters and habitats and comply with the environmental laws that the General Assembly promulgates. Most people do not realize that the Commission relies almost entirely on fishing licenses, boat registrations, and federal funding tied to fishing and boating to pay for everything it does. This includes trying to keep pace and stay ahead of the curve on the current and projected impacts of Marcellus development to fishing, boating, and the resources the Commission is entrusted to protect.
In a sneak preview of his talk, Mr. Arway noted, “If we received a portion of a severance tax, we could take a collaborative approach with both the industry and the other agencies that are reviewing and advising on projects. Ultimately, we would like to have Commission staff in position to spend the necessary time reviewing and commenting on projects, working in the field with developers and other agencies and enforcing the water pollution laws of the Commonwealth to make sure our resources are protected. I truly believe that the public expect that service from us, and the resources under our jurisdiction depend upon it to survive.”
Note that attendance and on-campus parking are limited. Please visit the Lycoming College website at http://www.lycoming.edu/admissions/ourCampus/campusMap.html for a campus map. The Academic Center is #3 on the map. Attendees may park in lot #23.
The mission of the Fish and Boat Commission is to protect, conserve, and enhance the Commonwealth’s aquatic resources and provide fishing and boating opportunities. For more information about fishing and boating in Pennsylvania, please visit www.fishandboat.com.
