Key Senate Leaders To Push For Natural Gas Impact Fee

State Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (left) has stepped up his call for the state to impose an impact fee on Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling, and to pass legislation during the budget negotiations for 2011-12. Sen. Scarnati noted that impacts are costly to local governments, and that a fee — as opposed to the “severance tax” that was approved but never implemented last year — would raise funds for those costs. Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi has pledged to work with Sen. Scarnati to support the impact fee. Legislation is expected to be released in the next few weeks. At the same time, Governor Tom Corbett’s recently constituted Marcellus Shale Task Force will report its recommendations to the governor by mid-July.