Nov. 7 PA Environment Digest Now Available

Nov. 7 PA Environment Digest now available. Click Here to print this Digest.

Senate Delays Marcellus Bill, House Republicans Field Governor's Proposals

The Senate this week delayed action on bipartisan Marcellus Shale legislation after Senate Republicans and Democrats failed to resolve differences in and between their Caucuses over a drilling fee proposal and suggestions on whether or not to preempt local ordinances regulating drilling.
This follows action last week to add a laundry list of environmental protection provisions to Senate Bill 1100 (Scarnati-R-Jefferson) in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
House Republicans meanwhile introduced their own proposal-- House Bill 1950 (Ellis-R-Butler)-- Tuesday and just hours later the 127-page bill was reported out of the House Finance Committee by a vote of 15 to 10-- Republicans in favor, Democrats opposed.
The bill, which is supported by House Republican Leadership, includes the county-adopted drilling fee proposed by Gov. Corbett and the additional environmental protection measures he announced in his Marcellus Shale proposal in October, including a blanket provision preempting local regulation of drilling as a land use.
As with the Governor's proposal, the money raised through the optional county drilling fees would be split between the local communities in which the fee is enacted and the Commonwealth, with 25 percent of the revenues going to the state and 75 percent remaining at the local level. Click Here to read more…

(Photo: Western PA Conservancy, Sinnemahoning Creek)