"Pennsylvania's natural gas industry continues to play an important role in supporting our economy, strengthening our energy future, and providing tangible benefits to communities across the Commonwealth," said PUC Chairman Steve DeFrank. "The impact fee ensures that local governments and statewide programs share directly in those benefits, delivering funding for infrastructure, environmental improvements, public safety, and other priorities that improve quality of life for Pennsylvanians."
This year’s distribution brings the cumulative total of impact fees collected and distributed since 2012 to more than $3.12 billion.
Breakdown of Distribution
-- $133.8 million to counties and municipalities directly affected by drilling activity.
-- $89.2 million to the Marcellus Legacy Fund, which supports statewide environmental initiatives, greenways, and infrastructure projects.
-- $20.9 million to state agencies, as directed by Act 13.
The PUC has submitted this year’s distribution data to the Pennsylvania Treasury, which is expected to begin issuing payments in early July.
Factors Affecting Distribution Amount
The 2025 distribution is approximately $79 million higher than last year’s total, due primarily to--
-- An increase in new wells spud in 2025 (444), compared to 309 in 2024.
-- A higher average natural gas price in 2025 ($3.43 per MMBtu), an increase over the 2024 average of $2.27.
Because new wells (“Year One” wells) are subject to the highest impact fee, fluctuations in their number can significantly affect annual collections.
Detailed Distribution Data
Extensive information about this year’s impact fees – including county- and municipality-level distributions, producer payments, and historical data – is available on the PUC’s Act 13 website.
Users can search individual distributions to counties and municipalities; review how funds were used based on local government reporting; and download data by year or region.
The PUC administers the collection and distribution of impact fees on unconventional gas wells, as established by Act 13 of 2012, to ensure that communities across Pennsylvania receive support for infrastructure and environmental improvements linked to natural gas development.
Click Here for the PUC announcement.
[Note: This fee is only paid by shale gas well owners with a total of 13,759 active well permits. Conventional oil and gas well owners with 85,721 active well permits pay nothing.]
[Note: The increase in revenue for 2025 is welcome, because revenue had also been down in 2024 to $164.6 million and $179.6 million in 2023, and far below the record $278.9 million in 2022. Read more here.
[The inconsistent revenue from the Act 13 fees makes holes in county and municipal budgets when years are lean.]
PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:
-- PennLive: Attorney General Sunday Files Criminal Charges Against Eureka Resources For Oil & Gas Wastewater Leaks From Its Now Closed Standing Stone Facility In Wysox Twp., Bradford County [PaEN]
-- DEP Investigation Finds CNX Gas Company LLC Shale Gas Facilities Caused The ‘Diminution’ Of 2 Private Water Supplies In Bell Twp., Westmoreland County [PaEN]
-- DEP: Day 587 And Counting: Seneca Resources Continues To Release Wastewater, Frack New Shale Gas Wells At Taft Well Pad In Middlebury Twp., Tioga County [PaEN]
--DEP Inspection Finds Continued Failure To Comply With E&S, Stream, Wetland Crossing Permit Requirements At Expand Operating Shale Gas Water Pipeline Construction Site In Bradford County [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - June 13 [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 50 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In June 13 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
-- PUC Sets Aug. 19 Telephonic Prehearing On The Transource 230 kV Transmission Line In Franklin County Connecting To A Maryland Substation [PaEN]
-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - June 15 [PaEN]
Related Articles This Week:
-- FracTracker Alliance Appeals DEP Conventional Oil & Gas Mineral Brine Well Permit Due To Concerns The Permit Creates A New Loophole For Disposing Of Contaminated Groundwater Without Testing Or Restrictions On Its Use [PaEN]
-- House Committee Moves Bills To Prohibit Road Dumping Contaminated Groundwater Released By Conventional Oil & Gas Well Drilling; Setting Minimum Standards For Power Plant Community Benefit Agreements; Encouraging Native Insect Habitats [PaEN]
-- DEP Marks Plugging 400th Conventional Oil & Gas Well Abandoned By Its Owner Under A Taxpayer Funded Program [PaEN]
-- State Budget Brief: DEP Oil & Gas Program Enforcement & Permitting Staff Has Been Frozen For Last 10 Years, Meanwhile Drilled Shale Gas Wells Increased By Nearly 50% [PaEN]
-- Independent Fiscal Office Estimates 2025 Act 13 Drilling Impact Fee To Yield $243.9 Million, $79.3 Million More Than In 2024 [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Utility Dive Guest Essay: Behind-The-Meter A.I. Data Center Natural Gas Power Plants Will Raise The Cost Of Natural Gas, Electric For Homes, Businesses - By Jeffrey Rissman & Eric Gimon of Energy Innovation
-- Environmental Defense Fund Files Lawsuit Against The President’s EPA Over Weakening Of Oil And Gas Methane Standards
-- The Street: New Fortress Energy LNG Gas Bankruptcy Splits Company Into 2 Different Entities -CoreCo And BrazilCo, Records Show It Never Generated A Cent Of Positive Cash Flow [Planned PA Facilities]
-- Institute For Energy Economics & Financial Analysis: New Fortress Energy LNG Gas Company Bankruptcy Reveals Financial Misstatements, Systemic Mismanagement, Operational Failures [Planned PA Facilities]
[Posted: June 15, 2026] PA Environment Digest
