Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett
The Pennsylvania Legislature passed a bill today to institute an impact fee on Marcellus gas wells and limit the ability of municipalities to restrict gas drilling. The House passed the bill by a vote of 101-90, mostly along party lines. The Wall Street Journal reports:
Gov. Tom Corbett, who pushed for the legislation, praised its passage by the Republican-led House on Wednesday after a debate that stretched over two days as Democrats often angrily opposed the bill.
House Democrats argued the bill sets drilling fees too low compared with other states, goes too far in limiting the ability of local governments to zone for gas development and is too weak on environmental protections.
The gas industry’s investment in Pennsylvania politicians is paying dividends now. From a June 2011 post on Protecting Our Waters blog:
Philadelphia Daily News reporter Will Bunch, in “How a Natural-gas Tycoon Tapped into Corbett,” has helped reveal the tragic impact of massive gas industry campaign contributions on Pennsylvania politics (for the big picture see MarcellusMoney.org, meticulously researched up to the minute by Common Cause). Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon has been bankrolling Pennsylvania’s current gas-loving governor as far back as 2004.
According to to MarcellusMoney.org, the natural gas industry gave $7,175,234 to Pennsylvania candidates and Political Action Committees (PACs) from 2000 through the end of 2010. $3,442,212 was donated to elected officials in office as of June 2011. Corbett raised $1,083,315 of that total in 2009-2010 from 216 donations.
Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia are actively courting a steam cracker plant. It looks like a competition between WV and PA to see which state can make the most concessions at the expense of the citizens of the state. The impact of the US Supreme Court’s landmark Citizens United decision which opened the door for corporate spending on political campaigns is apparent in the enthusiasm shown toward the gas industry by elected representatives in the face of severe environmental issues, and reticence on the part of lawmakers to enact legislation protective of the citizens in shale states.
Point Your RSS Reader to FrackCheckWV.net/feed/
