Published in the Pittsburgh Business Times, by Justine Coyne

April 4, 2014

By the end of 2014, Act 13 impact fees will generate more than $630 million since the legislation's passage in 2012, Gov. Tom Corbett announced Friday.

Corbett said the majority of the Act 13 funds, which are collected through an impact fee assessed on unconventional natural gas wells, are directly invested in local communities.

"We are building a stronger Pennsylvania by harnessing our abundant resources to create jobs for working families, reinvest in our local communities, and protect our environment for generations to come," Corbett said in a prepared statement. "Through Act 13, we are protecting public health and safety, safeguarding our environment, and making sure our world-class energy industry grows in a responsible way."

Corbett said the majority of Act 13 funds are directly distributed to counties and municipalities across Pennsylvania for a variety of environmental, public safety, infrastructure, emergency response and other authorized uses.

Portions of Act 13 have come under fire, with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling in December that parts of the legislation are unconstitutional in regard to a municipality's rights to zoning when it comes to natural drilling.

(Justine Coyne, "Corbett: Act 13 impact fees to generate more than $630 million by 2015," 4/4/14)