Published in the Patriot News, by Barbara Miller

June 3, 2014

The nearly $225 million in impact fees that counties, municipalities and state agencies will receive this year from the natural gas industry can be viewed on the state Public Utility Commission web site, Gov. Tom Corbett announced today.

The Act 13 impact fee revenue represents an increase of more than 11 percent from 2012.

The announcement came Tuesday as the Pennsylvania Environmental Defense Foundation was in Commonwealth Court trying to stop further leasing of state land for drilling.

The $225 million in gas impact fee revenue will be distributed as follows:

• $123 million to county and municipal governments in more than 40 counties that host shale gas activity.

• $82 million through the Marcellus Shale Legacy Fund to counties for parks, recreation, greenway trail and bridge improvements; and grants to local governments and non-profit organizations for environmental improvement projects.

• $17 million to state and county agencies with responsibility and oversight of natural gas development, including the Department of Environmental Protection, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, PUC, Office of the State Fire Commissioner, and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

To date, the impact fee generated $630 million since its inception in February 2012, said Corbett, which is in addition to nearly $2 billion in corporate and personal income tax revenue paid by oil and gas companies in the past seven years.

Under Act 13, county and municipal governments can use impact fee dollars on expenses related to natural gas development, including:

• Construction, repair and maintenance of roads, bridges and other public infrastructure.

• Water, storm water and sewer system construction and repair.

• Emergency response preparedness, training, equipment, responder recruitment.
• Preservation and reclamation of surface and subsurface water supplies.

• Records management, geographic information systems and information technology.
• Projects which increase the availability of affordable housing to low-income residents.
• Delivery of social services, including domestic relations, drug and alcohol treatment, job training and counseling.
• Offsetting increased judicial system costs, including training.
• Assistance to county conservation districts for inspection, oversight and enforcement of natural gas development.
• County or municipal planning.

(Barbara Miller, "Natural gas impact fee revenue totals $225 million for 2013, Gov. Corbett says," Patriot News, 6/3/14)