Keep Tap Water Safe

Dear Ms. Rosenbaum:

Thank you for your email urging my opposition to Senate Bill 1100.  I appreciate hearing from you on this issue.  As you may know, Senate Bill 1100 is currently in the Senate for consideration.  Please know that I will keep your concerns in mind if and when this bill reaches the House for consideration.  

I wanted to take a moment to update you and let you know I have signed on as a co-sponsor to House Bill 1700. This legislation would establish a graduated impact fee that starts at $50,000 per well in the first two years of production and trails off to $10,000 per year after 21 years and remains in place for the life of the well.  This fee structure would generate approximately $1.1 Billion over the next five years.

 The funds generated from this fee will help cover the expenses associated with the impact this industry has on our environment and infrastructure.  The legislation would distribute the funds generated from the fee by allocating 55 percent to local governments and Conservation Districts, 25 percent to environmental purposes including Growing Greener, and 20 percent to the Motor License Fund for road and infrastructure projects. Nearly $370 Million will be directed to environmental clean-up efforts over the next 5 years.

This new funding stream fill take financial pressure off of the General Fund and prevent the need to use General Fund dollars to deal with impact issues and instead, let that money continue to go to valuable state government programs.

Bill Adolph

Majority Chairman, House Appropriations Committee

165th Legislative District

The above letter was in response to my signing a June 2011 Change.org petition, included here:

Rep. Bill Adolph

Majority Chairman, House Appropriations Committee

Capitol Building, Room 245
501 North Third Street
Harrisburg PA 17120

Dear Rep. Adolph,

Please vote NO on Senate Bill 1100 introduced by Senate President Joe Scarnati should it come to the House or Senate floor. We oppose SB1100 because it would trade the rights of citizens and local governments for drilling fees and taxes. A democratic society supports local decision-making. Pennsylvania’s citizens must be able to have input into the laws and practices that affect them and municipal officials must be able to represent their constituents.

Furthermore:

• Pennsylvania’s Municipalities Planning Code gives municipalities the authority to address matters influencing local environmental protection and preservation. With the passage of SB1100, our municipalities will lose that authority.

• The State Constitution obliges municipalities to be “stewards of public resources” applicable to the impacts of industrial-scale gas development on water and air quality, land and communities.

• Pennsylvania’s Oil and Gas Act allows the use of municipal zoning codes to restrict the location of gas wells similar to how zoning can be used to restrict every other type of economic activity.

• The PUC ordinance promoted through SB1100 would require municipalities to allow oil and gas development in certain zoning districts and prohibit most restrictions on traffic, noise, light, and hours of operation. This forces cash-strapped local governments to choose between receiving revenues and adopting protective measures, and punishes those that choose the latter.

Please stand up for Pennsylvanians and do not support this bill.

Liz R.. KeepTapWaterSafe.org

Note: this email was sent as part of a petition started on Change.org, viewable at http://www.change.org/petitions/do-not-let-corporate-gas-drillers-trump-local-rights-of-pennsylvanians-say-no-to-sb-1100.

Tags: HB 1700, impact fees, pa 2011 budget, PA gas drilling tax, SB 1100, scaranati bill

This entry was posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:20 am and is filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.