Update: The Pennsylvania Senate approved the shale fee bill Tuesday by a vote of 31-19. The House followed suit Wednesday, approving it by a narrow vote of 101-90.
Will Michael Nutter be the deciding vote on a bad Marcellus Shale bill?
Update: The Pennsylvania Senate approved the shale fee bill Tuesday by a vote of 31-19. The House followed suit Wednesday, approving it by a narrow vote of 101-90.
Will Michael Nutter be the deciding vote on a bad Marcellus Shale bill?
In typical fashion, the Pennsylvania Legislature is ramming through a shale bill, including a natural gas drilling fee, at the very last minute that is worse than anything we have seen so far.
Rumors are that the Mayor is pressuring Philadelphia Senators to take the deal, which is bad for all Pennsylvanians and not so hot for Philly.
There has been tremendous pressure on Southeastern Senators to hold out for a tax that is more than a pittance, and to restore to local governments the constitutional right to protect their communities from the excesses of drillers gone wild.
The Senate Democratic leadership team of Jay Costa and Vince Hughes have done a fabulous job pushing for strong environmental protection against a legion of gas lobbyists, while the Governor’s inclination is to give the drillers the keys to the state and walk away. Philadelphia Senators Vince Hughes and Tony Williams are the most likely to take the bait.
We need a round two on the shale bill. Our Senators, and the Mayor, should hold out for a better deal.