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Fees would benefit Lawrence
NEW CASTLE, Pa.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposal this week to impose fees on natural-gas wells could be a financial boon for Lawrence County and local municipalities.
Lawrence County Commissioners said they support the governor’s proposed “impact fees” on each natural-gas well drilled in Marcellus, Utica and other shale resources in the state. Corbett wants 75 percent of the fees to go to Pennsylvania’s economically suffering counties and municipalities and 25 percent to the state.
The explosive growth of natural-gas drilling here is evident in Lawrence County, with Commissioner Steve Craig commenting that extra equipment and extra space has been provided to accommodate 25 to 30 additional people at the courthouse daily to search titles connected with gas drilling
Craig and Commissioners Richard DeBlasio and Daniel Vogler were to take part in a conference call with officials from the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania on Wednesday to discuss the proposal that would allow counties to pass an ordinance imposing a “Shale Impact Fee” on unconventional wells including Marcellus, Utica and other shale resources.
The fee per well would be $40,000 the first year, decreasing by $10,000 each year until years four through 10 when the fee would remain at $10,000. Fees would be waived if well production dropped below a stated level.
Seventy-five percent of the fee would be retained at the local level. The remaining 25 percent of the fee would go to the state.
Commissioners said the proposal now needs to go to the state Legislature, work in which CCAP lobbyists will be active. Craig, who is Chairman of CCAP’s Energy, Environment and Land Use Committee, said he hopes the proposal moves quickly and in a bipartisan fashion.