Pa. drillimg impact fee raises more than $200M

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s new “impact fee” on gas drillers has raised more than $200 million.

A state law signed in February imposes the fee on energy companies exploring the Marcellus Shale gas field. Drillers must pay $50,000 for each horizontally drilled well and $10,000 for each vertical well.

The Public Utility Commission says the fee raised nearly $206 million from nearly 4,500 wells. Of that, the drillers have paid nearly $198 million.

The state will take about $25 million. Sixty percent of what’s left will be split among 37 counties and hundreds of municipalities hosting gas wells. They can use it to fix roads, bridges and other infrastructure, restore water supplies and buy equipment for first responders, among other expenses. The rest will be split among state agencies dealing with drilling impacts.