Pa. Senators Propose New Natural Gas Tax
On Thursday, a group of Pennsylvania state legislators, led by Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia), unveiled a proposal that would impose a 5% severance tax on drillers operating in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale industry. According to the legislators, this severance tax would net $720 million for Pennsylvania during the 2014-2015 budget year and be used for environmental protection, economic development, job training initiatives and education. Senator Hughes hopes that some of the revenue received from the severance tax would prevent the state from having to lease public land for gas drilling and exploration. Under the proposal, the severance tax would be levied in addition to the Act 13 well fees already imposed upon the natural gas drillers. Senator Hughes said that the severance tax and well fees together would generate $937 million for Pennsylvania in the 2014-2015 fiscal year. Senator Hughes’s proposal is one of numerous proposals recently introduced in the state legislature aimed at implementing a severance tax on the Marcellus Shale industry. Additionally, all four major candidates in the Democratic gubernatorial primary have also proposed a natural gas severance tax.