Renew Growing Greener Coalition Calls For Share Of New Marcellus Shale Drilling Fee

At a hearing by the House Republican Policy Committee Thursday, Andrew Heath, Executive Director of the Renew Growing Greener Coalition, called for the adoption of a fair Marcellus Shale impact fee that allocates a significant portion of revenues to the Growing Greener environmental restoration program.
            "Unfortunately, funding for Growing Greener projects and grants fell from an average of approximately $150 million per year for the last six years to $27.3 million in the current budget," said Health.  "This is over an 80 percent cut at a critical time when Marcellus Shale drilling poses significant threats statewide to our water, air and environment.
            "The core of Growing Greener is funding grassroots efforts to repair, restore and conserve our land and water resources at the local level. At the heart of the program are the local groups who volunteer their time and energy like the watershed organizations who walk the banks of a small creek or stream to do cleanups.
            "The Governor’s Commission on Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling recommended proposing an extraordinarily narrow impact fee – one that requires local governments to prove that they have experienced specific, tangible damages. Although the coalition wholeheartedly supports a portion of an extraction fee going back to local communities, it is absurd to think the mark left by the enormous scope that drilling will have on our Commonwealth can be defined within local municipal borders.
            "We can sometimes get so distracted with dollars and cents discussions that we miss the bigger picture. We miss opportunities to do “the right thing.” Unfortunately Pennsylvania has a legacy of failure when it comes to natural resource extraction. I fear we have not learned our lessons from what happened with the timber industry, the oil industry and especially the coal industry.
            "We know from experience that the health of our environment is directly related to the health of our economy. That is why counties, cities, towns and boroughs from across the Commonwealth have chosen to voice their support for Growing Greener. They have seen directly the impact that Growing Greener has had on their communities, and they know how essential a healthy environment is to attracting new residents and businesses.
            "It is for these reasons, and many others, that it is imperative that we all work together to ensure that this fiscal year is not the last for Growing Greener and that we pass a fair impact fee on natural gas extraction that allocates a significant portion of the revenues to continue statewide efforts to protect our land, water and communities through Growing Greener."
            A copy of Heath's testimony is available online.


10/3/2011

Go To Preceding Article     Go To Next Article

Return to This PA Environment Digest's Main Page