Drilling impact fees total $223M for Pennsylvania communities
Saturday, June 13, 2015
In Pennsylvania, communities and state agencies will share $223.5 million in impact fees this year, according to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette PowerSource. As of June 10, the impact fee payments for counties and municipalities that host oil and gas well operations had not yet been calculated.
The revenue from 2014 impact fees is down slightly from 2013. In 2013, companies paid $225.7 million to drill in the Marcellus Shale.
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf is pushing for a shale gas severance tax. The severance tax would raise money for public education, environmental protection and economic development.
Via: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette PowerSource > Pennsylvania communities to share $223 million in drilling impact fees
Leave a Comment
Marcellus & Utica Shale Well Map
Additional Shale Maps
Shale FAQ
What is fracking?
Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing is a process by which highly pressurized fluid is pumped thousands of feet into the ground to fracture rock formations. The goal is to release the natural gas that’s locked inside the rock.
Is it safe?
What most concerns people about fracturing is ground water contamination. The worry is that fractures underground, caused by the process, will extending upwards and into aquifers, releasing gas and chemicals into the ground water supply. There’s been no confirmed reports of such a thing happening. Though surface spills and drill site blowouts can lead to localized environmental concerns.
Will my water catch on fire?
Flammable water is caused by the release of methane gas into a drinking water supply. Methane gas occurs naturally and can be released by any kind of drilling, including water wells. In Pennsylvania officials fined Chesapeake Energy $1 million for contaminating ground water with methane. It was determined that the company had not properly cemented it’s boreholes and gas migrated up the well, between rock and into aquifers.