Pennsylvania House bill would provide manufacturers with tax break for using natural gas
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Pennsylvania State House Speaker Mike Turzai doesn’t support a severance tax on natural gas drillers; instead, he want to give manufacturers using natural gas a tax break for using natural gas. Turzai’s Keystone Energy Enhancement Act would create jobs and shale infrastructure in the state.
According to The Patriot News, the Keystone Energy Enhancement Act, or House Bill 1731, is seen as a “handout” by Governor Tom Wolf and his administration. The Wolf administration has proposed a severance tax on natural gas drillers, quite the opposite of tax credits and a break from local and state taxes, like Turzai has proposed.
The act is modeled after Pennsylvania’s Keystone Opportunity Zones, which revived old industrial zones with jobs and growth.
Via: The Patriot News > House bill offers tax break for businesses using natural gas
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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.