Corbett Takes Hands-On Approach For Drawing Up Natural Gas Drilling Bill
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) - Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett told Talk Radio 1210 WPHT today that he will draw up his own legislation to impose impact fees on natural gas drillers.
Corbett flatly opposes a tax on natural gas drillers but has signaled that he would support compensation for local communities affected by drilling. He told WPHT's Dom Giordano that he will not only support an impact fee, but will offer his own bill.
"We are working on legislation that we'll be introducing –- we'll be talking to the Senate and the House, and we've already preliminarily talked to them a little bit. But we will give them our package in the next week [or] two weeks that will include an impact fee. But it is an impact [fee] – it is not a tax to go to the general fund of Pennsylvania," the governor said.
Corbett says that under his proposal, some money would go to the state emergency management agency and for environmental clean-up.
Corbett also says he has a number of legislative priorities but if he had to pick a top priority, it would be school vouchers.
Reported by Tony Romeo, KYW Newsradio 1060
