Jun. 28, 2019
HARRISBURG – York County is about to be the beneficiary of a record windfall of more than $485,000 from the collection of an impact fee on natural gas drilling activities in other regions of Pennsylvania, according to members of the county’s House Republican delegation. Distribution of revenue will take place in early July.
Impact fees under
Act 13 of 2012 are imposed on the extraction of natural gas and fluctuate depending on price and the rate of inflation. Fees are collected from the drilling companies with 60% passed onto counties and local municipalities affected by drilling. The remaining 40% goes into the Marcellus Shale Legacy Fund, which is the source of the money York County is receiving.
The recently announced 2018 distribution brings York County’s eight-year total to more than $3.1 million.
Members of the delegation, state Reps. Keith Gillespie (R-Hellam), Seth Grove (R-Dover), Dawn Keefer (R-Dillsburg), Kate Klunk (R-Hanover), Mike Jones (R-York Township) and House Appropriations Committee Majority Chairman Stan Saylor (R-Red Lion), issued the following statement with announcement of the distribution:
“Despite the absence of a single natural gas well pad or drilling rig within its borders, York County’s municipalities and citizens still benefit from Pennsylvania’s abundance of natural gas because of the impact fee imposed by Act 13 of 2012.
“The fee, which is in fact a tax on the industry, was designed to benefit the entire state, whether or not a particular county sits within the Marcellus Shale natural gas formation, under which approximately half of the state lies.
“Projects that have been supported over the years by this money include countywide farmland preservation, recreation trails, highway and bridge improvements, and water and sewer upgrades. We look forward to seeing this revenue put to work in our communities and neighborhoods.”
For more information, visit the Pennsylvania Utility Commission website, www.puc.state.pa.us and search “Act 13 Impact Fee.”
York County House Republican Delegation
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Scott Little
717.260.6137
slittle@pahousegop.com