HARRISBURG – Rep. Matt Gabler (R-Clearfield/Elk) released the following statement regarding his opposition to Senate Bill 1155, which would send the majority of the nation’s largest natural gas severance tax to Harrisburg, rather than fund communities impacted by drilling:
“This plan sends millions of dollars to be spent by Harrisburg politicians, while leaving a pitiful amount to be shared by those who must deal with the local impacts of drilling. The share allocated to local municipalities is divided so many ways that townships and boroughs won’t even be able to use it to pave a mile of road. Our communities have to deal with the impact of drilling, and they should be compensated with an adequate share of the tax. My constituents most definitely do not want the revenues from a severance tax going to the General Fund to subsidize both out-of-control spending and expenditures that have nothing to do with the regions of the state impacted by drilling.
“Local government organizations like the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors oppose this legislation because local officials know this plan is unwise. We should not rush to pass a piece of badly flawed legislation, which doesn’t even provide resources for oversight of the gas industry.”
