To: The Pennsylvania State House, The Pennsylvania State Senate, and Governor Tom Wolf
Tax Fracking Now
We call on Pennsylvania's legislature and governor to enact a severance tax on gas extracted from the Marcellus Shale to help pay for effective regulatory oversight of hydrofracturing operations, proper cleanup of any environmental damage, and repair of roads and other infrastructure affected by drilling operations. This tax should be paid by the natural gas drilling companies, and portions of these funds must go to local and county governments and to environmental protection and remediation.
Why is this important?
Almost all gas-producing states impose a severance tax of some kind on natural gas drilling, because once the resource is gone, it's gone--and hydrofracturing can leave behind serious damage just as the coal industry did. A "frack tax" will make sure that Pennsylvania has the resources to respond to these challenges.