Republican state legislators in PA float punitive control of local governments forcing favour to fossil fuel.
Republican lawmakers want to punish municipalities attempting to protect local residents and public safety, and impede their compensation for environmental destruction by gas drillers.
Saturday, October 12, 2024 Sen. Bartolotta, Sen. Yaw Announce Bill To Withhold Gas Drilling Impact Fees To Municipalities That Set More Protective Standards On Natural Gas Development Than State Law, And While There Is a Legal Challenge To Local Restrictions History Of Preventing Local Regulation Of Oil/Gas The Bartolotta/Yaw announcement forgets to mention Act 13 of 2012 setting up the impact fee also originally included a provision preempting any local regulation of drilling operations. That provision was declared unconstitutional by the PA Supreme Court in a landmark ruling in December 2013 based on the Environmental Rights Amendment in Pennsylvania’s Constitution.
I think it’s interesting how the Republican lawmakers say: “Impact Fee dollars were never intended to go to municipalities that took unreasonable actions to prevent ongoing natural gas development within the municipality.” I absolutely want impact fees that would make almost all natural gas development prohibitively expensive.
My letter to my state rep, state senator, and the governor:
I oppose any attempt to keep Act 13 impact fees compensation from municipalities. It seems obvious that this is an authoritarian attempt to punish localities that are protecting local citizens and the local environment. In fact, I want impact fees so high it makes natural gas development as prohibitively expensive as it actually is in reality. The expense to public health and the environment is already prohibitively expensive, and it’s wrong that industry reaps private profits while the losses and expense are pushed upon the taxpayers and future generations. It’s time to stop subsidizing fossil fuel industry that’s causing public health threats and a threat to human survival itself.