We don’t want no state gas money

We didn’t find any significant ones and for the most part the local townships we interviewed are satisfied as this point with the in-kind contributions the industry provide for roads and other costs. When you happy, why rock the boat. So as we could have predicted, quite a few townships in the heart of the gas play are thinking about saying no to state compensation for gas development impacts. The Pittsburgh Tribune reports:

“Even if state lawmakers approve a tax or fee on gas drillers this fall, some local leaders might not take the money. Communities in the heart of the Marcellus shale could turn down such revenues that come with strings attached. Many want to be able to set their own rules for problems such as road damage, noise, lights and storm water runoff, but they might have to accept state-prescribed rules for such problems to collect money from a drilling impact fee.”

The article, focusing on Southwest Pa, also goes to show why township officials are wary of state control and also discusses local zoning issues, another contentious issue. In our study we looked at Susquehanna (NE Pa) and Washington (SW Pa) counties. What’s really interesting if you asked me, I would have said Susquehanna township officials we talked seem even more against taking state monies. Read our report on fiscal impacts.