PRINTER'S NO. 583
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No.
557
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY RAFFERTY, DINNIMAN, SMUCKER, BLAKE, SCHWANK AND
McILHINNEY, MARCH 6, 2015
REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, MARCH 6, 2015
AN ACT
Amending Title 58 (Oil and Gas) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
Statutes, providing for an impact fee for pipelines of
natural gas or oil; establishing a fund; and imposing powers
and duties on the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Title 58 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
Statutes is amended by adding a chapter to read:
CHAPTER 24
IMPACT FEE FOR NATURAL GAS AND OIL PIPELINES
Sec.
2401. Definitions.
2402. Administration.
2403. Fund.
2404. Fee.
§ 2401. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this chapter
shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
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"Affected area." A high-consequence area as defined in 49
CFR § 192.903 (relating to what definitions apply to this
subpart).
"Commission." The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.
"Fund." The Pipeline Impact Fund established in section 2403
(relating to fund).
"Impact pipeline." A pipeline which is a transmission and
gathering line for oil or natural gas.
"Natural gas." A fossil fuel consisting of a mixture of
hydrocarbon gases, primarily methane, and possibly including
ethane, propane, butane, pentane, carbon dioxide, oxygen,
nitrogen and hydrogen sulfide and other gas species. The term
includes natural gas from oil fields known as associated gas or
casing head gas, natural gas fields known as nonassociated gas,
coal beds, shale beds and other formations. The term does not
include coal bed methane.
§ 2402. Administration.
(a) Duties.--The commission has the following duties to
implement this chapter:
(1) Collect and deposit money under section 2404(a)(1)
and (b) (relating to fee).
(2) Carry out section 2403(d) (relating to fund).
(b) Powers.--The commission may promulgate regulations to
implement this chapter.
§ 2403. Fund.
(a) Establishment.--The Pipeline Impact Fund is established
as a separate fund in the State Treasury.
(b) Sources.--The following are the sources of the fund:
(1) Fees under section 2404(a)(1) (relating to fee).
This paragraph includes interest for late payment.
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(2) Appropriations.
(3) Return on money in the fund.
(c) Nonlapse.--The money in the fund is continuously
appropriated into the fund. This appropriation shall not lapse
at the end of a fiscal year.
(d) Utilization.--The commission shall use the fund as
follows:
(1) Each year, up to 10% of the money in the fund may be
used for administration.
(2) Fifty percent of the money which is not used under
paragraph (1) shall be used to make an annual payment to each
county where an affected area is located.
(3) The remainder of the money which is not used under
paragraph (1) shall be used to make an annual payment to each
municipality, other than a county, where an affected area is
located.
§ 2404. Fee.
(a) Imposition.--
(1) Except as set forth in paragraph (2), a person that
utilizes an impact pipeline shall pay to the commission a fee
based on acreage of linear feet plus right-of-way width using
the county average land value in an affected area.
(2) The fee under paragraph (1) shall not be imposed
upon an impact pipeline in existence on the effective date of
this paragraph.
(b) Deposit.--The commission shall deposit the collected
money under section 2403(b)(1) (relating to fund).
Section 2. This act shall take effect as follows:
(1) The following provisions shall take effect
immediately:
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(i) The addition of 58 Pa.C.S. § 2402(b).
(ii) This section.
(2) The remainder of this act shall take effect in 60
days.
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