Test Drive Our New Site! We have some improvements in the works that we're excited for you to experience. Click here to try our new, faster, mobile friendly beta site. We will be maintaining our current version of the site thru the end of 2024, so you can switch back as our improvements continue.
Legislation Quick Search
Advanced Search
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
04/23/2024 10:43 AM
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20130&cosponId=13941
Share:
Home / House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

Subscribe to PaLegis Notifications
NEW!

Subscribe to receive notifications of new Co-Sponsorship Memos circulated

By Member | By Date | Keyword Search


House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: January 17, 2014 02:42 PM
From: Representative Greg Vitali
To: All House members
Subject: Oil and Gas Lease Fund Legislation
 
In the near future, I will be introducing legislation that would limit the use of Oil and Gas Lease Fund revenue for specific conservation, recreation, dam and flood control projects only.

The Oil and Gas Lease Fund Act of 1955 (Act 256) was created to fund conservation, recreation, dam, and flood control projects using rents and royalties received from oil and gas leases on Commonwealth land.

Over the past few years, this funding has been used for purposes outside of the scope of the Oil and Gas Lease Fund Act, including employees’ salaries and general government operations of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

There is currently a $1 billion backlog of infrastructure projects in state parks and forests. Oil and Gas Lease Fund money should be used to address this backlog and fund these projects.

The legislation would amend Title 58, Oil and Gas, to:

  • Specify that rents and royalties from oil and gas leases on Commonwealth-owned land shall be used exclusively for conservation, recreation, dams, or flood control projects.

  • Restore to DCNR its exclusive authority to make disbursements from the Oil and Gas Lease Fund.

  • Replace transfers from the Oil and Gas Lease Fund to the Environmental Stewardship Fund and the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund with transfers from the Unconventional Gas Well Fund.

Introduced as HB1500