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Pennsylvania House of Representatives
04/25/2024 11:51 AM
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20130&cosponId=14924
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House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: June 23, 2014 08:48 AM
From: Representative Steven J. Santarsiero
To: All House members
Subject: Legislation Providing for a State Land Drilling Impact Fee
 
In the near future, I will be introducing legislation that would provide for a new state-land drilling impact fee on all existing and any future unconventional gas wells located on state land. The legislation also would prohibit any future unconventional gas wells on lands where the Commonwealth owns the mineral rights.

Specifically, this legislation would impose a $200,000 state land drilling impact fee on all existing unconventional natural gas wells located on state land and any future wells on state lands in which the Commonwealth does not own the mineral rights. “State land” would include: state parks; state game land; state forests; land owned by state-related universities; and land under the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation, Department of Education, and Department of General Services. Further leasing of state land and the drilling of additional unconventional natural gas wells on any tract or parcel of land in which the mineral rights are owned by the Commonwealth would be prohibited.

In addition, a State Land Drilling Impact Mitigation Fund would be established in which revenues generated from the fee would be used to:

  1. To mitigate damage to state land caused by drilling or activity related to drilling.
  2. To acquire replacement land and buffers.
  3. To purchase the rights to gas and minerals under state land.
  4. To take any other action it deems necessary to avoid, minimize, or mitigate the impact of gas exploration on state land.
  5. To preserve the environmental, recreational, cultural, and aesthetic values of state land that are impacted by gas drilling.

Furthermore, this legislation would provide for further well setback restrictions to ensure that the residents of the Commonwealth and the public’s water supply are adequately protected from potential pollution and contamination caused by natural gas drilling operations.

I believe that natural gas drilling on our state land has caused and will continue to cause untold damage to the environment while greatly diminishing recreational opportunities for the residents of the Commonwealth. Therefore, I feel that it is imperative that action be taken to protect Pennsylvania’s state-owned natural resources.

Introduced as HB2494