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Pennsylvania State Senate
04/19/2024 03:18 AM
Pennsylvania State Senate
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=S&SPick=20190&cosponId=27667
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Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2019 - 2020 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: January 11, 2019 02:40 PM
From: Senator Scott E. Hutchinson
To: All Senate members
Subject: Pennsylvania Affordable Energy Development Zones
 
In the near future I intend to re-introduce legislation establishing the Pennsylvania Affordable Energy Development Zones Program to help create jobs and lift the economy in rural Pennsylvania by capitalizing on the unconventional natural gas boon.

Rural areas of the Commonwealth have seen decades of plant closures, job losses, population declines and stagnant economic growth. In too many cases, the best hope for finding a decent job has been to relocate, leaving behind family, friends and hometowns. Thankfully Pennsylvania has been given new opportunity for job creation and a chance to lead the nation toward energy independence.

It is also an opportunity to reverse the trend of joblessness and poverty that afflicts much of rural Pennsylvania by reestablishing a manufacturing base. My legislation would incentivize new businesses to locate in counties with natural gas producing wells where they’ll have ready access to a low-cost energy source. Incidentally, many of these counties overlap regions that have been hardest hit by manufacturing losses.

Affordable Energy Development Zones authorized by the DCED will provide new businesses ten years of state tax relief provided they meet certain employment and capital investment thresholds. The exemption will be available only to new Pennsylvania businesses locating within a zone – not to businesses relocating from other areas of the Commonwealth unless a relocated business shows a net increase of job creation.

This legislation was Senate Bill 34 of last session. Please join me in cosponsoring this legislation to help rural Pennsylvania turn the corner to a brighter economic future. If you have any questions regarding this legislation please contact Nathan Akers in my office at 787-9684 or nakers@pasen.gov.

Introduced as SB102