Time to tighten Act 13 reporting
Summary: In February 2012, Act 13 was adopted not only to establish an impact fee for drillers in Pennsylvania’s shale formations, but also to set
Summary: In February 2012, Act 13 was adopted not only to establish an impact fee for drillers in Pennsylvania’s shale formations, but also to set
On April 1st, drillers operating in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale formation were required to pay their annual well fees to the Commonwealth. As discussed in Policy Briefs Volume 12, Numbers 11, 21 and 51, Act 13 of 2012 gave counties with unconventional (Shale) drilling within their borders the option of charging a fee on each well. All counties have in fact done so. Revenue from this new fee, collected in 2012, provided $206 million to be shared among state agencies, counties, and municipalities. However, in 2013 fee revenue slipped to $198 million. Is the revenue reduction a one-time event, or the start of a trend?
When Act 13, the Unconventional Gas Well Impact Fee Act, was signed into law on February 14th, it gave counties with such wells the option