Act 13 of 2012 set an impact fee on drillers for each unconventional well started (spud) into the Marcellus Shale formation within the Commonwealth’s borders.
While stumping for the office, the current Governor made a Marcellus Shale severance tax a lynchpin of his candidacy. Now that he occupies the seat
Perhaps one of the most contentious issues facing the Allegheny County Chief Executive and Council is whether or not to allow natural gas drillers access
Act 13 of 2012 imposed an impact fee on natural gas wells in the Marcellus Shale reserve lying beneath the Commonwealth. The levied fee is
From all accounts natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale formation has been an economic boon for Pennsylvania. While the exact overall impact may be up for debate, what is not debatable is the benefit for owners of the land and/or mineral rights where wells are located. This is evidenced by the increase in royalty income shown on state income tax returns. As we first reported in a 2011 report (Report #11-05), the number of tax returns containing rental and royalty claims has increased greatly since drilling began in 2007 and “offers the clearest and most conclusive evidence of the potential financial impact arising from Marcellus Shale drilling activity.”
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?
The recently released January employment data for the Pittsburgh metropolitan statistical area (MSA) were not very encouraging. After a reasonably strong 2011 and first half of 2012, data from the region’s employers show quite a slowdown in job additions for the latter half of 2012 with 2013 starting off just as sluggish.
According to Act 13 of 2012, which sets the Marcellus Shale impact fee on drillers, the payment for the impact fee was due to the
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
How to speed job growth in Pennsylvania? According to the latest offering from the Keystone Research Center (KRC), the Commonwealth and local tax levying bodies
