Bedford, Somerset Counties to Receive Over $101,000 from Marcellus Shale Impact Fees, Say Metzgar, Dowling and Reese

June 18, 2020

HARRISBURG – Reps. Carl Walker Metzgar (R-Somerset/Bedford), Mike Reese (R-Westmoreland/Somerset) and Matthew Dowling (R-Fayette/Somerset) today announced that municipalities in Somerset and Bedford counties will receive $101,621 from the 2019 reporting year for the Act 13 unconventional natural gas impact fees, otherwise known as Pennsylvania’s unconventional natural gas drilling tax. These fees are taken from revenue from natural gas drilling activities in the Marcellus Shale. Distribution of revenue is expected to take place in early July.

In addition to funding for local municipalities, the Somerset and Bedford County governments also received separate allocations - $40,695 for Bedford County, and $121,561 for Somerset County.

“As a strong supporter of the natural gas industry, I’m happy to see that natural gas drilling and subsequent impact fees are directly benefitting our local communities in Somerset and Bedford counties, and across the Commonwealth,” said Metzgar. “Not only do our economy and our workers see positive impacts from natural gas drilling, but our counties and municipalities are reaping the rewards as well.”

A total of 60% of these funds are allocated to the Unconventional Gas Well Fund, which is distributed to municipalities with wells. These funds would be used for the construction and maintenance of public infrastructure, public safety services, environmental programs, preservation of water supplies, tax reductions, social services, judicial services, career and technical training, accessible housing projects and records management.

The remaining 40% of funds are allocated to the Marcellus Legacy Fund, which is distributed to all counties, regardless of the presence of wells within their borders. These funds would be used for environmental initiatives and infrastructure projects.

“This is good news for Somerset County,” added Reese. “Not only do these impact fees help repair roads and bridges, they also assist with emergency response, human service needs and a variety of other uses.”

Pennsylvania’s Impact Fee, passed in 2012, has contributed massively to preserving the natural environment and providing communities with the resources necessary to do their jobs. To date, over $1.9 billion has been paid to counties and municipalities via these fees. This year’s payments account for over $200 million of these funds.

“The Commonwealth’s natural resources really are an asset to us all. Especially given the challenges faced by Pennsylvanians in the last few months, it’s positive that our natural gas can be used to help pay for projects that would have otherwise come at a cost to the taxpayer,” Dowling said.

For more information, visit the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission website, www.puc.state.pa.us and use the search function to search Act 13 Impact Fee.


Representative Carl Walker Metzgar
69th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Kevin DiGuiseppe
717.260.6419 (office), 610.937.4679 (cell)
Kdiguiseppe@pahousegop.com
RepMetzgar.com

Representative Mike Reese
59th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Brooke Haskell
717.260.6351
bhaskell@pahousegop.com
RepReese.com

Representative Matthew Dowling
51st Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Alison Evans
717.260.6206
aevans@pahousegop.com
RepDowling.com / Facebook.com/RepDowling
Twitter.com/RepDowling / Instagram.com/RepDowling