04/15/24 - 66 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA: http://tinyurl.com/msuwtctm
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Growing Greener Coalition: Heed The Public, Enact A Marcellus Drilling Tax/Fee
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The Renew Growing Greener Coalition Thursday issued the following statement from Executive Director Andrew Heath in response to a newly released poll by Franklin and Marshall showing that the majority of Pennsylvanians support taxing companies that extract and sell natural gas, but do not support additional drilling in state forests:
"This poll clearly shows that that the public strongly supports making Marcellus Shale drillers pay for the local and statewide impacts of drilling, and strongly opposes additional drilling in state forests. The poll also seems to indicate that the majority of Pennsylvanians reject suggestions by the industry and its lobbyists and believe that the impact of drilling will be felt statewide.
"The Renew Growing Greener Coalition urges lawmakers to listen to their constituents and impose a severance tax or impact fee on the natural gas industry this fall that not only cares for our shared communities, but also cares for our shared environment.
"The Coalition continues to call on the Governor and Legislature to enact an impact fee with a significant portion of the revenues allocated to restoring funding for Growing Greener to address the statewide conservation, recreation and environmental impacts of drilling."
Growing Greener is a bipartisan program established in 1999 under Gov. Tom Ridge and later expanded by Governors Schweiker and Rendell. Since its establishment, Growing Greener has created a legacy of success, preserving more than 33,700 acres of Pennsylvania's family farmland, conserving more than 42,300 acres of threatened open space, adding 26,000 acres to state parks and forests, and restoring over 16,000 acres of abandoned mine lands.
Moreover, Growing Greener has contributed and leveraged billions of dollars to the Pennsylvania economy by helping to boost tourism, create jobs and generate revenue.
Yet despite the program's accomplishments, funding for Growing Greener projects and grants fell from an average of approximately $150 million per year for the last six years to $27.3 million in the Governor's proposed budget. This is an 82 percent cut at a critical time when the natural gas drilling boom poses significant threats statewide to our water, air and environment.
To date, more than 225 organizations and groups have announced their support for renewing Growing Greener. In addition, at least 85 Pennsylvania municipalities and 22 counties, representing more than 5 million Pennsylvanians, have passed resolutions urging the Governor and Legislature to renew Growing Greener funding.
The Renew Growing Greener Coalition is the Commonwealth's largest coalition of conservation, recreation and environmental organizations representing over 300 organizations and government entities.
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9/5/2011 |
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