Impact fee on drilling could bring millions to Clearfield County
(MedleyStory) Wed, February 8, 2012, 9:01 PM

After months of debating the Pennsylvania House decided to pass legislation on imposing impact fees on Marcellus Shale companies to Governor Tom Corbett. In three days the bill has quickly made its way to its current standing. On Monday evening there was a conference committee meeting to move the Republican-negotiated legislation forward. On Tuesday the bill passed the state senate. Wednesday afternoon it also passed the House of Representatives 101-90. Imposing impact fees on drilling companies is not unheard of across the country. Pennsylvania is one of the last states that has not imposed the fee that is seeing the effects of the drilling industry. 6 News covers 10 counties in the coverage area. They include: Blair, Huntingdon, Centre, Clearfield, Elk, Jefferson, Cambria, Bedford, Somerset and Indiana. In those counties, Clearfield County recently has seen the most drilling. According to the Department of Environmental Protection, from January 2011 through November  2011 there were 116 permits issued in the county. Of those permit issued, 56 wells were drilled. As the industry continues to boom in the county, Clearfield County commissioners are hopeful that the governor will sign the bill into law. "If this passes, and even though it is based on the sliding scale of the price of gas, with the number of wells that we have here in Clearfield County, we will see millions of dollars," said Commissioner Joan Robinson McMillen. According to the Department of Environmental Protection, the number of wells drilled in Clearfield County has sky-rocketed in recent years. DEP records indicate that less than 10 wells were drilled in 2008. In 2009 there were more than 20. The county saw just over 40 wells drilled in 2010, and there were 56 wells drilled in 2011. According to DEP records there has been a spike in permits for Marcellus Shale wells in the county. In 2008 there were less than 20 permits issued. In 2011 there  were more than 120. Robinson Mcmillen told 6 News that if the impact fee legislation is signed into law, the county has already figured out how they plan to divide the money. "Sixty percent will come back to the county. Of that 60 percent, 36 percent will go toward bridge repair, road repair, water safety, and environmental impact," she said. Robinson McMillen said that 37 percent of the funding would go toward municipalities where wells are being drilled. She said that the money will also be able to be used for wear-and-tear that is seen throughout the county due to the industry. Lastly, she said that the remaining 26 percent will go toward municipalities that are not directly seeing active drilling. Commissioners are hopeful that the governor will sign the bill soon. "It will be millions of dollars produced for Clearfield County. We can use that money to improve the quality of life in the county, and also promote more industry," she said. The bill is now in the hands of Corbett. He could sign it into law as early as this week. 

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