For Immediate Release:
National Association of Royalty Owners, Pennsylvania Chapter (NARO-PA) Weighs-in on the Impact Fee
By: Trevor Walczak, Vice-President NARO-PA, & Bill Wilson, NE Regional Board Member NARO-PA
The recent passage of SB 1100/HB1950, the Impact Fee, is the first major action the state has taken to directly address the financial impact the Marcellus drilling activity has had on the state. Even with the state’s Department of Revenue reporting that the Marcellus drilling companies have paid more than $1.1 billion in taxes since 2006, the Impact Fee gained popular support outside of the major natural gas production counties. Although the energy production companies support the local decision to implement the Impact Fee, the coupling of the new fee with the decreasing price for dry gas, will inevitably have a negative impact on leasing and production activity in the northeastern Marcellus. The National Association of Royalty Owners, PA chapter (NARO-PA), cautions county governments to closely consider the related detrimental impact on both, large energy company operations and local small business, when determining whether to implement the Impact Fee at this time.  ...click this link to continue reading this update.pdf