PETITION CLOSED

  • The time period for signing this petition has ended.
Marcellus Fail
  1. Signatures
    1,203 out of 1,950
    Petitioning
    1. Pennsylvania Office of the Governor (Governor Tom Corbett)
  2. Created By
    Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates

Natural gas exploration and development in Pennsylvania should not in any way pollute the clean air, fresh water and pristine land of the Commonwealth. If not properly regulated, natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale will negatively impact our roads, our public health and our environment.

The conference committee (made up of members of the Pennsylvania House and Senate) has proposed, and both the House and the Senate have passed, an amended version of House Bill 1950 (HB1950) which is going to Governor Corbett's desk to be signed into law.

This bill fails to properly regulate the burgeoning natural gas industry. Please see the petition for a detailed list of why it is inadequate.

Why People Are Signing
Recent Signatures

Veto House Bill 1950

Dear Governor Corbett,

Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania and the signers of this petition are concerned about the rapid pace and poor oversight of shale gas development in Pennsylvania. While we understand the importance of cultivating the energy sector in our Commonwealth, we firmly believe that HB 1950 fails to properly address and minimize the risks involved in natural gas drilling.

There are three main reasons why this bill is not adequate to regulate the natural gas industry within the Commonwealth.

1. HB1950 asks too little from an industry poised to make billions of dollars by Pennsylvania’s natural resources. The effective tax rate comes out to 1.5%, well below the rate of states with similar industry activity. With new wells being drilled at record rates and budget cuts to the DEP, there exists serious doubts as to whether our state regulators can properly do their job given the current funding situation.

2. HB1950 would trample on the rights of individual communities by pre-empting local zoning regulations. By taking away local controls, you are disenfranchising local governments from having sovereignty over zoning and land use issues.

3. HB1950 does not properly address the serious environmental concerns that natural gas drilling creates. The restrictions on where the industry can drill have far too many loopholes to uniformly administer regulations. We need strict set-backs, water testing and land use restrictions which cannot simply be overcome by requesting a "variance," which the DEP is REQUIRED to grant, as is the case with the current legislation.

For these reasons, and many others, Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania and our thousands of statewide members urge you to please veto this disastrous legislation.

Thank you,

Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania

[Your name]

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