In defending his stance not to levy a severance tax upon Marcellus Shale natural gas drillers like other states do, Corbett said letting mineral-rights owners negotiate with companies is “the American way.”
The state will gain jobs and other benefits “if we don’t scare off these industries with new taxes” and appointed Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley to oversee an advisory commission to monitor environmental impacts. The impact of drilling, like the effects of fracking on the water supply, is cause of much concern with environmentalists.
