Inside Harrisburg

by state Rep. Dan Frankel

Frankel fighting for environmental protections,

commonsense tax on gas drillers

Both the state House and Senate have been debating Marcellus Shale bills, and as of this writing, the Republican majority leaders' plans fail to put Pennsylvanians first.

The priorities should include protecting our air and water and having the companies – many of them multinational corporations – pay a fair share tax on the valuable resource they are extracting from our Commonwealth. The drillers already pay such a tax in every other state that outproduces Pennsylvania in natural gas. While the bills under consideration would finally set a fee, it would be lower than other states' rates, which is a giveaway to the drillers.

In addition, the money generated from the fee would largely be kept out of Pittsburgh and many other communities across the state, even though income and sales taxes from Pittsburgh go into the statewide General Fund.  In this challenging economy, it is unconscionable to deprive Pittsburgh and many other communities of a way to make up for state budget cuts and to meet the needs of our citizens. 

A reasonable tax on gas drillers has strong support in poll after poll and could help to restore funding that the Corbett budget cut from education, health care and other priorities.

As debate moves forward on Marcellus bills, I and other Democrats in Harrisburg continue to advocate for commonsense regulations on gas drillers. Certainly we all welcome the Pennsylvania jobs that have accompanied Marcellus Shale gas drilling, regardless of the exact number of those jobs.

However, we can't drink or breathe money – we still need clean air and water. Natural gas does burn more cleanly than many other fuels, but when the process used to drill for gas pollutes our rivers, streams, land or air, that undercuts the shale gas industry's "clean fuel" claims. Such incidents also signal that we need a reasonable tax and strong regulations to make sure the damage is cleaned up properly. Democrats want to prevent a recurrence of the scarred land and polluted waters that Pennsylvania still suffers as a result of inadequate regulation of the coal industry decades ago.

Home heating aid applications being accepted

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is now accepting applications.   

LIHEAP helps low-income Pennsylvanians pay their heating bills through home energy assistance grants and crisis grants. Cash grants are awarded based on household income, family size, type of heating fuel and region. Homeowners, renters and subsidized housing tenants may be eligible. You can visit the Department of Public Welfare’s website at www.dpw.state.pa.us or call the Statewide Customer Service Center toll free number at 1-877-395-8930 to see if you qualify for the program. 

If you think you may need help with your heating bills, please apply as soon as possible.  More people will need help than ever before and due to budget cuts, there will be less funding to go around. For more information, please contact my office.

Property Tax/Rent Rebate deadline is Dec. 31

Dec. 31, 2011, is the deadline to apply for a state Property Tax/Rent Rebate on taxes or rent paid in 2010.  The program provides rebates of up to $650 on property taxes or rent paid in 2010 to those who qualify.

To be eligible, an applicant must be:

• 65 or older;

• A widow or widower who is 50 or older; or

• A person with a permanent disability who is 18 or older.

The total household income limit is $35,000 a year for homeowners and $15,000 a year for renters. If a homeowner or renter receives Social Security payments, half of that money will be excluded.

To obtain a Property Tax/Rent Rebate application, please visit www.revenue.state.pa.us or contact my office, which can also assist you in filling out the form.

As always, if you need assistance or information on any state-related matter, please contact my office at 412-422-1774 or visit my website at www.pahouse.com/Frankel. I also invite you to follow my updates on Facebook and Twitter at www.facebook.com/RepDanFrankel and twitter.com/RepDanFrankel.

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