|
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
| State Rep. Rosita Youngblood |
|
Youngblood receives perfect score on environmental votes
HARRISBURG, March 22 – State Rep. Rosita C. Youngblood, D-Phila., earned a 100 percent on the Marcellus Shale Scorecard for her efforts to protect the commonwealth’s water, air and neighborhoods from gas drilling.
Earlier this week, four of Pennsylvania’s largest citizen-based environmental organizations released their joint Pennsylvania Marcellus Shale Scorecard which gave each state senator and representative an environmental grade based on their votes on H.B. 1950, now Act 13.
“It is truly an honor to be recognized for the votes I made in favor of the environment and public health of the commonwealth,” Youngblood said. “I voted against this legislation because the impacts of drilling will be felt throughout the state and this law fails to protect all Pennsylvanians.”
Youngblood said the law overturns local ordinances on gas drilling, establishes one of the nation’s lowest gas extraction fees, and makes only minimal improvements to environmental and public health protections from oil and gas drilling.
"To make things worse, the legislation did not assess a real and meaningful severance tax on the industry to help generate the revenue we will need to deal with the consequences of drilling," she added. "We know there will be consequences yet we put the interests of big oil and gas ahead of the interests of the people."
The Marcellus Shale Scorecard was compiled by the Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter, Clean Water Action, PennEnvironment and the Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania to provide Pennsylvania residents with information on how their legislators voted on this law which will have far reaching impacts on all Pennsylvanians.
###