New Corbett campaign ad touts Marcellus Shale benefits to PA and the planet

• Katie Colaneri
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  Katie Colaneri is a reporter for StateImpact Pennsylvania and WHYY in Philadelphia covering energy and the environment. Before joining StateImpact, Katie worked as an investigative and enterprise reporter at WBGO in Newark, New Jersey. She covered some of New Jersey's biggest stories including the devastation and aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, as well as the day-to-day triumphs and struggles to revitalize state's largest city. A native of New Jersey with roots in South Central Pennsylvania, Katie holds a bachelor's degree from Wellesley College.

“There’s a place that is rapidly becoming one of the most critical energy suppliers on the entire planet.”
So begins the latest web ad for the governor’s reelection bid along with images of the sun rising over a gently spinning earth and an America lit up with electricity as seen from space.
“And thanks to Tom Corbett, this place known as Pennsylvania has also become America’s second largest producer of natural gas and the benefits to Pennsylvanians has been remarkable.”
Here’s the new ad:

 
The video claims that under Corbett’s watch, the Marcellus Shale industry has given back to the state in the form of more than 200,000 jobs, $1.7 billion in corporate taxes, and $400 million returned to local communities. That last figure refers to revenues from the state’s impact fee charged to every well. The fee was a major part of Act 13, a major overhaul of the state’s drilling laws that passed early last year.
While other major drilling states like Texas and Oklahoma impose severance taxes, Corbett has defended the fee as a way to support the growing industry. One of the governor’s many democratic challengers, Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz is proposing a 5 percent severance tax on the industry in addition to the impact fee.
Politics PA reports Pennsylvania Democratic Party spokesman Marc Eisenstein dismissed the ad and accused Corbett of giving tax breaks to major donors from the gas industry.

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