Meet Joe Scarnati

Background

Joe Scarnati is the Pennsylvania state Senate’s President Pro Tempore, a post he’s held since November 2006. The Republican represents Jefferson, Cameron, Elk, McKean, Potter and Tioga counties, as well as portions of Clearfield and Warren. He was first elected to the Senate in 2000.

When Catherine Baker Knoll died in November 2008, Scarnati became lieutenant governor. He held both titles until January 2011, when Republican Jim Cawley was sworn in as LG.

Scarnati occupies an interesting position, when it comes to the taxation of Marcellus Shale drilling. When the Democrat-controlled House passed severance tax bills in 2009 and 2010, Scarnati and other Senate Republican leaders killed the proposals, arguing their tax rates were prohibitively high. But now that fiscally conservative Republicans have taken control of both the House and governor’s office, Scarnati is the one leading the charge for an impact fee on drilling. He wants to impose an annual levy on every well in Pennsylvania, and use the revenue to fund local governments and environmental cleanup efforts.

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October 26, 2011

Impact Fee Moves Forward, But Plan’s Details Remain Unclear

State Senate leaders are aiming at passing a natural gas impact fee bill by early next week. The first step toward that goal happened this afternoon, when the Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously approved changes to Senate Bill 1100, which Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati initially introduced in May. The committee gave the green light [...]

First Look At The Senate’s Impact Fee Bill

Later today, the Senate Appropriations Committee will hold a preliminary vote on an amendment to SB 1100, which imposes an impact fee on Marcellus Shale natural gas wells. Except… it currently doesn’t. The amended measure strips out all language pertaining to any impact fee, for the moment. That’s because those details are still being worked [...]

October 7, 2011

Governor Corbett’s Plan To Impose An Impact Fee On Pennsylvania Drillers: A Primer

Republican Governor Tom Corbett unveiled his long-awaited proposal to levy an impact fee on Pennsylvania’s natural gas drillers on Monday. The plan would charge a $40,000-$10,000 fee per well, and direct the bulk of its revenue to county and local-level governments who are dealing with the clogged roads, uptick in emergency service demands and other [...]

October 4, 2011

Why Pennsylvania Lawmakers Will Likely Change Corbett’s Impact Fee

Corbett spells out the details of his plan, during Monday's Pittsburgh event

As Governor Corbett’s Marcellus Shale impact fee moves from proposal to bill, one factor may tie things up in the legislature: the Republican’s plan to let counties, not the state, assess and collect the levy. Under Corbett’s proposal, each gas-producing county has the option to impose an impact fee, and can then set its own [...]

October 3, 2011

Reaction Pours In On Corbett’s Impact Fee Plan

We’re getting all sorts of reaction to Governor Corbett’s Marcellus Shale proposal, which includes a $40,000-$10,000-per well impact fee directing revenue to local governments and a handful of state agencies. First, the lawmakers: Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati is “pleased” to see Corbett’s impact fee, but notes “obstacles” in the way of a final [...]

Corbett Announces $40,000-Per-Well Impact Fee

More than two months after his Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission laid out a road map for natural gas regulation, Governor Corbett has unveiled a wide-ranging plan to, among other things, impose an impact fee on drillers. The Corbett fee would be imposed and collected by counties. It would place a $40,000 levy on wells during [...]

October 1, 2011

More Details Emerge About Corbett’s Monday Marcellus Shale Rollout

Correction: An earlier version of this post said Corbett is opposed to changes in zoning laws. We meant to write pooling, and have fixed the error. StateImpact has learned more details about Governor Corbett’s Monday rollout of his Marcellus Shale agenda. On Monday morning, administration officials will brief lawmakers, environmental advocates, and representatives from the [...]

September 30, 2011

Sources: Corbett Will Announce Marcellus Shale Bill Monday

Pencil it in: Monday is Shale Day. Update (October 1, 12:22 PM): Read more details about Corbett’s planned announcement here. According to multiple Capitol sources, Governor Tom Corbett will unveil his proposal for a broad Marcellus Shale bill on Monday. The details are still fuzzy, but the legislation would include a local impact fee on [...]

September 26, 2011

Scarnati Wants A Marcellus Bill By October; Ready To Play Ball To Get One

Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati is growing impatient. He doesn’t want to wait any longer to pass a comprehensive bill dealing with natural gas drilling. On the state House’s first day back in Harrisburg since June, the Jefferson County Republican set a deadline. “I want it moved in October,” he told the Pennsylvania Press [...]

September 19, 2011

Quinn Pushes Her Impact Fee Bill, As Lawmakers Return To Harrisburg

After a lengthy summer recess – these breaks tend to be longer, when the budget’s passed on-time – lawmakers return to the state Capitol in Harrisburg today. Among the fall priorities for Governor Corbett and legislative leaders: passing some sort of impact fee on natural gas drillers. To-date, Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati’s plan [...]