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Top Severance Tax Advocate, Mike Sturla

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Background

Mike Sturla is a House Democrat from Lancaster County. As minority policy chair, he’s one of the House’s leading proponents of a broad severance tax on natural gas drillers.

Sturla made headlines this summer for blasting natural gas drillers’ impacts on Pennsylvania communities, telling Capitolwire, “[A]side from building roads so their trucks can get to drill sites and doing a little stream work to mitigate damage from their road building, exactly what are all those things the drillers are doing for the local communities? Patronizing the bars at night? Driving up the cost of rental housing? Spreading sexually transmitted disease amongst the womenfolk? “

StateImpact fact-checked his comments, and found no link between drilling activity and STD rates.

Latest Posts

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 [...]

August 19, 2011

Drilling, STDs, and Mike Sturla: The Week That Was

House Democrat Mike Sturla

Missed this week’s top energy story?  Confused by headlines about drilling and sexually transmitted diseases? QUICK RECAP: On Monday, Capitolwire reported Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Alan Walker is pushing for expanded drilling in state forests. Walker said the royalties would bring in billions, “solve just about every economic problem we have.” This, [...]

August 18, 2011

Lawmaker Who Claimed Drilling And STDs Were Linked Responds To StateImpact

House Democrat Mike Sturla sends this email, responding to StateImpact’s look at Department of Health data on sexually transmitted diseases: “My comments were based on reports from people in the community in the Marcellus shale region. I can only assume that they have the best interest of the communities that they serve in mind. But [...]

Health Statistics Suggest Drilling, STDs Not Linked

When House Democrat Mike Sturla defended his comment about natural gas drillers spreading STDs among Pennsylvania’s “womenfolk,” he pointed to a presentation a Bradford County community hospital delivered to Governor Corbett’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission in May. The Troy Community Hospital report did reference “an increase in sexually transmitted diseases,” in the years since drilling [...]

August 17, 2011

Does Drilling Really Spread STDs?

Here’s the report House Democrat Mike Sturla referenced, when he made comments about drillers spreading STDs among the “womenfolk.” Troy Community Hospital presented to the Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission in May. The references to an increase in Bradford County STD levels  are highlighted. Update: Hospital administrator Staci Covey says her information was “anecdotal,” but maintains [...]

Sturla Stands By STD Comment

Capitolwire’s Pete DeCoursey made quite the impact yesterday, when he published a story quoting DCED Secretary Alan Walker endorsing the idea of expanded drilling in state forests. Much of the early reaction centered on Walker’s comments. But as the day wore on, Republicans began focusing on House Democratic Chairman Mike Sturla’s angry response to Walker, [...]

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