Top 10 stories of 2013: Financial disclosures and royalty disputes

• Marie Cusick
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  Marie Cusick was the Harrisburg reporter for StateImpact Pennsylvania.

As 2013 draws to a close, StateImpact Pennsylvania is looking back at our top ten most popular online stories.
Today’s stories feature an ongoing dispute over royalty payments in Bradford County, and Governor Corbett’s confusion over the meaning of the word “home” on an annual financial disclosure form.
8. Corbett, Krancer fail to disclose vacation homes

In August, StateImpact Pennsylvania uncovered documents showing the governor spent $265,000 in 2012 on a condo in South Carolina, but didn’t disclose it in his annual financial filing. The same goes for former DEP Secretary Mike Krancer, who bought a million dollar home in Vermont’s Green Mountains.
The governor’s office changed its story on why Corbett didn’t disclose the condo. First, a spokeswoman said he was still closing on the house through the end of the calendar year, and thus didn’t need to list it. Later, she said it was a misunderstanding about the language on the disclosure form, which allows someone to exclude his or her “home or principal residence.”
7. Bradford County landowners accuse Chesapeake of underpaying royalties

Landowners complain Pennsylvania’s biggest natural gas driller– Chesapeake Energy– is cheating them out of royalty money.
The company has faced similar accusations around the country.
Chesapeake agreed to a class action settlement deal earlier this year, but some lawmakers have questioned whether it will help landowners.
This dispute is ongoing.
 

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