The increase in fee collections is largely due to recent increases in gas prices.

The state’s Independent Fiscal Office expects drillers to pay about $234 million dollars in impact fees for 2021.

Last year’s impact fee collections dropped $54 million compared to 2019, mainly because of low gas prices amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Pennsylvania oil and gas companies will pay an estimated $145 million in impact fees for 2020 — more than $50 million less than in 2019.

Pennsylvania collected about 20 percent less in impact fees from natural gas drillers last year than in 2018, according to the Public Utility Commission.