Updated: March 27, 2020 | 5:25 pm
Wolf vetoes natural gas tax-break bill
Proponents: Economic impact of new coronavirus pandemic should boost efforts to override veto
EXPLAINER | Gov. Tom Wolf
140 stories Gov. Tom Wolf
Tom Wolf is the 47th governor of Pennsylvania. The Democrat easily defeated unpopular Republican Tom Corbett in the November 2014 election and won re-election against challenger Scott Wagner in 2018.
Wolf had never held elected office before becoming governor. He ran his family’s York County kitchen cabinet business for years.
He is the first person to defeat a sitting governor since the state constitution was changed in 1968, allowing governors to serve two terms. The wealthy businessman donated $10 million to his own campaign, allowing him to launch a slew of folksy TV commercials early on, which resonated with voters.
Over the years he’s been a major contributor to the Democratic party. After giving more than $200,000 to former Governor Ed Rendell, he was appointed state revenue secretary in 2007.
A central part of Wolf’s gubernatorial campaign focused on criticizing the way his predecessor handled Marcellus Shale gas development. Wolf pledged to do away with the current Marcellus Shale impact fee and enact a five percent severance tax on the gas industry, but that hasn’t happened — and if the state does adopt such a tax, it likely will be different than what Wolf proposed.
In early 2016, Wolf came under criticism from environmental advocates for what they say is a lack of action on issues such as climate change. Wolf cites a package of stronger regulations for Marcellus Shale gas drillers and a ban on further leasing of state park and forest land for oil and gas development as evidence he is getting things done despite a Republican-controlled Legislature.
Latest stories
March 13, 2020 | 5:34 PM
Owners of Pa.’s Beaver Valley nuclear power station will keep it open because of state’s climate plan
New owners say they won't close the plant, as long as cap-and-trade plan goes through
February 7, 2020 | 5:37 PM
Some lawmakers think they can override Wolf’s veto on manufacturing tax break bill
Overrides are rare, and can only happen when two-thirds of the legislature are willing to support a bill against the governor’s explicit wishes. The last one happened a decade ago.
Updated: February 5, 2020 | 9:02 am
Gov. Wolf’s budget proposes boosting staff at Pa.’s departments of environmental protection, and conservation and natural resources
In annual budget address, Wolf talked about need for pipeline reform
Updated: February 3, 2020 | 12:29 pm
Wolf’s support for petrochemicals raises climate worries as Pennsylvania tries to cut carbon emissions
In his second term, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has set ambitious climate goals for the state. But he’s also walked a tightrope on climate, as he has embraced the fossil fuel jobs of the natural gas industry, and big carbon-emitting projects like the Shell Ethane Cracker in Beaver County.
By
Reid Frazier 
December 5, 2019 | 1:58 PM
State testing finds elevated levels of PFAS chemicals in some Pa. drinking water, but only one sample exceeded federal health levels
The results are from the first round of testing by the Department of Environmental Protection.
November 22, 2019 | 5:25 PM
State to fund studies on fracking and cancers, other health effects
Two studies will take three years, $3.9 million
Updated: November 19, 2019 | 6:52 pm
Lawmakers, criticizing Wolf’s executive order on joining cap-and-trade program, say it’s their call to make
Proposed bill would require Legislature to OK Pennsylvania becoming part of Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
By
Scott Blanchard 
StateImpact Pennsylvania Team
