Sunday, October 9, 2011
Lawmakers say they are ready to move, and are waiting for a signal from the governor.
Pennsylvania lawmakers are waiting impatiently for Gov. Tom Corbett to take a stance on transportation funding initiatives. It's been more than a month since his commission suggested raising $2.5 billion in new annual revenue for roads, bridges and mass transit. “We’re getting a tremendous amount of pressure to do something,” said state Rep. Rick Geist, R-Blair, chairman of the House Transportation Committee. “It’s all up to the governor right now. Why do you go out there and have your commission and then not back it up?” Lawmakers and newspaper editorial writers are ramping up the pressure on Corbett to say whether he would be willing to take some steps to increase funding for infrastructure in the state. Leaders in the General Assembly …
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
The state secretary of transportation and commission chairman, Barry Schoch, says the cameras would only be for increasing safety.
Trying to beat that yellow light through the intersection? Don't forget to smile for the camera. Red light cameras, which have been used in Philadelphia since 2005, could be legal throughout Pennsylvania if the General Assembly acts upon a recommendation made by Gov. Tom Corbett’s Transportation Funding Advisory Commission. The 30-member commission submitted a complete report to Corbett Aug. 1, including recommendations for generating more than $2.7 billion in new, recurring revenue during the next five years. The potential revenue from red light cameras is not included in the $2.7 billion forecast by the report's recommendations. Barry Schoch, state Secretary of Transportation and commission chairman, said the cameras are a "safety …
Monday, August 8, 2011
The idea is not recommended in a new transportation commission report, but is suggested.
Technically, Gov. Tom Corbett’s transportation funding commission did not recommend new tolls, but the specter of adding tolls to state roads and interstates in the next decade is clearly present in the final report it recently submitted. “Tolling is not something that is going to happen immediately, but is it one of the possible solutions long term? Sure it is,” said state Secretary of Transportation Barry Schoch, commission chairman. “It doesn’t mean that we would do any tolling. We’re not recommending any tolling.” But Corbett’s Transportation Funding Advisory Commission, which was tasked with finding more than $2.5 billion annually for transportation infrastructure projects, suggested that the Legislature pass “enabling legislation” to…
Monday, August 1, 2011
The Transportation Funding Advisory Commission created by Governor Tom Corbett is looking to generate $2.5 billion in new revenue.
Drivers in Pennsylvania can expect to pay more at the pump and higher fees for vehicle registration and driver's licenses, according to a commission aimed at closing the state’s $3.5 billion transportation budget gap. “These are direct user fees that have a dedicated spending source,” said state Secretary of Transportation Barry Schoch, chairman of the Transportation Funding Advisory Commission. “There is a direct correlation between the user fee and the benefit to the user. These are motor license fund fees, and they will go directly back into that.” The commission, formed by Gov. Tom Corbett to study the needs of the state’s transportation and mass transit infrastructure, completed its work July 18 and will present its final report to …
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Some say not enough time was given to the controversial issue.
Pooling of natural gas reserves will be recommended in the Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission’s final report, despite some commission members saying not enough time was dedicated to the controversial topic during the past four months. “I think it requires a much more thorough study of the issue involved,” said Ronald Ramsey, a commission member and senior policy adviser for The Nature Conservancy, an environmental policy center. “I wish we had been able to plumb those depths before being asked to vote on this.” Pooling--sometimes called “forced pooling” by opponents and “resource pooling” by the drilling industry--would allow gas companies to combine separate leases to drill in multiple locations from a single drilling pad. …
Monday, July 18, 2011
Southeastern lawmakers still want statewide revenue from impact fee.
The final report from Gov. Tom Corbett’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission is unlikely to change the Legislature’s battle lines over the creation of a tax or fee structure on natural gas drilling companies operating in Pennsylvania. Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley, commission chairman, said the list of nearly 100 recommendations in the commission’s report to be released this week to Corbett will include an impact fee to cover damage caused by the natural gas drilling industry. “Our charge from the governor was to determine whether or not there were uncompensated impacts that might require an impact fee, and in some cases, we did find, in fact, that there are,” Cawley said Friday at the commission’s final meeting. An impact fee would assess …
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Would count as tax increase, says group behind no-tax pledge.
The top Republican in the state Senate on Thursday unveiled a new state fee structure for natural gas drillers operating in Pennsylvania to mixed reviews. The concept is receiving only a lukewarm reception from other lawmakers and environmental groups, though the drilling industry seems willing to accept the plan. Senate President Joseph Scarnati, R-Jefferson, said the concept behind the “local impact fee” is to collect revenue from gas drillers to help local governments, environmental projects and the state’s infrastructure deal with the impact of natural gas drilling. According to Senate Republican projections, the fee would generate $76 million in revenue this year and nearly $150 million in 2014, as the industry grows. Sixty percent …
Maddie
11:54 am on Thursday, August 11, 2011
I agree 100%! Sounds like another way to make money. Shame on you people for this! GOD is watching! more ›