Gov. Tom Wolf stops in Lansford to talk about blight

Gov. Tom Wolf visited Lansford Borough on Monday to promote a new program that would use a tax on the natural gas industry to fight blight.

Joined by state Sen. John Yudichak and a group of local officials, Wolf toured downtown Lansford Monday morning, stopping along the way to look at blighted buildings.

Wolf is proposing to invest $4.5 billion in projects around the state using a tax on the natural gas industry.

“So many communities like this are looking for ways to get back on their feet. It turns out that the communities all across Pennsylvania that have the biggest needs are the ones with the least resources,” Wolf said.

This is different from Wolf’s past proposals for a natural gas tax because it’s not part of his proposed budget. The money will be designated specifically for disaster relief, blight reduction and improving high speed internet in rural areas.

Yudichak said the proposal is getting support from democrats and republicans in Harrisburg.

“This isn’t a republican or democrat idea, it’s a good idea for Pennsylvania,” Yudichak said. “Clearly every community in carbon county, in the Anthracite Region and all across Pennsylvania have historic needs in terms of investments in public infrastructure,” Yudichak said.

Check out Tuesday’s edition of the Times News for a full story.