Wolf backs new bill imposing Marcellus Shale natural gas tax

HARRISBURG (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf is backing a new proposal to impose a tax on Marcellus Shale natural gas production that would rise with the price of gas.

Wolf’s office said the legislation being introduced Tuesday would raise roughly $250 million in the fiscal year beginning this July 1.

Under the bill, the state would collect 4.2 cents per thousand cubic feet of gas at a benchmark price of $3 or less. The tax would rise in steps to 7.4 cents per thousand cubic feet of gas at $6 or more.

The tax’s supporters generally include Democrats and many Republicans from eastern Pennsylvania. House Republican majority leaders oppose a tax.

The Republican-controlled Senate approved a tax last year, but attached business-friendly changes to how the state issues pollution-control permits for various industries.