Rep. Eric Nelson of Westmoreland has announced that municipalities in the 57th Legislative District will receive over $182,000 from natural gas impact fees collected through Act 13 of 2012. This revenue comes from unconventional gas wells, also known as deep gas wells. In addition to these funds for local municipalities, Westmoreland County is set to receive more than $1 million.
Nelson stated, “Pennsylvania’s natural gas industry is a perfect example of how a thriving energy sector has a huge positive impact for our residents. Our local governments are constantly juggling important services with keeping real estate taxes as reasonable as possible and these dollars are intended to help do just that.” He added that this funding supports family-sustaining careers and the growth of businesses serving the natural gas field.
Statewide, Pennsylvania will distribute over $160 million for the 2024 reporting year, with a cumulative total exceeding $2.88 billion since 2012.
Of these funds, 60% are allocated to the Unconventional Gas Well Fund, which supports municipalities with wells by financing public infrastructure construction and maintenance, public safety services, environmental programs, water supply preservation, tax reductions, social services, judicial services, career and technical training, accessible housing projects, and records management.
The remaining 40% goes to the Marcellus Legacy Fund. A portion is distributed to all counties regardless of well presence for environmental initiatives and infrastructure projects. The rest supports state emergency response planning and training; water system construction and repair; infrastructure maintenance; and statewide environmental initiatives.
Disbursements within the 57th Legislative District include: Adamsburg Borough ($279.32), Arona Borough ($385.45), Greensburg City ($19,244.68), Hempfield Township ($148,481.80), New Stanton Borough ($3,720.17), South Greensburg Borough ($3,006.03), Southwest Greensburg Borough ($2,806.70), Youngwood Borough ($4,523.80). The total amounts to $182,447.95.
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is responsible for collecting and distributing Act 13 revenue and has submitted data to the Pennsylvania Treasury for payments expected in early July.
