Boom and Bust: Lessons From the Gas Patch
In 2011, the town of Towanda in Bradford County was at the epicenter of the shale drilling boom. A...
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Gas Drillers’ New Year’s Eve
On New Year’s Eve, Miss Smith walked out through the automatic sliding doors of the grocery store where she...
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Backroom Budget Deal Attempts to Derail Environmental Regulations
The Pennsylvania Senate today passed the Fiscal Code, a must-pass piece of legislation that is part of the budget...
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Natural Gas Severance Tax or Impact Fee – A False Choice
Pennsylvania should enact a severance tax on natural gas production. The need to enact a severance tax will not...
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The Severance Tax & the Budget: Flat on Our Backs Again?
Will Charlie Brown end up on his back again as Lucy whisks the football from the tee?
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Wednesday’s Tax Vote – Legislators’ Golden Opportunity to Honor Their Words
Gov. Corbett’s first budget, passed by the Republican-controlled General Assembly, cut funding for education by nearly $860 million. Two-thirds...
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Stopgap Veto – A Hard Decision for the Right Reasons
Governor Wolf made a hard and painful decision when he vetoed the stopgap funding for schools and human service...
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Proposed PA Severance Tax Meets Modified Goldilocks Standard – Not Too Big or Too Small, But Just Right
To restore funding for education, boost economic development and strengthen oversight of the gas drilling industry, Governor Wolf proposed...
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In Honest & Constructive Debate You’re Not Supposed to Make Up Stuff
Drilling industry representatives, some Republican legislators and their think tank supporters are ignoring Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s famous caution, “you...
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Happy Birthday, Medicare and Medicaid
On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Medicare and Medicaid programs that gave millions of...
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Veto Override – 7 Reasons Republicans Should Be Careful What They Wish For
Yesterday, Representative Turzai, speaker of the House, said that Republicans may attempt to override Governor Wolf’s veto of the...
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Unconventional Drilling Is Associated with Increased Hospital Utilization Rates
A new study by the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University finds that people living near active gas drilling...
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