Bradford County and its municipalities are set to receive over $10.8 million in impact fee revenue from natural gas producers in Pennsylvania for the year 2024. This was announced by Representatives Tina Pickett (R-Bradford/Wyoming) and Clint Owlett (R-Tioga/Bradford), along with Senator Gene Yaw (R-23). The county itself will receive more than $3.9 million, while the municipalities within Bradford County will collectively get over $6.9 million.
Representative Pickett emphasized the continued benefits of Act 13, stating, “Act 13 continues to deliver for residents and municipalities in the Northern Tier.” She noted that as long as drilling persists, local governments would benefit from the impact fee revenue.
Representative Owlett highlighted the role of the impact fee in supporting communities affected by drilling activities. He remarked, “The impact fee plays a vital role in helping our communities address the impacts of drilling while also benefitting from the jobs the industry creates.”
Senator Yaw pointed out that the Impact Fee supports both local projects and statewide environmental initiatives. He stated, “The Impact Fee not only funds critical projects locally but also a wide variety of important environmental projects in communities throughout the state.”
Statewide, nearly $165 million was generated for 2024 under this scheme. Since its inception in 2012 through Act 13, approximately $2.9 billion has been distributed to communities across Pennsylvania according to data from the Public Utility Commission (PUC), which is responsible for collecting these fees. Of this total revenue, sixty percent is allocated among municipalities with active drilling operations, while forty percent is designated for statewide purposes via the Marcellus Legacy Fund.
For further details on how these funds are distributed by municipality, interested parties can visit www.puc.pa.gov and navigate to “County and Municipality Disbursement.”
