Energy
RGGI Is a Destructive Policy for Pennsylvania
Overview The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is a multi-state cap-and-trade program that imposes a carbon tax on power generators, resulting in a new, economy-wide energy…
Read More: RGGI Is a Destructive Policy for PennsylvaniaMission Statement
The Commonwealth Foundation promotes market-driven solutions for energy policy that will benefit all Pennsylvanians. These policies must prioritize reliability, affordability, fairness, competition, and innovation, paving the way for Pennsylvania to embrace all its energy resources and unlock its full economic potential.
Energy
Governor Wolf’s Proposed Natural Gas Extraction Tax
Gov. Tom Wolf proposed a new severance tax on natural gas extraction, which he claims will generate more than $1 billion annually for public schools. The proposal fails to consider…
Memo
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Gas Tax Critics Champion, not Oppose, Progress
Recently, Gov. Tom Wolf sent a letter to 17 business advocacy groups opposing his proposed severance tax on natural gas, accusing them of siding “with corporate special interests who simply…
Commentary
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Natural Gas Severance Tax
A severance tax must be considered in light of the state’s total tax structure. Pennsylvania taxes the natural gas industry in many ways that don’t exist in other drilling states.
Fact Sheet
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Shale Gas Fuels Pennsylvania Job Growth
It’s indisputable that where there is Marcellus shale drilling there has been robust economic growth. Over the past six years, Pennsylvania counties with Marcellus shale drilling led the state in…
Commentary
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Green Jobs Threatened by EPA Regs
John Oelbracht has managed the Westwood Generation power plant in Schuylkill County for 10 years. It’s more than a job to him—it’s an undertaking to clean up the environment while…
Commentary
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Bleeding Green
A new study from the Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University finds that Pennsylvania's Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards will costs Pennsylvanians millions in higher energy costs.
Poll
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Memo on Marcellus Shale Impact Fee “Deal”
Memo from Matthew Brouillette to Pennsylvania General Assembly on Marcellus Shale Impact Fee "Deal."…
Commentary
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Marcellus Shale Impact Fee
Companies should pay for the cost of government they use. Many advocates of a new tax simply want more money for Harrisburg politicians to dole out.
Fact Sheet
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Taxing Gas will Burden Pennsylvanians
Despite the manufactured fears of disaster and cheers for a unique tax on drilling, Pennsylvania can balance economic growth with environmental protection without imposing a new tax. The true impacts…
Commentary
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Economic Pitfalls of Taxing Marcellus Shale
The facts are that in Pennsylvania, Marcellus drillers contributed more than $15 billion in capital investment and have paid in excess of $5 billion in royalties to landowners not including…
Commentary
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Natural Gas Taxes and Fees
The Marcellus Shale is a large and difficult-to-drill geological formation roughly a mile or more underground throughout more than two-thirds of Pennsylvania that contains natural gas.
Fact Sheet
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Citizen’s Guide to Electric Choice & Competition 2011
In the late 1990s, Pennsylvania's electricity rates were 15% above the national average, despite the abundance of low-cost coal generation in the Commonwealth. At that time, electricity was sold by…
Fact Sheet
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80 Ideas for a Prosperous Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania must undergo a rapid transformation to reverse the poor policy decisions that have eroded economic freedoms and brought the state to its present condition. To provide a roadmap for…
Report
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Gov., Legislature Should Repeal Costly Renewables Mandates
A lot can be spun from the results of the Nov. 2 elections, but one fact is uncontrovertible: Pennsylvanians are sick of centrally planned, highly regulated, gimmick-driven economic policy. It…
Commentary
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Never Enough Green for Renewable Energy
According to Pennsylvania's Public Utilities Commission, the annual cost of ownership for solar energy per kilowatt-hour is over 700% more than the cost of coal, and wind energy is almost…
Commentary
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Energy 101
Pennsylvania has always been a leading provider of America's energy. From timber and coal to the nation's first commercial oil well, and now the Marcellus Shale boom, traditional energy is…
Commentary
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Traditional Energy Fuels Pennsylvania’s Economy
Pennsylvania has always been a leading provider of America's energy. From timber and coal to the nation's first commercial oil well, and now the Marcellus Shale boom, traditional energy is…
Commentary
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Gas Fuels Growth
The national economy is in a slump, unemployment remains stubbornly high, and economic growth is being hampered by misguided policies. Meanwhile, Bradford County, Pennsylvania led the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in…
Commentary
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The Marcellus Shale: A Real Stimulus
The Marcellus Shale formation is believed to be the largest unconventional natural gas reservoir in America, and its exploration has been coined a modern-day gold rush. A Penn State study…
Commentary
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Green Jobs Destroy Good Jobs
With Pennsylvania's unemployment rate at a 25-year high, Gov. Rendell is pushing "green jobs" at every turn. He has doled out nearly $1 billion to renewable energy projects and wants…
Commentary
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Budget Facts 2010: Natural Gas Severance Tax
Gov. Rendell has proposed a tax of 5% on the value of extracted natural gas, plus $.047 per thousand cubic feet of extracted gas. There is an exemption for marginal…
Fact Sheet
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