Lots More Legislation on Tap in Harrisburg this Week

  • October 13, 2010

As in the norm in the Pennsylvania state capitol, lawmakers don’t pass a whole lot throught the year (despite being a full-time legislature) and then, at the very end of…

Media

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Government Accountability

More Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying for Higher Taxes

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 11, 2010

I have highlighted the taxpayer funded propaganda in the guise of a “newsletter,” titled the Marcellus Shale Examiner, before. The latest newsletter, which leads with Gov. Rendell’s “We…

Media

Read More: More Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying for Higher Taxes

Taxes & Economy

Severance Tax at Odds with State Constitution

  • October 1, 2010

Earlier this week, Nate Benefield blogged on the unconstitutional process of the House-passed natural gas severance tax bill (SB 1155). This bill did not originate in the House,…

Media

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Taxes & Economy

Why Do We Need a Severance Tax?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 27, 2010

Proponents of a natural gas severance tax have been offering several arguments supporting a tax, here are the three main talking points used by tax advocates: 1) Higher taxes will…

Media

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Government Accountability

State to CF: Transparency Denied

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • September 24, 2010

A couple months ago, we requested the salary information of state employees for our new openPAgov database (if you missed the launch, we currently have Pennsylvania school district…

Media

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Regulation

Marcellus Money Yields $88 Million Gift to Penn State

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 20, 2010

The Post-Gazette reports that Terry Pegula, who recently sold his company that was drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale, donated $88 million to Penn State University to…

Media

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Taxes & Economy

PennEnvironment: Weather is Climate Again

  • September 9, 2010

So PennEnvironment yesterday comes out with a new propaganda piece to capitalize on what they call last winter’s “Snowmageddon,” which is designed to get…

Media

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Energy

Energy 101

  • September 5, 2010

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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