Sep. 11, 2017
HARRISBURG – Surrounded by organizations representing Pennsylvania’s private sector workforce, Rep. Jim Christiana (R-Beaver/Washington) today urged House and Senate leaders and Gov. Tom Wolf to take a job-killing shale tax off the table during final negotiations on the state budget revenue plan this week.
Christiana, who championed legislation in 2012 to entice Shell to locate a $6 billion petrochemical complex in Beaver County, said such a tax would jeopardize thousands of Pennsylvania jobs.
“The legislative incentives that drew Shell here require petrochemical industries to use Pennsylvania ethane for production, a byproduct of natural gas,” Christiana said. “If we chase away our drillers with another punitive tax, we chase away our ethane supply and the thousands of jobs that rely on it now and in the future.”
Pennsylvania business and manufacturing industry leaders and other organizations that support workers in the petrochemical industry agreed.
“While the gas under Pennsylvania won’t move to other states, the drilling equipment and workers can easily move to friendlier tax environments,” said Matthew Brouillette, president and CEO of Commonwealth Partners Chamber of Entrepreneurs.
“Lawmakers must reject this punitive tax that will hurt working Pennsylvanians and drive energy producers to invest in other, more welcoming states.”
“Access to affordable and abundant energy resources should be viewed as a catalyst for economic development and a manufacturing renaissance – not an excuse to impose additional tax burdens on industry and consumers,” said Gene Barr, president of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry. “Rather than placing additional tax burdens on Pennsylvania’s employers, lawmakers should be pursuing pro-growth policies that will improve the state’s competitive edge and attract new jobs and investment.”
“The petrochemical sector that is waiting to be born will be bigger than what we’ve seen from the drilling industry by many multiples,” said David N. Taylor, president, Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association. “That is why this is such a critical hour to stop a bad idea in its tracks and figure out a better way to get through this current short-term financial situation.”
“We came together to put the Pennsylvania Resource Manufacturing tax credit on the table to lure Shell and the petrochemical industry to Pennsylvania. Let’s come together again to protect the Pennsylvania jobs that come with it,” Christiana said.
To view video from the press conference, visit
RepChristiana.com or
Facebook.com/RepJimChristiana.
Representative Jim Christiana
15th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Abbey Haslam
717.260.6222
ahaslam@pahousegop.com
RepChristiana.com /
Facebook.com/RepJimChristiana