Slice Of Shale Pie Feeds Projects

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Berks County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Soon the playground at Gring’s Mill Recreation Area will be out of the woods, literally and figuratively.

Credit goes to an issue not likely to hit Berks County directly: drilling for natural gas.

County officials recently were told they could expect a check any day for $345,000 from the impact fees gas producers pay the state. That’s on top of the $349,068 they received last year.  The money must be spent for parks and recreation projects.

The money enables the county to bump up the timetable for projects identified in the parks department’s five-year plan, and avoid spending taxpayer money on them, county Commissioner Kevin S. Barnhardt said.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=486931

Area Counties Share Marcellus Shale Impact Fees

English: Cropped portion of image from USGS report showing extent of Marcellus Formation shale (in gray shading). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Staff and wire reports Chester County will receive the lowest amount of money among suburban Philadelphia counties from the state as part of the Marcellus Shale Impact fee distribution announced recently by the Corbett administration.

The county is in line to receive $423,255.23 from the state, far less than the $1.29 million that Philadelphia will receive. The highest amount of the four Philadelphia suburbs is the $678,613.66 that Montgomery County will receive.

Berks County will receive $349,067, Bucks County will receive $530,461.69 and Delaware County will receive $474.238.17.  Distribution for the southeastern Pennsylvania counties is based on population.

State law restricts how the money can be spent, allowing for such uses as fixing roads and building or repairing water and sewer infrastructure.  County officials could not answer Wednesday where the funds here would go, but said they would be in line with the state’s restrictions.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20121017/NEWS01/121019427/area-counties-share-marcellus-shale-impact-fees