Stu Bykofsky: Republicans pass gas on shale tax

IT'S POSSIBLE that Pennsylvania Republican lawmakers who oppose taxing natural gas from the Marcellus Shale field are motivated solely by motherly concern for the fledgling industry. It's possible Big Gas' huge campaign contributions did not sway them at all.

It's also possible that I will be appointed ambassador to Upper Schizophrenia.

Before I turn to the Lords of Harrisburg, let's call Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett to the stand.

He fears that a tax would strangle the baby in its crib, but this baby has a healthy trust fund. Does Corbett really believe that if we tax Big Gas - as every other major gas-producing state does - the drillers would go screaming out of state? The gas, which has to be extracted through an environmentally dangerous process called fracking, is here, locked into rock under two-thirds of the state.

Big Gas won't quit the Quaker State (home of America's first oil-drilling strike) any more than sun worshippers quit Jersey Shore resorts when they started charging for beach tags. Metaphorically, Pennsylvania is the beach.

How big is our gas patch, fellow Pennsylvanians?

Saudi Arabia-big. Kuwait-big. Beverly Hillbillies-big.

Corbett received $707,220 from gas companies as of Sept. 13, more than all other Pennsylvania candidates - combined. Second place in the gaseous sweepstakes went to Senate Republican leader Joe Scarnati, $148,000, which I'm certain is unrelated to his blocking the gas-extraction tax.

Corbett opposes the tax; Democrat Dan Onorato - who received $119,300 from Big Gas - favors it.

That's a major difference for you to remember on Election Day.

We are talking about the closest thing to free money. (Since there is no free lunch, gas companies probably would raise prices some to offset a tax.) Behind Pennsylvania's potential windfall stands a backdrop of looming bankruptcy.

Budgets are being cut everywhere, the poor and sick are being cut adrift, the elderly are being put out on ice floes, cops (but not state legislators) are being laid off, firehouses are being closed, you get the idea.

Here, under our feet, is a historic energy pool - that would provide historic profits to Big Gas - and the Harrisburglars are wrangling over peanuts.

Why not cut a slice of this natural resource of the state for the state? Since we're a commonwealth, let's share the wealth.

But - uh-oh - is "sharing wealth" (gulp) socialism?

In the blood-red state of Alaska, it isn't called socialism when every resident gets an annual "thank you" check from Big Oil. The 2010 bonus is $1,281.

That buys a lot of mooseburgers and caribou throw rugs.

In 2007, over the griddle-hot protests of Big Oil, a major tax increase was shoved down their throats by the governor and state legislature. The governor was Sarah Palin. Yes, the great tax-hating mama grizzly.

The tax, reported the Seattle Times, created "stunning new wealth." An extra $6 billion from the new tax helped push the state's total oil revenue to more than $10 billion.

See? When properly motivated, Republicans can put people first.

Harrisburg is not Juneau, Alaska's capital.

We have the rapture of a Democrat-dominated state House, a Republican-majority Senate and a sports-fan governor attempting to referee a compromise bill.

The Republicans built a roadblock.

After some tortured foot-dragging, they reluctantly agreed to a 1.5 percent tax. Rendell asked for 5 percent, but was willing to haggle. House Dems foot-dragged, too, then said 10 percent. Rendell asked Republicans for a new bid to get it done, but threw in the towel Thursday. The Republican game plan was to run out the clock, hoping that if Corbett is elected governor next week, the tax will vanish like a magician's assistant.

The GOP drew the line at 1.5 percent for Big Gas. Pennsylvanians pay a state income tax of 3.07 percent. Does that feel right to you?

 
E-mail stubyko@phillynews.com or call 215-854-5977. For recent columns:

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