HARRISBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania's House of Representatives is in its second day of debating a bill to impose a fee on natural-gas drilling and toughen regulations over the booming industry.
Wednesday's House debate comes two days after the 174-page bill was unveiled. The Senate passed it Tuesday, and House approval would send it on to Republican Gov. Tom Corbett, who negotiated it with Republican legislative leaders.
Democrats weren't included in negotiations and many are critical of the bill.
A couple of conservative groups say the fee is really a tax, while exploration company Range Resources says it'll provide strong, more predictable regulations that are more costly.
Local governments would have the power to decide whether to impose the fee on their local wells. Pennsylvania is the largest gas-producing state that doesn't tax it.
