Corbett gets biggest share of natural-gas campaign money

Attorney General Tom Corbett, the leading Republican candidate in the Pennsylvania governor's race, has received six times more campaign money from the natural-gas industry than any other gubernatorial candidate, according to a study done by Common Cause Education Fund.

Through the end of March, Corbett received $361,207 in contributions compared with Democrat Dan Onorato, who received $59,300 from natural-gas interests.

Common Cause released the data Tuesday as part of a study that concluded that the natural gas industry gave $2.9 million to Pennsylvania political candidates since 2001 and spent $4.2 million on lobbying since 2007.

Alex Kaplan, who coauthored the study for Common Cause, said the contributions have "dramatically increased" since exploration of the Marcellus Shale ramped up in the last two years.

He said the contributions buy the industry access to government officials, who are considering proposals to enact a severance tax on gas production and to strengthen environmental regulations of drilling.

"The millions being spent by the natural-gas industry on campaign contributions and lobbying are helping interested parties skirt a severance tax so common in natural-gas producing states," said Kaplan.

Kaplan was joined at a news conference Tuesday outside Philadelphia City Hall by Rep. Greg Vitali (D., Delaware) and representatives of Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future (PennFuture) and the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania. All have lobbied for the state to enact a severance tax.

Kaplan said he had no comparative contribution data from other businesses except the gaming industry, which donated $4.4 million over a seven-year period, mostly to Democrats.

He said the natural-gas industry directed 84 percent of its contributions to Republicans.

The industry's most generous donor was Christine Toretti, chief executive of S.W. Jack Drilling, of Indiana, Pa., who gave about $1 million. Toretti recently announced that she is liquidating the company to invest in other energy projects and to devote herself to her work as a member of the Republican National Committee.

The second largest contributor was East Resources Inc. of Warren, Pa., which gave $427,500 in contributions, mostly from its owner, Terrence M. Pegula, and his wife, Kim.

Stephen W. Rhoads, an East Resources spokesman, said the contributions were smaller than those made by other special interests.

"If you want to really evaluate political influence on the basis of contributions, you have to compare apples to apples," he said.

In 2008 alone, lawyers gave $10.5 million to Pennsylvania candidates, trade unions gave $7.5 million and public-sector unions spent $3.5 million, according to followthemoney.org.

Corbett's campaign manager, Brian Nutt, said his candidate's position is not for sale. He said Corbett would be opposed to a severance tax - or any tax - regardless of who contributed.