Client Advisory Archive
Saunders Recruited for Natural Gas Speaking Engagements and Conference Planning
2010 has been a busy year for Steve Saunders who has been asked by numerous groups to speak on a variety of matters involving natural gas development and oil and gas law. He will be presenting at educational programs in September sponsored by the Penn State Cooperative Extension Service and has spoken before forums assembled by the League of Women Voters and the Countryside Conservancy. In addition, Steve is a member of the Planning Committee for the 2010 Marcellus Summit- Building a Sustainable Future. Now in its third year, this annual event is a three – day program co-sponsored by Penn State University and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission and will be held in State College from October 10-12. For the second year, Saunders will be moderating a panel discussion during the conference, this year focusing on the Regulatory perspective regarding key development issues in the largest unconventional natural gas play in the United States. To learn more about the conference go to http://www.outreach.psu.edu/programs/natural-gas/index.html
PA House Addresses Roll Back Taxes Under Clean And Green
On June 23, the Pennsylvania House passed House Bills 984 and 1394 which propose to amend the Farmland and Forest Land Assessment Act of 1974, 72 PA. CONS. STAT. §§ 5490.1-5490.13, also known as Clean and Green. Land enrolled in Clean and Green receives preferential treatment in the form of reduced property taxes. If a parcel no longer meets the requirements of Clean and Green,” rollback taxes” can be imposed to collect the tax differential for up to the prior seven years. As natural gas exploration has increased in Pennsylvania, individual counties have taken differing approaches to the imposition of rollback taxes. Some counties have calculated the rollback penalty on the entire acreage enrolled in the program; others have imposed it only on that portion of the property used for natural gas development activity (well pad, storage areas, etc.). The House bills provide for uniform statewide application of rollback taxes, with the rollback assessed only upon the portion of a parcel used for oil and gas operations. The bills provide similar treatment for alternative energy generation and small non-coal surface mining. If you have any questions about the legislation which now goes to the Senate, contact Steve Saunders.