Corbett wants an impact fee, but his proposal is closer to the House version. Still, following the Senate vote, he offered limited praise for the measure, calling it “a significant step forward toward finalizing a strong and sensible Marcellus Shale legislative package…While productive discussions are ongoing and continue to resolve the various issues related to the Marcellus Shale, [Wednesday’s] action reaffirms the strong commitment of the Senate to achieve out common goals of safe and responsible natural gas development in Pennsylvania.”

Although the Senate version would bring in more revenue and distribute it more widely than the House version, Senate Democrats still found the measure to be severely lacking. They proposed numerous amendments to significantly increase the fee, remove controversial language restricting the ability of local governments to regulate development and make slight changes to increase setbacks, bonding and other protections.