The Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted unanimously against House Bill 1950 on Tuesday, its last day in session for the year, setting the stage for ongoing debates about the matter when lawmakers return from their recess in January.

The state Senate approved HB 1950 last Wednesday before adjourning for the year, but the version they passed simply stripped out the original House language and substituted the terms of its proposal, Senate Bill 1100. The House voted against those amendments, although individual members cited various reasons for doing so.

Calling the original HB 1950 a “win-win-win,” striking a balance between the fee amount, the distribution structure and environmental protections, House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, a Republican from southwestern Pennsylvania, said, “We do not agree with the complete Senate package. Not that we don’t think that there are some appropriate aspects to it.”

But Rep. Greg Vitali, a Democrat from southeastern Pennsylvania, called for a conference committee as the only way to keep the bill alive for a major overhaul. “This bill has a lot of shortcomings and my hope is that we can address these as the process moves forward,” he said.

The General Assembly is already taking heat for allowing another year to pass without implementing a tax or fee on natural gas production, but Rep. Camille George, a Democrat from central Pennsylvania said “debating any length of time is not irresponsible for the protections that you and I want not only for ourselves, but for those that we represent.”

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