A look at how the gas-industry money paid for the passage of SB 1100
On November 15, 2011 the PA Senate voted 29-20 to pass SB 1100 which removes the right of local municipalities to regulate gas development in any meaningful way.
A portion of § 3292 reads “local ordinances and enactments purporting to regulate oil and gas well operations regulated by this chapter are preempted and superseded by this chapter to the extent the ordinances and enactments regulate the method of oil and gas well operations.”
The Natural Gas Industry has given $7,175,234 to Pennsylvania candidates and Political Action Committees (PACs) from 2000 through the end of 2010, according to a Common Cause/Pennsylvania (CCPA) analysis. $3,442,212 was donated to elected officials currently in office.
Let’s examine the “money vote” as it pertains to SB 1100.
YEAS (29) | NAYS (20) | |
Total amount of campaign donations accepted | $818,524.00 | $115,200.00 |
Average amount accepted per Senator | $28,224.97 | $5,760.00 |
Senators in the top 25 of PA politicians who took gas and oil money | 11 or 38% | 2 or 10% |
Senators accepting donations of $2,000.00 or more | 28 or 97% | 6 or 30% |
Senators accepting donations of $20,000.00 or more | 9 or 31% | 2 or 10% |
Senators accepting donations of $50,000.00 or more | 3 or 10% | 0 |
Number of Senators not accepting individual donations from the gas industry | 0 | 4 or 20% |
The average donation accepted per person of those who voted for SB 1100 was five times the average of those who voted against the bill.
The passage of SB 1100 highlights the corrupt relationship between the industry and our lawmakers. With its passage, it guarantees that local concerns and limitations will be pushed aside for quicker, more profitable, and less-safe gas exploitation. Local circumstances will be brushed and lead to unforeseen consequences that will almost certainly adversely affect the day-to-day life in our communities. Why has this one industry been afforded such a luxury?
Released 11/22/11
Revised 11/23/11
Donation data taken from http://marcellusmoney.org/candidates accessed November 16, 2011
Is your Senator Part of the Sellout?
YEAS | NAYS | Those representatives marked with an * are ranked in the top 25 individual recipients in PA. Gov. Tom Corbett is the highest ranked at $1,634,100.00 2nd Joe Scarnati- The bill’s sponsor 4th Donald White 6th Jake Corman 9th Timothy Solobay 10th Jeffery Piccola 11th Dominic Pileggi 12th Jane Orie 15th John Pippy 16th Robert Tomlinson 17th Robert Robbins 18th Richard Kasunic 22nd David Argall 23rd Mary Jo White | ||
Senator | Donation | Senator | Donation | |
ALLOWAY (R) | $3,200.00 | BLAKE (D) | $500.00 | |
*ARGALL (R) | $19,600.00 | BOSCOLA (D) | $13,500.00 | |
BAKER (R) | $6,700.00 | BREWSTER (D) | 0 | |
BROWNE (R) | $4,500.00 | COSTA (D) | $13,850.00 | |
BRUBAKER (R) | $6,200.00 | DINNIMAN (D) | $500.00 | |
*CORMAN (R) | $67,290.00 | EICHELBERGER (R) | $1,550.00 | |
EARLL (R) | $8,800.00 | FARNESE (D) | $1,500.00 | |
ERICKSON (R) | $5,400.00 | FERLO (D) | $1,050.00 | |
GORDNER (R) | $3,800.00 | FOLMER (R) | $6,900.00 | |
GREENLEAF (R) | $2,700.00 | FONTANA (D) | $3,100.00 | |
MCILHINNEY (R) | $2,500.00 | HUGHES (D) | $500.00 | |
MENSCH (R) | $3,000.00 | *KASUNIC (D) | $27,250.00 | |
*PICCOLA (R) | $48,450.00 | KITCHEN (D) | 0 | |
*PILEGGI (R) | $48,250.00 | LEACH (D) | $1,500.00 | |
*PIPPY (R) | $32,725.00 | *ORIE (R) | $39,900.00 | |
RAFFERTY (R) | $4,600.00 | SCHWANK (D) | 0 | |
*ROBBINS (R) | $31,350.00 | STACK (D) | $1,500.00 | |
*SCARNATI (R) | $293,334.00 | TARTAGLIONE (D) | 0 | |
SMUCKER (R) | $1,100.00 | WASHINGTON (D) | $1,600.00 | |
*SOLOBAY (D) | $48,825.00 | WILLIAMS (D) | $500.00 | |
*TOMLINSON (R) | $32,050.00 | TOTAL: | $115,200.00 | |
VANCE (R) | $5,000.00 | AVERAGE: | $5,760.00 | |
VOGEL (R) | $4,500.00 | YUDICHAK (D) $3,525.00 abstained | ||
WARD (R) | $11,050.00 | |||
WAUGH (R) | $3,750.00 | |||
*WHITE DONALD (R) | $89,150.00 | |||
*WHITE MARY JO (R) | $18,700.00 | |||
WOZNIAK (D) | $8,300.00 | |||
YAW (R) | $3,700.00 | |||
TOTAL: | $818,524.00 | |||
AVERAGE: | $28,224.97 | |||
If your Senator was part of the money vote, call him or her and express your outrage. Contact information can be found at http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/findyourlegislator
Released 11/22/11
Revised 11/23/11
Donation data taken from http://marcellusmoney.org/candidates accessed November 16, 2011.
