Wednesday, May 15, 2013
'With natural gas drilling of the Marcellus Shale and the infrastructure that comes with it, such as pipelines and processing plants, local government is more important now than ever,' state Rep. Jesse White rights.
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives Tip O’Neill famously declared that “all politics is local.” You can take such a statement in a variety of ways, but there are some profound truths hidden in there. The 2013 Municipal Primary Election is on Tuesday, May 21, and voter turnout is expected to be extremely low. If not for the sea of campaign signs littering landscapes everywhere, most people may not even know which offices are up for election. All federal offices, such as president, senate and members of Congress run in even-numbered years, along with statewide offices such as governor and the state Legislature. In the odd-numbered years, local offices such as borough council, township supervisor, school board director, along with …
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Here's what to look forward to in 2013.
With a new two-year session of the state Legislature set to begin on Jan. 1, the legislative branch hits the reset button on all the bills and issues left unresolved from the previous session. The 2012 elections should have little impact on what to expect from Harrisburg, with the House and Senate staying firmly in Republican control and the same leaders returning for the upcoming session. The most interesting development will be to watch how both legislative chambers handle Governor Corbett’s agenda as his 2014 re-election bid looms large over major policy decisions. Despite one-party rule, the Republicans were unable to come to consensus on issues such as school choice and privatization of the state liquor stores, while the issues they …
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
'I will continue to be a vocal advocate for the responsible development of natural gas drilling,' state Rep. Jesse White said.
As with any issue involving the balancing of individual property rights, environmental concerns, job creation and high economic stakes, the road to developing a fair and reasonable policy on Marcellus Shale gas drilling has been a very bumpy one, filled with potential political landmines. As the elected representative of the communities most impacted by this industry, my approach has been to keep the focus on the important issues instead of political gamesmanship. Throughout this process, I have sought to bring the energy industry, government and the community together as partners in building a brighter future. This has been my position, and it will continue to be my position as we all move forward together. About three weeks ago, I was …
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-80.234
State Rep. Jesse White
3855 Millers Run Road, Cecil, PA
/articles/why-i-choose-not-to-retaliate-against-range-resources-character-attacks
1819720
/locations/8176204
Friday, October 26, 2012
The court order was filed Friday over the withholding of four communities' local impact fee money owed them through Act 13—the state's new Marcellus Shale law.
The state Commonwealth Court today ordered that the state Public Utility Commission had no authority to review local gas drilling ordinances and subsequently withhold Marcellus Shale drilling impact fee payments in four townships challenging the state’s drilling law, announced state Rep. Jesse White. When a $204 million statewide disbursement of Marcellus shale drilling impact fees was announced Oct. 15, documents released by the PUC that day noted that Cecil, Mt. Pleasant, Robinson and South Fayette townships were designated as communities whose money was being “withheld pending resolution of the requests for review of existing ordinances." White said the PUC's move, calling it a "violation of state law and political extortion," and the …
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
'I encourage local communities to comply with the law while working to change it so they can take advantage of its benefits.'
The Public Utility Commission last week announced that communities in my district will get nearly $20 million to use for parks, police, social programs or other projects. The money comes from the Marcellus Shale impact fee, and cash-strapped local governments in Washington and Greene counties are receiving some of the highest totals in the state. In fact, one in five dollars headed to local communities for projects is coming to these two counties. When I addressed the 97th annual convention of Greene County Association of Township Officials at the county fairgrounds, most of what I heard is that it’s good news at a time when county and municipal governments could use some. (Greene County municipalities will receive a total of $4.5 million…
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
'(Range Resources) is willing to hold nearly $1 million intended for roads, police and fire departments and parks in order to exert enough public confusion and political pressure to do whatever they want, with no accountability,' writes White.
This week, two major events dealing with Marcellus Shale and our local communities took place; you decide if they’re related or not. Today, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court hears oral arguments in the Act 13 challenge, the lawsuit filed after all local zoning control over oil and gas operations was usurped by the Legislature. The Supreme Court decision may be one of the single most important ones in the history of Pennsylvania, particularly in heavily drilled areas such as Washington County. The municipalities leading the charge are Cecil, Robinson and Mt. Pleasant Townships in Washington County and South Fayette Township in Allegheny County. I’m proud to say I represent all four of them as a state legislator. On Monday, the Public Utility …
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
The lawmaker is calling on the Corbett administration and his counterparts in the Senate 'to urge the PUC to release the money in accordance with the law.'
The state Public Utility Commission’s choice Monday to suspend Marcellus Shale impact fee payments to townships challenging the state’s drilling law "not only amounts to political extortion, but is more importantly a clear violation of the law," state Rep. Jesse White, D-Cecil said in a statement. Cecil, Mt. Pleasant, Robinson and South Fayette townships are noted as communities whose money is “withheld pending resolution of the requests for review of existing ordinances” in documents released by the PUC on Monday outlining a $204 million statewide disbursement of impact fees. "However, Section 3308 of Act 13 states that municipalities would be ineligible to receive impact-fee funds only after the Public Utility Commission, Commonwealth …
Monday, October 15, 2012
Cecil Solicitor John Smith wrote the PUC a letter in opposition to Monday's decision to withhold impact fee money from those municipalities where their oil and gas drilling ordinances are under review by the state.
Cecil Solicitor John Smith wrote a letter to the Public Utilities Commission Monday after finding out that the agency had decided to withhold local impact fee money created through the Act 13 legislation from four local municipalities, including the township—saying the move was improper. Smith who is also spearheading the challenge to Act 13 brought by a cluster of communities including Cecil and Peters townships, as well as a nonprofit organization and medical doctor called the PUC’s move to withhold the money until a review of the municipalities’ ordinances to ensure they complied with the law was “overtly in violation” of the new Marcellus Shale drilling law. “Nowhere in Act 13 is the PUC given the authority to deem a township …
But Cecil and three other local communities will have their portions withheld until the state reviews their drilling ordinances.
Gov. Tom Corbett today announced that Act 13 has generated more than $204.2 million through the new impact fee. Most of this money will be distributed directly to local communities across the state—except for in the case of Cecil Township, Mount Pleasant, Robinson and South Fayette. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that those communities will have their share of the local impact fee witheld until their ordinances governing drilling have been reviewed by the state and deemed in compliance with Act 13. In all four instances, residents lobbied the Public Utilities Commission to review those ordinances. In addition, Range Resources also filed a request for South Fayette's ordinance to be reviewed. Reached Monday afternoon, Cecil Township …
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
The groups gathered at the Capitol at noon Tuesday.
A coalition of environmental and community groups, as well as state Sen. Jim Ferlo gathered in the state Capitol at noon Tuesday to call on state lawmakers to revoke Act 13—the state's new Marcellus Shale drilling law—and to support newly written legislation that would impose a statewide gas-drilling permit moratorium. Ferlo is a Democrat serving parts of Allegheny, Armstrong and Westmoreland counties. The other groups attending included the Sierra Club, Clean Water Action, Berks Gas Truth and Delaware Riverkeeper Network. The moratorium would be in place while a study commission "determines the wide range of impacts caused by hydraulic fracturing," Ferlo's office indicated in a media advisory. Those in attendance held signs reading, "Don'…
Jesse White, State Representative, 46th District
11:41 am on Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Understood, but since it was Act 13, a state law, that preempted local zoning, and you mentioned both me and Senator Solobay, I want to make my position clear. As for my thoughts on Range, I believe what I believe and I have substantiated it with facts. Actually, I just got more information that furthers those beliefs, and I stand by them. more ›