Reply #7: Excellent link re the millions spent buying off/bribing PA state legislators

[Divernan]

When asked to put in place a temporary moratorium on drilling in public lands until a full study of the impact could be made, those who voted “no” had accepted an average of three times as much cash from gas interests than those who supported that reasonable measure.

As the spill in the Gulf has shown, drilling is a risky business with real consequences. Passing laws to ensure safety, to hire regulators, to protect drinking water and to set aside funds for emergency clean up is the responsible thing to do. Growing political spending from gas lobbyists is blocking the way to that responsible regulation.
Contributions to PA Politicians from the Natural Gas Industry
Campaign contributions from natural gas companies have more than tripled in the last 3 years.

In order to prevent the Pennsylvania legislature from creating reasonable taxation measures and necessary safety rules, the drilling industry has made more than $3 million in political contributions to Pennsylvania lawmakers since 2001. It has spent an additional $5 million on lobbying in Harrisburg in just the last three years.

MarcellusMoney.org exists to shine a light on the gas industry’s attempts to influence our political leaders and to hold those leaders accountable to the citizens of Pennsylvania. This site is a project of Common Cause PA and Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania.