| Anglers and boaters have a limited window of time and an historic opportunity to voice support for the severance tax and the dedication of funding to aquatic resource conservation.
In a call to action to conservationists across the Commonwealth, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Executive Director John Arway said, “We understand the realities of today’s natural gas rush and recognize the importance of Marcellus gas to fueling our national energy needs; however, this cannot be at the expense of our natural resources, since we have lived the story and have seen what happened to our waters when Pennsylvania coal was extracted from our mountains almost a century ago. The funding generated by the severance tax has the potential to help us prevent that from happening again, but only if anglers and boaters act now.”
Anglers, boaters, and anyone else who cares about Pennsylvania’s great outdoor heritage and the legacy we will leave future generations should contact their State Representative and State Senator as soon as possible before October 1 with the following three messages.
- Fulfill the commitment to enact the severance tax.
- Allocate a portion of severance tax proceeds to conservation.
- Dedicate funding to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission to make sure that natural gas is developed with as little impact as possible to aquatic resources, fishing, and boating.
Do not focus on specific pieces of legislation or specific percentage allocations to conservation priorities. Just stick to the three main points.
To find your Senator’s or Representative’s telephone number, consult your local telephone book or visit www.legis.state.pa.us.
To find your Representative’s and Senator’s telephone numbers, consult your local telephone book or visit www.legis.state.pa.us. |
