White Speaks Out Against Last-Minute Marcellus Shale Bill

, D-Cecil, spoke out on the House floor Friday about a state budget-related bill adopted by the legislature that includes a moratorium on natural gas drilling in Bucks and Montgomery counties in the eastern portion of the state.

White said although the moratorium language contained within Senate Bill 1263 has nothing to do with the budget, it was inserted at the last minute without a chance for public vetting or real debate.

The bill places a moratorium on the issuance of oil and gas drilling permits in the South Newark Basin, stretching from New Jersey to Bucks and Montgomery counties near Philadelphia, effectively preventing any drilling operations from taking place in those counties.

“Aside from being blatantly unconstitutional, since all laws in Pennsylvania must be uniform and not beneficial to one particular county or group, this is simply horrible public policy on multiple levels,” White said. “The legislature should not be picking and choosing which counties can or cannot drill for natural gas, especially after — the drilling law—was passed under the guise of creating uniformity for the purposes of natural gas drilling in our Commonwealth.

“No matter if you consider yourself "pro-drilling" or "anti-drilling" or somewhere in between, this is a bad deal for Pennsylvania citizens, and one that could usher a disastrous county-by-county political football game all across the state,” White continued.

The bill is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Tom Corbett in the coming days.