Letter to the editor: Tax breaks for frackers unacceptable

The fracking and petrochemical industries have been profiting off of making people sick for years, and this is not an outdated trend. In October 2019, it was widely reported that ExxonMobil is scouting to build another cracker plant in Beaver County. Actions like this are unacceptable.

The General Assembly just passed House Bill 732, which includes a $670 million tax break for these companies. If signed into law, it will mean more fracking, more fossil fuel development and more single-use plastics here in Pennsylvania.

Gov. Tom Wolf negotiated this deal, yet he claims to be pro-environment.

Actions speak louder than words. The petrochemical industry is the single largest energy consumer in the world.

Supporting more of these projects means more methane and climate pollution for decades, which will make it virtually impossible to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

Financially speaking, this handout gives taxpayer dollars to some of the world’s largest and richest companies like Shell Oil and Exxon- Mobil. The last thing we should be doing is giving some of the richest, dirtiest companies on the planet a huge tax break, leading to less money in the state budget for things that our communities need.

I was disappointed to see that both my state representative, Valerie Gaydos, R-Moon, and state senator, Pam Iovino, D-Robinson, voted for HB732, prioritizing companies like Shell and Exxon over Pennsylvania communities. Pennsylvanians deserve better.

Grace Johnston

Moon