Letter to the editor: Severance tax will cost Pa. jobs

It is truly inspiring to see Westmoreland County residents come together and help guide our community through the current pandemic. Pennsylvanians are resilient and we will overcome this challenging time.

As we look toward the day when things start returning to normal, reopening our businesses and getting our neighbors back to work will be our top priorities.

In the meantime, as lawmakers such as state Rep. Joseph Petrarca develop the policy solutions to make our economic recovery a reality, I urge them not to consider potentially harmful proposals like the severance tax on natural gas.

When the economic focus needs to be on job retention and creation, the severance tax will do just the opposite — cost our commonwealth jobs. It could also drive up our energy costs as a result of the job losses.

As lawmakers are considering how to move forward in rebuilding our state’s economy, I implore them not to support advancing a severance tax given the long-term economic consequences of this short-sighted proposal.

Elaine Gowaty

Murrysville