Our Keep the Promise Tour has traveled the state, speaking with citizens about the drilling for natural gas deep in the Marcellus Shale, and the need to make the drillers pay their fair share and play by our rules.

Today’s voice from the road is PennFuture supporter Mary Carol Frier from Centre County, who was interviewed by our Central Pennsylvania Outreach Coordinator, Tanya Dierolf, at the second stop of the tour, in Jersey Shore. Mary Carol talks to Tanya about how important she thinks her action on drilling is to the future of all Pennsylvanians.

PennFuture leaders met hundreds of citizens at our tour stops, all of them determined to make their legislators keep their promise to vote for a substantial severance tax on drilling by October 1. Even more citizens are calling and writing their legislators. Take action and let your legislators know that you expect them to Keep the Promise and pass a substantial tax on the drillers, with no loopholes or sweetheart deals.

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The Pennsylvania State Legislature promised to pass a severance tax on deep natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale by October 1. Now we must make sure that a promise made is a promise kept.

The drilling companies are spending enormous amounts of money to stop the severance tax. They have hired lobbyists of every stripe – including former Governor Tom Ridge – and are passing out campaign cash like balloons at a county fair to keep the voice of the people from being heard.

The drillers will make enormous profits from the natural gas they take from our land – it's only fair that they pay a reasonable tax that will go to protect our environment and local communities that "host" the drilling, fund our natural resource agencies, and help balance our budget.

This podcast features PennFuture’s Jan Jarrett on September 8 at the first stop on the Keep the Promise Tour, as she began crisscrossing the state with town hall meetings to alert residents of the Keystone State to the need to make sure the Pennsylvania General Assembly passes a substantial severance tax on deep natural gas drillers in the Marcellus Shale formation.

PennFuture has also launched an email, Twitter, and Facebook Campaign to get the truth out about the drillers and their opposition to paying their fair share and playing by our rules.

A survey conducted last month across Pennsylvania shows nearly everyone agrees on one thing: the Marcellus Shale drillers must pay their fair share.

Three out of four voters in both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia want the Legislature to pass a severance tax. Support is even stronger in rural areas, with 84 percent supporting the tax. Three out of four Republicans support the tax and 79 percent of Democrats want the tax passed. Who says we can't all get along?

Take action and let your legislators know that you expect them to Keep the Promise and pass a substantial tax on the drillers, with no loopholes or sweetheart deals.