Butler County will once again receive a large amount of money from natural gas drilling this year.
According to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, the county will receive just over $2.1 million in gas drilling impact fees that were collected from the 2019 year.
Each county and municipality receives their own allotment. Butler remains the seventh highest receiving county in the state for the 2019 year. There are 612 wells in Butler County, according to PUC data.
Statewide, slightly more than $200 million was generated last year, which is nearly $43 million less than last year mostly due to the lower average price of natural gas in 2019 compared to 2018.
There are restrictions on how municipalities use the money. It’s meant to be spent on infrastructure projects and to assist with human service and emergency response needs. Checks are expected to arrive in July.
PUC officials pointed to an increase in the number of wells, as well as in the average annual price of natural gas, among the factors in boosting impact fees.