Pennsylvanians believe the economic benefits of gas drilling outweigh the environmental impacts 63% to 30%, according to the latest Quinnipiac University poll. See http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.xml.
The public even more strongly supports taxing the gas industry, favoring a drilling tax by 69% to 24%.
The Pennsylvania public wants the gas produced, the industry to pay a drilling tax, and the environment protected. These polling numbers confirm that Pennsylvania is a common sense, centrist state that looks askance at ideological approaches to solving problems.
Pennsylvanians oppose moratoriums at least on private lands and oppose rigid ideological pledges against imposing taxes or fees on anything.
While Quinnipiac did not specifically ask a question about regulating the gas industry, I know that the public overwhelmingly demands that the state of Pennsylvania to regulate strongly the industry to reduce environmental impacts.
Quinnipiac also reports that Governor Corbett has a 39 to 38 approval-disapproval rating with a canyon separating the genders. Men approve of Governor Corbett's performance by 48 to 34 but women disapprove by 43 to 30.
Finally, opposing a drilling tax is as unpopular as supporting major cuts to university funding, with 69% of the public disapproving of cuts to universities and 69% supporting a drilling tax.
Sounds like the people of PA have it just right. Support and tax drilling, oppose cuts to universities and Republican efforts to ruin everything.
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