Who will pay for the cracker plant?
Gov. Tom Corbett likes to style himself as being against raising taxes. However, he also likes to claim credit for “winning” the competition for the gas cracker plant, now expected to be built in Beaver County.
How did he “win” this? Did he go to the governors of West Virginia and Ohio and say, “We know the center of the Marcellus Shale deposit is in the tri-state area. It’s dumb to compete, which only helps the gas company. Let’s agree to just let the free market decide.”?
Not a chance. He “won” by giving Shell an estimated $1.6 billion tax break over the next 25 years. Who do you think will have to make up that $1.6 billion tax loss? If you guessed the workers commuting to the plant from West Virginia and Ohio, I have a bridge I’d like to sell you. If I can find one in Pennsylvania in good repair.
Gerard Weiss
Washington