NEWS FROM: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Common Cause/Pennsylvania October 14, 2010

For Information Contact:

Alex Kaplan (215)385-5022; akaplan@commoncause.org

$379,500 Spent by Gas Industry on the PA Governors Race in Last Three Months
Disclosure Loophole Allows for Secret Last-Minute Donations

From June to September, the natural gas drilling industry dramatically increased its campaign
contributions to the state’s two major gubernatorial candidates. Between June 8 and September 13,
2010, industry PACs and executives gave a total of at least $379,500, with 88 percent of this money, or
$334,500, going to Republican candidate Tom Corbett. Twelve percent, or $45,000, went to
Democratic candidate Dan Onorato. Before June, the industry had given $372,720 to Corbett and
$74,300 to Onorato, making their updated totals through mid-September at least $752,220 and
$119,300, respectively.

Download the data sheet here

A list of the contributions to gubernatorial candidates during this disclosure period, Cycle 4, is available
on MarcellusMoney.org, a project of Common Cause/Pennsylvania and Conservation Voters of
Pennsylvania that tracks campaign contributions from natural gas industry PACs and executives to
candidates for Pennsylvania state office. A complete listing of gas industry contributions, including
donations to candidates for the state legislature, will be available at MarcellusMoney.org as soon as
the Department of State is able to release full data in searchable spreadsheet format. The same will
occur for the Cycle 5 disclosure period, which runs from September 14 to October 18 with reports due
on October 22.

Cycle 6 covers October 19 through November 22, with reports due on December 2. This means that
last minute donations to the candidates from natural gas industry PACs and executives (during the
15 days immediately prior to the November 2 election) will be kept from public knowledge until
more than a month after voters cast their ballots.

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“With such massive industry spending and two candidates directly opposed to each other on taxation
and regulation of Marcellus Shale drilling, both Corbett and Onorato owe it to Pennsylvanians to
disclose all of the drilling money they have received before voters go to the polls,” said Alex Kaplan,
Project Coordinator for Common Cause/Pennsylvania. “Drilling may be happening a mile underground,
but the amount of money the industry is spending on this race shouldn’t remain buried until after
Election Day.”

Beyond more frequent disclosure of campaign contributions, more stringent enforcement of current
rules is necessary regarding the reporting of a donor’s employer information. This information is
essential to understanding industry, interest group, union, or other collective influences. Dan
Onorato’s full Cycle 4 campaign finance reports included 896 donations over $250. Four-hundred and
one, or 44.7%, of these donations are missing employer and occupation information for the donor.
Instead of providing the required information, the placeholder “information requested” is used. Of
Tom Corbett’s total 1,906 donations listed in his Cycle 4 reports, twenty-nine, or 1.5%, lacked employer
and occupation information. Common Cause/Pennsylvania calls on both campaigns to obtain this
important information and provide it to the public.

END