846  N.  Broad  St.,  2nd  Fl  Philadelphia  Pa  19130  215-­‐839-­‐3390      www.actionunited.org      October  29,  2015    Councilman  Jones,    We  are  writing  to  express  our  surprise  and  dismay  that  your  office  plans  on  co-­‐hosting  a  tour  of  fracking  infrastructure  with  the  Marcellus  Shale  Coalition,  the  industry  front  group  that  is  directly  responsible  for  prolonging  Pennsylvania’s  budget  crisis  and  directly  denying  Philadelphia  critical  education  funding.    Over  the  past  several  months,  Marcellus  Shale  Coalition  has  funneled  millions  of  dollars  towards  an  advertising  and  lobbying  campaign  intended  to  derail  Governor  Wolf’s  proposed  budget  and  deprive  Philadelphia’s  education  system  of  the  funding  it  needs.  Marcellus  Shale  Coalition  firmly  opposes  Governor  Wolf’s  proposed  tax  on  fracking,  which  would  generate  revenues  for  the  state’s  struggling  education  system.  They  have  pushed  Republicans  in  Harrisburg  prioritize  corporate  profits  for  the  fracking  industry  over  a  functional  education  system.      Marcellus  Shale  Coalition’s  antics  have  thrown  Harrisburg  into  a  tailspin.  Not  only  have  they  deprived  Philadelphia’s  school  system  of  the  funding  it  would  otherwise  be  receiving  from  Gov.  Wolf’s  fracking  tax;  their  intransigence  has  led  to  a  months-­‐long  budget  standoff  that  is  depriving  Philadelphians  of  other  critical  social  services.      Marcellus  Shale  Coalition’s  success  in  fighting  Governor  Wolf’s  budget  has  been  at  the  expense  of  millions  of  Pennsylvanians  who  need  a  fully  funded  education  system  and  adequate  social  services.    Your  coordinated  tour  of  fracking  infrastructure  will  only  empower  the  gas  industry  and  their  Republican  allies  in  the  budget  debate  beyond  their  opposition  to  the  fracking  tax,  and  that  inadequate  funding  for  education  and  basic  social  services  will  continue  for  the  foreseeable  future.    We  urge  you  to  remove  your  office  as  a  sponsor  of  this  tour,  and  to  instruct  your  staff  that  they  should  focus  on  serving  your  constituents  in  your  Philadelphia  office,  rather  than  spending  the  day  with  the  industry  front  group  responsible  for  undermining  the  health  of  Philadelphia’s  education  system.  Instead  of  attending  tomorrow’s  tour,  we  request  that  you  meet  with  our  leaders  to  discuss  the  health  and  safety  issues  posed  by  the  expansion  of  fracking  infrastructure  in  Philadelphia.    Sincerely,      Kia  Philpot-­‐Hinton,  President  ACTION  United