Split Pennsylvania High Court: State Violated Law With Oil, Gas Lease Fund Plan

(July 20, 2017, 11:10 AM EDT) -- HARRISBURG, Pa. — A divided Pennsylvania Supreme Court on June 20 partially reversed and partially vacated and remanded a lower court ruling and found that the commonwealth violated the state constitution when it planned to use $117 million from the state’s Oil and Gas Lease Fund to pay the commonwealth’s operating expenses (Pennsylvania Environmental Defense Foundation v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, et al., No. 10 MAP 2015, Pa. Sup.)....