WILKES-BARRE – Democratic gubernatorial nominee Dan Onorato said Thursday he doesn’t support a moratorium on drilling in the Marcellus Shale region, but he does want to see the gas industry grow in “a responsible way.”

“I will grant permits,” Onorato said. “But I want these companies to hire Pennsylvanians. I don’t want to see a bunch of Oklahoma and Texas license plates here.”

Onorato visited the Scranton Chamber of Commerce to speak to members and young professionals of POWER Scranton to discuss the opportunities for economic growth in Scranton.

“Northeast Pennsylvania is in a unique situation to benefit from great economic growth,” he said. “The combination of location, resources and infrastructure could lead to an economic boon for the region’s economy.”

Onorato is opposed by Republican Tom Corbett, who has served two terms at the state’s attorney general.

Onorato knows Northeastern Pennsylvania – he is married to the former Shelly Ziegler of Mountain Top. Onorato said he has traveled to the region regularly for the past 20 years to visit his in-laws, Bill and Sue Ziegler.

“The northeast region is very important to me,” he said. “I will be campaigning here a lot over the next 17 weeks. I see a lot of similarities between here and my home area of Pittsburgh.”

Onorato, 49, has served as the Allegheny County executive for seven years. He boasts that when the next budget is passed in October, it will mark 10 straight years of no tax increase in the county.

“I’ve run the second largest county in the Commonwealth,” Onorato said. “We’ve downsized government – going from 10 row offices to four and we consolidated five 911 centers to one. Those two moves alone saved taxpayers $7 million per year.”

Onorato, the father of three teenagers, said he is optimistic about the governor’s race. He said he doesn’t believe a poll released last week that showed Corbett ahead by 10 percentage points.

“The same people that did that poll also had McCain ahead of Obama in 2008,” He said. “All the polls I’ve seen show this race to be neck-and-neck. I know it will be a battle, but I believe I can win.”

Onorato said the northeast region’s proximity to New York and New Jersey makes it the perfect location to become the warehouse distribution center for the eastern part of the country.

“I see a lot of potential here,” he said.

The Democrat said he would seek to enact a severance tax on the Marcellus Shale drillers and he would use the revenue to fully fund the state Department of Environmental Protection. Onorato said DEP took a 28 percent budget cut last year and he wants to return the department to full capacity.

“If we’re going to allow drilling, then we need a department to watch over it and protect the water and the environment,” Onorato said.

Bill O’Boyle, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7218.

Copyright: Times Leader