He defended Corbett's pursuit of natural-gas extraction in the Marcellus Shale formation when concerns were raised about drilling safety and animal welfare. Meuser said he was not aware of any evidence that animals were vanishing.
He touted lower natural-gas rates in Pennsylvania, only to be peppered by multiple complaints about the Philadelphia Gas Works.
After his talk, a reporter asked him about Corbett's proposal to offer Shell Oil a $1.65 billion tax credit to locate a massive ethane plant in southwestern Pennsylvania. The subject did not come up during the chamber address.
Meuser said he was confident that the legislature would approve the plan, which Corbett has said could "reindustrialize" Pennsylvania with ethane, a by-product of natural-gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale that is used to make ethylene and other plastic bases.
During the address, Meuser was asked about whether the Revenue Department was planning to privatize the Pennsylvania Lottery. He said his department was exploring the possibility of hiring a consultant to boost revenue because the lottery will run into a shortfall if more money is not generated. He said federal law does not allow states to privatize lotteries.
Contact Robert Moran at 215-854-5983 or bmoran@phillynews.com, or follow @RobertMoran215 on Twitter.
