HARRISBURG -- An environmental group is holding a statewide "Keep the Promise" tour that's aimed at enacting a new "severance tax" on Marcellus Shale natural gas producers, and the first stop will be in the Pittsburgh area.

Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future, aka Penn Future, will hold a breakfast meeting starting at 8 a.m. on Sept. 8 at the Georgetown Center on Route 51 in Pleasant Hills. There is no charge for attendance but pre-registration is necessary at least two days prior to the event, so the group can know how many people to expect.

Registration can be done online at www.pennfuture.org/KeepThePromise or call 717-214-7920. There will be no registration on site, PennFuture said. Five other meetings will be held in central, northeastern and southeastern Pennsylvania.

When the current state budget was enacted in early July, legislators agreed with Gov. Ed Rendell to enact, by Oct. 1, a new tax on natural gas extracted from deep underground areas of Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania. But since then, not much has been said about the tax, publicly at least, and PennFuture, along with Mr. Rendell, wants to make sure legislators keep their pledge.

He has said that $70 million is needed from such a shale gas severance tax in the current budget year to help close a $282 million deficit. The rest would come from spending reductions.

Natural gas drilling companies "are spending enormous amounts of money," including large donations to many legislators, "to stop the severance tax," said PennFuture President Jan Jarrett. "They have hired lobbyists of every stripe, including former Gov. Tom Ridge, and are working hard to keep the voice of the people from being heard. The drillers will make enormous profits from the gas they take from our land."

She said "it's only fair" to make gas companies pay a "reasonable tax" so money is available to protect the environment, balance the state budget and help communities deal with problems such as damage to roads.

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