We mentioned earlier that it was unlikely that a severance tax would be imposed on Marcellus production in Pennsylvania this year (see here). It appears that doesn't sit well with the current governor (from the Philadelphia Inquirer): "Gov. Rendell signed an executive order Tuesday that bans further leasing of state forests for Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling, a move lauded by environmentalists but shrugged off by Republicans as the symbolic effort of a lame-duck leader."