The county and its 57 townships and boroughs will receive $8 million from state-imposed fees on natural gas producers.

The Act 13 fees from 2022 will result in a total statewide distribution of $278 million, an increase of about $44 million from 2021, according to figures from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, which collects and distributes the money.

According to the PUC, the county will receive a little over $3 million, and its municipalities will receive nearly $5 million — increases over last year when the county received $2.4 million and the municipalities received about $4 million.

Statewide, county and municipal governments directly affected by drilling will receive $157.35 million; the Marcellus Legacy Fund, which provides financial support for environmental, highway, water and sewer projects, rehabilitation of greenways and other projects will receive $103.64 million; and $17.89 million will be distributed to state agencies.

With this year’s distribution, the PUC said it has collected and distributed more than $2.5 billion to communities.

Leslie Osche, chairman of the county commissioners, said the amount the county is receiving is the second or third most since the state began collecting and distributing the fees, and it reflects the strength of the gas industry.

The county uses the money to fund infrastructure and capital projects and upgrade technology without borrowing money, she said.

“It’s clear that the natural gas industry is still strong in our region and the commonwealth. It’s really putting money back into infrastructure, and we’ve been able to use that to leverage a lot of other funding to get a lot of projects done. We continue to support the natural gas industry in our region,” Osche said.

She said the county does not spend Act 13 money on operating expenses and keeps the money separate from operating funds in the budget.

She said municipalities also are benefiting.

“It will have a tremendous impact on municipalities. It’s an incredible boost to their budgets, especially some of the smaller ones,” Osche said.