The WSJ reports that Ed Rendell and fellow Democrats are holding drilling land on the Marcellus hostage to a whopping severance tax. Twice what neighboring West Virginia extracts from the industry.

Researchers at Penn State estimated in a May report that this gas boom will boost the economy by $8 billion and provide 88,500 jobs this year, and $14.4 billion and 160,000 jobs by 2015. They also noted, ahem, that this higher economic activity will generate almost $1.8 billion in additional state and local revenues in 2010 and 2011. Mr. Rendell said in a statement that "The moratorium is important to the state's economy because it protects some of our most valuable assets." Really, he said that.

Shale production holds vast potential for depressed regions like rural Pennsylvania and upstate New York, but naturally this has made it a target of the environmental lobby. Albany also imposed a moratorium earlier this year because the greens hate hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," which involves high-pressure underground injections to break up bedrock formations and release gas deposits.

Tough time to holding back one of the few job-creating industries in the state. We'll see how the voters in Marcellus region react. Are they more concerned about the government getting its "fair share," environmental worries, or jobs. Tuesday will tell.