Truth, it is said, is the first casualty of war. As the budget wars heat up in Harrisburg, it's important to take a moment to address the fallacies raised in Donald Heck's recent letter, "Marcellus Shale tax positive step for education."

The truth is the natural gas industry pays the same taxes imposed on every other business. Pennsylvania's tax rates and strict regulatory requirements are among the highest in the nation. Natural gas operators also donate generously to their local communities, delivering hundreds of millions of dollars to improve schools and communities. But more than just providing money, this industry jump-starts careers for the jobs it is creating. We have an opportunity to stem the brain drain and provide real opportunities by launching a manufacturing renaissance to capitalize on Pennsylvania's affordable, abundant and clean-burning natural gas.

Vilifying an industry that is supporting nearly a quarter-million jobs and has paid $2.9 billion in tax revenue to our state is wrong. We should not measure the value of any business only by how much it pays in taxes, but rather the family-sustaining jobs it provides and communities it strengthens. That's the honest conversation the people of Pennsylvania deserve.