State Rep. Gary Day, R-187th, recently announced Lehigh and Berks counties are slated to receive nearly $650,000 in proceeds from the state's new impact fee.

Act 13 of 2012 allows Pennsylvania counties with drilling-related activities to impose impact fees, to be paid by natural gas drilling companies, to help local and state governments deal with the direct and indirect impacts of the natural gas boom.

"The impact fee law was intended to allow governments to deal with the impacts of Marcellus Shale drilling," Day said. "Even though drilling isn't taking place within our area, the revenue that is coming back to the Lehigh Valley will help to deal with any indirect impacts.

"This includes protecting our environment, training our first responders and improving our infrastructure."

Lehigh County will receive $296,513. Berks County slated to receive $349,067.

The proceeds can be used for conservation districts; enforcement of clean air and water statutes; emergency response planning, training and coordination related to natural gas production from unconventional wells; the development, delivery and sustainment of training and grant programs for first responders.

The impact fee distributions were announced by Gov. Tom Corbett. The overall amount of impact fee revenue is more than $20 million than original projections, totaling nearly $205 million by the end of 2012.

The fees are imposed on each actively producing well in the commonwealth and are based upon the retail price of natural gas.

The fees are collected by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.