If anyone wonders whether the general economic recession will affect the oil and gas industry, they need look at Pennsylvania where Gov. Edward G. Rendell proposed a natural gas severance tax on Feb. 4 in his annual budget message.He seeks the levy as the Keystone State faces a current projected budget deficit of $2.3 billion. Interest in producing gas from the Marcellus shale has created what he termed “a Pennsylvania gold rush,” Rendell told legislators. He proposed a tax of 5% at the wellhead, plus 4.7¢/Mcf, an approach identical to neighboring West Virginia’s. State officials project that it would raise about $1.82 billion over 5 years, starting with $107.2 million i...