HARRISBURG — State Senate Republicans started drafting legislation for a sweeping overhaul of Pennsylvania's oil and gas law that includes proposals for a new tax on the extraction of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale formation and limitations on municipal zoning that affects drilling.

Senate President Joe Scarnati said today the GOP plan is a sincere effort to keep the pledge Gov. Ed Rendell and lawmakers made in this summer's budget agreement to enact a severance tax by Oct. 1.

With natural-gas extraction becoming a major new industry in Pennsylvania, Scarnati said it was important to move forward with a comprehensive bill that addresses all concerns, as well as a tax.

Pennsylvania is the nation's largest natural gas producing state without a tax on the gas.

The Senate is slated to reconvene Sept. 20. Republican senators hope to present the plan to Democrats soon for passage in this fall's legislative session, before the Nov. 2 election.