HARRISBURG — Gov. Ed Rendell on Friday accused state Senate Republican leaders of trying to run out the clock on their commitment to pass a bill imposing a new tax on Pennsylvania's booming natural gas industry.

He wrote to them asking them to return to negotiations with other legislative leaders Monday — a state holiday for Columbus Day.

House Democrats are ready to show up Monday, spokesman Brett Marcy said. Senate Republicans leaders said through a spokesman that they will be available Tuesday morning and insisted that they have worked in good faith toward an agreement to impose a severance tax.

Talks have yielded little progress toward resolving differences between the politically divided Legislature over a House tax bill.

A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-Delaware, suggested Rendell didn't know that Republicans have shared their plan with Democratic lawmakers. "The tax proposal we favor is no secret," spokesman Erik Arneson said.

Pennsylvania is the largest natural gas producing state that doesn't tax the gas extracted from it's bedrock.