Senate Environmental Committee Meets To Consider Oil & Gas Transfer, Other Bills

Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee meets Tuesday to consider bills related to brownfield liability, flood control projects, coal bed methane disputes and transferring $174 million from the Oil and Gas Fund to the General Fund as proposed by Gov. Rendell.

 

The bills include:

 

-- Senate Bill 84 (Greenleaf-R-Montgomery) extends liability protection to nonprofit corporations in brownfield projects;

 

-- Senate Bill 205 (Pippy-R-Allegheny) providing funding for private sewer laterals;

 

-- Senate Bill 232 (Wozniak-D-Cambria) holding Army Corps of Engineers harmless for construction of collapsible dam on Conemaugh River;

 

-- Senate Bill 235 (Wozniak) amends Flood Control Law to permit use of nonstructural alternatives to address flooding problems;

 

-- Senate Bill 236 (Woniak) amends Stream Clearance, Rectification and Improvement Act to permit use of nonstructural alternatives to address flooding problems;

 

-- Senate Bill 275 (D.White-R-Indiana) establishing the Coal Bed Methane Well Dispute Resolution Act;

 

-- Senate Bill 328 (Eichelberger-R-Blair) increasing the threshold for bidding requirements for flood control projects; and

 

--Senate Bill 490 (MJ.White-R-Venango) appropriating $174 million from the Oil and Gas Fund to DEP and other agencies to support well permitting.

 

Sen. Mary Jo White (R-Venango) serves as Majority Chair and Sen. Ray Musto (D-Luzerne) serves as Minority Chair.