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Senate/House Bills Moving
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The following bills of interest saw action this week in the House and Senate-- Senate
Coal/Gas Coordination: Senate Bill 265 (MJ White-R-Venango) amending the Coal and Gas Resource Coordination Act to further provide for drilling through coal reserves was reported from the Senate Appropriations Committee and passed by the Senate. It now goes to the House for consideration. "The purpose of this measure is to provide organized development between natural gas wells and workable coal seams," said Sen. White. "Particularly with the increase in natural gas development, Pennsylvania needs clear standards in place for the safe, ordered extraction of these valuable energy sources." Senate Bill 265 amends the Coal and Gas Resource Coordination Act to create adequate and safe spacing between gas well clusters and workable coal seams. No permit for a gas well covered by the act would be issued unless the well cluster is located at least 2,000 feet from the nearest well cluster, unless the permit applicant and the owner of the workable coal seam consent in writing.
Under the bill, absent an agreement, either the coal operator or the well applicant may activate a dispute resolution process to resolve the spacing issue.
The bill also requires the department to commission an independent study, funded by the industry, update the Joint Coal and Gas Committee Gas Well Pillar Study. The study would assess appropriate pillar size around an active/inactive well or well cluster to protect the workable coal seam and ensure the safety of coal miners, as well as any additional criteria or standards that should be considered by the department.
Pipeline Safety: Senate Bill 325 (Baker-R-Luzerne) giving the Public Utility Commission further authority to regulate pipeline safety was reported from the Senate Appropriations Committee and is now on the Senate Calendar for action.
Air Pollution Fines: Senate Bill 151 (Pileggi-R-Delaware) providing for the sharing of Air Pollution Control Act fines and penalties was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Hazardous Sites Cleanup: Senate Bill 303 (MJ White-R-Venango) further providing for reports under the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
House
Clean And Green: House Bill 144 (Pickett-R-Bradford) further providing for corrective language regarding when roll-back taxes are due when an oil or gas well is drilled on enrolled land was reported from the House Appropriations Committee, passed by the House, but the vote was reconsidered so the bill is still on the House Calendar for action. “If a property is enrolled in the state’s Clean and Green program and a part of that land contains a gas or oil well, taxes are due on that particular portion of land that cannot be used for agricultural purposes,” Rep. Pickett said. “However, there has been uncertainty on when those roll-back taxes should be applied.”
“To clarify state law, my legislation changes the time when roll-back taxes and fair market value assessment can be applied to when a well production report is submitted to DEP,” she said, noting that roll-back taxes and fair market value assessment will continue to be limited to the area of land that does not comply with Clean and Green uses.
Pipeline Safety: House Bill 344 (Baker-R-Tioga) giving the Public Utility Commission further authority to regulate pipeline safety was amended and reported from the House Consumer Affairs Committee and then Tabled.
Biofuels: House Bill 807 (Sonney-R-Erie) adding additional measures to enforce the biodiesel mandate was amended and reported from the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee and then Tabled.
Agricultural Security Areas: House Bill 562 (Gillen-R-Berks) further describing extent of agricultural security area was removed from the Table and referred to the House Appropriations Committee.
Main Street Program: House Bill 295 (Freeman-D-Lehigh) further providing for the duration of Main Street Program grants was reported from the House Local Government Committee and Tabled. "Unfortunately, we have seen in numerous cases that the current five-year time frame to turn around a traditional downtown is often too short," Rep. Freeman said. "A community just begins to see the progress brought on by Main Street initiatives only to see the plug pulled prematurely. This can cause the community's downtown revitalization momentum and success to suffer. Allowing participating communities to continue in the program for up to an additional five years can help ensure success in their downtown revitalization." |
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3/7/2011 |
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