Gov. Tom Wolf Wednesday put out a review of his actions during his first 100 days in office in the form of a memo and video to media.  Here’s what it said with respect to environmental issues.

During his inauguration, Gov. Wolf said he does not want to be part of the first generation of Pennsylvanians who have to tell their children they have to go elsewhere to achieve success.

He said that in order to build a better Pennsylvania, his administration will be dedicated to three simple things: jobs that pay, schools that teach and government that works.

Pennsylvania can achieve these three goals, but we need to act now. During his first 100 days in office, Gov. Wolf has taken concrete actions and introduced bold proposals to secure a better future for Pennsylvanians.

-- Gov. Wolf’s Budget - a Blueprint for Pennsylvania: Gov. Wolf’s budget fixes the deficit, makes historic investments in education, rebuilds the middle class by strengthening manufacturing and workforce development, and provides property tax relief to middle-class families and seniors.

“A majority of Pennsylvania voters support Gov. Tom Wolf’s spending plan that aggressively increases education funding, a statewide Franklin & Marshall College poll found. And they agree with the first-year Democratic governor that a natural-gas extraction tax should be imposed and lower property taxes should be swapped for higher state taxes, the new poll shows. The survey found 59 percent of registered voters back the budget proposal.” [LNP, 3/26/15]

[Note: Pennsylvania collected $4 billion in General Fund revenue in April, which was $201 million, or 5.3 percent, more than anticipated, Acting Secretary of Revenue Eileen McNulty reported Friday.  Fiscal year-to-date General Fund collections total $25.7 billion, which is $569.1 million, or 2.3 percent, above estimate.]

-- Making Gas Companies Pay Their Fair Share: Gov. Wolf proposed a severance tax on natural gas so we can fund our schools for a change.

“A severance tax makes sense and is fair — which is probably why a solid 61 percent of Pennsylvanians support it...” [York Dispatch, 2/14/15]

-- Protecting Our State Parks and Forests: Gov. Wolf signed an executive order reinstating a moratorium on new leases for oil and gas development in state parks and forests.

“Abundant natural gas is a great resource for Pennsylvania. But so are the abundant forests for which the Commonwealth is named. Gov. Tom Wolf restored perspective Thursday when he issued a new moratorium on drilling under state park and forest land.” [Times-Tribune, 1/31/15]

-- Gov. Wolf Works to Increase Oil Train Safety: Gov. Wolf is focused on the safety of Pennsylvanians and protecting people from the potential disaster resulting from Bakken crude oil train derailments

“Gov. Wolf has made oil train safety a priority during the first 100 days of his administration.” [StateImpact, 4/28/15]

Click Here to watch Gov. Wolf’s video on the first 100 days.  Click Here for the full 100 days message.

NewsClips:

State Revenues Exceed Projections By $569M Thru April

Wolf Seeks Expert Advice On Crude Oil Trains

Wolf Hires Rail Expert To Evaluate Oil Train Risks

Wolf Hires Expert On Preventing Oil Train Mishaps

5/4/2015