The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported late Tuesday the Governor’s Budget Office has imposed what it said was a temporary freeze on filling 200 vacant positions within the Department of Environmental Protection, including filling any of its 24 vacant positions within the Oil and Gas Program.

DEP will only be able to fill just 34 vacant positions in its overall complement of 2,495 and none of the 24 vacant positions in the Oil and Gas Program, even though that program is supported by permit fees.

The areas of DEP hardest hit in the workforce reduction, according to the article, are open positions ranging from chemists and clerks to environmental emergency response coordinators funded in the Environmental Protection Operations line-item.

A spokesperson for the Governor’s Office said the move was necessary because the budget Gov. Wolf signed in December “significantly underfunds critical functions of state government.”

But numbers released by the Governor’s Budget Office in December show DEP received $3.3 million more in the three General Fund line-items related to personnel costs-- $128.6 million vs. $125.3 million last year and overall DEP received a 2.4 percent increase in funding.

These new numbers mean DEP’s authorized complement has shrunk from 3,200 in 2002-03 to its current 2,495, about 705 positions-- 22 percent-- as DEP Secretary John Quigley mentioned in a video report to DEP employees last week in a way that he considered them lost.

These reductions at DEP, if they stand, are the largest since Gov. Rendell furloughed 138 DEP employees in 2009 and eliminated 120 vacant positions when John Hanger was DEP Secretary (now Gov. Wolf's Secretary for Policy)..

There were no furloughs of DEP or DCNR employees under Gov. Corbett, although vacant positions continued to be reduced at DEP.

Note: No hard information is available on vacancy losses from DCNR, but speculation puts it at about 60 positions.

NEW. Post-Gazette: Wolf: Next Budget Will Have Narrow Focus- Schools, Cover Cost Increases

In an article published Sunday in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Gov. Wolf said the focus of his second budget proposal will be narrow-- boosting school funding while raising taxes to pay for automatic cost increases in pensions, medical assistance and other programs.

He said the proposal will total about $32 billion. In December, Gov. Wolf signed the Republican-passed $30.2 billion General Fund budget, but line-itemed vetoed $6.8 billion from budget.

Gov. Wolf said he still wants to lower the corporate net income tax rate and provide school district property tax relief, but neither will be part of his budget proposal Tuesday.

In the article, Gov. Wolf said the Independent Fiscal Office estimates there will be a $1.9 billion deficit in the upcoming fiscal year.  [Actually, the IFO said $318 million would be needed to balance the FY 2015-16 budget signed into law in December and, if there are no changes, another $1.3 billion to balance the FY 2016-17 budget.]

Gov. Wolf continues to support the spending levels in the $30.7 billion “agreed-to” budget framework and his announcements last week of additional education funding assumed the funding in the “agreed-to” budget was still agreed-to.

Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R-Centre) was quoted in the new article as saying, “He (Wolf) can pine away all he wants for that to come back (the agreed-to budget framework), It’s not going to come back. He needs to negotiate a new deal, something that can get the votes in the House and Senate.”

Gov. Wolf Sunday released a short video preview of the budget Sunday saying he assumes the $30.7 billion “agreed-to” budget framework is in place (when Republicans don’t), adding a failure to act means “severe consequences for Pennsylvania.”

NewsClip:

Wolf Calls For An Honest Budget, Tax Increase

NewsClips:

Wolf Imposes Limits Filling Vacant Positions, 200 At DEP

Swift: Wolf Considers Growing Greener Reboot

AP: Natural Gas Income From State Forests Takes Big Fall

Low Natural Gas Prices Cuts Impact Fee Revenue

DEP’s Revised Chesapeake Bay Strategy Draws $3M In Federal Funds

New Severance Tax Proposal From Drilling Country

Wolf Calls For An Honest Budget, Tax Increase

AP: Wolf To Float New Budget Plan Amid Fight Over Current One

Thompson: Bracing For The Budget: Headed For Wolf War II?

2016-17 Spending Plan Set To Join PA Budget Mess

PLS: Reed, Costa Agree On Possible Revenue Sources?

PLS: Reed: 2 Budgets Won’t Put House GOP Off Their Agenda

January State Revenue $2.5B, $6.2 M More Than Anticipated

State Budget Stuck In Restart Mode

Bumsted: Wolf’s Budget Options Limited

In Budget Battles, Compromise Has Become Taboo

Transit Funding Expected To Fall $6B Short In PA

Op-Ed: New Federal Transportation Bill Puts PA On Right Track

Op-Ed: Film Tax Credit Benefits Are Misleading

North Dakota Orders Cuts Amid $1 Billion Budget Shortfall

Related Stories:

What’s In Wolf’s Budget Address For The Environment? 5 Things To Watch for Feb. 9

Op-Ed: Pennsylvania Must Invest In Its New Clean Water Plan

Drilling Impact Fees Drop By $5,000 Per Well In 2015, Loss Could Be $34 Million

IFO: DCNR Oil & Gas Lease Fund Revenues To Drop Nearly 40 Percent

CBF-PA: PA Releases New Strategy For Meeting Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Commitments

DEP: Pennsylvania Not Meeting Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Commitments

Analysis: PA Isn’t Cleaning Up Our Rivers, Abandoned Mines Quickly Enough

February 12-- NEW. Landscapers, Contractors: Join Philadelphia Water’s Rain Check Team And Get Paid To Install Landscaping Tools And Rain Barrels To Help Management Stormwater.  PA Horticultural Society Board Room, 100 N. 20th Street 5th Floor in Philadelphia.  Click Here for details.

2/8/2016