PA Environment Digest

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General Assembly Returns, Where Do Environmental Issues Stand?

Got Milk? DEP Secretary Kathleen McGinty tries her hand at milking at the 2006 Farm Show in this photo from DEP’s newly reorganized Secretary’s Scrapbook website feature.

Members of the Senate and House return to session in Harrisburg January 23, but where do environmental issues stand among school property tax relief, eminent domain reform, installing a cap on state spending, a minimum wage increase, lobbying reform, fixes to the Gaming Law and more?

Members are also anticipating the Governor’s budget address the first full week in February that will certainly be a difficult one with rising Medicaid and Welfare costs and folks will be watching for another round of proposed cuts in the budgets for environmental agencies.

Here’s a quick rundown on some key environmental bills and issues pending in and around the General Assembly.

Recycling Fee: House Bill 1902 (Rubley-R-Chester) eliminating the sunset date on the $2/ton Recycling Fee and requiring Recycling Performance Grants to be used for local recycling and waste reduction efforts. On the House Calendar for action.

Environmental Education: Senate Bill 410 (MJ White-R-Venango) to establish the Pennsylvania Center for Environmental Education in law. Tabled in the House.

California Car Standards: House Bill 2141 (Geist-R-Blair) which would prohibit the Department of Environmental Protection from adopting the current California vehicle emission standards is in the House Environmental Resources & Energy Committee with a hearing set for February 8. The Senate Environmental Resources & Energy Committee held a hearing on the issue in December.

Open Space Preservation: House Bill 87 (Steil-R-Bucks) further authorizing local governments to preserve open space through the waiver of certain service fees. On the Senate Calendar for action.

Sewer/Water Connection Funding: House Bill 1108 (Rubley-R-Chester) would establish the Water and Wasterwater Connection Funding Program within PennVEST. In the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.

Eminent Domain: There are four bills in the Senate and House making changes to the Eminent Domain Code in response to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Kelo -- Senate Bill 881 (Piccola-R-Dauphin) and Senate Bill 897 (Brightbill-R-Lebanon) both now on the House Calendar for action and House Bill 2019 (Grell-R-Cumberland) is in the Senate State Government Committee and House Bill 2054 (Grell-R-Cumberland) is on the Senate Calendar for action.

Chesapeake Bay Tributary Strategy: Senate Resolution 207 (Vance-R-Cumberland) urging DEP to place a nine month moratorium on implementation of the Chesapeake Bay Tributary Strategy is set to be considered by the Senate Environmental Resources & Energy Committee on January 24. Both the Senate and House environmental committees held hearings on the Strategy last September.

The Department of Environmental Protection has also convened a Bay Tributary Strategy Steering Committee to help work on implementation issues and Water Quality Credit Trading rules with all groups involved in the issue.

Farmers First Agenda: The Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing in October on proposals to deal with excess manure produced by livestock operations as part of a “Farmers First Agenda” promoted by Senators Waugh (R-York) and Wenger (R-Lancaster) where the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and other groups testified. The Committee is expected to consider legislation on this topic this year.

Adopt-A-River Program: House Bill 1051 (Sturla-D-Lancaster) establishing the Adopt-a-River Program in the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Tabled in the House.

Uniform Environmental Covenants: House Bill 1249 (Rubley-R-Chester) would establish uniform language in covenants relating to the cleanup of brownfield sites to protect the integrity of cleanup methods and ensure ongoing monitoring responsibilities. The House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee held a hearing on the legislation in September.

Deep Mine Safety: Senate Bill 949 (Kasunic-D-Somerset) making improvements to the Bituminous Coal Mine Act deep mine safety law to help deal with concerns raised by the Quecreek Mine Accident in 2002 and other issues is set to have a hearing January 31 in the Senate Environmental Resources & Energy Committee. The companion bill-- House Bill 2229 (Bastian-R-Somerset) is pending in the House Environmental Resources & Energy Committee.

Federal Reclamation Fund: House Resolution 382 a concurrent resolution urging Congress to reauthorize the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund is in the Senate Environmental Resources & Energy Committee which is set to consider the resolution on January 24.

Forestry Task Force: Senate Resolution 137 (Madigan-R-Bradford) re-establishing the Forestry Task Force supported by the Joint Legislative Air & Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee. In the House Rules Committee.

Mercury Issue: The Department of Environmental Protection, working with the Mercury Rule Work Group, is developing a Pennsylvania-only rule to reduce mercury emissions from power plants that would be more stringent than the federal rule that just went into effect and which would reduce mercury emissions by 86 percent. Three of the four chairs of the Senate and House environmental committees have expressed concerns about DEP’s approach. DEP should present the Work Group with its draft rule in February.

Energy Policy: The House Environmental Resources & Energy Committee has been holding a series of informational meetings on energy issues, the next are scheduled for January 25 and February 14. The Committee is expected to consider several pieces of legislation on energy issues as a result of the comments received.

Session Schedule

The House and Senate return to session on January 23 and will be in for the next four weeks, excluding Groundhog Day on February 2.

On the Hill

· On the Senate, House Agenda

· Senate Environmental Committee Opens New Webpage

Other News

· Exelon, Schuylkill River Heritage Area Set Up Fund for Schuylkill Watershed

· Center for Rural PA Awards Grants for Energy, Sewage, Other Projects

· Growing No-till Farming in PA Through the No-Till Alliance

· DEP Simplifies Water Use Registration Process

· Community Energy Project Expanding in Northwest

· Sustainable Energy Fund Of Central Eastern PA Has Board Openings