Here's an update on environmental legislation that's moving--

Bay Education Program: The House Appropriations Committee reported out House Bill 2775 (Zug-R-Lebanon) that would create a Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education Program to provide grants to schools to promote the teaching of watershed education and afford students the opportunity to participate in meaningful bay or outdoor stream experiences. The bill was amended to remove the appropriation from the bill as is the practice of the Committee.

Clean and Green: The Senate Agriculture Committee reported out House Bill 657 (Major-R-Susquehanna) that amends the Pennsylvania Farmland and Forest Land Assessment Act by deleting "farmstead land" from the definition of "forest reserve" land use categories. Farmstead land would continue to receive preferential assessment under the "agricultural use" land use category and land considered for the agricultural reserve and forest reserve land use categories of Clean and Green would be included in determining the minimum total area of acreage required for preferential assessment.

The bill was amended in three ways: clarifies how land will be treated when the application places it in more than one category, requires a county assessor to report to the appropriate taxing bodies and to the state the number of acres in each land use category, and adds language from Senate Bill 834 (Scarnati-R-Warren) which clarifies that a fee may be charged for recreational activity on the land, provided that the activity does not interfere with producing an agricultural commodity.

GIS Planning: A House Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee met to consider House Resolution 882 (McIlhinney-R-Chester) which encourages the Governor and the State Geospatial Technologies Director to engage in strategic planning of geospatial technologies. The full Committee is scheduled to consider the legislation October 19.

Emission Test Fees: The Joint Budget & Finance Committee released their report on emission test fees this week that concluded the current market-driven fees charged by service station dealers was based legitimately on their cost of labor, equipment and overhead to do the state-required tests. The Committee report also found that a $13.76 “break-even” fee calculated early on in the program was not based on all the costs service stations had to include in their pricing.

House Bill 2696 (Reichley-R-Berks) providing for sales tax exemption for emission testing and posting signs was scheduled, but not considered by the House Transportation Committee this week.

Bills Introduced

“Sin” Taxes Fund Flood Relief: Rep. Cawley (D-Lackawanna) introduced a series of bills this week to increase tobacco (House Bill 2878) and liquor (House Bill 2879) taxes for a new Flood Protection & Mitigation Fund to finance flood recovery and prevention.

NewsClip: Sin taxes could fund flood cleanup

Infrastructure Security: House Bill 2860 (Rubley-R-Chester) gives the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority the authority to provide loans to small water companies to make their systems more secure. Referred to House Environmental Resources & Energy Committee.

House Bill 2861 (Rubley-R-Chester) gives the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority the authority to provide loans to water and wastewater treatment systems to make them more secure. Referred to House Environmental Resources & Energy Committee.

10/8/2004