Here are the Senate and House Calendars for the next voting session day and Committees scheduling action on bills of interest as well as a list of new environmental bills introduced--

Bill Calendars

House (Oct. 1): House Bill 1401 (DiGirolamo-R-Bucks) which amends Title 58 to impose a sliding scale natural gas severance tax, in addition to the Act 13 drilling impact fee, on natural gas production (NO money for environmental programs) and includes provisions related to minimum landowner oil and gas royalties; House Bill 1446 (Quinn-R- Bucks) encouraging infrastructure for electric and natural gas fueled vehicles; House Bill 2638 (Stephens-R- Montgomery) establishes the Military Installation Remediation Authority to address cleanup costs at the former Willow Grove Naval Air Station funded by redirecting Sales Tax revenue from the redevelopment of the facility (sponsor summary); House Resolution 284 (Moul-R-Adams) urging Congress to repeal the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s MS4 Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program (sponsor summary); House Resolution 943 (Tallman-R-Adams) urging the federal Food And Drug Administration to promptly consider candidates for Lyme disease vaccinations; Senate Bill 1172 (Vulakovich-R-Allegheny) further providing for enforcement of price gouging provisions during an emergency declaration (Senate Fiscal Note and summary).  <> Click Here for full House Bill Calendar.

Senate (Oct. 1): Senate Bill 820 (Aument-R- Lancaster) providing liability protection for owners and operators of on-farm agritourism activities (sponsor summary); Senate Bill 917 (Dinniman-R-Chester) amends Act 101 Municipal Waste Planning and Recycling Act to include spent mushroom compost under the definition of “compost materials to encourage its reuse (sponsor summary); Senate Bill 930 (Dinniman-D- Chester) sets notification requirements related to pipeline emergencies (sponsor summary); Senate Bill 931 (Dinniman-D-Chester) requires the installation of automatic or remote controlled safety values in natural gas pipelines in densely populated areas; Senate Bill 1199 (Rafferty-R- Montgomery) providing for a landowners’ bill of rights in cases of eminent domain, including by private entities like pipeline companies (sponsor summary); Senate Resolution 214 (Greenleaf-R-Montgomery) urging Pennsylvania natural gas producers to export gas to European countries in an effort to curtail the monopoly that Russia has on supply to that region (sponsor summary); Senate Resolution 373 (Rafferty-R-Montgomery) is a concurrent Senate-House resolution to establish a Senate-House legislative Commission to Study Pipeline Construction and Operations and to recommend improvements for the safe transport of oil, natural gas and other hazardous liquids through pipelines; House Bill 544 (Moul-R-Adams) further providing for liability protection for landowners opening their land for public recreation; ; House Bill 1550 (Klunk-R-York) amending the Agricultural Area Security Law to allow for a residence for the principal landowner (House Fiscal Note and summary); House Bill 2154 (Causer-R-Cameron) which would weaken environmental standards for conventional (not Shale) oil and gas drilling. <> Click Here for full Senate Bill Calendar.

Committee Meeting Agendas This Week

House: the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee meets to consider Senate Bill 1171 (Brooks-R- Crawford) changing the membership of the Nutrient Management Advisory Board; the Tourism & Recreation Development Committee holds a Roundtable Discussion of tourism issues affecting the Laurel Highlands in Fayette County.  <>  Click Here for full House Committee Schedule.

Senate: the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee holds a hearing on invasive and native species.  <>  Click Here for full Senate Committee Schedule.

Other: the Joint House-Senate Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee holds a Roundtable Discussion on the status and future of anthracite coal in Pennsylvania in Schuylkill County.

Bills Pending In Key Committees

Check the PA Environmental Council Bill Tracker for the status and updates on pending state legislation and regulations that affect environmental and conservation efforts in Pennsylvania.

Bills Introduced

The following bills of interest were introduced last week--

Act 129 Update: House Bill 2662 (C.Quinn-R-Delaware) updating the Act 129 energy efficiency, conservation program for electric utilities (sponsor summary).  Companion to Senate Bill 1236 (McGarrigle (R-Delaware).  Click Here for more.

DRBC Regulatory Authority: House Bill 2670 (Fritz-R-Susquehanna) addresses the authority of the Delaware River Basin Commission to enact a fracking ban and to regulate onlot septic systems and address “mission creep” (sponsor summary).

Clean Energy Week: Senate Resolution 420 (Browne-R-Lehigh) designating September 23-28 Clean Energy Week (sponsor summary) was adopted by the Senate.

Session Schedule

Here is the latest voting session schedule for the Senate and House--

Senate

October 1, 2, 3, 15, 16, 17

November 14

House

October 1 (Non-Voting), 2 (Non-Voting), 9, 10, 15, 16, & 17.

November 13

Governor’s Schedule

Gov. Tom Wolf's work calendar will be posted each Friday and his public schedule for the day will be posted each morning.   Click Here to view Gov. Wolf’s Weekly Calendar and Public Appearances.

10/1/2018