The following bills of interest saw action last week in the House and Senate--

House

Keystone Tree Fund: House Bill 374 (Everett-R- Lycoming) establishing the Keystone Tree Fund to support tree planting programs by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources was amended on the House Floor to change the Fund to a restricted account and to prohibit DCNR from using any of the funds for administrative costs, referred into and out of the House Appropriations Committee (House Fiscal Note and summary) and was passed by the House.  The bill now goes to the Senate for action.

Farm Conservation Excellence Grants:  House Bill 1517 (Zimmerman-R-Lancaster) establishing the Conservation Excellence Farm Conservation Grant Program, a bipartisan proposal included in Gov. Wolf’s PA Farm Bill proposal was reported from the House Rules Committee, amended on the House Floor and referred to the House Appropriations Committee.

Agriculture Disaster Response: House Bill 1516 (Causer-R-Cameron) establishing an Agriculture Rapid Response Disaster Readiness Account (sponsor summary), a bipartisan proposal included in Gov. Wolf’s PA Farm Bill proposal was reported from the House Rules Committee, amended on the House Floor and Referred to the House Appropriations Committee.

Coal Refuse Disposal Sites: House Bill 1557 (Gabler-R-Clearfield) that eliminates the ability of coal refuse disposal site operators to temporarily cease operations for 21 year and still retain their permit was reported out of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee and referred to the House Rules Committee as all bills are this time of year.

Natural Gas Use In Manufacturing Tax Credit: House Bill 1100 (Kaufer-R-Luzerne) establishes the Energy And Fertilizer Manufacturing Tax Credit to subsidize the use of methane in the production of ammonia, urea and methanol at the rate of 5 cents per gallon of qualified product.  There is no limit on the total tax credits that could be granted (sponsor summary).  The bill was reported from the House Finance Committee and referred to the House Rules Committee as all bills are this time of year.

Pipeline Investment Program Grants: House Bill 1103 (Fritz-R-Susquehanna) provides grants to extend “last mile” natural gas service to large residential conversion and combined  heat and power projects under the existing Commonwealth Financing Authority PIPE Program (sponsor summary).  The bill was reported from the House Finance Committee and referred to the House Rules Committee as all bills are this time of year.

PFAS Cleanup Bill: House Bill 1410 (Stephens-R-Montgomery) redirecting  future state tax revenue generated on and around military installations to create an authority to cleanup water contaminated with PFAS and other chemicals (sponsor summary) was reported out of the House Commerce Committee and referred to the House Rules Committee as all bills are this time of year.

Electric Vehicle In Lieu Of Tax Fee: House Bill 1392 (Carroll-D-Luzerne) providing for a $150/ year fee for noncommercial and $250/year fee for commercial electric vehicles in lieu of paying liquid fuels tax was reported out of the House Transportation Committee and referred to the House Rules Committee as all bills are this time of year.

Professional Engineers Day: House Resolution 363 (Saylor-R-York) designating August 7, 2019 Professional Engineers Day (sponsor summary) adopted by the House.

Lake Appreciate Month: House Resolution 366 (Wentling-R-Mercer) recognizing the month of July as Lakes Appreciation Month in Pennsylvania (sponsor summary) adopted by the House.

ARIPPA Anniversary:  House Resolution 398 (Goodman-D-Schuylkill) recognizing the Appalachian Region Independent Power Producers Association 30th anniversary (sponsor summary) was adopted by the House.

Senate

Nutrient Procurement Program: Senate Bill 575 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) would establish a taxpayer funded procurement program for nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment reductions needed to comply with the Chesapeake Bay Watershed pollution reduction goals in all or part of 43 counties in the state.  As written, it would guarantee only large companies with access to lots of resources could take part in the complicated bidding process established in the bill Click Here for more..  The bill was amended bto reduce the amount of funding available to cover the administrative costs of DEP from 5 percent to 2.5 percent and eliminated any administrative cost support for the PA Infrastructure Investment Authority and reported out of the Senate Appropriations Committee to the full Senate. A Senate Fiscal Note and summary is available.

Compensate Gas Rights Holders In Delaware Watershed: Senate Bill 305 (Baker-R- Luzerne) would require the Delaware River Basin Commission to reimburse oil and gas rights holders for the value of their rights if DRBC adopts a moratorium on fracking in the watershed was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee. Click Here for more.

Relinquish Residence Provision: House Bill 370 (Klunk-R-York) would amend the Agricultural Area Security Law to authorize farmland conservation owners to relinquish the right to establish a residence (House Fiscal Note and summary) was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Vehicle Emission Inspection Program Changes: Senate Bill 742 (Ward-R-Westmoreland) exempting vehicles from emissions testing for 8 years after manufacturing; Senate Bill 743 (Ward-R-Westmoreland) replace annual emission inspections with inspections every 2 years for vehicles more than 8 years old; Senate Bill 744 (Langerholc-R-Bedford) exempt Blair, Cambria, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mercer, and Westmoreland Counties from the vehicle emissions testing [technical amendment]; Senate Bill 745 (Stefano-R-Fayette) replace the tailpipe test in Pittsburgh and the 2-speed idle test via a dynamometer/treadmill in the Philadelphia region with a gas cap test and a visual inspection for model year 1994-95 vehicles; Senate Bill 746 (Vogel-R-Beaver) extend the transition date for existing emissions inspection stations that are required by the Department of Transportation to obtain new emissions testing equipment by November 1, 2019 to July 1, 2021 [This bill does not direct PennDOT to do an unlawful act.] (sponsor summary of package) were also reported out of the Senate Transportation Committee by a largely party-line vote, Republicans supporting and are now on the Senate Calendar for action.  Click Here for more.

Water/Wastewater System Value: House Bill 751 (Roae-R-Crawford) further providing for the valuation of wastewater and water systems for ratemaking purposes, revising the definition of service line (House Fiscal Note and summary) was reported from the Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee and is now on the Senate Calendar for action.

ARIPPA Anniversary: Senate Resolution 155 (Hutchinson-R-Venango) recognizing the Appalachian Region Independent Power Producers Association 30th anniversary (sponsor summary) was adopted by the Senate.

6/17/2019