On March 28, Republicans on the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee voted to report out bills containing a laundry list of things the natural gas industry has wanted for years and to kill the final regulations reducing carbon pollution from Pennsylvania’s power plants.

The bills include--

-- *Expand PA Oil & Gas Infrastructure: House Resolution 189 (Metcalfe-R-Butler) resolution urging President, Congress to take measures to expand Pennsylvania’s and the country’s oil and gas infrastructure.

[Note: The U.S. - European Commission agreement announced last week would increase U.S. LNG exports to Europe temporarily for the next two years and for reducing demand for all natural gas and accelerating deployment of clean energy measures in Europe.  Read more here.]

[40 percent of the shale gas drilling permits issued by DEP have not been used [Read more here.] and 65 percent of the existing State Forest land shale gas leases have not been developed [Read more here.].

-- *Philadelphia LNG Export Task Force: House Bill 2458 (White-R-Philadelphia) establishing a Philadelphia LNG Export Task Force to identify obstacles preventing the Port of Philadelphia from becoming an LNG export terminal and develop a plan on the issue within a year.

[Note: The U.S. - European Commission agreement announced last week would increase U.S. LNG exports to Europe temporarily for the next two years and for reducing demand for all natural gas and accelerating deployment of clean energy measures in Europe.  Read more here.]

--  *End Moratorium In Leasing More State Forest Land For Drilling:  House Bill 2461 (Owlett-R-Tioga) would end Gov. Wolf’s moratorium on leasing more State Forest land for oil and gas development and directing DCNR to establish a program to lease more lands for drilling (sponsor summary). 

[Note: 65 percent of the current, prime State Forest land leased for shale gas drilling have not been developed. They can drill on those areas today, but haven’t.  Read more here. Republicans have wanted to lease more State Forest land for drilling for years.]

-- *Unilateral Change To DRBC Voting: House Bill 2450 (Fritz-R-Wayne) proposes to unilaterally change the 1 state 1 vote now in the Delaware River Basin Commission compact to a system awarding votes based on the land area of each state in the Delaware Watershed.  It would give Pennsylvania 6 votes, New Jersey 3 votes, New York 2 votes, Delaware 1 vote and the federal government 1 vote.  This is another in a years-long attempt by Republicans to reverse the unconventional shale gas fracking moratorium adopted by the Commission in various forms starting in 2010.  Obviously, unilateral changes to the DRBC compact don’t have any effect.  That’s not how interstate compacts work.  Any changes must be adopted by all member entities and approved by the U.S. Congress.

[Note: Rep. Fritz and Republicans in the Senate and House have wanted to overturn the DRBC’s fracking moratorium for years through legislation and filing lawsuits.]

-- *Unilateral Change To DRBC Fracking Ban: House Bill 2451 (Fritz-R-Wayne) proposes to unilaterally change the Delaware River Basin Commission compact by including a provision that would reverse the unconventional shale gas fracking moratorium adopted by the Commission in various forms starting in 2010.  Obviously, unilateral changes to the DRBC compact don’t have any effect. That’s not how interstate compacts work. Any changes must be adopted by all member entities and approved by the U.S. Congress.

-- End NY, NY Anti-Pipeline Policies: House Resolution 187 (Saylor-R-York) urging the Governors of New York and New Jersey to end anti-pipeline policies that block Pennsylvania natural gas from reaching markets in New England (sponsor summary).

[Note: Pennsylvania’s experience with new pipeline construction shows state laws are not strong enough to prevent environmental damage or protect public safety.  Read more here.]

-- Talking Away DEP’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Authority: Senate Bill 119 (Pittman-R- Indiana) taking away DEP’s statutory authority to adopt regulations to reduce carbon pollution from any source, including power plants consistent with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.  The legislation would kill the final RGGI regulations now pending for publication.  It is a companion to House Bill 637 (Struzzi-R-Indiana) that is in the House Appropriations Committee.

[Note: Senate and House Republicans have opposed carbon pollution reduction from power plants since it was first proposed in 2019.  Read more here.]

The bills and resolutions now go to the full House for consideration.

Republican Chair’s Comments

After the meeting, Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, Republican Chair of the Committee, issued a press release titled, “ERE Committee Advance Measures To Expand Energy Independence, Unleash PA’s Full Potential To Power Free World,” saying-- “Pennsylvania’s oil and gas industries are ready, willing, and able to increase domestic production if free market policies are put in place to allow our resources to be cost-effectively transported throughout the country and around the globe to America’s allies.

“In order to fully unleash Pennsylvania’s unmatched potential to power the free world, we must work together to cancel both China Joe Biden’s and Gov. Tom Wolf’s job-killing, punitive crusade against the profitable production and exportation of natural gas and other homegrown fossil fuels.”

“Thanks to our God-given, abundance of natural resources, there is no excuse for America to ever import Russian energy.

“Drill baby drill’ needs to become our Commonwealth’s battle cry for maximizing energy independence by halting the governor’s carbon tax imposing RGGI scheme, senseless pipeline bans, and other insane leftist, fake science driven policies that are fueling Putin’s remorseless war machine and crushing all of us at the pumps.”

Rep. Metcalfe did not explain how it would benefit our national security to lock Pennsylvania more tightly to fossil fuels and a system where their cost is set in volatile foreign markets by despots starting wars and where there is no limit on what they can charge regardless of how much we drill.

Click Here to watch a video of the hearing.

Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler) serves as Majority Chair of the House Environmental Committee and can be contacted by calling 717-783-1707 or sending email to: dmetcalf@pahousegop.com. Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted by calling 717-787-7647 or sending email to: gvitali@pahouse.net.

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*These bills and resolutions were not listed for this meeting prior to the meeting on the General Assembly’s House Committee Schedule webpage.

Related Articles This Week:

-- Republican Chair Of House Environmental Committee Believes Opponents Of Natural Gas Infrastructure Projects ‘Just Need To Be Ignored And Politically Ran Over’

-- Majority Chair Of Senate Committee Calls Opponents Of Natural Gas Infrastructure ‘Radical Environmentalists,’ Arguments By Of Supporters Of RGGI ‘Hysteria’

-- Senate Committees Hear Familiar Pro/Con Comments On Economic, Environmental Impacts Of EQB’s Final Carbon Pollution Reduction Program Covering Power Plants - RGGI 

-- Sen. Casey: PA To Receive $186 Million To Lower Energy Costs For Families From Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

Related Articles:

-- 6th Oil/Natural Gas Shock: U.S. - European Commission Agreement Calls For Reducing Demand For All Natural Gas And Accelerating Deployment Of Clean Energy Measures 

-- PA’s Experience With New Pipeline Construction Shows State Laws Not Strong Enough To Prevent Environmental Damage, Protect Public Safety

-- Republican Senators Propose Gas Drilling On At Least 22,000 More Acres Of State Forest, Mining 920 Acres Of Coal Under A State Park To Pay For DCNR Infrastructure Backlog 

-- Senate Committees Will Now Hold March 29 Hearing On Economic Impacts Of DEP Carbon Pollution Reduction Program Covering Power Plants

[Posted: March 28, 2022]

4/4/2022