On April 11, House Republicans passed a series of “dog whistle” bills that add even more bureaucracy to DEP permits reviews and pretend to increase natural gas production in Pennsylvania.

The bills include--

-- DEP Permit Applicants Always Right: House Bill 604 (Fritz-R-Susquehanna) adds more bureaucracy to the DEP permit review process, declares in law the applicant for an environmental permit is always right and ignores environmental justice concerns. 

Republicans forgot to tell people--

-- The public may have something to say about permits being considered in their own neighborhoods;

-- A House Republican Committee hearing uncovered the fact 50 to 60 percent of permit erosion and sediment control applications submitted by engineers to conservation districts are incomplete or technically deficient and it takes them an average of 33 business days to respond to those deficiencies [Read more here]; and

-- Last week DEP processed 97 percent of its permits within the Permit Decisions Guarantee deadlines [Read more here].

The bill was passed by the House 115 to 85 on a largely party-line vote, Republicans supporting.  The bill now goes to the Senate for action.  Read more here.

-- 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.

Republicans forgot to tell people each state member of the compact and Congress would have to agree to the changes, which isn’t going to happen.

How will that increase natural gas production?

The House passed the bill 116 to 84 on a largely party-line vote, Republicans supporting and now goes to the Senate for action.  Read more here.

-- 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,

Republicans forgot to tell people each state member of the compact and Congress would have to agree to the changes, which isn’t going to happen. 

How will that increase natural gas production if they don’t want to drill on State Forest land now?

The bill was passed by the House 110 to 90 on a largely party-line vote, Republicans supporting and now goes to the Senate for action.   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). 

Republicans forgot to tell people 65 percent of the State Forest land leased in 2008 and 2010 for shale gas drilling remains undeveloped. 

How will this bill increase natural gas production?

The bill passed the House 116 to 84 on a largely party-line vote, Republicans supporting and now goes to the Senate for action.   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.  The bill was passed by the House 124 to 74 and is now in the Senate for action.  Read more here.

Based on the facts, most people would say these bills don’t do anything to increase the supply of energy, especially since--

-- Unconventional shale gas drillers have not used 40 percent of the drilling permits they’re issued by DEP [Read more here].

Most people would also say they don’t want legislation that--

-- Adds more bureaucracy to DEP’s permit review process;

-- Puts in law that engineers submitting permit applications are always right when they know 50 to 60 percent are defective; and

-- Adds more provisions to make public review more difficult.

Most people would say Republicans didn’t tell them the whole story about these bills.

Clearly, these bills are “dog whistles,” meant to appeal to certain Republican constituents.

Related Articles:

-- 6th Oil/Natural Gas Shock: Number Of New Natural Gas Wells Drilled In First Quarter Declined By Over 25% In PA Compared To 2021, 2020  [PaEN]

-- 6th Oil/Natural Gas Shock: ‘Drillers Continue To Return Cash To Shareholders… Rather Than Boost Production’

-- 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

-- DEP Budget Hearing: Unconventional Natural Gas Industry Didn’t Drill 40% Of The Wells It Had DEP Permits For

-- DCNR Budget Hearing: 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  [65% Of Current Shale Gas Leases On State Forest Land Are Undeveloped]

-- Dog Whistle: House Republicans Move Bill Saying DEP Permit Applicants Are Always Right; Ignores Environmental Justice Concerns; Adds More Bureaucracy

-- More Than Half Of E&S Permit Applications Submitted Are Incomplete; Consultants Take 6 Weeks To Respond To Deficiencies

[Posted: April 11, 2022]

4/18/2022