The information you need to follow legislation in the House and Senate- starting with articles and NewsClips from last week--

Environment & Energy NewsClips--

-- Final State Budget Includes Nearly $700 Million In Funding To Support Local And State Environmental, Recreation Infrastructure Projects!  [PaEN]

-- Lancaster Farming: PA State Budget Delivers Clean Streams Fund, Avian Influenza Aid

-- Environmental Groups Host July 13 State Budget Briefing Webinar  [PaEN]

-- Gov. Wolf Now Has To Decide To Hold Oil & Gas Drillers Accountable, Or Create A $5.1 Billion Cleanup Liability For Taxpayers  [PaEN]

-- PA Environmental Council: Without A Veto Of HB 2644, PA's Abandoned Oil & Gas Well Problem May Be All But Permanent  [PaEN]

-- PA Environmental Council/Environmental Defense Fund + 12 Other Groups: HB 2644 Unjustifiably Limits Bonding For Oil & Gas Wells, Risks Eligibility For Federal Well Plugging Funds  [PaEN]

-- Evangelical Environmental Network Urges Senate To Vote Against The HB 2644 Subsidy & Bailout For Conventional Oil & Gas Drillers - ‘Stop Rewarding Industry For Not Being Responsible’  [PaEN]

-- Commonwealth Court Issues Preliminary Injunction Pausing PA’s RGGI Carbon Pollution Reduction Program Covering Power Plants  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Laura Legere: State Judge Halts PA Power Plant Carbon Dioxide Rule

-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: Pennsylvania’s RGGI Climate Rule Paused Until Trial This Fall

-- AP: Commonwealth Court Blocks Pennsylvania’s Carbon Emissions Reduction Plan

-- At The Request Of The Natural Gas Industry, House, Senate Give Final Approval To Bill Prohibiting Communities From Moving To Cleaner Energy Sources To Address Climate Change [PaEN]

-- After 12 Years, House, Senate Pass Bill To Control Overuse Of Fertilizer On Turf  [PaEN]

-- Bay Journal: PA Lawmakers Move To Limit Fertilizer Use On Turf - By Ad Crable, Chesapeake Bay Journal

-- House Committee Meets July 11 On Letter To IRRC Opposing Final Oil & Gas Facility Methane Reduction Regulation  [PaEN]

-- Bills On The Governor’s Desk - Will Wolf Hold Oil & Gas Drillers Accountable?  [PaEN]

Top 10 Stories On Harrisburg/PA Politics Last Week--

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Top 10 Stories: Harrisburg/PA Politics Reported By Local News Media Last Week  [PaEN]

On The Governor’s Desk

The following bill was given final action by the Senate and House and now is on the Governor’s desk for his action--

Main State Budget Bills: Senate Bill 1100 (General Fund)-- signed into law by the Governor-- and House Bill 1421 (Fiscal Code).  Read more here.

Will Gov. Wolf Hold Oil & Gas Drillers Accountable Or Create $5.1 Billion Taxpayer Cleanup Liability?: House Bill 2644 (Causer-R- Cameron) blocking any increase in conventional oil and gas well plugging bonds, exempting pre-1985 wells (which is most of them) from any bonding leaving taxpayers liable for $5.1 billion in cleanup costs.  Read more here.

Prohibiting Communities From Supporting Cleaner Energy Sources To Address Climate Change: Senate Bill 275 (Yaw-R- Lycoming) which limits the ability of communities to offer new and clean energy sources and energy efficiency programs by locking in the status quo, in particular natural gas [House Fiscal Note & Summary].  Read more here.

Fertilizer Regulation On Turf: Senate Bill 251 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) which sets standards for the application of fertilizer to turf, provides for the certification of professional fertilizer applicators and for labeling and an education program [House Fiscal Note & Summary]. Read more here.

Reassigning Floodplain Management Program: House Bill 1598 (Boback-R-Luzerne) reassigning floodplain management responsibilities to PEMA from DCED [Senate Fiscal Note & Summary]. 

ATVs, Dirt Bikes On City Streets:  Senate Bill 1183 (Browne-R-Lehigh) providing additional penalties for riding ATVs and dirt bikes on city streets [House Fiscal Note & Summary].

Extending Storage Tank Cleanup Programs: House Bill 1780 (Armanini-R-Clearfield) extending the sunset dates for underground storage tank cleanup program from June 30, 2022 to December 31, 2027 [Senate Fiscal Note & Summary].  Governor signed into law as Act 34. 

Expanding C-PACE Energy Efficiency Funding: Senate Bill 635 (Yudichak-I-Luzerne) which expands the C-PACE energy conservation, water reduction funding program tied to property taxes [House Fiscal Note & Summary]. Read more here.  Governor signed into law as Act 43.

Senate, House Bills Moving Last Week 

The following environmental and energy bills saw movement last week-- 

Senate

Exempting Conventional Oil & Gas Wells From Bonding: House Bill 2644 (Causer-R- Cameron) blocking any increase in conventional oil and gas well plugging bonds, exempting pre-1985 wells (which is most of them) from any bonding leaving taxpayers liable for $5.1 billion in cleanup costs was reported out of the Senate Appropriations Committee, amended and passed by the Senate, concurred in by the House and goes to the Governor for his action .  Read more here.

ATVs, Dirt Bikes On City Streets:  Senate Bill 1183 (Browne-R-Lehigh) providing additional penalties for riding ATVs and dirt bikes on city streets [House Fiscal Note & Summary] was concurred in by the Senate and the bill now goes to the Governor for his action.

Take Away Protections In Oil & Gas Well Erosion & Sedimentation Permitting: Senate Bill 692 (Bartolotta-R-Washington) making fundamental changes in the erosion and sedimentation permitting requirements for conventional and unconventional oil and gas activities, including well pads, pipelines, processing and treatment facilities was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.  Read more here.

Extending Act 3 Liability Protection To Land Banks: Senate Bill 1282 (Pittman-R-Indiana) extending Act 3 Land Recycling liability protection to land banks was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Suspending Heavy Vehicle Emission Standards: House Bill 2075 (Knowles-R-Schuylkill) would suspend DEP’s regulations setting heavy-duty diesel emissions standards based on California standards was Tabled.

House

Main State Budget Bills: Senate Bill 1100 (General Fund) and House Bill 1421 (Fiscal Code).  Read more here.

Prohibiting Communities From Supporting Cleaner Energy Sources To Address Climate Change: Senate Bill 275 (Yaw-R- Lycoming) which limits the ability of communities to offer new and clean energy sources and energy efficiency programs by locking in the status quo, in particular natural gas was reported from the House Appropriations Committee and passed by the House without amendment.  The bill now goes to the Governor for his action..  Read more here.

Fertilizer Regulation: Senate Bill 251 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) which sets standards for the application of fertilizer to turf, provides for the certification of professional fertilizer applicators and for labeling and an education program was removed from the Table, was amended, referred into and out of the House Appropriations Committee [House Fiscal Note & Summary] and passed by the House. The bill was concurred in by the Senate and now goes to the Governor for action.  Read more here.

Bill Calendars

House (September 12): House Bill 2069 (Cutler-R- Lancaster) Amend Article III, Section 9, to exempt the disapproval of a regulation by the General Assembly from the presentment requirement for the governor’s approval or disapproval [Read more here]; House Bill 2070 (Cutler- R-Lancaster) Amend Article IV, to add a new section providing that any executive order or proclamation issued by the governor, which purports to have the force of law, may not be in effect for more than 21 days, unless extended by concurrent resolution of the General Assembly [Read more here]; House Resolution 74 (Daley-D-Montgomery) directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to conduct a study of wildlife conservation corridors.<> Click Here for full House Bill Calendar.

Senate (September 19): Senate Bill 1249 (Comitta-D-Chester) establishing a Pollinator Habitat Program Fund and Program in PennDOT.  <> Click Here for full Senate Bill Calendar.

Committee Meetings 

House   

July 11-- House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee meets on a letter to the Independent Regulatory Review Commission announcing their intent to review (and oppose) the final EQB regulation reducing VOC/Methane emissions from oil and gas facilities.  Room G-50 of the Irvis Building.  3:00 p.m.  Click Here to watch online.  Read more here.

<>  Click Here for full House Committee Schedule.

Senate

July 19-- Senate Game and Fisheries Committee hearing on the Fishery Of Lake Erie and its economic impact on the region.  H.O. Hirt Auditorium, Biasco Memorial Library, Erie. 2:00 p.m.

 <>  Click Here for full Senate Committee Schedule.

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.

Session Schedule

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

House

September 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21

October 24, 25, 26

November 14, 15, 16

Senate

September 19, 20, 21

October 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26

November 15

[Posted: July 10, 2022]

7/11/2022