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

Environment & Energy NewsClips--

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

-- Gov. Wolf Vetoes Bill Prohibiting Communities From Moving To Cleaner Energy Sources To Address Climate Change  [PaEN]

-- Guest Essay: Gov. Wolf, Don’t Give Money To The Oil Industry - By Rev. Mitchell Hescox & Kim Anderson, Evangelical Environmental Network

-- AP: Gov. Wolf Vetoes Bill To Block All-Electric Building Codes

-- PA Capital-Star Guest Essay: How Far Will PA Republicans Go To Limit Constitutional Rights? - Patrick Beaty, Fair Districts PA  [Is PA’s Environmental Rights Amendment Next?]

-- PennLive - Charles Thompson: PA, Longtime Pariah Of Chesapeake Bay Watershed, Gets Rare ‘Attaboy’ For New Environmental Investments

-- Bay Journal: PA Takes ‘Historic’ Action To Fund Clean Water Projects And Help The Chesapeake Bay - By Ad Crable, Chesapeake Bay Journal

-- PA Capital-Star: State Budget Will Give Environmental Efforts A Funding Boost

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Better Parks, Cleaner Rivers: How PA Will Spend A ‘Generational’ $765 Million For Conservation And Environmental Programs 

-- StateImpact PA - Rachel McDevitt: Environmentalists Hail Latest PA Budget, Even As Key Climate Program On Hold

-- AP: State Budget Funds 3 New State Parks, Locations To Be Determined

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Could A New State Park Be Coming To The Philly Region?

-- Scranton Times Editorial: State’s Late Investment In Clean Water

-- After A 12 Year Journey, Gov. Wolf Signs Bill Into Law To Control Overuse Of Fertilizer On Turf  [PaEN]

-- Coalition For Delaware River Watershed: Pennsylvania Falls Short In Funding Commitment To Delaware River Basin Commission  [PaEN]

-- EQB Approves Municipal Waste Recycling General Permit; DEP Continues Review Of Oil & Gas Well Bonding Petitions; Expects To Bring Methane Control Reg To EQB For Conventional Oil & Gas Wells Soon  [PaEN]

-- Republicans On House Committee Approves Letter To IRRC Setting Up Their Disapproval Of Final Oil & Gas Facility Methane Reduction Regulations; Failure To Adopt Will Risk Millions In Federal Highway Funds  [PaEN]

-- WESA: PA Legislature Approves New $125 Million Home Repair Assistance Initiative With Energy Efficiency Program

-- Citizens Voice: Yudichak, Heffley Work To Help Property Owners Get Access To Clean Energy Financing Program [C-PACE]

-- WESA: House Bills Would Expand LIHEAP Heating Assistance In PA

-- Warren Times Editorial: It’s Time To Start Legislating On Energy, Environmental Issues

“We can hope that the Supreme Court’s ruling [on EPA’s climate rule] will galvanize our lawmakers to set aside the partisan tactics and work on compromises on which they can vote, clearly and transparently.”

“It’s time the legislature lives up to those responsibilities.”

-- PennLive: Wolf Signs Law Allowing Confiscation, Sale Of Illegally-Ridden Dirt Bikes, ATVs

-- MCall: Pack Of 40 Dirt Bikes, ATVs Disrupt Traffic On I-78 In Lehigh Valley; State Police Asking For Help To Identify Drivers

-- MCall: Officials: Lehigh Valley Has More Work To Do To Bring Illegal Riding Of Dirt Bikes, ATVs Under Control

-- MCall - Paul Muschick: Why PA’s New Anti-Dirt Bike, ATV Law Won’t Help If You Live In Emmaus, Whitehall Or Upper Macungie

-- Scranton Times Editorial: New ATV, Dirt Bike Seizure Law Incomplete

-- 20th Anniversary Of Quecreek Mine Rescue To Be Celebrated In July 22-23 In Somerset County  ​[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--

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]. Vetoed by Governor.  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.  Signed into law as Act 83.

Reassigning Floodplain Management Program: House Bill 1598 (Boback-R-Luzerne) reassigning floodplain management responsibilities to PEMA from DCED [Senate Fiscal Note & Summary]. Signed into law as Act 65.

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].  Signed into law as Act 92.

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   

August 9--  House Democratic Policy Committee hearing on Powering PA - Nuclear Fusion. K&L Gates Center, 210 6th Ave., Pittsburgh. 10:00 a.m.

August 10-- House Democratic Policy Committee hearing on Hydrogen Hub.  Operating Engineers 66, 111 Zeta Dr., Pittsburgh. 10:00 a.m.

<>  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 17, 2022]

7/18/2022