On October 25, the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee reported out legislation to rebrand fossil fuels as “low emission” vehicle fuels and end state incentives for hybrid and electric vehicles and failed to end the ban on raising conventional oil and gas well plugging bonding for ten years.

The Committee also unanimously voted to report out the Governor’s nomination of Sarah Clark to the Environmental Hearing Board to the full Senate with a favorable recommendation.  The Senate later confirmed her nomination.

The bills include--

-- Rebranding Fossil Fuels:  Senate Bill 1338 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) and Senate Bill 1339 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) which try to rebrand fossil fuels like natural gas, propane into “low emission transportation fuels” and eliminate rebates and incentives for hybrid and electric vehicles.  Read more here.

Sen. Carolyn Comitta (D-Chester), Minority Chair of the Committee, opposed the bills saying the departments of Agriculture and DEP said there are fundamental questions about how the new programs will operate and they would eliminate hybrid and electric vehicle incentives.

The bills were reported out by a vote of 8 to 3 with Republicans and Sen. Boscola (D-Lehigh) supporting.

-- Conventional Well Plugging Bill: House Bill 2528 (Struzzi-R-Indiana) would mandate DEP award conventional oil and gas well plugging contracts to Pennsylvania contractors was amended to fix significant problems with the language in the former House Bill 2644-- Act 96-- to meet the requirements of the new federal conventional oil and gas well plugging program.

The Committee again failed to address the biggest problem in Act 96, which is to ban DEP from increasing the conventional oil and gas plugging bonding amounts for 10 years.  Read more here.

The bill was held in Committee after it was amended and then reported out at a second meeting later in the day, passed by the Senate and is now on the Governor's desk for action.

Info Meeting

Immediately after the Committee business meeting, an information meeting was held on Senate Bill 1125 (Pittman-R-Indiana) creating a Legionnaires’ Disease Drinking Water Risk Management Program.

Click Here for videos and more information on the meetings.

Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming) serves as Majority Chair of the Senate Environmental Committee and can be contacted by calling 717-787-3280 or sending email to: gyaw@pasen.gov.   Sen. Carolyn Comitta (D-Chester) serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted by calling 717-787-5709 or sending email to: senatorcomitta@pasenate.com.

Related Articles This Week:

-- DEP: PA General Energy Cited For More Water Pollution Violations, Blocking The Whole Width Of Loyalsock Creek At Gas Pipeline/Water Withdrawal Construction Site In Lycoming County [PaEN]

-- DEP Permit Notices -- Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities  [PaEN]

-- Senate, House Pass Massive, 20-Year Taxpayer Subsidies For Natural Gas, Hydrogen And Petrochemical Industries In Hours With No Public Accountability Or Environmental Safeguards [PaEN]

-- Citizens Voice Editorial: State Insists On Paying Polluters  [PaEN]

-- Scranton Times/Republican Herald Editorial: Legislators Like Plastics, Expect More  [PaEN]

-- Bill Goes To Governor Creating Well Plugging Grant Program; Senate, House Again Fail To Address Woefully Inadequate Conventional Well Plugging Bonding  [PaEN]

-- Pine Creek Headwaters Protection Group: Potential Impacts Of Shale Gas Development Forest Fragmentation On Tioga State Forest Birds - By Dr. Robert M. Ross  [PaEN]

-- DCNR Leased 176 Acres Of Susquehanna River Submerged Land To SWN Natural Gas Production Company In Susquehanna County For $704,000  [PaEN]

-- Public Herald: Public Records Show PA Has 10,543 Injection Wells Where Conventional Oil & Gas Drilling Wastewater Is Often Used For Enhanced Recovery Of Oil & Gas

-- Penn State Research: PFAS 'Forever Chemicals' Persist Through Wastewater Treatment, May Enter Crops - By Penn State News  [PaEN]

-- A Study Finding Microplastics In 100% Of Exceptional Value, High Quality, Class A Trout Streams Sampled In PA Is Disturbing To Wildlife Advocates  [PaEN]

-- National Fuel Gas Requests PUC To Approve 9.2% Increase In Base Delivery Charge; Separate Cost Of Gas Up 127.8% Since May 2021 [PaEN]

-- PUC Approves 9% Increase In The Basic Monthly Bill For Typical PECO Natural Gas Division Customers; On Top Of An 103.2% Increase In Cost Of Natural Gas [PaEN]

-- Ohio River Valley Institute Blog: Natural Gas Costs Are Principal Driver Of Current Inflation; Increasing Gas Production For Export Also Increases Prices And Volatility

[Posted: October 25, 2022]

10/31/2022