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

Environment & Energy NewsClips--

Gov. Shapiro

-- MCall - Paul Muschick: Gov. Shapiro’s Plan To Make Govt. More Accountable Is A Model For Others

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: A Bureaucratic Reform Could Transform PA Government

-- Spotlight PA: Tracking Gov. Shapiro’s Biggest Campaign Promises

Senate/House

-- City & State PA: House Speaker Says House Will Vote On Rules, Reforms Feb. 21

-- WITF: House Speaker Pledges To Ready House Rules By Month’s End

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: Democrats Take Back PA House, But Leadership Drama Set To Begin Anew

-- Inquirer: Democrats Officially Control The PA House, Now Will They Be Able To Govern?

-- AP: Democrats Win Control Of PA House With Special Election Victories

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: Democrats Sweep Special Elections, Affirming First PA House Majority In 12 Years

-- TribLive Editorial: Government And Media Need To Serve The People

Environment/Energy Issues

-- Ohio/PA Train Derailment, Pipeline Explosions, Uncontrolled Releases Put Spotlight On Public Health, Safety Threats Posed By Petrochemical, Natural Gas Industrial And Pipeline Infrastructure In PA [PaEN]

-- Inside Climate News: DEP Took 9 Days To Inspect Natural Gas Liquids Plant That Caught Fire On Christmas Day In Washington County [PaEN]

-- Inside Climate News - Jon Hurdle: PA Environmental Officials Took 9 Days To Inspect Natural Gas Liquids Plant That Caught Fire On Christmas Day In Washington County

-- Natural Gas Industry Tells House They Want Faster Permit Reviews, But Didn’t Say They Don’t Use 40% Of The Well Permits They Get From DEP; Industry Practices Keep Energy Prices High   [PaEN]

-- Warren Times Editorial: Making Push For Quicker Permits [Natural Gas Pipelines Used As Example]

-- Williamsport Sun: Sen. Yaw Says Energy Infrastructure Permits Should Be Automatically Approved If Agencies Don’t Review Them In Time

-- EnergyWire: Energy Companies Are Racing To Build New Energy Infrastructure-- LNG Terminals, Pipelines-- Before Federal Regulations Are Updated

-- TribLive Editorial: Government And Media Need To Serve The People

-- Williamsport Sun: Sen. Yaw Looks At Future Of Power After Close Call With Rolling Blackouts In December [Role Of Green Energy]

-- Senate Environmental, Consumer Protection Committees To Hold Feb. 27 Hearing On Grid Reliability And Winter Storm Elliot  [PaEN]

-- Sen. Yaw (R) Guest Essay Supports Exporting PA Natural Gas Thru Philadelphia LNG Terminal  [Ukraine War Taught Us LNG Exports Mean Higher Prices For PA Consumers ]

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Movement To Halt Use Of Carbon Fuels To Blame For Christmas Electric Grid Problems - By Sen. Augment (R)  [Actually Not According To PJM, Natural Gas Froze And Wasn’t Available]

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Natural Gas/Coal Advocates Say Reliability Of Supply Will Help Price  [Rep. Kail (R)  State Govt. Needs To ‘Stay Out Of The Way,’ Natural Gas Drillers Don’t Use 40% Of Permits They Are Issued]

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennan: ‘Red Tape’ Skyrockets Energy Costs In PA Say Natural Gas Advocates [Natural Gas Drillers Don’t Use 40% Of Permits They Are Issued]

-- PUC Approves 48.9% Increase In Natural Gas Charges By Leatherstocking Gas Company In Susquehanna & Bradford Counties [The Heart Of Shale Gas Drilling In PA]  [PaEN]

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Shale Gas Companies Play ‘Dirty Pool’ By Reactivating Expired Leases By Claiming They Are Part Of Back-dated Pooling Declarations  [PaEN]

-- AP: Firm: Faulty Weld, Pressure At A Bend In Keystone Pipeline Led To Kansas Oil Spill; Cost Of Cleanup Now At $480 Million

--House Democratic Policy Committee Spotlights Pittsburgh's Phipps Conservatory For Green Construction, Energy Efficiency Innovation  [PaEN]

-- The Center Square: PA Lawmaker Wants To Expand Access To Solar Energy Options

-- UnionProgress.com - Laura Legere: DEP Wednesday Asked State Court To Reject Case Claiming State Climate Rule Does More Harm Than Good [RGGI]

-- Evangelical Environmental Network Hosts 2 Roundtables On Federal Farm Bill - Faith, Farming And Stewardship Of The Land Feb. 13 In Cambria, Centre Counties  [PaEN]

-- Williamsport Sun: Sen. Yaw Working On Bill For Stream Maintenance

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] 

Bill Calendars 

Senate (February 27): Senate Bill 115 (Stefano-R-Fayette) adopting federal requirements for replacement of oil and oil filters on diesel-powered underground coal mining equipment. <> Click Here for full Senate Bill Calendar.

House (February 21 ): <> Click Here for full House Bill Calendar.

Committee Meetings

House   

<>  Click Here for full House Committee Schedule.

Senate

February 27-- Senate Environmental Resources & Consumer Protection Committees hold joint hearing on Electric Grid Reliability And Winter Storm Elliot. Room 8E-B East Wing Capitol Building. 10:00 a.m.   Click Here to watch the hearing live.  (Click Here for more on the agenda.)

 <>  Click Here for full Senate Committee Schedule.

Bills Introduced

Radon Remediation Act: Senate Bill 339 (Tartaglione-D-Philadelphia) establishes the Radon Remediation Act requiring testing for radon and remediation measures in schools, residential and commercial buildings.

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

February 21, 22, 23, 27, 28

March 1, 6, 7, 8

April 24, 25, 26

May 1, 2, 3, 22, 23, 24

June 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 

Senate

February 27, 28

March 1, 6, 7, 8

Budget hearings: March 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29, 30 and April 11, 12, 13

April 24, 25, 26

May 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10

June 5, 6, 7, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

[Posted: February 12, 2023]

2/13/2023