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

-- Shapiro Announces Norfolk Southern Repaid PA Fire Departments, First Responders $1 Million  [PaEN]

Budget

-- WHYY - Rachel McDevitt: Acting DEP Secretary Pitches Permit Reform During Budget Hearing 

Train Derailment

-- Shapiro Announces Norfolk Southern Repaid PA Fire Departments, First Responders $1 Million  [PaEN]

-- Dept. Of Health Establishes Community-Based Health Resource Network To Provide Long-Term Assistance To Residents Impacted By Norfolk Southern Train Derailment  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA Wants Norfolk Southern To Reimburse Farmers Who Lost Meat Sales After Train Derailment

-- WESA/The Allegheny Front: Questions Remain About Testing, Cleanup Of Streams After Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

-- Post-Gazette-Capitolwire.com - Robert Swift: PA Budget Hearing On Health Dept. Covers Train Derailment, Post-COVID Landscape

-- UnionProgress.com: Seven Weeks After Trail Derailment, Residents Struggle With The Unknown

-- TribLive: ‘Shell-Shocked’ East Palestine, Ohio Residents Seek Normalcy After Train Wreck

-- Courier Times: Delaware River Chemical Spill Includes Toxin Released In Norfolk Southern Train Derailment, The Latest On The Spill

-- Politics PA: Casey, Fetterman, Brown Introduce Rail Safety Legislation

-- Post-Gazette: EPA Waited Weeks After Train Derailment To Test For Dioxins, Residents, Advocates Demand More Transparency

-- CNN: CDC Team Studying Health Impacts Of Ohio Train Derailment Fell Ill For 24 Hours During Investigation Reporting Same Symptoms As Residents

-- WESA/The Allegheny Front: EPA Office Of Inspector General To Investigate Agency’s Response To Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

-- AP: U.S. Justice Dept. Sues Norfolk Southern Over Train Derailment Environmental Damage

-- Politics PA: DOJ, EPA File Lawsuit Against Norfolk Southern For Unlawful Discharge Of Pollutants And Hazardous Substances At Train Derailment Site

-- TribLive Editorial: Norfolk Southern Lawsuits Are Necessary Enforcement Of Railroad’s Promises

Bucks County/Delaware River Chemical Spill

-- DEP Provides Update On 8,100 Gallon Spill From Bucks County Chemical Plant Affecting The Delaware River  [PsEN]

-- Stroud Water Research Center On Bucks County Chemical Spill: We Need To Revisit Source Water Protection, Pollution Prevention Contingency Plans To Protect Our Share Water Resources  [PaEN]

Environment/Energy Issues

-- DEP Starts Accepting Growing Greener Plus, Section 319, SMCRA Mine Reclamation, Pipeline Penalty Projects, Stormwater Planning, Watershed Restoration Grant Applications April 21 [PaEN]

-- Agriculture Announces Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program Grants Now Becoming Available Thru County Conservation Districts  [PaEN]

-- Williamsport Sun: Sen. Yaw Touts New $154 Million Agriculture Conservation Program In Lycoming County

-- WHYY - Rachel McDevitt: Acting DEP Secretary Pitches Permit Reform During Budget Hearing

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Acting DEP Secretary Disappoints By Spouting Enviro Justice Nonsense

-- PJM This Week Sends Penalty Assessments Of Up To $2 Billion To Electric Generators That Failed To Perform During December’s Winter Storm Elliot; Natural Gas Power Plants Had 63% Of Outages  [PaEN]

-- Marcellus Drilling News: DEP Acting Secretary Negrin’s Flawed View Of ‘Climate Change’

-- PA Capital-Star: Environmentalists, Advocates Urge Shapiro To Stay The Course On RGGI Carbon Pollution Reduction Plan

-- Scranton Times Editorial: Carbon Pollution Reduction Plan Serves Economy, Environment [RGGI]

-- Bipartisan House, Senate Members Introduce Legislation Establishing Real Community Solar Program To Help Address Home/Business Energy Spikes Caused By Volatile Natural Gas Prices  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: As Shell Shuts Down New Beaver County Petrochemical Plant For Repairs, And Burns Off Natural Gas In Flares, Company Says It Hasn’t Exceeded Air Emission Limits

-- Shell Petrochemical Plant Beaver County: Bad And Dangerous Start; Shell Shut Down Part Of Plant For Repairs, Beings Full Natural Gas, Flammable Gases Flaring Operations For Unknown Period

-- Beaver County Times: Expect ‘Continuous’ Flaring- Burning Off Natural Gas, Flammable Gases At Shell Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County

-- BreatheProject.org /Reddit: March 31 Video Showing Shell Petrochemical Plant Still Flaring Natural Gas, Still Using Hose To Cool Barrel Tower Around Flare

-- WHYY: New PA Program Will Send Millions To Philly Area For Home Repairs And Weatherization

-- Game Commission Delivers Annual Report To Legislature 

-- Fish & Boat Commission Presents Annual Report To Legislature

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 (April 24): Senate Bill 188 (DiSanto-R-Dauphin) amending the Regulatory Review Act to authorize the General Assembly to kill “economically significant” regulations by doing nothing;  Senate Bill 190 (Brooks-R- Crawford) requiring an automatic three-year review of economically significant regulations in a process similar to what was called “sunset reviews” decades ago. That process was abandoned by the General Assembly because it became a costly, time-consuming exercise with little benefit; Senate Bill 508 (Mastriano-R-Adams) providing for a Train Derailment Emergency Grant Program to provide financial support for residents and small businesses impacted by the February Ohio/PA train derailment;  Senate Bill 466 (Brown-R-Lackawanna) providing for land bank environmental cleanup liability; Senate Resolution 59 (Mastriano-R- Adams) recognizing the impact of the February Ohio/PA train derailment on Pennsylvania residents.  <> Click Here for full Senate Bill Calendar.

House (April 24): <> Click Here for full House Bill Calendar.

Committee Meetings

House   

April 11-- House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee information meeting on organic production in PA.  Rodale Institute Visitor’s Center, Kutztown.  1:00 p.m.

<>  Click Here for full House Committee Schedule.

Senate

May 1-- [Tentative] Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee informational briefing from energy industry operators to discuss grid reliability as well as PJM policies and procedures.  Room 8E-B East Wing Capitol Building. 10:00 a.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

Budget Hearings: April 11, 12, 13, 14

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

Budget hearings: 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: April 2, 2023]

4/3/2023