News From PA House & Senate

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

-- Senate Confirms Cindy Adams Dunn As Secretary of the Department Of Conservation & Natural Resources  [PaEN]

-- DCNR: Senate Confirms Cindy Adams Dunn As DCNR Secretary

-- Senate Environmental Committee Unanimously Reports Nomination Of Cindy Adams Dunn As DCNR Secretary To Full Senate With Favorable Recommendation

Budget

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: Disputes Over Education Spending, Cash Reserves Emerge As PA Budget Deadline Approaches

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA Senate Republicans Balk At House Democrats’ Budget Proposal As Talks Intensify

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA House Democrats Pass Budget Bill With More Spending Than Shapiro Proposed; Republicans Say It Will ‘Bankrupt’ State

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: PA House Passes Democrats’ 446.4 Billion Spending Plan; Republicans Call It Unsustainable

-- The Center Square: Pricier Budget Offer Squeaks Through PA House

-- PA Capital-Star: House Democrats Propose $903 Million In Additional Spending Over Shapiro’s Proposal

-- AP: Growing State Budget Fight In Divided Legislature Could Test PA’s Democratic Governor

-- Spotlight PA - Steven Caruso: PA State Budget: Guide To What’s On The Table, What Comes Next, How To Follow Along

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: It’s Crunch Time In Harrisburg As State Budget Season Goes Into Full Swing

Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

-- House Passes Bipartisan Legislation To Strengthen Rail Safety After Norfolk Southern Train Derailment  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA House Passes New Train Safety Bill In Split Vote: ‘How Many East Palestines Should We Accept?’

-- WESA/The Allegheny Front: Officials Say They Don’t Know Long-Term Impacts Of Norfolk Southern Train Derailment On Residents

-- AP: Federal Regulators Promise Safety Review At All Major Freight Railroads

PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- US EIA: U.S. Natural Gas Prices Expected To Increase 30% In 2024

-- Bloomberg: European Natural Gas Prices Surge 35% On The Week As Supply Risks Rattle Market

-- US EIA: Eastern US Wholesale Electricity Prices Expected To Be 50% Lower In 2023 As A Result Of Lower Natural Gas Prices

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rig County Remains At 24

-- Reuters: US Drillers Cut Oil/Gas Drilling Rigs For 6th Week In A Row, Baker Hughes Says

-- TribLive: PJM Interconnection: Closure Of Homer City Coal-Fired Power Plant Won’t Impact Electric Grid Reliability

-- Utility Dive: FERC To Oversee Settlement Talks To Resolve Complaints About $1.8 Billion In PJM Interconnection Winter Storm Elliot Nonperformance Penalties  [Primarily Natural Gas-Fired Generation]

-- Utility Dive: U.S. Residential Heat Pump Sales Pass Natural Gas Furnaces For First Time As Interest In Efficiency Tech Surges: IEA

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: PA- $3.65, National Average- $3.58

-- Forbes: U.S. Shale Oil Drilling Is Slowing Down Due To Factors Beyond Anyone’s Control

Environment/Energy Issues

-- Wilkes-Barre Times Editorial: Wildfire Smoke A Reminder Of Our Shared Vulnerability  [PaEN]

-- Tribune-Review Column: Where There's Smoke, There's Wildfires And Serious Questions To Answer - By Lori Falce, Tribune-Review Community Engagement Editor  [PaEN]

-- Centre Daily Times: Climate Watch - Baseball: The Common Ground On Climate Change

-- PA Capital-Star - John Micek: What The Wildfires Teach Us - We Might Not Survive Our Own Climate Foolishness, But The Planet Will Go On Spinning Without Us

-- House Committee Reports Out Bill Requiring The Evaluation Of Cumulative Impacts Of Some New Pollution Sources On Communities Already Burdened By Pollution; And Other Bills  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette/Capitolwire.com- Robert Swift: PA House Panel Approves Environmental Justice Permit Bill

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Environmental Justice Permitting Bill Moves Through PA House Committee

-- Republicans, Shale Gas Industry Oppose House Bill Requiring The Evaluation Of Cumulative Impacts Of Some New Pollution Sources On Communities Already Burdened By Pollution  [PaEN]

-- MarkWest Liberty Midstream Files To Clean Up 10,000 Gallon Natural Gas Condensate Spill Caused By December’s Winter Storm Elliot Freeze In Washington County  [PaEN]

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - June 3 to 9:   Plugged Conventional Well Frack-Out; 10 More NOVs For Abandoning Conventional Wells  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - June 10   [PaEN]

-- Senate Environmental Committee Info Session On Carbon Capture Discusses Job Potential; Reaching Net-Zero Carbon Goal; Impacts/Risks Of The Technology; PA’s Poor Track Record In Regulating Pipelines, Oil & Gas Industry  [PaEN]

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Carbon Capture Success Hinges On Taxpayer Subsidies, For Now

-- Reuters: EU Plans Strategy To Scale Up Investment In Capturing CO2 Emissions

-- Scranton Times Editorial: Help Schools Develop Solar Power

-- Residents, Environmental Groups Rally Against Shell Petrochemical Plant's Pollution In Beaver County  [PaEN]

-- Beaver County Times: Activists Ask County Leaders To Support Greater Oversight Of Shell Petrochemical Plant

-- Beaver County Times Guest Essay: Beaver County Commissioners Meeting About Shell Petrochemical Plant Highlights Importance Of Leading Without Being In Charge

-- WESA-Reid Frazier: Residents Rally Against Shell Petrochemical Plant Pollution In Beaver County

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Residents Urge Beaver County Commissioners To Help Lobby Shell To Protect Health, Police Shell

-- New Analysis: PA's RGGI Carbon Pollution Reduction Program Covering Power Plants Will Cut Consumer Energy Costs, Increase Federal Investments In PA  [PaEN]

-- Virginia Mercury: Virginia Air Board Approves Withdrawal From Regional Carbon Market [RGGI]

-- Sen. Yaw Statement On Virginia Withdrawal From RGGI

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: PA Republican Lawmakers Hopeful After Virginia Rejects RGGI Carbon Pricing

-- EnergyWire: PA Coal Plants Keep Closing, Does The State Need Carbon Trading?  [RGGI]

-- Senate Republicans Pass Bill Taking ‘Protection’ Out Of The Name Of Department Of Environmental Protection; But DEP Doesn’t Have To Change Its Signs Until They Wear Out  [PaEN]

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: PA Senate Approves New Name For DEP In Hopes Of A ‘Culture Change’   [Read more here.]

-- Citizens Voice Editorial: ‘Protection’ Still Core Of DEP’s Job  [PaEN]

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Senate Committee Advances Bill Eliminating Alternative Fuels Tax For Electric Vehicles Creating New Fee

-- TribLive/PennLive: PA Looking To Charge Electric Vehicle Owners A $290 Annual Fee

-- Planet Philadelphia: June 16: Transportation Options For Sustainability, 4:00 p.m.

-- Better Path Coalition: June 22 Virtual Brown Bag Briefing With Laurie Barr On Abandoned Conventional Oil/Gas Wells  [PaEN]

-- Inside Climate News: Abandoned Conventional Oil/Natural Gas Wells Emit Carcinogens, Other Harmful Pollutants In PA, Study Shows  [PaEN]

-- StateImpactPA: Abandoned Conventional Oil/Natural Gas Wells In PA Emit Carcinogens, Other Harmful Pollutants, Groundbreaking Study Shows

-- Post-Gazette/Inside Climate News: Abandoned Oil, Gas Wells Emit Carcinogens, Other Harmful Pollutants, Study Says

-- Inside Climate News - Stacey Burling: $400 Million In Federal Abandoned Conventional Oil/Gas Well Plugging Funds In PA, But It’s Not Enough; Hazards Include EQT Frack-Out In Greene County; More Wells Being Abandoned All The Time

-- Wall Street Journal: Surprising New Source Of Lithium For Batteries - Oil/Gas Wastewater

-- UPDATED: Susquehanna River Basin Low Stream Flows Trigger SRBC Water Withdrawal Restrictions On 49 Oil & Gas Drilling Operations & Other Water Users  [PaEN]

-- EPA Invites Comments On Proposed Oil/Gas Waste Underground Injection Well In Fayette County; July 11 Virtual Public Hearing Set  [PaEN]

-- Broad+Liberty Guest Essay: The World Needs PA’s Natural Gas And Philly Is Poised To Deliver It [LNG Export Terminal] - By Mike Butler, Consumer Energy Alliance

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: PA House Resolution Would Study Impact Of PA Not Having Natural Gas Severance Tax

-- Richmond Register: PA Company Fairmont Brine Settles Charges Of Illegally Dumping WV Radioactive Fracking Waste In Kentucky

-- Post-Gazette/Capitolwire.com: PA Senate Moves Bill To Require Blood Lead Level Testing For Children

-- PA Senate Passes Resolution Designating June 4 to 10 Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week In Pennsylvania

-- WKBN: PA U.S. Senator Fetterman, Other Members Introduce Bill To Create Spotted Lanternfly Research & Development Program

-- WESA/LehighValleyNews: How A Statewide Study Of Wildlife Corridors Could Impact PA

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]

Senate, House Bills Moving Last Week

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

House

Train Safety Measures: House Bill 1028 (Matzie-D-Beaver, Marshall-R-Beaver) that would set the first new state rail safety requirements in response to the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio was reported out of the House Appropriations Committee (House Fiscal Note & Summary) and passed by the House by a vote of 141 to 62.  The bill now goes to the Senate for action.

Forwarding EPA NOVs: House Bill 718 (Mako-R-Northampton) requiring DEP to forward notices of noncompliance by the EPA for violations of the Toxic Substances Control Act to municipalities was referred into and out of the House Appropriations Committee [House Fiscal Note & Summary] and passed by the House.  The bill now goes to the Senate for action.

Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week: House Resolution 104 (Sturla-D-Lancaster, Benninghoff-R-Mifflin) designating June 4 to 10 as Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week was adopted by the House 172 to 31-- Republicans voting against.

Preventing Abandonment Of Conventional Oil/Gas Wells: House Bill 962 (Vitali-D- Delaware) to restore DEP’s authority to review conventional oil and gas well plugging bonding amounts to help prevent the routine abandonment of between 400 and 600 conventional oil and gas wells a year by operators was removed from the Table and is now on the House Calendar for action.  Read more here

Solar Energy Grants For Schools: House Bill 1032 (Fiedler-D-Philadelphia) establishing a solar energy grant program for schools was removed from the Table and is now on the House Calendar for action.  Read more here.

Cumulative Impact Report: House Bill 652 (Bullock-D-Philadelphia) requiring environmental impact reports on certain major sources of pollution in communities already burdened by pollution was amended to more closely align with the new Environmental Justice Program of the Department of Environmental Protection and reported out of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee by party-line votes, Republicans opposing and recommitted to House Rules Committee as all bills are this time of year.   Read more here.

Excluding Cryptocurrency Operations From Tax Credits: House Bill 1282 (Vitali-D- Delaware) excluding cryptocurrency mining operations from state Computer Data Center Equipment Tax Credit (sponsor summary) was reported out of House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee by a party-line vote, Republicans opposing and was recommitted to House Rules Committee as all bills are this time of year.    Read more here.

Alkaline Hydrolysis Cremation: House Bill 1172 (Daley-D-Montgomery) expanding the use of alkaline hydrolysis cremation (sponsor summary) was unanimously reported out of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee with a recommendation it be referred to the House Commerce Committee and it was.   Read more here.

Estimating Lost Natural Gas Severance Tax Revenue: House Resolution 131 (Steele-D- Allegheny) directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to estimate how much revenue Pennsylvania could have collected by adopting a natural gas severance tax since February 2012 (sponsor summary) was reported out of of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee by a party-line vote, Republicans opposing and it is on the House Calendar for action.  Read more here.

Skip The Straw: House Resolution 119 (Krueger-D-Delaware) designating June 1, 2023 as “Skip The Straw Day” in Pennsylvania (sponsor summary) was reported out of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee by a party-line vote, Republicans opposing and it is on the House Calendar for action.  Read more here.

Diesel Mining Equipment: Senate Bill 115 (Stefano-R-Fayette) adopting a 100-hour diesel oil change requirement for underground coal mining equipment (Senate Fiscal Note & Summary) was reported out of the House Transportation Committee and was Tabled.

Senate

Changing DEP Name: Senate Bill 691 (Yaw-R- Lycoming) dropping ‘Protection’ from the name of the Department of Environmental Protection was referred into and out of the Senate Appropriations Committee, amended on the Senate Floor and passed by the Senate in a party-line vote of 28 to 22-- Democrats opposed.  The bill now goes to the House for action.

The amendment added provisions to the bill saying DEP--

-- The name on buildings other locations shall not be changed until signs ware out;

-- The name on badges, stationary will not be affected until supplies run out;

-- DEP may substitute the new name on documents and materials on a scheduled it deems appropriate;

-- The name on licenses, contracts, deeds and other officials documents to the new name will not be affected; and

-- Computer systems are not affected by the name change until regular upgrades.

            Read more here.

Narrowing Grounds For Appeal Of DEP Permits: Senate Bill 198 (Bartolotta-R-Washington) which would create a new standard for the review for appeals of DEP permit actions before the Environmental Hearing Board by limiting parties appealing permit decisions-- a company or a citizens group-- to issues raised in and information contained in a record of decision of a permit prepared by DEP.  This would prevent a citizens group or anyone else from raising issues DEP missed or misinterpreted.  The bill was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.  Read more here.

Terms Of Environmental Hearing Board Members: Senate Bill 199 (Bartolotta-R- Washington) requires members of the Board whose terms have expired to be reappointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate.  The bill was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.  Read more here.

Testing Children For Lead: Senate Bill 514 (Baker-R-Luzerne) requiring child testing for lead blood levels (sponsor summary) was reported from the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and is now on the Senate Calendar for action.

Penalties For Killing Bald, Golden Eagles: Senate Bill 709 (Boscola-D-Lehigh) increasing the penalty for killing Bald or Golden Eagles (sponsor summary) was amended and reported from the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee and is now on the Senate Calendar for action.

Allowing Recycled Materials In Stuffed Toys: Senate Bill 756 (Robinson-R-Allegheny) allowing recycled materials in stuffed toys (sponsor summary) was reported out of the Senate Labor and Industry Committee and is now on the Senate Calendar for action.

Taxing Electric Vehicles: Senate Bill 656 (Rothman-R-Cumberland) imposing a fee-in-lieu of gasoline tax on electric vehicles (sponsor summary) was amended and reported from the Senate Transportation Committee and is now on the Senate Calendar for action.

Bill Calendars

House (June 12): House Bill 962 (Vitali-D- Delaware) to restore DEP’s authority to review conventional oil and gas well plugging bonding amounts to help prevent the routine abandonment of between 400 and 600 conventional oil and gas wells a year by operators Read more here; House Bill 1032 (Fiedler-D-Philadelphia) establishing a solar energy grant program for schools Read more hereHouse Resolution 79 (Pisciottano-D- Allegheny) urging the Biden Administration and Congress to designate Pennsylvania as a hydrogen hub; House Resolution 119 (Krueger-D-Delaware) designating June 1, 2023 as “Skip The Straw Day” in Pennsylvania (sponsor summary);  House Resolution 131 (Steele-D- Allegheny) directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to estimate how much revenue Pennsylvania could have collected by adopting a natural gas severance tax since February 2012 (sponsor summary). <> Click Here for full House Bill Calendar. 

Senate (June 19): Senate Bill 100 (Brooks-R-Crawford) further providing for Lyme disease and tick-borne illness medical coverage; Senate Bill 514 (Baker-R-Luzerne) requiring child testing for lead blood levels (sponsor summary); Senate Bill 689 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) would authorize DEP to issue a 10-year “stream cleaning” permits to local governments or PennDOT without need for further preapprovals for actions in the stream regardless if stream conditions changes within their jurisdictions [Read more here]; Senate Bill 690 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) would authorize county conservation districts to develop a complex and expensive program related to “reconstruction emergency permit authorizations” to conduct “stream cleaning” operations [Read more here]; Senate Bill 709 (Boscola-D-Lehigh) increasing the penalty for killing Bald or Golden Eagles (sponsor summary);  Senate Bill 756 (Robinson-R-Allegheny) allowing recycled materials in stuffed toys (sponsor summary).  <> Click Here for full Senate Bill Calendar.

Committee Meetings

House   

June 12-- House Republican Policy Committee hearing on negative impact of the energy tax.  Room 205 Ryan Building. 10:00 a.m.

June 13-- House Consumer Protection, Technology, Utilities Committee informational meeting on the Public Utility Commission.  Room 140 Main Capitol. 10:00 a.m..  Click Here to watch online.

June 16-- House Republican Policy Committee hearing on Electrifying Our World - Impacts On Grid Integrity & Reliability.  Back Mountain Regional EMA, 3593 State Route 118, Dallas, Luzerne County. 10:00 a.m.

<>  Click Here for full House Committee Schedule.

Senate

June 20--  Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee hearing on solar energy’s impact on Pennsylvania ratepayers.  Hearing Room 1, North Office Building. 9:00 a.m.  Click Here to watch live.

 <>  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

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

Senate

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

[Posted: June 11, 2023]


6/12/2023

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