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 Overwhelmingly Confirms Richard Negrin As Secretary Of DEP  [PaEN]

-- Al Dia: PA Senate Overwhelmingly Confirms Secretary Negrin To Lead DEP

-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: PA Senate Confirms Negrin To Be DEP Secretary

-- City And State PA: Tracking Who’s Joining The Shapiro Administration Cabinet

Budget

-- AP: PA To Begin New Fiscal Year Without Budget Plan In Place

-- The Center Square: PA Senate OKs $45.5 Billion State Budget Without House Agreement; Adjourns To Sept. 18

-- TribLive/AP: PA Budget Agreement Is Elusive As Fiscal-Year Deadline Nears

-- Spotlight PA: Debate Over Publicly Funded Private School Vouchers Could Push PA Budget Past June 30 Deadline

-- AP: What To Watch: PA Budget Talks Near Deadline, And Get Contentious

-- WITF: PA State Budget Talks Continue Amid Partisan Tensions

-- PennLive - John Baer: Hey, PA Lawmakers, Opportunity’s Knocking In Land Of Low Expectations

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: PA House Votes On Party-Lines To Study Revenue Estimates For Shale Gas Severance Tax, Republicans Opposing  [House Resolution 131]

-- I-95 Collapse In Philadelphia

-- House/Senate Vote To Extend I-95 State Disaster Proclamation Until Nov. 1, 2023 [Senate Resolution 136]  House passed a resolution extending it one year to June 12, 2024, Republicans opposed.   [House Resolution 154]

Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

-- Dept. Of Agriculture: Results Of Crop Samples Show No Contamination On PA Farms Near Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

-- AP: States Clamp Down On Freight Trains, Fearing Derailments And Federal Gridlock

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Train Derailments Bode Poorly For Public Health Amid Planned Petrochemical And Hydrogen Hubs - By Sen. Katie Muth (D-Chester), Alison Steele, Environmental Health Project

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: East Palestine, OH Area Residents Demand More Transparency, Chemical Testing Related To Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

-- PennLive/Tribune News Service: Months After Toxic Norfolk Southern Train Derailment, An Ohio Community Is Fracturing

-- WTAE: Norfolk Southern Says It Reaches Milestone In Train Derailment Cleanup

-- Post-Gazette: Norfolk Southern Has Made Strides In Cleanup After Train Derailment, But Still Has Work To Do

-- AP: Safety Concerns Dominate Norfolk Southern Railroad CEO’s Job Since Ohio Derailment

PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- AAA Average Gasoline Prices: Pennsylvania- $3.64; National- $3.54

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Rig Count Same As Last Week- 23

-- Wall Street Journal: Cheaper Natural Gas Prices In Store This Summer; Earlier Price Spikes Driven By Europe’s LNG Imports

-- Bloomberg: European Natural Gas Prices End June With 30% Rise, Increased 8% Just On Friday Nearing Last Summer’s Spikes

-- Bloomberg: Natural Gas Power Plants, Now The Top Source Of Electricity In U.S., Are To Blame For One Of The Grid’s Biggest Vulnerabilities When Weather Gets Rough

-- Vermont State Police: Joint Investigation Into June 1 Natural Gas Tanker Fire Finds Truck Was Destroyed And Damaged U.S. Route 7 In Ferrisburgh Was The Result Of Mechanical Failure

-- Utility Dive: Texas Electric Grid Has Remained Stable Despite 9.6 GW Of Coal, Natural Gas Power Plants Being Offline; Renewables Logged New Records In Generation

Environment/Energy Issues

-- House Democratic Leadership Blocks Environmental Committee Action On Bills Increasing Safety Zones Around Natural Gas Facilities, Cryptocurrency Permit Moratorium  [PaEN]

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: PA House Committee Unexpectedly Drops Gas Infrastructure Safety Zone Expansion, Cryptocurrency Permit Moratorium Bills

-- Capital & Main - Audrey Carleton: Who Is Blocking Climate, Oil & Gas Bills In Pennsylvania?

-- Environmental Quality Board Meets July 11 To Consider Changes To Water Quality Standards; DEP Reports Law Limiting Its Authority To Change Conventional Oil & Gas Well Bonding May Be Unconstitutional [PaEN]

-- DEP Citizens Advisory Council Meets July 11 On Programs To Promote Use Of Electric Vehicles; Chapter 105 Environmental Assessment Alternatives Analysis  [PaEN]

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - June 24 to 30 - Radiation Levels Prompt Shale Gas Wastewater Tank Decontamination; Replugging Conventional, Shale Gas Wells  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment -  July 1   [PaEN]

-- Children’s Health Defense News: For Decades He Railed Against Fracking In Washington County - Now His Wife Has A Type Of Cancer Linked To Fracking Chemicals

-- House Passes Bipartisan Bill Establishing Grant Program To Support Solar Energy Facilities At Schools  [PaEN]

-- PA Capital-Star: Solar Energy Grant Program For PA School Districts Gets Bipartisan Support In PA House

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Solar Energy A Budget Solution For PA Schools - By Micki Dutrow, Retired Superintendent Of West Branch Area School District, Clearfield County

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Inside PA DEP’s Efforts To Cut Red Tape On Environmental Permitting

-- Bloomberg: Natural Gas Power Plants, Now The Top Source Of Electricity In U.S., Are To Blame For One Of The Grid’s Biggest Vulnerabilities When Weather Gets Rough

-- Capital & Main-Audrey Carleton: PA Could Be A Model For Solar-Powered Schools - If It Can Get Past Political Divisions

-- Capital & Main - Audrey Carleton: Who Is Blocking Climate, Oil & Gas Bills In Pennsylvania?

-- Independent Fiscal Office Projects 2023 Act 13 Shale Gas Drilling Impact Fee Revenue At $180 to $184 Million, A Drop Of $94 Million From 2022 Revenue  [PaEN]

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: PA’s Natural Gas Act 13 Impact Fee Boom Year May Go Bust Next Year

-- Williamsport Sun: Pennsylvania’s Natural Gas Boom Year May Go Bust [Act 13 Drilling Impact Fee Revenue]

-- StateImpactPA: PA Shale Gas Drillers Pay Record Amount In Impact Fees, 2 Years After They Paid Record Low Amount

-- Observer-Reporter Letter: Act 13 Drilling Impact Fees Don’t Help Those Impacted By Gas Drilling - By Cathy Lodge, Washington County

-- Observer-Reporter Letter: The Definition Of Insanity - Have Qualified Stewards Of Our Health, Environment, Learning, Play Spend Washington County’s $9 Million In Act 13 Impact Fee Money

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: PA House Votes On Party-Lines To Study Revenue Estimates For Shale Gas Severance Tax, Republicans Opposing  [House Resolution 131]

-- TribLive: Opposition Continues On Proposed Natural Gas-Fired Power Plant On Yough River

-- Inferse.com: Making Cryptocurrency: How Waste From Old Coal Mine Is Powering Bitcoin Mine In Carbon County

-- PA Capital-Star: Report: Shell Petrochemical Plant Hasn’t Delivered Economically For Beaver County

-- TribLive: Report: Shell Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County Has Not Spurred Economic Growth

-- Ohio River Valley Institute: A Cautionary Tale Of Petrochemicals From Beaver County, PA - Still Failing To Spur Economic Growth

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Train Derailments Bode Poorly For Public Health Amid Planned Petrochemical And Hydrogen Hubs - By Sen. Katie Muth (D-Chester), Alison Steele, Environmental Health Project

-- WESA: Report: Utility Assistance In PA Should Be Available In The Summer, Not Just The Winter

-- TribLive Letter: Proposed Name Change For DEP A Threat To Puppet Masters, Environmental Special Interest Groups That Control Our DEP

-- House Environmental Committee Hears Progress Report On Cleaning Up PA’s Portion Of Chesapeake Bay Watershed  [PaEN]

-- Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement At 40: Perspectives On Pennsylvania From Former DEP Secretary, EPA Region 3 Administrator Jim Seif - By Jill Whitcomb, Director Of DEP's Bureau Of Watershed Restoration

-- DEP Chesapeake Bay Program Health Waters, Partnership, Progress June Newsletter: County Updates; Grants, Accomplishments, Much More!

-- PA Capital-Star: PA House Panel Talks Challenges Of Cleaning Up Chesapeake Bay, Local Waterways

-- Lancaster Farming: Fencing Livestock Out Of Streams Next Front For PA Water Regulations

-- WPost: First Street Foundation Finds Climate Change-Fueled Increases In Rainfall Means 100-Year Floods Can Now Be Expected Every 8 Years

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Get Soaked The Last Few Days?  Philly’s Extreme Rains Might Be Just Getting Started, According To New Report

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--

Budget Bills

-- House Bill 611 (Harris-D-Philadelphia) General Fund budget bill [Senate Fiscal Note & Summary] was passed by the Senate 29-21in a largely party-line vote, Republicans supporting, and is now in the House.

    -- Click Here for Budget Spreadsheet.

-- House Bill 479 (Flick-R-Lycoming) would amend the Fiscal Code to establish the Student Success Scholarship Program for private school students.

House

Solar Energy Grants For Schools: House Bill 1032 (Fiedler-D-Philadelphia) establishing a grant program to support solar energy facilities at schools was amended on the House Floor, referred into and out of the House Appropriations Committee [House Fiscal Note & Summary] and passed by the House 134-69.  The bill now goes to the Senate for action.  Read more here.

Drug Take Back: House Bill 818 (Giral-D-Philadelphia) establishing the Pharmaceutical Collection Sites Education Program was amended on the House Floor, referred into and out of the House Appropriations Committee  [House Fiscal Note & Summary] and passed by the House 102 to 101 (Republicans opposing).  The bill now goes to the Senate for action.

Catalytic Converter Anti-Theft Measures: House Bill 791 (Isaacson-D-Philadelphia) providing for catalytic converter anti-theft measures requiring identification of scrap materials offered for sale or recycling was reported out of the House Rules Committee, amended on the House Floor, referred into and out of the House Appropriations Committee [House Fiscal Note & Summary] and passed by the House 119-85, Democrats supporting.  The bill now goes to the Senate for action.

Recycled Materials In Stuffed Toys: House Bill 1333 (Dawkins-D-Philadelphia) allowing the use of recycled materials in stuffed toys was amended on the House Floor, referred into and out of the House Appropriations Committee [House Fiscal Note & Summary] and passed the House 163-40.  The bill now goes to the Senate for action.  The Senate also passed a similar bill-- Senate Bill 756 (Robinson-R-Allegheny)-- this week. 

Severance Tax Revenue Estimates: House Resolution 131 (Steele-D-Allegheny) directs the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to compare revenue generated by the Act 13 shale gas impact fee and a natural gas severance tax was adopted by a party-line vote of 102 to 101 in the House, Republicans opposing.  No Senate action is required.

Wind Turbines/Military Installations: House Bill 1323 (Mako-R-Northampton) prohibiting the construction or installation of wind turbines that negatively affect military installations was reported from the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee and re-referred to the House Rules Committee.

License Litter Law Acknowledgement: House Bill 1044 (Ciresi-D-Montgomery) making the Litter Law acknowledgement printed on vehicle registration and driver licenses easier to understand (sponsor summary) was amended and reported out of the House Transportation Committee and re-referred to the House Rules Committee.

Grant Priority For Inclusive Recreation Projects: House Bill 1173 (Khan-D-Philadelphia) establishes a priority for funding playground and recreation projects to promote inclusion of children with disabilities within DCNR grant programs was amended and reported out of the house Tourism and Economic and Recreational Development Committee and re-referred to the House Rules Committee.

Military Discounts On State Park Fees: House Bill 1532 (Madsen-  Providing a 15% discount on fees charged at DCNR state parks was reported out of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee and re-referred to the House Rules Committee.

Senate

Consolidated Electricity Billing: Senate Resolution 116 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to study the issue of consolidated electricity billing was amended and reported out of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee on a party-line vote, Republicans supporting, and was adopted by the Senate by a party-line 28 to 22 vote, Republicans supporting.

Sen. Carolyn Comitta (D-Chester), Minority Chair of the Committee, voted no on the Resolution saying, “The main issue here is consumer protection. Energy suppliers are already known for using confusing and sometimes deceptive marketing practices. Consolidated billing would be extremely difficult to oversee and would open consumers to the potential for worse outcomes. The Pennsylvania Utility Law Project is strongly opposed, and I ask for a no vote.”

Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming), Majority Chair of the Committee, responded by saying, “I'd like to note that this report, once it's done, one of the recipients of it is both the Senate and the House Consumer Protection Committees. So we have considered that aspect of it in asking for this study.”

Flood Insurance Premium Task Force: Senate Bill 442 (Santarsiero-D-Bucks) and House Bill 735 (Warren-D-Bucks) were reported out of the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee and re-referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Native Vegetation Along Highways: House Bill 797 (B.Miller-R-Lancaster) directing PennDOT to use native vegetation along highways was reported out of the Senate Transportation Committee and re-referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Recycled Materials In Stuff Toys: Senate Bill 756 (Robinson-R-Allegheny) allowing the use of recycled materials in stuffed toys was reported out of the Senate Appropriations Committee and passed by a vote of 49 to 1.  The bill now goes to the House for action.  The House also passed a similar bill-- House Bill 1333 (Dawkins-D-Philadelphia)-- this week.

Lake Erie Groin Fees: Senate Bill 382 (Laughlin-R-Erie) exempting Lake Erie coastal property owners from annual groin structure fees was amended and reported from the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee and is now on the Senate Calendar for action.

Child Lead Testing: Senate Bill 514 (Baker-R-Luzerne) requiring child testing for lead blood levels (sponsor summary) was Tabled.

Bill Calendars

House ( ? ? ? ): 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 Resolution 79 (Pisciottano-D- Allegheny) urging the Biden Administration and Congress to designate Pennsylvania as a hydrogen hub.<> Click Here for full House Bill Calendar.

Senate (September 18): Senate Bill 286 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) would redefine when a spill needs to be reported by letting the polluter decide when to notify DEP taking into account control and remedial measures, whether the discharge will harm receiving waters or public health  Read more here; Senate Bill 382 (Laughlin-R-Erie) exempting Lake Erie coastal property owners from annual groin structure fees; Senate Bill 831 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) would direct the state to apply for primary authority to regulate Class VI carbon dioxide underground injection wells from the U.S. EPA  Read more here.  <> Click Here for full Senate Bill Calendar.

Committee Meetings

House   

<>  Click Here for full House Committee Schedule.

Senate

 <>  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

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Senate

September 18

[Posted: July 2, 2023]

7/3/2023