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

-- TribLive: Gov. Shapiro Touts Connellsville, Fayette County As An Example Of Success Investing In Outdoor Recreation

-- Post-Gazette - Mary Ann Thomas: Gov. Shapiro Visits Fayette County To Promote Spending On Parks And Outdoor Recreation

-- Observer-Reporter: Shapiro: Connellsville ‘A Great Example’ Of How Outdoor Recreation Leads To Revitalization

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Launches Office Of Outdoor Recreation

-- Erie Times - Brian Whipkey: New PA Office Aims To Grow Outdoors Recreation Economy, Jobs

-- DCNR: New State Budget Makes Largest State Investment In State Parks & Forests In Decades; Highlights New Office Of Outdoor Recreation [Office Opened In January 2022]

Budget

-- AP: Senate Returns To Session 1 Day For A Budget Stalemate

-- The Center Square: Pennsylvania’s State Budget Reaches Deja Vu

-- PA Senate Republicans Pass 2 Fiscal Code Budget Bills - But It Doesn’t Matter  [PaEN]

-- Spotlight PA: State Budget Inches Forward, But Lawmakers Still Split On Stalled Education Funding

-- PA Capital-Star: Senate Republican Budget Bills Rekindle Fight Over Shapiro’s School Voucher Deal

-- PennLive: PA Senate Moves 2 Fiscal Bills, But Core Budget Disagreements Remain

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: PA Senate Republican Call For 2-Year Tuition Freeze At State-Owned Universities Sets Off Alarm Bells

-- PennLive: 12 Unresolved State Budget Issues

-- Courier Times: A Glance At 3 Unfinished Business Items In Harrisburg Explained In 60 Seconds

-- Dept. Of Revenue Reports August State Revenue $27.1 Million Below Estimates; Year-To-Date $27.2 Million Below Estimates

-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports August Tax Tax Collections $8.7 Million Above IFO  Estimates; Year-To-Date $65.4 Million Above IFO Estimates

Oil & Gas Health Study

-- Warren Times: Natural Gas Well Setbacks Questioned After Health Impact Studies

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Residents Call For Action After Health Studies Link Natural Gas Development To Asthma, Lymphoma

-- Between The Lines Podcast: Pediatrician Dr. Ned Ketyer Explains The Results Of New Studies Of The Health Impacts Of Natural Gas Development On Children And Adults  [PaEN]

-- The Center Square: State Dept. Of Health Invites Citizens To File Environmental Health Complaints Related To Natural Gas Development; Health Will Also Review Environmental Test Results  [PaEN]

-- Marcellus Shale Gas Industry Coalition: University of Pittsburgh’s School of Public Health’s Studies Of Natural Gas Development’s Impact On Public Health Has Methodological Flaws

-- Observer-Reporter: Flaws In University Of Pittsburgh’s School Of Public Health’s Studies Of Natural Gas Development’s Impact On Public Health - By David Callahan, President & Lobbyist For Marcellus Shale Gas Industry

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Marcellus Shale Industry Group Reveals Serious Flaws In University Of Pittsburgh’s School Of Public Health’s So-Called Fracking/Cancer Studies

Village Of Reno Water System Contamination

-- Do Not Consume Water Advisory Lifted In Village Of Reno; Petro Erie, Inc. Barely Begins Cleanup Of Conventional Oil Wastewater Spill Site That Contaminated The Water Supply In Venango County  [PaEN]

-- The Derrick - Makayla Keating: Reno Water Advisory Lifted  [PDF of article]

-- The Derrick: 6 Weeks After Water Supply Contaminated By Conventional Oil Well Wastewater, Emergency Water Supply Distributions Continue In Village Of Reno, Venango County  [PDF of article]

Plum Boro Home Explosion

-- PUC Safety Division Continues Investigation Into Deadly House Explosion In Plum Borough, Allegheny County  [PaEN]

-- TribLive: PA Physicians For Social Responsibility Offers Gas Imaging Camera To Plum Boro Residents Affected By Home Explosion

-- WTAE: PA Physicians For Social Responsibility To Bring Natural Gas Imaging Camera To Plum Boro To Check For Leaks Thursday

Train Derailment

-- TribLive Editorial: Rail Safety Legislation Derailed

-- WTAE: 7 Months After Norfolk Southern Train Derailment, Neighbors Raise New Contamination Concerns

-- AP: Norfolk Southern Suffers Hardware-Related Technology Outage That Shut Down Its System Monday

-- AP: Norfolk Southern Says A Software Defect, Not A Hacker Forced It To Park Its Trains This Week

PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: Pennsylvania- $3.86; National- $3.81; Ohio- $3.61

-- TribLive: Labor Day Drivers Likely To Find Higher Gasoline Prices, AAA Says

-- Reuters: Price Of Oil Ticks Up As Supply Concerns Outshine Macroeconomic Jitters

-- Bloomberg: Oil Demand In US Topped Pre-Pandemic Levels In May, June

-- Baker Hughes: Natural Gas Drilling Rigs In PA Same As Last Week- 21

-- Bloomberg: Ports In Europe Lure Investors Into Clean Energy Gateway Plan, Away From Fossil Fuels

-- Bloomberg: Shell Quietly Shelves Radical Plan To Shrink Its Carbon Footprint

-- Bloomberg: Startup Pushing Green Natural Gas Label Shakes Up Strategy Amid Questions About The Role Of ‘Responsibly Sourced Gas’

Environment/Energy Issues

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Aug. 26 to Sept. 1-- Uncontrolled Venting Of Shale Gas Well; 4,600 Gallon Spill Of Shale Gas Wastewater; Cleanup Of Conventional Oil Wastewater Spill Barely Begins  [PaEN]

-- DEP Oil & Gas Advisory Board Meets Sept. 5 On Proposed Permit Fee Changes; Well Plugging Financial Assurances To Prevent Abandonments; Environmental Justice Policy;  Injection Well Primacy  [PaEN]

-- DEP Responds To Emergency Notification Of Uncontrolled Venting Of Natural Gas For Over 10.5 Hours From A Repsol Oil Shale Gas Well; Temporary Evacuation Order Issued In Bradford County  [PaEN]

-- EQT Shale Gas Wastewater Truck Rolls Over Spilling More Than 4,600 Gallons Of Wastewater In Lycoming County  [PaEN]

-- Marcellus Shale Gas Industry Coalition: University of Pittsburgh’s School of Public Health’s Studies Of Natural Gas Development’s Impact On Public Health Has Methodological Flaws

-- Observer-Reporter: Flaws In University Of Pittsburgh’s School Of Public Health’s Studies Of Natural Gas Development’s Impact On Public Health - By David Callahan, President & Lobbyist For Marcellus Shale Gas Industry

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Marcellus Shale Industry Group Reveals Serious Flaws In University Of Pittsburgh’s School Of Public Health’s So-Called Fracking/Cancer Studies

-- Delco Times: Chester Bankruptcy Receiver Warns Of Projects That Could Handcuff City Finances And Negatively Impact Residents’ Health On Heels Of  Hearing On Proposed LNG Natural Gas Export Project In The City  [PDF of article]

-- Bloomberg: Ports In Europe Lure Investors Into Clean Energy Gateway Plan, Away From Fossil Fuels

-- PA Business Report: PA Manufacturers’ Assn. Touts Regional Potential Economic Gains From LNG Natural Gas Plant In Chester, Delaware County

-- PA Manufacturers Assn: Anti-LNG Natural Gas Export Facility Groups Fail To Realize Local Benefits, Global Implications  [Here’s the other side]

-- PennLive Guest Essay: PA Needs More Pipelines, LNG Natural Gas Export Facilities - By T.J. Rooney, Industry Lobbyist  [Here’s the other side]

-- PennLive Guest Essay: LNG Natural Gas Export Facility Key To Pennsylvania’s Energy Infrastructure - By Marcellus Shale Gas Industry & PA Building Trades Unions  [Here’s the other side]

-- AP: Federal Rule Allowing Rail Shipments Of LNG Natural Gas On Hold To Allow More Study Of Safety Concerns

-- PA Capital-Star: Plan To Export PA Natural Gas By Rail Sidetracked By Feds

-- City & State PA: With Billions In Federal Clean Energy Grants On The Way, States Get A Leg Up On Applications

-- Report: Hundreds Of New Clean Energy Jobs, $103 Million Investment In PA’s Communities Of Color

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Clean Air And A Healthy Climate Can Be Pennsylvania Future - By Vanessa Lynch, Moms Clean Air Force

-- PJM Interconnection Hears Testimony On Making Electricity Market Reforms To Address Nonperformance Of Natural Gas And Other Generators During Winter Storm Elliot; Transition To Clean Energy  [PaEN]

-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: As Renewables, Energy Storage Grows, Questions Remain For Utilities And Regulators On Electric Grid Reliability

-- WeConservePA, Lancaster Conservancy, State Senators Host Site Visits In Hellam Hills York County

-- Warren Times: Sen. Hutchinson Supports Timber Cutting In 325 Acre Hatch Run Conservation Demonstration Area In Warren County To Pay DGS For Former State Hospital Property

-- Guest Essay: Pennsylvania Insect Conservation - By Nate Reagle, Certified Pollinator Steward  [PaEN]

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--

Senate

Fiscal Code Budget Bill:  House Bill 1300  (Mehaffie-R-Dauphin) Fiscal Code bill needed to implement that state budget amended and passed by Senate Republicans, but not agreed to by House Democrats or the Governor’s Office.  The Senate amendment includes several environmental and energy provisions.  Read more here.

Private School Tuition Program: Senate Bill 757 (Stefano-R-Fayette) providing for the private school student tuition scholarship program was passed by Senate Republicans, but not agreed to by House Democrats or the Governor.

Lake Erie Groin Fee Exemption: Senate Bill 382 (Laughlin-R-Erie) exempting certain landowners from Lake Erie groin annual fee was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Bill Calendars

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 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.

House (September 26): 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.

Committee Meetings

House   

September 8-- House Agriculture and Rural Affairs informational meeting on invasive species in Pennsylvania.  Temple University - Ambler, 580 Meetinghouse Road, Ambler.  9:30 a.m.  Click Here to watch live online.

September 26-- House Game and Fisheries Committee informational meeting on problems with Game Commission launch of license sales.  Room 523 Irvis Building. 9:00 a.m. Click Here to watch live online.

<>  Click Here for full House Committee Schedule.

Senate

September 7-8-- Agenda Posted. Chesapeake Bay Commission meeting.  Sept. 7- Senate Majority Caucus Room, Capitol 1:15 p.m.; Sept. 8- Hilton Hote-Penn Harris Room 9:15 a.m.  Harrisburg.

 <>  Click Here for full Senate Committee Schedule.

Bills Introduced

Ban Oil/Gas Wastewater Injection Wells: House Bill 1656 (Krupa-R-Fayette) would prohibit DEP from issuing permits for oil and gas wastewater injection wells.   Read more here.

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--

Senate

September 18, 19, 20

October 2, 3, 4, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25

November 13, 14, 15

December 11, 12, 13

House

September 26, 27

October 2, 3, 4, 16, 17, 18, 30, 31

November 1, 13, 14, 15

[Posted: September 3, 2023]

9/4/2023