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 Administration Provides Update On Norfolk Southern Train Derailment Response 9 Months After Derailment  [PaEN]

-- Environmental Health News: Gov. Shapiro Directs Agencies To Draft New Regulations Improving Disclosure Of Fracking Chemicals

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Gov. Shapiro Must Keep His Campaign Promise To Go 30% Solar By 2030 In PA - By PA Solar Center

Budget

-- The Center Square: Pennsylvania’s State Budget Business Unfinished

-- PA Dept. of Revenue Reports November State Revenues 1.5% ($46.4 Million) Above Their Estimates: Year-to-Date $1.1 Million Below Estimates

-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports November State Revenues 2.6% ($78.9 Million) Above IFO Estimates; Up 0.6% ($97.5 Million) For Fiscal Year

Train Derailments

-- Shapiro Administration Provides Update On Norfolk Southern Train Derailment Response 9 Months After Derailment  [PaEN]

Village Of Reno Water Supply Contamination

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Nov. 25 to Dec. 1 - 13 More Abandoned Conventional Well NOVs; Failure To Report Water Supply Impact In July  [PaEN]

PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- PA Capital-Star: A Year After Winter Storm Elliot, Natural Gas-Fired, Other Power Plant Problems ‘Still Likely’ In Extreme Weather

-- PUC Again Reminds Consumers Of Dec. 1 Price Changes: Natural Gas (+149% to -64.2%); Electric (+18.8% to -25.7%)  [PaEN]

-- PA Capital-Star: Natural Gas, Electricity Price Changes Coming On Dec. 1, PUC Reports

-- WTAJ: Peoples Natural Gas, Penelec Customers May Have Higher Gas, Electric Bills Starting Dec. 1

-- Inquirer: Your PECO Electric Bill Could Get Cheaper On Dec. 1

-- WHYY: Most PECO Electric Customers To See Bills Drop Starting Dec. 1

-- Altoona Mirror: Penelec Announces 8.3% Electric Rate Increase

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: PA- $3.56  National- $3.24  Ohio- $2.90

-- TribLive: Gasoline Prices Drop For 10th Week, But Could Rise If OPEC Cuts Oil Production, Analyst Says

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Shale Gas Production Down Slightly In PA In 2022; Trending That Way In 2023

-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: 2022 PA Natural Gas Produce Falls Slightly For First Time Since The Fracking Boom

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: EQT CEO Plans Unleash LNG 2.0 Plan For Next Year

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs Up One From Last Week To 21

-- Bloomberg: Just One Stranded Natural Gas LNG Tanker In Australia Could Cause Rise In Global LNG Prices

-- Bloomberg: UK-Led Group To Deploy Ships To Baltic Sea After Natural Gas Pipeline Sabotage Damage

-- Financial Times: How One Ship By One Natural Gas Producer Is Supply 60% Of Israel’s Demand For Gas Guarded By 2 Israeli Warships

-- Bloomberg: Greek Shipping Giant Warns Panama Canal Chaos May Hit Suez Delaying Natural Gas LNG Shipments

-- Bloomberg: Oil’s Wild Price Ride - Algorithmic Money Managers Have Seized Control Of World Oil Market

-- The Guardian: US Oil & Gas Production Set To Break Record In 2023 Despite UN Climate Goals

-- Financial Times: Saudi Arabia Wins Provisional Backing For OPEC+ Oil Production Cuts

-- Post-Gazette/Bloomberg: How Shell, Chevron Are Delaying US Efforts To Refill Its Emergency Oil Reserve

-- PA Capital-Star: Reliability v. Sustainability: Inside The Debate Over EPA’s Proposed Carbon Pollution Rules

-- Utility Dive: California City Lays Groundwork For Natural Gas System Decommissioning As Decarbonization Tool

Environment/Energy Issues

-- DEP- EQT Settlement Agreement Allows Fracking To Resume From 2 Shale Gas Well Pads In Area Impacted By Frack-Out In New Freeport, Greene County; Does Not Address Water Supply Issues Of Residents  [PaEN]

-- Beaver County Times: Ground Flares Burn Brighter As Shell Petrochemical Plant Reintroduces Ethane To Operation After Weeks Of Maintenance At Site

-- Sen. Gene Yaw Announces He Received The Marcellus Shale Coalition 2023 Shale Gas Advocate Award [After Calling Gas Infrastructure Health, Safety Proposal ‘Stupid’]  [PaEN]

-- PA Manufacturers Assn. Opposes Bill To Reduce Natural Gas Infrastructure Threats To Public Health, Safety; Praises Sen. Yaw’s Position [Who Called The Bill ‘Stupid’]

-- PA Capital-Star Guest Essay: Time To Move On Natural Gas Development Safety Measures - By Molly Parzen, Conservation Voters Of PA

-- PA Capital-Star: A Year After Winter Storm Elliot, Natural Gas-Fired, Other Power Plant Problems ‘Still Likely’ In Extreme Weather

-- TribLive Editorial: Lawmakers Should Pull Trigger On Hunting Bills

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

House (December 11): House Resolution 196 (Matzie-D-Beaver) designating the week of September 18-24 Rail Safety Week; House Resolution 228 (Otten-D-Chester) designating the week of October 1 through 7, 2023, as "Climate Week" in Pennsylvania. <> Click Here for full House Bill Calendar.

Senate (December 11): Senate Bill 265 (Laughlin-R-Erie) amending the Sewage Facilities Act to allow garage floor drains to discharge into on-lot septic systems;  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 US Environmental Protection Agency and establish a legal and regulatory framework for potential carbon dioxide capture, utilization and sequestration in Pennsylvania. <> Click Here for full Senate Bill Calendar.

Committee Meetings

House   

December 12-- House Consumer Protection, Technology & Utilities Committee hearing on Act 12 - private acquisition of public water & wastewater systems-- House Bill 1862 (Matzie-D- Beaver), House Bill 1863 (Matzie-D-Beaver), House Bill 1864 (Matzie-D-Beaver), House Bill 1865 (Matzie-D-Beaver) (sponsor summary).  Room G-50 Irvis Building. 10:00 a.m.  Click Here to watch online.

<>  Click Here for full House Committee Schedule.

Senate

December 4-- Senate Democratic Policy Committee hearing on impacts of hydrogen energy in Pennsylvania.  East Vincent Township Building, 262 Ridge Road, Spring City, Chester County.  11:00 a.m.   Click Here to watch online.

<>  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--

Senate

December 11, 12, 13

January 2, 16, 17

February 5, 6, 7

Budget Hearings: February 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29; and March 5, 6, 7 

Click Here for Senate Agency Budget Hearing Schedule.

March 18, 19, 20

April 8, 9, 10, 29, 30

May 1, 6, 7, 8

June 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

House

December 11, 12, 13

[Posted: December 3, 2023]

12/4/2023