On March 18, the  House Environmental & Natural Resource Protection Committee considered these seven bills--

-- Expanding C-PACE To Add EV Charging: House Bill 789 (Ciresi-D-Montgomery) expands C-PACE property-based energy financing program to add electric vehicle charging infrastructure was reported out by a vote of 14 to 12, Republicans opposing and Tabled;

-- Study Renewable Energy On Lake Erie: House Resolution 53 (Merski-D-Erie) directing the Joint State Government Commission to study the feasibility and potential benefits of offshore hydropower, solar and wind renewable energy on Lake Erie was reported out by a vote of 19 to 7, some Republicans opposing and is now on the House Calendar.

-- Radon Test Results: House Bill 448 (Diamond-R-Lebanon) authorizes DEP to release radon test results to previous property owners in certain circumstances was reported out unanimously and Tabled;

-- Prohibiting Greenwashing: House Bill 783 (Rabb-D-Philadelphia) prohibiting the practice of greenwashing was unanimously reported out of Committee by a vote of 24 to 2-- Republicans opposed-- with a recommendation it be referred to the House Judiciary Committee and it was re-referred.

-- Invertebrate Biodiversity: House Bill 441 (Pielli-D-Chester) amends the Wild Resource Conservation Act of 1982 to address a gap in biodiversity conservation in Pennsylvania by assigning native terrestrial invertebrates to DCNR was reported out of Committee by a vote of 14 to 12, Republicans opposing and Tabled.  [Read more here]

            These bills on the agenda, but saw no action--

-- Notice Of Oil & Gas Permits: House Bill 43 (Conklin-D-Centre) require publication of newspaper notice of oil and gas well permits;  and

-- Regulating Food Processing Waste: House Bill 586 (Friel-D-Chester) requires a DEP permit to spread food processing residuals.

[Note: The related House Bill 587 (Friel-D-Chester) establishing a broker certification program for food processing waste also saw no action in the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee.]  

Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) serves as Majority Chair of the House Environmental  & Natural Resource Protection Committee and can be contacted by calling 717-787-7647 or sending email to: gvitali@pahouse.net.  Rep. Jack Rader, Jr. (R-Monroe) serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted by calling 717-787-7732 or click here to send an email.

Related Articles This Week:

-- House Energy Committee Reports Out Bill To Unlock A State Freeze On $156 Million In Federal Funding For Solar For All Program  [PaEN]

-- House Environmental Committee OK’d Bills Expanding C-PACE Financing For EV Charging; Study Lake Erie Renewable Energy; Promoting Invertebrate Biodiversity [PaEN]

-- Our Solar PA Coalition Highlights How Community Solar Energy Legislation Is A People-Centered Solution For Clean Energy  [PaEN]

-- Guest Essay: Solar Power Can Propel Pennsylvania Towards Meeting Energy Demands -  By Sharon Pillar, Pennsylvania Solar Center  [PaEN]

-- Senate Environmental Committee Meets March 24 On Stream ‘Cleaning,’ Solar Energy Facility Decommissioning, Lake Erie Groin Fee Bills [PaEN]

-- PA Solar Center: Westmoreland County Businesses, Tax-Exempt Organizations Can Learn How to Save Money On Electric Bills At March 27 In-Person Meeting  [PaEN]

-- Philadelphia Solar Energy Assn.:  Solar Panel Recycling, Refurbishment Now Available In Philly Area  [PaEN]

-- Washington & Jefferson College To Host April 9 Webinar On Energy, Economy And A.I. - Data Centers And Pennsylvania's Future  [PaEN] 

-- City & State PA Hosts April 22 Energy Summit - The Future Of Energy In Pennsylvania  [PaEN] 

-- Community Advocates For Clean Energy To Introduce Green Schools Campaign In Southeast PA During April 1 Webinar  [PaEN]

-- Pittsburgh Youth For Climate Action Summit Set For March 29  [PaEN] 

-- Penn State Extension: April 2 Webinar: Gravity Energy Storage -  Giving Inactive Oil Wells A Second Life  [PaEN] 

-- Penn State Research: Reusing Old Oil And Gas Wells For Energy Storage Using Compressed Air Technology  [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- The Allegheny Front: PA House Committee Takes First Step To Access Federal Low-Income Solar Funds

-- Warren Times Editorial: Solar Energy Has Benefits For Schools

-- First Student, School Transportation Company, Pittsburgh Public Schools Roll Out 16 New Electric School Buses

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Clean Energy, Strong Economy: PA’s Proposed Budget Seeks Both - By Fmr Rep. Kate Harper (R)  and Fmr Cong. Conor Lamb (D), Energy Future PA

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: How Pittsburgh Airport’s Microgrid Prevents Heathrow-Like Outages

[Posted: March 18, 2025]

3/24/2025