The Senate and Senate return to voting session May 21.

House

Calendar: House Bill 13 (Readshaw-D-Allegheny) limiting liability of landowners in connection with opening their lands for hunting and recreation; House Resolution 112 (Mann-D-Lehigh) directing DEP to implement policies that encourage electronic waste recycling; House Resolution 193 (Haluska-D-Cambria) directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to study the future value of assets on Game Commission land; House Bill 772 (Hershey-R-Chester) establishing the Keystone Energy and Environmental Excellence Awards program and an energy efficiency and pollution reduction initiative; House Bill 894 (Leach-D-Montgomery) authorizing additional reimbursements for school building construction which meets the LEED standards; House Resolution 268 (Rohrer-R-Berks) directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to study Game Commission forestry and mineral development policies.

Senate

Calendar: Senate Bill 782 (MJWhite-R-Venango) that would increase fees on nuclear power plants and for transport escorts.

Committees: Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee Listening Session in Mercer.

Bills Introduced

Several more environmental bills were introduced this week…

PA Energy Development Authority: House Bill 1200 (DePasquale-D-York) giving the PA Energy Development Authority additional responsibilities as proposed by Gov. Rendell in his Energy Independent Initiative.

Micro-Grids: House Bill 1201 (George-D-Clearfield) amending Title 66 authorizing micro-grids in electric distribution.

Alternative Energy: House Bill 1203 (Hornaman-D-Erie) making changes to the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act as proposed by Gov. Rendell.

Host Community Agreements/Moratorium: House Bill 1241 (Goodman-D-Schuylkill) further providing for host community agreements and a permit moratorium on certain municipal and residual waste facilities.

Siting Criteria: House Bill 1242 (Goodman-D-Schuylkill) providing for additional siting criteria for municipal and residual waste facilities.

Waste Facility Moratorium: House Bill 1263 (Goodman-D-Schuylkill) providing for a moratorium on issuance of certain municipal waste permits, rescission of unused capacity and making changes to the municipal recycling program.

Neighborhood Development: House Bill 1280 (Freeman-D-Northampton) amending the Municipalities Planning Code to encourage neighborhood developments.

Appalachian Trail: House Bill 1281 (Freeman-D-Northampton) amends the Appalachian Trail Act to require municipalities to take action to preserve the trail.

Keystone Fund: House Bill 1295 (Hanna-D-Clinton) making changes to the allocation from the Keystone, Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund.

Geospatial Council: House Bill 1304 (Fairchild-R-Union) establishing the Pennsylvania Geospatical Coordinating Council.

Animal Waste Recycling: House Bill 1306 (Caltagirone-D-Berks) establishing a tax credit for certain animal waste recycling facilities and a limited sales and use tax exemption.

Game Land Policies: House Resolution 268 (Rohrer-R-Berks) directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to study Game Commission forestry and mineral development policies.

Preservation Month: House Resolution 271 (Clymer-R-Bucks) designating May as “National Preservation Month.”

REAP Tax Credit Proposal: Senate Bill 690 (Waugh-R-York) establishing the Resource Enhancement and Protection Act to give tax credits to farmers for installing conservation practices.

Illness Reporting: Senate Bill 843 (O’Pake-D-Berks) establishing the Office of Illness Monitoring in the Department of Health relating to cancer clusters to work in conjunction with the Department of Environmental Protection.

Other Senate/House Bills Moving

Here’s a quick rundown on other bills moving this week…

Senate

Independent Counsel: The Senate Appropriations Committee reported out Senate Bill 105 (Musto-D-Luzerne) authorizing the Environmental Quality Board to hire independent counsel was passed by the Senate and now goes to the House for consideration.

Nuclear Plant Fees: Senate Bill 782 (MJWhite-R-Venango) that would increase fees on nuclear power plants and for transport escorts was reported from the Senate Appropriations Committee and is now on the Senate Calendar for action.

Rulemaking Petitions: Senate Bill 354 (MJWhite-R-Venango) prohibiting the Environmental Quality Board from accepting rulemaking petitions to regulate substances not authorized by current state or federal law was recommitted to the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.

Storage Tanks: Senate Bill 815 (Musto-D-Luzerne) that would amend the Storage Tank Act to extend the sunset dates on certain programs was reported from the Senate Appropriations Committee.

House

PA Senior Environment Corps: The House unanimously adopted House Resolution 260 (George-D-Clearfield) to mark the 10th anniversary of the Pennsylvania Senior Environment Corps and to designate May as “Pennsylvania Senior Environment Corps” month.

Landowner Liability: House Bill 13 (Readshaw-D-Allegheny) limiting liability of landowners in connection with opening their lands for hunting and recreation was amended and reported from the House Appropriations Committee.

Game Commissioners’ Terms: House Bill 1214 (Surra-D-Elk) changing the terms of Game Commissioners from eight years to four years was reported from the House Game and Fisheries Committee and is now on the House Calendar for action.

Elk Damage Fund: House Bill 1078 (Hanna-D-Clinton) increase funding for deterrent fencing for wild animals and establish an elk damage compensation fund was reported from the House Game and Fisheries Committee and then tabled.

Gift Vouchers: House Bill 948 (Rohrer-R-Berks) authorize the Fish and Boat Commission to issue vouchers for licenses was reported from the House Game and Fisheries Committee then tabled.

Value of Game Land Assets: House Resolution 193 (Haluska-D-Cambria) directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to study the future value of assets on Game Commission land was reported from the House Game and Fisheries Committee then tabled.

Game Land Policies: House Resolution 268 (Rohrer-R-Berks) directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to study Game Commission forestry and mineral development policies was reported from the House Game and Fisheries Committee then tabled.

Nuclear Power Plant Fees: House Bill 496 (George-D-Clearfield) that would increase fees on nuclear power plants and for transport escorts was referred to House Appropriations Committee.

5/11/2007