The following bills reached the Governor’s Desk so far this week…

Deer Management: House Bill 881 (Haluska-D-Cambria) expands the authority of the Game Commission to issue permits to individuals to protect agricultural crops and making other changes to the Game Code was signed into law by the Governor as Act 26.

Nuclear Plant Fees: House Bill 496 (George-D-Clearfield) that would increase fees on nuclear power plants and for transportation escorts was concurred in by the House and was signed into law by the Governor as Act 31.

Under the bill, cuclear power plant fees collected by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency will fund interagency coordination and county emergency preparedness. The new amendments to Act 147 also allow the Pennsylvania State Police to escort certain large shipments of radioactive material and waste transported through the state.

Among those fees included or amended in Act 147 are:

· A one-time fee of $100,000 per site to DEP from any entity that holds, or has applied for, a nuclear power reactor operating license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and an increased annual fee of $400,000 to $550,000 per site;

· A one-time fee of $150,000 per site to PEMA from any entity that holds or has applied for a nuclear power reactor operating license from the NRC, and an increased annual fee from $200,000 to $350,000 per site;

· Fees to DEP, PEMA and PSP that cover oversight and escort expenses incurred by the commonwealth to ship spent nuclear fuel and other large quantity radioactive materials through the state; and

· Continued fees under Act 147 that allow DEP and the Environmental Quality Board to regulate radiation sources users (e.g., x-ray or radioactive materials).

After 2009, two working groups of DEP and PEMA personnel, with representatives of the state’s nuclear facilities, shall review program expenses and issue a report to the General Assembly recommending any fee changes deemed appropriate.

7/13/2007