Will the PA Senior Environment Corps Be Funded in 2008?

Much work on environmental issues was left undone in 2007 and will be on the agenda again in 2008, chief among them will be putting together enough votes in the House and Senate to pass an Energy Independence Plan.

But, one of the first items on the agenda will be the budget, which for at least one environmental agency last year, was described this way, “We cut into things you might be hearing about, we cut through the meat and into the bone.” And that was a description by Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen McGinty.

This coming year isn’t likely to get any better, especially funding for bread and butter permit review programs that aren’t splashy and new.

While a funding solution was put in place for the Hazardous Sites Cleanup and Radiation Protection programs in 2007, the Growing Greener Watershed Restoration Program will again see a challenge by those wanting to take the debt service to pay for the Growing Greener II bond issue from the Environmental Stewardship Fund, further reducing watershed restoration funding.

County conservation districts are being faced with an increasing conservation planning workload as many farmers plant corn and soybeans to take advantage of biofuels-driven prices, directives to cleanup water quality through the local Total Maximum Daily Nutrient Loading Plans across the state and programs like those restoring the Chesapeake Bay.

Funding for the PA Senior Environmental Corps Program, which puts over 2,900 seniors in the field doing water quality monitoring, environmental education and other good works, was ended in 2007 and it remains to be seen whether that funding will be restored in 2008.

This all at a time when states in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, Pennsylvania included, acknowledged they do not have the programs in place to meet the 2010 water quality improvement goals.

Funds from the Growing Greener II bond issue itself will run out in four more years, right after the next gubernatorial election, leaving watershed restoration, state abandoned mine reclamation and parks and recreation projects with dramatically less funding.

On a brighter note, DEP will be proposing a plan to spend the $1.4 billion the Commonwealth expects to receive for abandoned mine reclamation from the federal government over the next 15 years for sites with significant public safety concerns and for mine discharge cleanups.

The Senate and House also have to finish their work on a 2007-08 Capital Budget that includes hundreds of environmental, recreation and other projects—House Bill 1589 (Evans-D-Philadelphia).

Link: Watershed, Environmental Groups Need Your Help

Beyond funding, here are some other environmental issues pending:

Energy Independence: Both the Senate and House have passed competing versions of major parts of an Energy Independence Plan proposed by Gov. Rendell, but much more work remains to reconcile the differences and fill in pieces that Gov. Rendell sees as missing.

The Senate passed Special Session Senate Bill 1 (MJ.White-R-Venango) which outlines a $650 million investment plan to support alternative and renewable energy use, Special Session Senate Bill 22 (Tomlinson-R-Bucks) that includes an incentive program for the use of biofuels in transportation and Special Session Senate Bill 36 (MJ.White) that includes a biodiesel mandate. (12/17/07 Pa Environment Digest)

The House has passed House Bill 1200 (DePasquale-D-York) creating a grant and loan program to encourage the use of renewable energy at the PA Energy Development Authority (but without a funding source) and House Bill 1202 (Gerber-D-Montgomery) that includes a renewable transportation fuels mandate. (6/25/07 Pa Environment Digest)

Further consideration of the biofuels mandates passed by the Senate and House will no doubt be influenced by the new federal energy bill signed into law in December that dramatically increases the mandate for using ethanol and biofuels in transportation. (12/24/07 Pa Environment Digest)

The portion of the energy package related to transitioning from electric rate caps to a competitive electric market has seen a number of hearings, but no action was taken by the full Senate or House. The bills include House Bill 1201 (George-D-Clearfield) (6/18/07 Pa Environment Digest) and Senate Bill 1134 (Tomlinson-R-Bucks) (11/26/07 Pa Environment Digest).

Other energy-related legislation is also likely to be considered that is not part of the primary Energy Independence Package.

For example, Special Session House Bill 5 (M.Smith-D-Montgomery) establishing High-Performance Green Building Tax Credit Program, House Bill 894 (Leach-D-Montgomery) increasing state reimbursements for school buildings built using green technology, Special Session House Bill 8 (Leach-D-Montgomery) providing an exclusion from Sales Tax for fluorescent bulbs, Special Session House Bill 11 (Parker-D-Philadelphia) providing an exclusion from Sales Tax for EnergyStar appliances and House Bill 690 (Cohen-D-Philadelphia) creating a plug-in hybrid vehicle task force were all passed the House and are now in the Senate and House Bill 656 (Bastian-R-Somerset) allowing preserved farms to lease property for the development of wind farms is still in the House.

Climate Change: The Senate and House have both passed legislation directing the state to come up with a Climate Change Action Plan and now will have to resolve the differences between the two by deciding whose bill to move: Senate Bill 266 (Erickson-R-Delaware) or House Bill 110 (Vitali-D-Delaware). (11/26/07 Pa Environment Digest)

Phosphate Dish Detergent Ban: Senate Bill 1017 (Brubaker-R-Lancaster) banning dishwasher detergents with phosphates was passed by the Senate and now is in the House.

Great Lakes Compact: House Bill 1705 (Harkins-D-Erie) that would adopt the Great Lakes Compact on water withdrawals affecting the Lake Erie drainage basin is now in the House Appropriations Committee. (12/17/07 Pa Environment Digest)

Deep Mine Safety: Five and a half years after the Quecreek Mine Accident, the coal industry, mine workers and the Rendell Administration have now apparently agreed on the draft of a bill to adopt recommendations made by the 2002 Governor’s Commission formed after the accident and to make sweeping updates to Pennsylvania’s deep mine safety law. The bill is due to be introduced in the Senate as Senate Bill 949, which echoes the “9 for 9” comment Gov. Schweiker used to announce the successful rescue.

Center for Environmental Education: Senate Bill 356 (MJ.White-R-Venango) establishing the Pennsylvania Center for Environmental Education in law was passed by the Senate and is now in the House Appropriations Committee.

Historic Preservation Grants: House Bill 221 (Tangretti-R-Westmoreland) establishing a Historic Preservation Grant Program passed the House and is now in the Senate Community, Economic and Recreation Development Committee.

Public Review of Clean Air Plans: Senate Bill 355 (MJ.White-R-Venango) requiring further public review of State Clean Air Implementation Plans passed by the Senate and is now in the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.

EQB Legal Advice: Senate Bill 105 (Musto-D-Luzerne) requiring independent legal advice for the Environmental Quality Board was passed by the Senate and is now in the House.

Justifying Regulations: Senate Bill 752 (Erickson-R-Delaware) requiring a detailed justification prior to the adoption of regulations through the Independent Regulatory Review Commission process was passed by the Senate and is now in the House.

Keystone Fund Reporting: Senate Bill 1069 (MJ.White-R-Venango) requiring a detailed annual report by DCNR on expenditures from the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund was passed by the Senate and is now in the House.

County Waste Management Fee: House Bill 934 (Scavello-R-Monroe) authorizing a county solid waste management fee was reported from the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee and is now on the House Tabled Bill Calendar.

Conservation District Law Update: Senate Bill 1020 (Wonderling-R-Montgomery) update of the 1945 county conservation district law was reported from the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee and is now in Senate Appropriations.

Game Commission Board: House Bill 1214 (Surra-D-Elk) changing the terms of members of the Game Commission Board in order to make them more responsive to hunters’ interests passed the House and is now in the Senate.

Elk Damage Fund: House Bill 1078 (Hanna-D-Centre) creating the Elk Damage Fund was passed by the House and is now in the Senate.

Appalachian Trail: House Bill 1281 (Freeman-D-Lehigh) directing local governments to better protect the Appalachian Trail passed the House and is now in the Senate.

Local Planning: House Bill 1280 (Freeman-D-Lehigh) further defining traditional neighborhood development, House Bill 420 (Hickernell-R-Lancaster) further defining downtown development under the Main Street Program, House Bill 1329 (Kessler-D-Berks) and House Bill 1330 (Kessler) further providing for appeals from land development ordinances and House Bill 1787 (M.Smith-D-Montgomery) further providing for curative amendments were passed by the House and are now in the Senate.

12/28/2007