PA Environment Digest Blog: Wednesday PA Environment & Energy NewsClips 6.15.22

Are You Telling Your Story?

Senate returns to session June 15, 20, 21, 22 [Budget Time!]

House returns to session June 15, 20, 21, 22 [Budget Time!]

TODAY 9:15: House Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committee meets to consider Senate Bill 302 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) providing for limits on use and warning labels for PFOS/PFOA firefighting foams. Room B-31 Main Capitol. Click Here to watch online.

TODAY 9:30: House Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee meets to consider Senate Bill 64 (Martin-R-Lancaster) setting aside a portion of farmland preservation funds for use by land trusts. Room 523 Irvis Building. 9:30 a.m. Click Here to watch online.

TODAY 10:00: House Consumer Affairs Committee hearing on House Bill 1789 (Sankey-R- Clearfield) further providing for price and other disclosures related to competitive electric and natural gas shopping. Room 205 Ryan Building. 10:00 a.m. Click Here to watch online.

-- EQB Adopts Part I Of Final Regulation Reducing Oil & Gas VOC/Methane Emissions; DEP Documents 80% Of Methane Emissions Come From Conventional Oil & Gas Facilities [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Laura Legere: DEP Splits Long-Stalled Oil & Gas Air Pollution Rule; Rule Loses Roughly 80% Of Reduction Benefit By Excluding Conventional Oil & Gas Sources

-- StateImpactPA: DEP Drops Major Source Of Methane From New Rule Limiting Oil & Gas Facility Emissions

-- Scranton Times: Law Firms Seek Coworkers Of 2 Who Died Of Mesothelioma After Working At Luzerne County Nuclear Power Plant

-- MCall Guest Essay: Facing Facts On Energy Use, Cost And The Environment

-- PennFuture Announces Winners Of Celebrating Women In Conservation Awards From Southeast PA [PaEN]

-- DEP Took Action On 776 Permits, 94% Within Permit Decision Guarantee Deadlines: Conducted 1,458 Inspections Last Week

-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: Activists Bring Climate Clock To PA Capitol To Urge Lawmaker Action

-- WHYY: As Climate Change Makes Philly Temps Rise, So Does Urgency To Make Schools Cooler

-- WESA: Pittsburgh Schools Dismiss 2 Days Early Due To Sweltering Heat

-- WESA: In Lieu Of County Action, 35 Communities Outside Pittsburgh Now Closer To Passing Climate Plans

-- Centre Daily Times: From Climate To Transparency, What Penn State Forward’s Board Of Trustees Win Means For Future

-- Wilkes-Barre Times: Agnes At 50: Officials Reflect On Public Safety, Preparedness Since 1972 Flood

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: The Schuylkill River Is Clean But Has A Public Relations Problem, Study Finds

-- Courier Times: How Will Lower Makefield Twp. Spend Its Sewer System Sale Funds?

-- American Water Charitable Foundation Accepting Applications For Water And The Environment Grants [PaEN]

-- DEP Hosts June 28 Virtual Informational Meeting On SMT East Noncoal Surface Mine In Westmoreland County

-- Four Revolutionary War Era Cannons Unearthed At Thomas P. Bentley Nature Preserve In Chester County [PaEN]

-- Help Wanted: Berks Conservation District Urban Resource Conservationist [PaEN]

-- Warren Times: Observe MAPS Bird Banding At Audubon Community Nature Center

-- PennLive - Marcus Schneck: Stargazing In PA: Here Are The Top Night Sky Spots

6th Oil/Natural Gas Spike: True Energy Independence Means Renewables

[There Is No Limit To What Oil/Natural Gas Industry Can Make You Pay]

-- The Center Square: With Food And Energy Prices High, Few Short-Term Solutions [PA House Hearing]

-- MCall - Ford Turner: PA Farmers Getting Crushed By Record Diesel Prices, Lawmakers Told

-- US EIA: New Natural Gas Production Per Drilling Rig Dropped Over Last Year In Appalachia Fields

-- WSJ: U.S. Natural Gas Prices Plunge After Extended Outage At Texas LNG Facility [LNG Exports Drive High U.S. Natural Gas Prices; High Natural Gas Prices Drive Inflation And Electricity Cost Spikes - Connect The Dots]

“Natural gas has been a big driver of inflation this year, with the highest prices in years adding to the cost of heating, cooling and powering homes and businesses as well as manufacturing steel, cement, glass, plastics and fertilizer. Prices had hit $9.60 just before the fire at the LNG plant on Wednesday, which was about triple what gas cost a year earlier. Since the fire, prices have dropped 25% from that intraday high.”

-- Reuters: Texas LNG Extends Outage After Explosion, Targets Year End For Full Operations

“Natural gas prices slumped in the United States and soared in Europe on news of an extended shutdown. The facility accounts for about 20% of U.S. LNG exports and has been a major supplier to European buyers seeking alternatives to Russian gas since its invasion of Ukraine.”

-- Bloomberg: U.S. Natural Gas Slumps As LNG Plant Shutdown Strands Supplies

-- Reuters: Biden Demands Oil Companies Explain Lack Of Gasoline As Prices Rise

-- AP: Biden Tells Oil Refiners: Produce More Gasoline, As Americans Struggle With Record High Prices At Pump

-- Financial Times: U.S. EIA: Oil Supply to Struggle To Keep Pace With Demand In 2023

-- Reuters: U.S. Oil Lobby Pushes Biden To Roll Back Fossil Fuel Curbs

-- Bloomberg: 10 EU Nations Warn Against Diluting Green Plan Before Key Vote

-- Bloomberg: Key EU Parliament Groups Reject Green Label For Natural Gas, Nuclear

-- Reuters: Hydrogen Will Give U.S. Natural Gas Pipelines New Life In Carbon-Free World

American Rescue Plan Funding

-- LancasterOnline: Lancaster County Commissioners Prioritize Environmental Cleanup, Other ‘Long-term’ Projects For American Rescue Plan Funding

-- $11 Billion In Federal American Rescue Plan Funding To PA State Government, Local Governments Has Yet To Be Invested. What’s Your Community Doing?

Other States/National/International