Wednesday PA Environment & Energy NewsClips 7.6.22

Are You Telling Your Story?

Senate returns to session July 6, 7, 8 [Budget Time!]

     -- Committee Schedule

House returns to session July 6, 7, 8 [Budget Time!]

     -- Committee Schedule

TODAY’s Calendar Of Events

 

-- TODAY Off The Floor: Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to meet on July 6 on House Bill 2644 (Causer-R-Cameron) blocking any increase in conventional oil and gas well plugging bonds, exempting pre-1985 wells (which is most of them) from any bonding leaving taxpayers liable for $5.1 billion in cleanup costs. Click Here to watch live.  Read more here.

-- Senate Appropriations Committee Meets July 6 On Bill Exempting Conventional Oil & Gas Wells From Plugging Bonds Sticking Taxpayers With $5.1 Billion In Cleanup Liability  [PaEN]

-- PA Environmental Council/Environmental Defense Fund + 12 Other Groups: HB 2644 Unjustifiably Limits Bonding For Oil & Gas Wells, Risks Eligibility For Federal Well Plugging Funds[PaEN]

-- DEP Issues 20% More NOVs To Oil & Gas Well Drillers For Abandoning Wells Without Plugging Them In 2nd Quarter [PaEN]

-- AP: PA Capitol Quiet During 5th Day Without New State Budget 

 

-- Erie Times Guest Essay: PA State Parks Fuel Economic Growth, Well-Being, But Need Upgrades, Fund Them - DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn

 

-- Erie Times Guest Essay: Let’s Clean Up And Protect PA’s Waterways - Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Take Action Now!

-- Take Action Now! State Budget Isn’t Done! - Help Bipartisan Lawmakers, Wildlife, Farm, Environmental, Recreation Groups Working To Get Growing Greener III Funding  [PaEN]

 

-- Most UNwanted List: Lookout For Bad Environmental, Energy Provisions During Final Budget Week  [PaEN]

 

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-- WESA: Allegheny County Council Votes To Ban Natural Gas Fracking In County Parks, County Executive Says He’ll Veto Bill [Even Though County Executive Says He Has No Plans To Allow Fracking On Or Under County Parks]

 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Allegheny County Council Votes To Ban Natural Gas Drilling In County Parks By Veto-Proof Margin

 

-- Post-Gazette: Allegheny County Council Votes To Ban Fracking In County Parks

 

-- WITF Smart Talk: Poll: Pennsylvanians See Global Warming As Serious Problem, Split On Natural Gas Fracking

 

-- Mennonite Central Committee: How Climate Change Is Making Life More Complex For Rural Farmers In Bolivia - By Rachel Watson, Lancaster-based Mennonite Central Committee 

-- PUC PA One Call Damage Prevention Committee Assesses $65,625 In Penalties For Underground Utility Digging Violations 

-- PennLive: Tioga County Man Who Owns Well Versed Oilfield Services Accused Of Using $400,000 Of Federal COVID Relief Money to Buy Alabama Home

-- DEP Took Action On 635 Permits, 98% Within Permit Decision Guarantee Deadlines; Conducted 1,262 Inspections; Responded To 1 Environmental Emergency Last Week

-- TribLive - Mary Ann Thomas: Family-Owned Plum Company Recycled Wooden Barrels For Over A Century

-- TribLive: Historical Marker To Be Dedicated To 1902 Rolling Mill Coal Mine Disaster In Johnstown

-- PA Resources Council Hosts Backyard Composting, Rain Barrel, Recycling Workshops, Webinars In July For Southwestern PA Residents  [PaEN]

-- Grid Philly: Neighborhood Gardens Trust Hits Major Milestone, But The Work Continues

-- Clean Water Is Up To You: Make Smart Choices And Ditch Single-Use Plastic - By Brodhead Creek Watershed Association, Monroe County [PaEN]

-- Nature At Risk: This Dinosaur-Era Fish Of The Delaware River Is On The Brink - By Brodhead Creek Watershed Association, Monroe County  [PaEN]

-- PA Assn. Of Environmental Educators: Calendar Of Professional Development Opportunities, Events

-- Intern Wanted: Schuylkill Action Network Outreach Intern  [PaEN]

-- Help Wanted: PA Envirothon Executive Director  [PaEN]

-- Williamsport Sun: DCNR Sprays Woodlands For Spongy Moths [Formerly Known As Gypsy Moths]

 

-- Friends Of South Mountain Partnership, Appalachian Trail Conservancy Accepting Applications For Flex- Grants  [PaEN]

 

-- WeConservePA Hosts Webinar July 19 On Economic Impacts Of Outdoor Recreation - A Conservation With Nathan Reigner  [PaEN]

-- DCNR Names Jeffrey Johns New Manager At Cowans Gap State Park In Fulton, Franklin Counties

-- PennLive - Marcus Schneck: Vehicle-Deer Collisions Rising Nationally, PA Is Top Of The Heap 

-- PennLive - Marcus Schneck: American Marten, Missing From PA For More Than A Century,  Might Be Brought Back

-- Erie Times - Brain Whipkey: Tick Man Dan Leads Crusade Against Ticks

-- Erie Times: Presque Isle’s Cottonwood Tree Fuzz - A Late Spring Snowfall Lookalike

 

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

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

-- TribLive: Pittsburgh-Area Gasoline Prices Remain High As State, National Averages Come Down  

-- Reuters: Crude Oil Tumbles 9% On Recession Demand Destruction Fears  

-- Reuters: Crude Oil Prices Bounce Back Up From Tuesday Tumble As Supply Concerns Return 

-- Reuters: More Than 5 Million Barrels Of Oil Released From U.S. Reserves To Oil Companies Being Sold Overseas As U.S. Gasoline & Diesel Prices Touch Record Highs   

-- Reuters: Exxon Profit Set To Soar Again; White House Wants More Oil

-- Bloomberg: Natural Gas Soars 700%, Becoming Driving Force In The New Cold War 

-- Bloomberg: Europe Natural Gas Drops As Norway Resolves Strike, Easing Supply Crunch

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?

 

Bipartisan Federal Infrastructure Law

 

-- U.S. Dept. Of Energy Seeks Public Input On $630 Million Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Program To Invest In Hydroelectric Facilities  

 

-- Utility Dive: DOE Seeks Input On How To Divide $630 Million In Infrastructure Law Hydropower Funding

 

Other States/National/International

-- EPA Selects 30 Members To Serve On Environmental Financial Advisory Board [Includes 2 PA Members Returning]

PA Politics - Everything Is Connected

-- Post-Gazette - Julian Routh: Group Of PA Republican Leaders Bucking Part To Endorse Democrat Josh Shapiro For Governor

-- PennLive: 9 Top PA Republicans Endorse Shapiro For PA Governor, Call Mastriano ‘Extreme,’ ‘Dangerous’ 

-- Courier Times: PA Republican Leaders Back Shapiro Over Mastriano In Race For Governor

-- Inquirer: ‘Mastriano Is Unacceptable’: A Group Of PA Republicans Is Organizing To Support Shapiro

-- PennLive: Galvanized By Gun Violence, PA Lt. Governor Candidate Poised To Make History

-- Inquirer Guest Essay: PA Voting System Primed To Produce Candidates Like Republican Mastriano

-- LancasterOnline: Lancaster County Man Charged With Crimes Related To Assault On U.S. Capitol Dead At 58

-- AP: PA Capitol Quiet During 5th Day Without New State Budget  

-- Post-Gazette: Harrisburg Leaders Putting Together ‘Final Product For 2022-23 State Budget

-- PA Capital-Star: Adding To This Year’s Budget Drama - How To Cut PA’s Corporate Tax Rate

-- PA Capital-Star: Rep. Grove To Propose Truck Stop Video Gambling Expansion

-- AP: COVID Nursing Home Deaths Baseless Claim A Campaign Mainstay Of Republican Candidate For Governor Mastriano

-- WESA: Enrolled In Medicaid In PA?  You Might Need To Choose New Health Plan

-- Erie Times: How To Counter Misinformation About COVID Shots For Young Children

-- PennLive: Tioga County Man Who Owns Well Versed Oilfield Services Accused Of Using $400,000 Of Federal COVID Relief Money To Buy Alabama Home

-- Inquirer: After Police Officers Shot, Philly Major Says He’ll ‘Be Happy’ When He’s Not Major Anymore

-- PA Capital-Star: Law Firm Accuses Allegheny County Judge Of Misconduct In 62 Complaints

-- Scranton Times: Catholic Monsignor Delaney Placed On Leave Over Allegations Of Sexual Misconduct

-- Inquirer Guest Essay: Impeaching Philly DA Will Not Reduce Gun Violence

-- WHYY: Philly Residents And Politicians To Philly Major - You Can Resign If You Don’t Want To Be Mayor

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Remarkable Duquesne City Schools Turnaround Needs One Last Push

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[Posted: July 6, 2022]  PA Environment Digest