Senate Committee Meets Oct. 18 To Consider Bill To Deny Counties Drilling Impact Fee Revenue If Only 99% Of The Land In Their County Is Available For Shale Gas Leasing; Other Bills

The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee is scheduled to meet October 18 on a variety of bills, including legislation to deny counties Act 13 drilling impact fee revenue if only 99% of the land in their county is available for shale gas drilling.

The bills include--

-- Denying Drilling Impact Fees When 99% Of Land Available For Leasing: Senate Bill 1331 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) would deny counties revenue from the Act 13 drilling impact fee if they ban fracking on county-owned lands.  This is in reaction to a ban Allegheny County enacted for its park land earlier this year which makes up less than 1 percent of the land area in the county.  But the big picture is this-- 99% of land remaining in the County could be leased for shale gas drilling, but that’s not enough, apparently.  Read more here.

-- Philadelphia LNG Study Tasks Force: House Bill 2458 (White-R-Philadelphia) create a taskforce to study the exportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to supply the energy needs of allies around the world and what obstacles are currently preventing Philadelphia from

becoming a leader in exporting LNG.  [Forbes: LNG exports lead to record U.S. natural gas prices, higher heating bills + Facilities taken years to build.]

-- Award Oil & Gas Well Plugging Contracts Without Regard To Cost: House Bill 2528 (Struzzi-R-Indiana) would mandate DEP award oil and gas well plugging contracts to Pennsylvania contractors [with no regard for cost to taxpayers].

-- Protecting Military Installation Air Space From Wind Mills:  House Bill 2367 (Mako-R-Northampton) would limit the issuance of permits for construction of wind turbines that could negatively affect military air space.

-- House Republican Bills Attempting To Address Local Flooding by digging out stream channels and not through natural stream restoration techniques designed to prevent flooding and debris build up--

     -- House Bill 2404 (Owlett-R-Tioga): Would allow local government organizations to apply for a permit for continuing maintenance for a period of at least 10 years for the streams within their jurisdiction. This permit would grant an affirmative duty to the local government entity to properly maintain the streams and would not require the local government to get pre-approval for maintenance projects.

     -- House Bill 2405 (Pickett-R-Bradford): Would create a program that allows counties to opt in to address hazards within their streams by allowing for emergency maintenance permits in consultation with their county conservation district. This is modeled after a pilot project that has proven successful in Bradford County [but only after a detailed evaluation of county streams].

     -- House Bill 2406 (Fritz-R-Susquehanna): Would create a permit specific to smaller maintenance projects for the mitigation of flood-related hazards of less than 250 linear feet. This permit would be reviewed and issued by the local county conservation district.

     -- House Bill 2407 (Hamm-R-Lycoming): Would clarify that the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has no authority for permitting or enforcement related to stream clearing or maintenance activities. This authority shall belong solely to DEP and the county conservation districts as appropriate.

The meeting will be held in Room 461 starting at 9:30 a.m.  Click Here to watch live.

Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming) serves as Majority Chair of the Senate Environmental Committee and can be contacted by calling 717-787-3280 or sending email to: gyaw@pasen.gov.   Sen. Carolyn Comitta (D-Chester) serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted by calling 717-787-5709 or sending email to: senatorcomitta@pasenate.com.

Related Events:

October 24-- House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee hearing on “fossil fuels - driving America’s economy and quality of life.”  Room G-50 Irvis Building. 9:30 a.m.  Click Here to watch live.

October 27-- Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee to hold hearing “to examine the role of LNG (liquified natural gas) in strengthening American energy security on the world stage.” Steamfitters Local Union 420, 14420 Townsend, Philadelphia. 9:00 a.m. Click Here to see if the hearing will be available online.

NewsClips:

-- Reuters: Dozens Of LNG-Laden Ships Queue Off Europe’s Coasts Unable To Unload

-- NBCPhiladelphia: Following The Steps Of PA Utilities, NJ Utility Companies Will Increase Natural Gas Rates By As Much As 25% 

-- Forbes: Why Natural Gas Prices Quadrupled In Two Years

-- S&P Global: U.S. Natural Gas Supporting Long, Challenging Climb Of Atlantic Coast LNG Projects  [LNG Exports Link U.S./PA To High Prices]

-- WPost: U.S. Is World’s Largest Oil & Natural Gas Producer, But You’ll Still Pay More For Gasoline, Natural Gas

-- Financial Times: U.S. Natural Gas Rescue Plan For Europe Threatens Domestic U.S. Backlash As Prices Surge To Triple What They Were

Related Articles:

-- PA PUC: Cost Of Natural Gas Provided By Major Utilities In PA Increased As Much As 154% Over Last Year [PaEN]

-- Explainer: So Why Does A Susquehanna County Gas Company Have To Raise Rates 33.2% When Susquehanna County Is The #1 Shale Gas Producer In PA?  [PaEN]

-- Forbes: U.S. Natural Gas Production Set New Record, But Don’t Expect Relief On Your Heating Bills [LNG Exports Link U.S./PA To High Prices]  [PaEN]

[Posted: October 17, 2022]  PA Environment Digest