Top 10 Stories: Harrisburg/PA Politics Reported By Local News Media Last Week

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- Shapiro Announces Norfolk Southern Repaid PA Fire Departments, First Responders $1 Million  [PaEN] 

-- PA Senate/House

-- Spotlight PA: Campaign Finance, Lobbying Reform Still Receiving Little Attention In PA Legislature

-- Scranton Times Editorial: No One Lobbies For Needed Lobby Reform

-- Scranton Times: House Speaker McClinton Promises Change For The Better In Harrisburg

-- Inquirer: PA House Democrats’ Majority On The Line In Delaware County Special House Election

-- U.S. Senate/House

-- AP: Fetterman Expected Back To U.S. Senate Week Of April 17

-- AP: Fetterman Leaves Walter Reed Hospital With Depression ‘In Remission’

-- Election Reforms

-- WITF: Plan To Improve PA’s Voting And Licensing Databases Met With Skepticism

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: Acting Secretary Of State Questioned About Election Integrity, Professional Licensing Issues

-- SpotlightPA: Court Decision Does Little To Clear Up Confusion On Curing Mail-In Ballots

-- AP: Election Day Ballot Problems In Luzerne County Examined By Congressional Committee

-- Ohio/PA Train Derailment

-- Shapiro Announces Norfolk Southern Repaid PA Fire Departments, First Responders $1 Million  [PaEN] 

-- Dept. Of Health Establishes Community-Based Health Resource Network To Provide Long-Term Assistance To Residents Impacted By Norfolk Southern Train Derailment  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA Wants Norfolk Southern To Reimburse Farmers Who Lost Meat Sales After Train Derailment 

-- WESA/The Allegheny Front: Questions Remain About Testing, Cleanup Of Streams After Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

-- Post-Gazette-Capitolwire.com - Robert Swift: PA Budget Hearing On Health Dept. Covers Train Derailment, Post-COVID Landscape

-- UnionProgress.com: Seven Weeks After Trail Derailment, Residents Struggle With The Unknown

-- TribLive: ‘Shell-Shocked’ East Palestine, Ohio Residents Seek Normalcy After Train Wreck

-- Courier Times: Delaware River Chemical Spill Includes Toxin Released In Norfolk Southern Train Derailment, The Latest On The Spill

-- Politics PA: Casey, Fetterman, Brown Introduce Rail Safety Legislation

-- Post-Gazette: EPA Waited Weeks After Train Derailment To Test For Dioxins, Residents, Advocates Demand More Transparency

-- CNN: CDC Team Studying Health Impacts Of Ohio Train Derailment Fell Ill For 24 Hours During Investigation Reporting Same Symptoms As Residents

-- WESA/The Allegheny Front: EPA Office Of Inspector General To Investigate Agency’s Response To Norfolk Southern Train Derailment 

-- AP: U.S. Justice Dept. Sues Norfolk Southern Over Train Derailment Environmental Damage

-- Politics PA: DOJ, EPA File Lawsuit Against Norfolk Southern For Unlawful Discharge Of Pollutants And Hazardous Substances At Train Derailment Site

-- TribLive Editorial: Norfolk Southern Lawsuits Are Necessary Enforcement Of Railroad’s Promises

-- Bucks County/Delaware River Chemical Spill

-- DEP Provides Update On 8,100 Gallon Spill From Bucks County Chemical Plant Affecting The Delaware River  [PsEN] 

-- Stroud Water Research Center On Bucks County Chemical Spill: We Need To Revisit Source Water Protection, Pollution Prevention Contingency Plans To Protect Our Share Water Resources  [PaEN]

-- PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- PUC Urges Consumers To Contact Utilities About Payment Of Past-Due Or High Bills As Winter Moratorium Ends March 31 

-- PJM This Week Sends Penalty Assessments Of Up To $2 Billion To Electric Generators That Failed To Perform During December’s Winter Storm Elliot; Natural Gas Power Plants Had 63% Of Outages  [PaEN]

-- Marcellus Drilling News/Argus Media: Wild Swings In Natural Gas Price ‘Here To Stay For Foreseeable Future’

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Consultant Suggests Drillers Fight Low Natural Gas Prices By Choking Wells 50% [To Reduce Supply]

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs - No Change From Last Week: 24

-- Guest Essay: A Conservative Argument For Clean Energy -- Follow The Market, Fossil Fuels Are No Bargain - By Dave Jenkins,  Conservatives For Responsible Stewardship    [PaEN]

-- Washington & Jefferson College Hosts April 5 Webinar On Justice40 - Bringing Energy Transition Benefits To Disadvantaged Communities  [PaEN] 

-- Bloomberg: Illinois Power Plant Firm Goes Bankrupt After PJM Imposes December Freeze Storm Penalties; PJM Fines May Reach $2 Billion For Widespread Power Plant Failures 

-- TribLive: Gasoline Prices Down In PA While National Average Unchanged

-- AAA: PA Gasoline Price Average - $3.55, National Average $3.43

-- Cambridge, Ohio Gasoline Price: $3.05

-- PA/Harrisburg Politics Potpourri

-- Politics PA: National Speakers Highlight PA Conservative Leadership Conference

-- PennLive - Charles Thompson: Republican Star Marjorie Taylor Greene Tells PA Conservatives To Keep The Faith Despite Recent Loses

-- Budget 2023

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: Acting Secretary Of State Questioned About Election Integrity, Professional Licensing Issues

-- The Center Square: Film/TV Production Credits More Often Sold Than Used In PA

-- COVID Pandemic/Health

-- Post-Gazette-Capitolwire.com - Robert Swift: PA Budget Hearing On Health Dept. Covers Train Derailment, Post-COVID Landscape

-- School Districts/Higher Education

-- AP: Threats And False Reports Of Shooters Spread To Schools Across PA

-- PennLive - John Baer: School Shootings Evidently Teach America Nothing

-- Law Enforcement

-- PennLive: PA House Panel Hears Testimony On Child Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Window Legislation, Future Remains Uncertain

-- AP: Threats And False Reports Of Shooters Spread To Schools Across PA

-- PennLive - John Baer: School Shootings Evidently Teach America Nothing

-- The Economy

-- PennLive: Dept. Of Labor & Industry Expects To Clear Unemployment Backlog By End Of Summer

-- WHYY/AP: PA Lags Behind Other States In Luring Microchip, EV Factories

-- Other

-- Scranton Times Editorial: Just Disclose Settlement Agreements Against Governments

[Posted: April 2, 2023]