Environment & Energy NewsClips--
May 16 Primary Election
-- AP: Democrats Keep PA House Majority, Positioning Part To Prevent Limits On Abortion Rights
-- AP: Democrat McCaffery, Republic Carluccio Win Primaries For PA Supreme Court Seat
Budget
-- The Center Square: Policy Pillars Erected For State’s ‘Great Compromise’ Budget
-- Post-Gazette/Capitolwire.com-Robert Swift: Economic Development Issues Are Important In This Year’s PA Budget Debate
-- PA Gaming Control Board Reports Total April Revenue Up 3.27% Over April 2022
-- Scranton Times Editorial: Pass Yaw Bill To Regulate ‘Skill’ Gambling Games
Norfolk Southern Train Derailment
-- State Agencies Hold Small Business Resources Fair May 17 In Beaver County To Help Community Recover From Impacts Of Norfolk Southern Train Derailment [PaEN]
-- PA Capital-Star: Fetterman: ‘Same S**t, Different Day,’ With Latest Norfolk Southern Train Derailment In Lawrence County
-- Yahoo! News: Norfolk Southern Train Got Alarm Before Train Derailment In New Castle, Lawrence County - NTSB
-- PA Politics Of Russian Invasion
-- Wilkes-Barre Times: PUC Alerts Consumers Of June 1 Electric Price Changes - PPL, UGI Decrease
-- Inquirer: Your PECO Bill To See 6% Increase In June
-- Reading Eagle: UGI Files For Rate Decrease For Natural Gas Customers [Finally Coming Down After Rate Spikes Over Last Year]
-- UGI Gas Rates To Remain Unchanged In June, Decrease Projected In Dec.
-- Warren Times Editorial: Frustrations In The Gas Industry As Production Slips [PA Industry Says Its Red Tape, Pipeline Constraints - Not Said The Real Reason Is Low Natural Gas Prices, According To Companies Themselves]
-- Bloomberg: Natural Gas Drilling Collapses In U.S. At Fastest Rate In 7 Years Amid Tumbling Prices
-- AP: Mountain Valley Natural Gas Pipeline Gets New Permit To Build In Appalachian National Forest
-- Reuters: U.S. Shale Oil Production Set To Rise To Highest On Record In June, EIA
-- Financial Times: ‘Halt Button’ Hit On Drilling In U.S. Oil And Gas Slowdown; Weakening Prices Accentuated Pullback
-- Bloomberg: U.S. Natural Gas Prices Surge 11% After Report Stockpiles Expanded Less Than Analysts Expected
Environment/Energy Issues
-- House Environmental Committee Meets May 23 To Consider Bills To Help Prevent The Routine Abandonment Of 561 Conventional Oil/Gas Wells A Year; Authorize Streambank Fencing [PaEN]
-- House Environmental Committee Holds May 22 Hearing On Hydrogen Hubs & Climate Change [PaEN]
-- Olympus Energy Shale Gas Driller Expresses Fear Municipalities Will Use Their DEP Compliance Record With Hundreds Of Violations To Help Make Local Land Use Decisions On Oil & Gas Infrastructure Projects [PaEN]
-- Pine Creek Headwaters Protection Group Asks DCNR To Protect State Forest Land From Seneca Shale Gas Drilling Well Pad, Comply With PA Supreme Court Decision, Protect Recreation, Wildlife [PaEN]
-- Environmental Groups Launched Effort May 4 Asking For Update On Studies Of Health Impacts Of Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities, So Far No Response [PaEN]
-- Struggle To Plug Tatonka Oil Co. LLC’s Nancy 13 Conventional Well Leaking Gas, Production Wastewater Since 2018; Citizen Complaint Finds ‘Bubbling’ Gas Well [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - May 20 [PaEN]
-- Citizens Voice Editorial: PA Supreme Court Reaffirms Environmental Quality Is A Right Not A Luxury In Shale Gas Drilling Ruling [PaEN]
-- Republican Herald Editorial: PA Supreme Court Reaffirms Environmental Quality Is A Right Not A Luxury In Shale Gas Drilling Ruling
-- EPCAMR: PA Solar On Mined Lands Statewide Summit July 19 In State College [PaEN]
-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: 3 Workers Injured At Consol Energy’s Enlow Fork Coal Mine In Washington County
-- TribLive: PJM Interconnection Says Region’s Power Grid Should Be Fine For Summer Demand
-- Utility Dive: Most Of U.S. Faces Elevated Risk Of Blackouts In Extreme Heat This Summer, North American Electric Reliability Corp Warns
-- Bradford Era: Rural PA’s Death Rate Outpacing Births, Center For Rural PA Study Says
Top 10 Stories On Harrisburg/PA Politics Last Week--
Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--
-- Top 10 Stories: Harrisburg/PA Politics Reported By Local News Media Last Week [PaEN]
Bill Calendars
House (May 22): House Bill 797 (B.Miller-R-Lancaster) providing for the use of native plants along highways by PennDOT; House Resolution 87 (Daily-D-Montgomery) directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to study the benefits of wildlife conservation corridors. <> Click Here for full House Bill Calendar.
Senate (June 5): Senate Bill 100 (Brooks-R-Crawford) further providing for Lyme disease and tick-borne illness medical coverage; Senate Bill 198 (Bartolotta-R-Washington) which would create a new standard for the review for appeals of DEP permit actions before the Environmental Hearing Board by limiting parties appealing permit decisions-- a company or a citizens group-- to issues raised in and information contained in a record of decision of a permit prepared by DEP. This would prevent a citizens group or anyone else from raising issues DEP missed or misinterpreted [Read more here]; Senate Bill 199 (Bartolotta-R- Washington) requires members of the Board whose terms have expired to be reappointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate [Read more here]; Senate Bill 689 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) would authorize DEP to issue a 10-year “stream cleaning” permits to local governments or PennDOT without need for further preapprovals for actions in the stream regardless if stream conditions changes within their jurisdictions [Read more here]; Senate Bill 690 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) would authorize county conservation districts to develop a complex and expensive program related to “reconstruction emergency permit authorizations” to conduct “stream cleaning” operations [Read more here]; Senate Bill 691 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) would rename the Department of Environmental Protection to the Department of Environmental Services. The bill also opens up Act 18 of 1995 creating DEP and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to any and all amendments [Read more here]. <> Click Here for full Senate Bill Calendar.
Committee Meetings
House
May 22-- House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee holds hearing on hydrogen hubs and climate change. Room 523 Irvis Building. 10:00 a.m. Click Here to watch online. Read more here.
May 23-- House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee meets to consider House Bill 962 (Vitali-D-Delaware), legislation that would restore DEP’s authority to review conventional oil and gas well plugging bonding amounts every two years; House Bill 677 (Sturla-D- Lancaster) amending the Clean Streams Law to authorize stream bank fencing as a Best Management Practice to keep livestock out of streams; House Resolution 104 (Sturla-D- Lancaster/Benninghoff-R-Mifflin) designating June 4 to 10 Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week. Room 205 Ryan Building. 10:00 a.m. Click Here to watch online. Read more here.
May 23-- House Consumer Protection, Technology & Utilities Committee meets to consider House Bill 1032 (Fiedler-D-Philadelphia) establishing a Solar Energy For Schools Grant Program [Read more here]; House Resolution 79 (Pisciottano-D-Allegheny) urging the Biden Administration and Congress to designate Pennsylvania as a hydrogen hub. Room G-50 Irvis Building. 9:00 a.m. Click Here to watch online.
May 24-- House Housing and Community Development Committee meets to consider Senate Bill 466 (Brown-R-Lackawanna) providing environmental cleanup liability protection for land banks. Room 523 Irvis Building. Call of the Chair. Click Here to watch online.
<> Click Here for full House Committee Schedule.
Senate
<> Click Here for full Senate Committee Schedule.
Bills Pending In Key Committees
Check the PA Environmental Council Bill Tracker for the status and updates on pending state legislation and regulations that affect environmental and conservation efforts in Pennsylvania.
Session Schedule
Here is the latest voting session schedule for the Senate and House--
House
May 22, 23, 24
June 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
Senate
June 5, 6, 7, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
[Posted: May 21, 2023]
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