PA Environment Digest Blog: Citizens Voice Editorial: ‘Protection’ Still Core Of DEP’s Job

This editorial first appeared in the Citizens Voice on June 9, 2023--

Farcically claiming that the state Department of Environmental Protection is an intimidating regulatory bully, state Senate Republicans have decided to promote a culture change at the agency by renaming it the Department of Environmental Services.

On a strictly party-line 28-22 vote, the Senate passed the name-change bill Wednesday.

“The word ‘protection’ carries the law enforcement or security connotation rather than that of an environmental resource and a partner to the citizens of Pennsylvania,” said Republican Sen. Gene Yaw, of Lycoming County, an ardent advocate of the natural gas industry and chairman of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.

“Unfortunately, enforcer has become the prevalent view of the department,” he said.

Unfortunately? Pro-industry lawmakers long have perpetuated the myth that environmental regulators and industry can achieve compliance by working together, as if they share identical interests.

Administrations over the years — most recently that of Gov. Tom Corbett — have tried that approach, providing empirical evidence that it doesn’t work.

The state, for example, provided $1.7 billion in tax credits for a massive Shell petrochemical refinery in Beaver County and cleared an array of hurdles to fast-track its construction.

So far, the company has racked up more than $10 million in fines in less than six months of operation for heavily polluting the air.

Perhaps the DEP should have adopted a “service” rather than “enforcement” approach to spare the company that expense.

The DEP provides services. The greatest one is protection.

It protects Pennsylvanians’ right as spelled out in the state constitution: “The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment.”

The agency was named the Department of Forest and Waters in 1901 when it was created.

To reflect a broader role to fight choking pollution, it changed in 1970 to the Department of Environmental Resources, when the Legislature spun off the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to oversee state parks and forests.

The House should reject the name change to emphasize the agency’s proper role.

If it approves the change, Gov. Josh Shapiro should veto the bill.

DEP Reforms/Changes:

-- Gov. Shapiro’s Budget Proposes Major Initiative To Speed Up DEP Permit Reviews/ Inspections; Double Oil & Gas Fund Investment In State Parks/Forests Infrastructure [PaEN]

-- DEP Budget Testimony: Increasing Permitting Efficiency, Cleaning Up Legacy Pollution, Investing In Communities, Holding Companies Accountable [PaEN]

-- DEP Offers 10 Point Plan To Improve Permit Reviews; Climate/Energy Work Group Co-Chairs Announced; Work Group Formed To Prevent New Oil & Gas Well Abandonments [PaEN]

-- DEP Acting Secretary Wants To Encourage A Culture Of Being User-Friendly At DEP And Used The Train Derailment Response As An Example [PaEN]

-- DEP Acting Secretary Negrin: All Climate Change Is Local - We Are Guardians Of Our Neighborhoods, We Are To Act In Service To Our Neighbors [PaEN]

-- House Budget Hearing: Acting DEP Secretary Outlines His Views On Environmental Justice, Announces Fernando Treviño As Special Deputy For Environmental Justice [PaEN]

DEP-Related Compliance Actions Since January:

-- DEP Signs Consent Order Including $10 Million In Penalties, Local Payments With Shell Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County To Resolve Air Quality Violations; Plant To Restart May 24

-- How Chesapeake Appalachia Created Another New Shale Gas Brownfield In Bradford County; Timberline Energy Plugs Its Abandoned Conventional Gas Wells In Venango County