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

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- Spotlight PA: Shapiro Administration Threatened With Lawsuit Over ‘Scandalous’ Conduct Order Issued Amid Gaza Protests

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Shapiro Rule Limiting State Employee Speech Rights Must Be Rescinded

-- Gov. Shapiro Signs Executive Order Creating PA’s First Housing Action Plan

-- PA Capital-Star: Shapiro Signs Executive Order to Create Plan To Address PA’s Housing Shortage

-- Shapiro Administration Announces $75 Million In Environmental Repair Grants To 109 School Districts To Deal With Lead, Asbestos, Mold, Other Contaminants

-- Shapiro-Davis Administration Announces $56.4 Million In Grants To Combat Gun Violence; Create More Afterschool, Out-Of-School Opportunities

-- Gov. Shapiro Appoints Members To New State Board of Higher Education

-- Post-Gazette: Gov. Shapiro Announces Appointees To New Board Of Higher Education

-- Budget 2025

-- Senate Hearing: Landowner Concerns About Liability For Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Wells May Be Impediment To Plugging Leaking Wells; Need To Make Plugging Programs More Effective To Deal With ‘Growing Problem’  [PaEN] 

-- The Appalachian Voice: Massive Federal Funding Boost Spurs Abandoned Mine Cleanup Efforts In Appalachia 

-- Statewide Races

-- Spotlight PA: What You Need To Know About PA’s Attorney General, Auditor General, State Treasurer Candidates

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: A Complete Guide To The Candidates For Auditor General

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: State Treasurer’s Race Focuses On Transparency, Politicism

-- PA House/Senate

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso/Kate Huangpu: Public Transit Funding, Utility Protections, More Top PA Legislature’s Fall To-Do List

-- MCall - Bill White: On Child Sex Abuse Lawsuit Window: ‘One Pathetic Letdown After Another,’ Survivor Says 

-- PennLive Guest Essay: The Legislature Has A Last Chance To Stand With Victims Of Child Sexual Abuse - By Mark Singel

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: A Guide To Vetting Legislative Candidates

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: Crash Investigation Continues Involving Democratic PA Senate Candidate Ruscitto As Records Of Earlier Ticket Surface

-- WHYY: ‘What Real Freedom Looks Like:’ Ready-To-Drink Cocktails Arrive In Stores As PA Relaxes Liquor Laws

-- US Senate/House

-- The Center Square: Pennsylvania US Senate Race Narrows

-- York Dispatch: Republican PA Con. Scott Perry Stands By Effort To Overturn 2020 Election Results

-- November Election

-- AP: PA Supreme Court Rules Mail-In Ballots With Flawed Dates On Envelopes Can Be Thrown Out 

-- The Center Square: PA Supreme Court Says Toss Misdated Mail-In Ballots

-- PennLive: PA Supreme Court Ruling On Mail-In Ballot Curing ‘Did Not Side With Voters’ Gov. Shapiro Says

-- Tioga Publishing: PA Mail-In Ballot Distribution Delayed Due To Pending Legal Challenges

-- Observer-Report: Washington County Judge Asks Commonwealth Court To Dismiss Republican Mail-In Ballot-During Appeal

-- TribLive: Local Election Officials Confident Mail-In Ballots Will Be Delivered On Time Despite National Concerns

-- PA Capital-Star: Dauphin County Will Allow Voters To Correct Mail-In Ballot Errors; Advocates Hope More Will Follow 

-- WHYY: Volunteer Initiative Seeks To Register More Puerto Rican, Latino Voters In Philly

-- MCall: Voter Registration Letters Cause Confusion, What To Do If You Get One

-- Courier Times: New Republican Voters Outnumber New Democrat Registrations In 2024

-- AP: PA Supreme Court Rules Against 2 Third-Party Candidates Trying For Presidential Ballot

-- Spotlight PA/Votebeat: Errors Undermine Tool Designed To Help Pennsylvanians Find Their Election Polling Places

-- Elections

-- AP: PA Supreme Court Rules Mail-In Ballots With Flawed Dates On Envelopes Can Be Thrown Out 

-- The Center Square: PA Supreme Court Says Toss Misdated Mail-In Ballots

-- PennLive: PA Supreme Court Ruling On Mail-In Ballot Curing ‘Did Not Side With Voters’ Gov. Shapiro Says

-- Tioga Publishing: PA Mail-In Ballot Distribution Delayed Due To Pending Legal Challenges

-- Observer-Report: Washington County Judge Asks Commonwealth Court To Dismiss Republican Mail-In Ballot-During Appeal

-- National Politics

-- Post-Gazette: 7 Issues That Could Decide The PA Vote On President In The 7 Weeks Before Election Day

-- AP: Presidential Debate Opened Voters’ Eyes In Suburban Philadelphia, Harris Getting Closer Look

-- WITF/NPR: Hello Pennsylvania!  Why Harris And Ex-President Can’t Get Enough Of The Keystone State

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Presidential Debate In Pennsylvania Dances Around The Energy Question

-- City & State PA: Presidential Debate Covers Plenty Of Ground And Digs Into PA Fracking

-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: FactCheck: Why Ex-President’s New Campaign Ad On Fracking Is Misleading

-- Post-Gazette: Fracking, Energy Policy Fight Looms Over Presidential Campaigns In PA

-- WHYY/AP: Harris Supported The Green New Deal Energy Plan; Now She’s Promoting Domestic Oil Drilling; Part Of A ‘Sprint To The Middle’

-- PennLive - John Baer: Watching The Presidential Debate Makes Me Wish For Better Politics

-- TribLive Editorial: Voters Decide Who Won The Debate

-- AP: Little Debate That Pennsylvania Is Key As Harris, Ex-President Prep For Philly Showdown

-- KDKA: Republican Ohio Governor Debunks Claims By Ex-President, OH US Senator Immigrants Are Eating Pets In Springfield, OH

-- PA’s Role In Assault On US Capitol

-- AP: Brothers, Including PA Man, Charged With Assaulting NY Times Photographer During Assault On US Capitol

-- NPR: 5 Pennsylvania Electors Linked To Efforts To Reverse 2020 Election Results Are Back For 2024

-- AP: Inside Washington’s Federal Courthouse, The Reality Of What Happened During The Jan. 6th Assault On The US Capitol Can’t Be Denied - Participants Beating Police, Shattering Windows, Hunting For Lawmakers As Democracy Was Under Siege 

-- Miscellaneous State/Harrisburg Politics

-- WHYY: ‘What Real Freedom Looks Like:’ Ready-To-Drink Cocktails Arrive In Stores As PA Relaxes Liquor Laws

-- The Center Square: Pennsylvania’s Fireworks Law Still Needs Work

-- Post-Gazette/PennLive: Campaign Reports On Diskettes?  Independent Regulatory Review Commission Uncovers Obsolete Regulations On PA’s Books

-- Post-Gazette: Poll: Pennsylvanians Support Taxing Wealthy To Save Social Security

-- PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- AAA Gasoline Prices:  National- $3.21  Ohio- $2.94   PA- $3.36

-- Baker Hughes: PA Shale Gas Drilling Rigs Drop Another 2 From Last Week To 14 - On Aug. 23 There Were 21 - 33% Drop [Effort To Raise Natural Gas Prices Continues]

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Coterra Energy Pulling All Active Marcellus Drilling Rigs From Susquehanna County Until Natural Gas Price Recovers  [PDF of Article]  [Dimock Is In This County]

-- WITF StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: PA Shale Gas Drilling Slowed In 2024, Prices Expected To Rise This Winter

-- RealClearEnergy.org: EQT Gas CEO Says Gas Reserves Could Sustain A 50% Increase In Production, Leaving ‘Enough Resources For Over 30 Years Of Supply;’ [Natural Gas Prices Would Be Lower If We Had More Pipelines, Storage] 

-- Bloomberg: Europe At Peak LNG Gas Consumption; LNG Overcapacity Heightens Risk Of Stranded Assets, IEEFA Says

-- Reuters: US Natural Gas Markets Point To Steep Price Rise In 2025; Prices Drop In Anticipation Of Latest Hurricane Hitting LNG Gas Export Facilities In Louisiana    

-- Reuters: Nearly 30% Of US Gulf Of Mexico Oil Output, 41% Of Natural Gas Production  Offline After Hurricane Francine

-- Bloomberg: Tropical Storm Francine Disrupts Gulf Coast Oil, Natural Gas Output 

-- Reuters: US Gulf Coast Oil, Natural Gas Facilities Hit By Hurricane Francine

-- Bloomberg: European Natural Gas Prices Push Higher As Cold Snap Takes Hold

-- Bloomberg: NextDecade LNG Gas Export Project Paying Price For ‘Wrist Slap” Putting Thousands Of Jobs At Risk [Federal Court Ruling Striking Down FERC Permit Sending It Back For Required Environmental Review] 

-- Bloomberg: China’s LNG Gas Imports May Suffer As Caverns Are Filled To The Brim

-- Financial Times: Oil Prices Stabilize After Last Week’s Sell-Off

-- Flooding

-- FEMA: President Issues Tropical Storm Debby Disaster Declaration For Lycoming, Potter, Tioga, Union Counties

-- Williamsport Sun: Biden Signs Federal Disaster Declaration For Lycoming, Potter, Tioga, Union Counties Due To Flooding From Tropical Storm Debby  

-- PennLive: Cleanup Continues In Perry County After Damage From Devastating August Rainstorm

-- WNEP: Marking 1 Year Since Severe Flash Flooding In Lackawanna County

-- Williamsport Sun Letter: Stream ‘Cleaning’ Could Be Key To Flood Prevention - By Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming)  [Senate Bills 689 & 690  Read real story here.]

-- US Army Corps Of Engineers To Sign Cost Sharing Agreement On Future Use Study Of Francis E. Walter Dam Reservoir In Carbon County  [PaEN] 

-- Train Derailments

-- AP: Fewer Than 400 Households Reject $600 Million Within 2 Miles Of Ohio Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

-- Post-Gazette: Nearly 55,000 Claims Filed In Norfolk Southern Train Derailment Settlement

--WESA/AP: Norfolk Southern Fires CEO Alan Shaw For Inappropriate Relationship With An Employee

-- AP: Norfolk Southern Railroad Says Its CEO Is Under Investigation For Alleged Ethical Lapses

-- Education

-- Post-Gazette: Pittsburgh-Area Schools React To State Education Budget Reforms

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Over 400 PA School Districts Want To Reform Private Charter School Funding Now - By PA School Boards Association

-- Shapiro Administration Announces $75 Million In Environmental Repair Grants To 109 School Districts To Deal With Lead, Asbestos, Mold, Other Contaminants

-- PennLive: Conservative Law Firm Expands Reach In PA Schools, Even As Opposition Grows

-- PA Capital-Star: Catholic Diocese Of Pittsburgh Formed Its Own School Police Force, Is It A Model For Districts?

-- Tribune-Democrat: School Threats Plague Region In Recent Days

-- Scranton Times: Arrest Made As Threats Close One Lackawanna County School, Others Beef Up Security

-- WNEP: ‘Threats Were Not Credible:’ Carbondale School District Resumes Activities After Threat

-- Altoona Mirror: Altoona Schools Reopen After Alleged Social Media Threat

-- Gov. Shapiro Appoints Members To New State Board of Higher Education

-- Post-Gazette: Gov. Shapiro Announces Appointees To New Board Of Higher Education

-- Health Care

-- TribLive: Vaccines For Flu, COVID Available As Wastewater Tests Show High Levels Of Virus In PA

-- Law Enforcement

-- MCall - Bill White: On Child Sex Abuse Lawsuit Window: ‘One Pathetic Letdown After Another,’ Survivor Says 

-- PennLive Guest Essay: The Legislature Has A Last Chance To Stand With Victims Of Child Sexual Abuse - By Mark Singel

-- Shapiro-Davis Administration Announces $56.4 Million In Grants To Combat Gun Violence; Create More Afterschool, Out-Of-School Opportunities

-- PA Capital-Star: Catholic Diocese Of Pittsburgh Formed Its Own School Police Force, Is It A Model For Districts?

-- Tribune-Democrat: School Threats Plague Region In Recent Days

-- Scranton Times: Arrest Made As Threats Close One Lackawanna County School, Others Beef Up Security

-- WNEP: ‘Threats Were Not Credible:’ Carbondale School District Resumes Activities After Threat

-- Altoona Mirror: Altoona Schools Reopen After Alleged Social Media Threat

-- WNEP: Bomb Threat At Luzerne County Airport Delayed Travel

-- The Economy

-- Gov. Shapiro Signs Executive Order Creating PA’s First Housing Action Plan

-- PA Capital-Star: Shapiro Signs Executive Order to Create Plan To Address PA’s Housing Shortage

-- Post-Gazette: Charleroi Glass Plant Shutdown Would Be Major Blow To Local Economy, Community In Washington County

-- TribLive: Bad Blood Between USW, Nippon Steel May Have Doomed US Steel Deal From The Start, Emails Show

-- WHYY: ‘What Real Freedom Looks Like:’ Ready-To-Drink Cocktails Arrive In Stores As PA Relaxes Liquor Laws

-- Other

-- ABC27: PA National Guard Firefighters Return From Mission In Antarctica 

-- The Center Square: Rumored Migrant Shelter In Chambersburg Stirs Up Controversy

[Posted: September 15, 2024]   PA Environment Digest