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

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- PennLive: Josh Shapiro Faces New Harrisburg Reality - A Republican Attorney General

-- Bucks County Beacon Guest Essay: Gov. Shapiro, State Legislature Must Act As Bulwark Against New Republican Environmental Rollbacks - By Molly Parzen, Conservation Voters Of PA

-- Post-Gazette/AP: 3.5% Pay Raise For PA Governor, Lawmakers, Judges, Cabinet Secretaries

-- TribLive/AP: Erie Slammed With Lake Effect Snow, Shapiro Declares Disaster Emergency 

-- Erie Times: Gov. Shapiro Activates National Guard In Erie County To Help People In Need During Snowstorm

-- Budget 2025

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA State Spending Headed Into The Red?  As Budget Season Approaches, Clashing Views Abound

-- PA House/Senate

-- City & State PA: That’s A Wrap - City & State’s Legislative Session Review 

-- PennLive: PA Legislators’ Base Pay To Crack $110,000 For First Time After Latest Round Of Raises 

-- Post-Gazette/AP: 3.5% Pay Raise For PA Governor, Lawmakers, Judges, Cabinet Secretaries

-- General Assembly Published Notice Of 3.3764% Salary Cost Of Living Increase

-- US Senate/House

-- Post-Gazette: Republican Cong. Reschenthaler Will Have Big Say Over Future Republican Agenda

-- Post-Gazette/AP: John Fetterman Wants Democrats To Stop Freaking Out

-- November Election

-- WITF: PA Election Certification Not Complete At Deadline, But Close

-- Spotlight PA: Investigations Into Suspicious Voter Registration Forms Yield No Charges Yet Across PA

-- AP: Democrats In PA Had A Horrible 2024 Election; They Say It’s Still A Swing State

-- PennLive Editorial: PA Republican, Democratic Leaders Blame Each Other For Losing

-- Inquirer: No, Amish Voters In PA Did Not Carry The Election For Republicans

-- Elections

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Pennsylvanians Should Honor The Hard Work And Dedication Of Election Workers - By Gov. Mark Schweiker & Fmr Cong. Lou Barletta

-- Post-Gazette: Now Is The Time To Fix PA Ballot Requirements

-- The Feds - New Administration

-- York Dispatch: York County Manufacturer Says Republican Tariff Proposal Could Have ‘Devastating Impact’ On His Business  [York County Voted Overwhelmingly Republican]

-- AP: Republican Administration Threatens To Impose New 25% Tariffs On All Canadian Imports To US  [United Refining Refinery In Warren Uses Oil From Canada As Feedstock]

-- Financial Times: Oil/Gas Producers Warn 25% Republican Tariffs On Canada Will Push Up Prices For American Motorists, Natural Gas Users   [United Refining Refinery In Warren Uses Oil From Canada As Feedstock] 

-- E&E News/Politico: What Republican Tariffs Could Mean For America Energy

-- Reuters: How Proposed Republican Tariffs Might Affect Commodities And Energy

-- AP: Republican Administration Threatens To Impose New Tariffs On All Canadian  (25%), Mexican (25%), Chinese (10%) Imports To US 

-- WSJ: Republican Administration’s New Tariff Threats Mean Prices Are Likely To Rise On Everything From Fresh Fruit To Electronics

-- Wilkes-Barre Times/AP: Republican Call For ‘Energy Dominance’ Is Likely To Run Into Real-World Limits

-- Reuters: Exxon: US Oil/Gas Firms Unlikely To Go ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’ Under Republican Administration  

-- E&E News/Politico: What US Treasury Pick Means For Clean Energy Tax Credits

-- Public Citizen: LNG Gas Exports Could Cost Pennsylvanians Up To $16 Billion More In Energy Costs [PaEN] 

-- Reuters: Republican Nod To LNG Gas Export Facility Project Could Boost Supply Starting In 2027, Goldman Says

-- Reuters: Exclusive: Republican Administration Prepares Wide-Ranging Energy Plan To Boost Natural Gas Exports, Oil Drilling, Sources Say  [PDF of Article] 

-- Public Source.org: Pittsburgh-Based EQT’s ‘Bulldog’ Has D.C. In His Grip, With Profits And Maybe Higher Gas Bills On The Horizon 

-- The Daily Item Guest Essay: Now Is The Time To Double Our Efforts To Protect Our Environment, Our Grandchildren; Saying You Care Means Little, Only Action Counts - By Jack D. Miller, Lewisburg  [PDF of Article]

-- Public News Service: Advocates: PA’s Climate Progress Threatened By New Republican Administration 

-- Inquirer Guest Essay: Decoding New Republican Administration’s Climate Priorities - Or Lack Thereof - By Sanya Carley, Kleinman Center For Energy Policy

-- Inquirer: Republican Mass Deportations Could Target 47,000 In Philadelphia: ‘No Question It’s Going To Be Ugly’

-- Bucks County Beacon Guest Essay: Gov. Shapiro, State Legislature Must Act As Bulwark Against New Republican Environmental Rollbacks - By Molly Parzen, Conservation Voters Of PA

-- Public News Service: PA Environmental, Free Speech Advocates Worry Over ‘Anti-Terror’ Law Moving In Congress 

-- WESA: Pittsburgh-Area Water Systems Have No Plans To Remove Fluoride

-- Miscellaneous State/Harrisburg Politics

-- Post-Gazette/AP: 3.5% Pay Raise For PA Governor, Lawmakers, Judges, Cabinet Secretaries

-- Republican Herald: Tim Holden Retires As Head Of PA Liquor Control Board

-- PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $3.06   Ohio- $3.03   PA- $3.24 

-- PUC Invites Stakeholder Comments On The Issue Of The Adequacy Of Electricity Supplies In Pennsylvania  [PaEN]

-- Public Citizen: LNG Gas Exports Could Cost Pennsylvanians Up To $16 Billion More In Energy Costs [PaEN] 

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs Same As Last Week At 15; Aug. 23 Was 21

-- Reuters: Republican Nod To LNG Gas Export Facility Project Could Boost Supply Starting In 2027, Goldman Says

-- Financial Times: Oil/Gas Producers Warn 25% Republican Tariffs On Canada Will Push Up Prices For American Motorists, Natural Gas Users   [United Refining Refinery In Warren Uses Oil From Canada As Feedstock] 

-- AP: Republican Administration Threatens To Impose New 25% Tariffs On All Canadian Imports To US  [United Refining Refinery In Warren Uses Oil From Canada As Feedstock]

-- Reuters: How Proposed Republican Tariffs Might Affect Commodities And Energy

-- E&E News/Politico: What Republican Tariffs Could Mean For America Energy 

-- Reuters: Exxon: US Oil/Gas Firms Unlikely To Go ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’ Under Republican Administration  

-- Reuters: Exclusive: Republican Administration Prepares Wide-Ranging Energy Plan To Boost Natural Gas Exports, Oil Drilling, Sources Say  [PDF of Article] 

-- Public Source.org: Pittsburgh-Based EQT’s ‘Bulldog’ Has D.C. In His Grip, With Profits And Maybe Higher Gas Bills On The Horizon 

-- Reuters: Blackstone To Buy Stakes In EQT’s Pipelines For $3.5 Billion

-- Bloomberg: European Natural Gas Prices Rise On Cold Weather Forecast, Supply Risk

-- The Energy Age Blog: New Fortress Energy, Leader Of LNG Gas Export Growth Bubble, Facing Bankruptcy

-- Reuters: US LNG Natural Gas Demand Nears Record Level

-- Reuters: US Oil Output Fell In September By The Most Since January, EIA Says

-- Reuters: Exxon: US Oil/Gas Firms Unlikely To Go ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’ Under Republican Administration  

-- Three Mile Island Restart

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: AI And Data Centers Need Massive Amounts Of Electricity; That’s Good News For Natural Gas

-- Utility Dive: Constellation Energy Asks FERC For PJM Rules On Data Centers And Other Co-Located Loads 

-- Utility Dive: Energy Capital Partners Should Be Required By FERC To Say Whether Its Plans To Buy 5.3 GW Of Power Capacity Would Take Power Off The Grid For Use By Data Centers; Could Drive Up PJM Capacity Prices 

-- Drought

-- WHYY: Recent Rainfall Not Enough To Pull Philly Region Out Of Drought, Climatologists Say

-- AP: Drought Is Causing Saltwater To Creep Up The Delaware River, Here’s What’s Being Done About It 

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Dried Waterways Stun Residents, Leave Fish Stranded, Hurt Outdoor Tourism From Lehigh Valley, To Philly, New Jersey’s Pinelands 

--  TribLive: Drought To Blame For Murky Latrobe Water, Authority Says; It Remains Safe To Drink

-- Post-Gazette: Pittsburgh Region’s Driest Year Since 2002 Has Led To  An Increase In Wildfires

-- Guest Essay: Pennsylvania Firefighters Rise To The Challenge As Wildfires Spark Across Pennsylvania - By Seth Cassell, PA State Forester & Thomas Cook, State Fire Commissioner  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette: Drought-Like Weather Helped PennDOT’s 2024 Construction Season In Western PA

-- Scranton Times: Lackawanna County Burn Ban Remains In Effect Despite Recent Snow

-- AP: Record Dryness In US Northeast Should Change Water Behavior, Experts Say

-- Flooding

-- Courier Times: Bucks County Post Office To Be Named For Beloved Worker Who Was A Flood Victim In 2023

-- Scranton Times: Jermyn Nearly Finished Securing Easements For Rushbrook Creek Flood Protection Project

-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: Study: Climate Change Boosted Wind Speeds In 2024 Atlantic Hurricanes

-- Republican Herald: Donated PA Campers To House Carolina Hurricane Survivors

-- Train Derailments

-- Altoona Mirror: One Minute Norfolk-Southern Railcar Inspections Problematic

-- Education

-- Post-Gazette: PA Standardized Education Test Scores Continue To Rebound Following Pandemic

-- Post-Gazette: Younger Kids Had Educational Setbacks From The Pandemic, School Districts Now Working To Reverse Those Trends 

-- Shapiro-Davis Administration Approves $20 Million In School Safety, Mental Health Grants

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Awards $20 Million In School-Based Mental Health, Safety Grants

-- TribLive: After Recent Threats, Chartiers Valley School District To Have Increased Security

-- Spotlight PA: Botched FAFSA Rollout, PHEAA Upgrades Mean College Students Are Still Waiting For Critical Education Grant Money

-- Scranton Times: Keystone College Accreditation Set To Be Withdrawn, College Plans Appeal

-- Health Care

-- PennLive: PA Health Insurance Overseer Warns Of Big Cost Spike If Federal Subsidies Aren’t Renewed

-- The Center Square: Pennsylvania Seeks Input For Maternal Health Plan

-- Spotlight PA: Counties Fight For More Freedom Over How To Spend Opioid Money With $247 Million More On The Way

-- Spotlight PA: State Food Box Program Feeds Thousands Of Older Pennsylvanians Monthly

-- Law Enforcement

-- PennLive: Josh Shapiro Faces New Harrisburg Reality - A Republican Attorney General

-- TribLive: After Recent Threats, Chartiers Valley School District To Have Increased Security

-- The Economy

-- Post-Gazette: Nippon Steel/US Steel Takeover Review Targeted By Republicans For Potential Probe

-- Post-Gazette: How Federal Funding Will Help Keep This Westmoreland County Chipmaker Open

-- Other

-- WESA: Allegheny County Council Proposes Smaller 2025 Tax Hike As Budget Deadline Approaches

[Posted: December 1, 2024]