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 - John Baer: Josh Shapiro For President?  Don’t Forget Pennsylvania’s Political Curse

-- PA Capital-Star: Shapiro Says Republican Administration ‘On A Different Page’ Than PA Republican Members Over US Steel Sale

-- Inquirer Column: Gov. Shapiro Fast-Tracks Oil Refinery Redevelopment, Impacted Residents Call For Philadelphia City Council Hearings

-- Inquirer: Lt. Gov. Davis Will Lead Democratic Lt. Governors Association

-- Budget 2025

-- Dept. Of Revenue Reports November Tax Collections $87.2 Million (2.9%) Less Than Anticipated; Year-To-Date $9.9 Million (0.1%) Below Estimate 

-- PennLive: PA Revenue Dept. Releases November Tax Collections

-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports November Tax Collections $8 Million (0.3%) Below IFO Estimates; Year-To-Date $119 million (0.7%) Below IFO Estimates 

-- Post-Gazette: PA Liquor Control Board Sales Up Nearly 1%, Topping $3.18 Billion In 2023-24

-- PA House/Senate

-- WESA: Democratic Rep. Dan Miller Announces Bid For Allegheny County Judge [Puts House Majority In Jeopardy]  

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: Newly Elected PA Lawmakers On The Payroll Dec. 1; But Won’t Be Sworn In Until January, A Proposal Wants To Change That

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA Lawmakers Likely To Try Again To Deal With Hospital Closure Problems In 2025

-- PennLive: PA Lawmakers Say It’s High Time To Legalize Recreational Marijuana

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: Chapter 14 Utility Law Will Lapse After PA Legislature Deadlocks On Expanding Consumer Protections 

-- PennLive: Republican State Senators To Reintroduce Bill Restricting Transgender Students In Sports

-- US Senate/House

-- TribLive: Fetterman Says President-Elect Deserves Pardon Since Hunter Biden Got One 

-- Statewide Offices

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: Incoming PA Attorney General Says He Wants To ‘Make Pittsburgh Safer’

-- November Election

-- PA Capital-Star: Pennsylvania Certifies Results Of 2024 Election

-- The Center Square: PA Post-Election Audits Back Accuracy Of Unofficial Results

-- WESA: Down-Ballot PA Democrats Say Breaking With National Party Message Was Key To Their Success

-- National Politics

-- PennLive Guest Essay: In The Midst Of Political Turmoil, We Must Cultivate Our Own Gardens - By Mark Singel

-- The Feds - New Administration

-- KDKA: Small Businesses Are ‘Casualty Of War’ In Proposed Republican Tariffs, Pittsburgh Business Owner Says

-- AP: Republican Administration Vows To Block Japanese Steelmaker From Buying US Steel, Pledges Tax Incentives And Tariffs

-- PA Capital-Star: Shapiro Says Republican Administration ‘On A Different Page’ Than PA Republican Members Over US Steel Sale

-- Republican Sen. Kim Ward [Who 100% Supports US Steel Sale] Said She Sees ‘Options And Solutions’ In Administration’s Statement Opposing Sale Of US Steel

-- TribLive: Republican Administration Upsets Some Steelworkers By Opposing US Steel-Nippon Deal: ‘Gut Punch’

-- City & State PA Guest Essay: As New Republican Administration Approaches, Pennsylvania Must Choose Community Over Chaos - By Mike Lee, ACLU of PA

-- TribLive Editorial: With 5 Words, Republican Administration Kills A Free-Press Measure With Bipartisan Support

-- WSJ Guest Essay: The DOGE Plan - New Republican Administration Plans To Use Chevron, West Virginia Court Decisions To Eliminate Environmental, Other Regulatory Programs - By Elon Musk & Vivek Ramaswamy  [PDF of Article] 

-- PA Solar Center Hosts Dec. 13 Webinar On Potential Changes Ahead Under New Republican Administration  [PaEN]

-- Baltimore Banner: EPA’s Mid-Atlantic Administrator Adam Ortiz Talks About Republican Administration, Coal Dust And Chesapeake Bay

-- Bloomberg: Energy CEO Who Drank Fracking Fluid Is Now Republican Administration’s Oil Evangelist 

-- WSJ: Republican Pick For US Energy Secretary Preaches Benefits Of Climate Change 

-- E&E News/Politico: Williams Pipeline CEO Urges Republicans To Put FERC In Sole Charge Of Energy Permits, States Should Be Removed From The Process 

-- Post-Gazette/WPost: What New Republican Administration Could Mean For Environmental Justice

-- PA’s Role In Assault On US Capitol

-- Observer-Reporter: Washington County Man Convicted Of Crimes Related To Assault On US Capitol Hoping For Republican Administration Pardon  

-- Miscellaneous State/Harrisburg Politics

-- MCall: PA’s Political Elite Descend On New York City This Weekend For Pennsylvania Society Dinner

-- Inquirer: At Pennsylvania Society, Dave McCormick Is The Most Popular Person In The Room

-- Inquirer: Pennsylvania Society Meets In Same Hotel Where UnitedHealthCare CEO Killed In New York City 

-- Erie Times: Here Is Who Will Make PA Electoral Votes

-- City & State PA: PA Politicos Are Flocking To Bluesky Social Media Platform - Here’s Who To Follow

-- PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- AAA Gasoline Prices:  National- $3.02   Ohio- $2.85   PA- $3.26  

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs Up 1 To 16 From Last Week; 21 On Aug. 23

-- PUC: Natural Gas Distribution Companies Prepare For Winter - Gas Consumption Expected To Decrease 1.8%, Cost For Residential Customers To Increase 1%  [PaEN]

-- Utility Dive: 5-Year US Electricity Load Growth Forecast Surges 456% to 128 GW: Grid Strategies

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Creditors File Chapter 11 Involuntary Petition Against Cryptocurrency Miner Mawson Infrastructure

-- Bloomberg: Winter Weather Puzzle Is Raising Risk Of Meteoric Energy [Natural Gas] Inflation 

-- Reuters: Natural Gas Prices Rose 30-50% In 2024; Key Global Natural Gas Prices Set To Keep Rising Into 2025 

-- Reuters: Natural Gas Price Shock Set To Add to Europe’s Industrial Pain 

-- Delaware Valley Journal: Asian Demand For PA’s Natural Gas Rising, Despite Export Pause  [PA Gas Industry Wants To Sell Gas To Support China]

-- Reuters: US LNG Gas Exports To Europe Surge In November On Higher Prices

-- Bloomberg: European Natural Gas Rises As Colder Weather Forecasts Add To Worries

-- Reuters: Shell, QatarEnergy Sign Long-Term Purchase Agreement To Sell LNG Gas To China

-- Post-Gazette: Federal Study On Impact Of LNG Gas Exports Expected By End Of The Year

-- Reuters: Rising LNG Gas Export Facility Costs Make New US Project Less Competitive, Says Analyst

-- E&E News/Politico: Williams Pipeline CEO Urges Republicans To Put FERC In Sole Charge Of Energy Permits, States Should Be Removed From The Process  

-- Bloomberg: Energy CEO Who Drank Fracking Fluid Is Now Republican Administration’s Oil Evangelist 

-- Three Mile Island Restart

-- York Daily Record: Electricity Substation Proposed For York County Would Route Power To Virginia To Power AI Data Center 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Data Center Power Demand Could Be Boon For Coal Miners

-- AP: As Data Centers Proliferate, Conflict With Local Communities Follow 

-- Utility Dive: 5-Year US Electricity Load Growth Forecast Surges 456% to 128 GW: Grid Strategies

-- Drought

-- Delaware River Basin Commission Declares Water Supply Emergency, Takes Steps To Protect Water Supplies  [PaEN]

-- WHYY - Zoe Read: Delaware River Basin Commission Declares Water Supply Emergency

-- WHYY: Washington Crossing Historic Park Hosts Annual Historic Reenactment

-- Courier Times: With The Drought, Will Washington Cross The Delaware This Year? 

-- Flooding

-- Erie Times: Rising Temperatures Expected To Melt Snow, Lead To Potential Flooding In Erie County

-- The Allegheny Front: That Huge Snowstorm? Welcome To A Warming Future

-- Altoona Mirror: Council Of Governments Working To Obtain Easements For Floodplain Restoration Project Along Beaverdam Branch, Juniata River In Blair County

-- Observer-Reporter: Greene County Residents Travel To Hurricane-Ravaged North Carolina  

-- Republican Herald: Volunteers Take ‘Appalachian Christmas’ To Carolinas; Collects 1,300 Toys, Donations Needed  

-- The Guardian: How Climate Risks Are Driving Up Insurance Premiums Around The US - Visualized

-- Financial Times: Insurance Losses From Natural Catastrophes Set To Top $135 Billion This Year

-- Gas Explosions

-- PUC Enforcement Bureau Files Complaint Against Philadelphia Gas Works Over 2021 Natural Gas House Explosion; Alleging The Company Failed To Properly Investigate, Address Leaking Gas Pipeline  [PaEN]

-- WHYY: PUC Safety Investigators Claim Philadelphia Gas Works Failed To Prevent 2021 South Philly Gas Explosion

-- PUC To Seek Public Comments On Settlement With Columbia Gas Concerning Welding Issues At Regulator Station In Beaver County  [PaEN] 

-- WNEP: Propane Leak At Modern Gas Facility In Monroe County Closed Route 715

-- Spotlight On America: Trend Of Catastrophic Home Explosions Continues Across The Country

-- Train Derailments

-- The Center Square: PA Cong. Deluzio Rips Norfolk Southern Over Train Derailment [Video]

-- Education

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Changes Culturally Responsive Teaching Guidelines, Raising Concerns

-- PA Capital-Star: Temple Enters Agreement With US Dept. Of Education After Investigation Into Discrimination Response

-- Health Care

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA Lawmakers Likely To Try Again To Deal With Hospital Closure Problems In 2025

-- WESA: Report Highlights Difficulties Getting And Keeping Food Stamp Benefits In PA

-- The Guardian: Killing Of Health Insurance CEO Inspired Rage - Against The Healthcare Industry  [Americans Go Bankrupt, Lose Their Homes, Die Due To Insurer Practices]

-- Law Enforcement

-- PA Capital-Star: New Rep. Nate Davidson Says He’ll Carry On Fight For PA Child Sexual Abuse Survivors

-- The Center Square: Rural Barriers To Domestic Violence Reporting In PA

-- PennLive Editorial: Many PA District Attorneys Need To Rethink How They Respond To Allegations Of Sexual Assault

-- TribLive/Spotlight PA: A Court Loss Isn’t The End Of The Fight For Stricter Gun Laws In PA, Advocates Say

-- PennLive: PA Lawmakers Say It’s High Time To Legalize Recreational Marijuana

-- Inquirer: Philly, State Liquor Law Enforcement Unfairly Targets Asian, Arab American ‘Stop And Go’ Owners, Lawsuit Alleges

-- City & State PA Guest Essay: As New Republican Administration Approaches, Pennsylvania Must Choose Community Over Chaos - By Mike Lee, ACLU of PA

-- PennLive: Dauphin County DA Asks Attorney General To Look At Questionable Payments To Dauphin County Commissioner

-- The Economy

-- AP: Republican Administration Vows To Block Japanese Steelmaker From Buying US Steel, Pledges Tax Incentives And Tariffs

-- PA Capital-Star: Shapiro Says Republican Administration ‘On A Different Page’ Than PA Republican Members Over US Steel Sale

-- Republican Sen. Kim Ward [Who 100% Supports US Steel Sale] Said She Sees ‘Options And Solutions’ In Administration’s Statement Opposing Sale Of US Steel

-- PA Capital-Star: Mon Valley Mayors Buck Union On US Steel Takeover, Seeing ‘Honorable’ Nippon

-- TribLive: Republican Administration Upsets Some Steelworkers By Opposing US Steel-Nippon Deal: ‘Gut Punch’

-- TribLive Editorial: Why Is Republican Administration’s Opposition To US Steel Sale A ‘Gut Punch?’

-- Pennsylvania’s Outdoor Recreation Economy Grows To $19 Billion In 2023, Supporting Thousands Of Jobs and Creating Economic Opportunity Across The Commonwealth  [PaEN]

-- Other

-- Post-Gazette: Allegheny County Council Approves 2025 Budget With 36% Tax Hike After Weekslong Battle

-- PA Capital-Star: Strike At Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Is Now The Longest In The Nation, And It’s Not Over

[Posted: December 8, 2024]