Friday PA Environment & Energy NewsClips - 4.4.25

“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. Pennsylvania's public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.”

-- Article I, Section 27 Pennsylvania Constitution  [It’s Not A Suggestion]

House Voting Schedule

April 7, 8, 9, 22, 23, 24

May 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 24

June 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30

-- Committee Schedule

Senate Voting Schedule

May 5, 6, 7, 12, 13

June 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

-- Committee Schedule

TODAY’s Calendar Of Events 

April 7-- House Environmental & Natural Resource Protection Committee meets to consider House Bill 109 (Vitali-D-Delaware) establishing an environmental justice permit review program in DEP to consider cumulative impacts of pollutants on communities;  House Bill 969 (Pielli-D-Chester) requires outdoor night lighting practices that reduce light pollution from public facilities; House Bill 1089 (Steele (D-Allegheny) prohibits the supply, sale or application of sealants containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on driveways or parking lots. Room 205 Ryan Building. 11:00 a.m.  Click Here to watch online.   Read more here.

April 8--  Agenda Posted. Environmental Quality Board meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson Building.  9:00 a.m. Check webpage for options for joining the meeting remotely. Contact: Laura Griffin, laurgriffi@pa.gov  or (717) 772-3277. [Note: Will consider accepting for study rulemaking petition increasing setbacks from shale gas wells.]  Read more here.

April 8-- Agenda Posted. DEP Citizens Advisory Council meeting.  Room 105 Rachel Carson Building.  12:30 p.m. Check webpage for options for joining the meeting remotely.  Contact: Ian Irvin, Executive Director, iirvin@pa.gov or (717) 787-8171.  Read more here.

April 22-- Agenda Posted. DEP Climate Change Advisory Committee meeting.  Room 105 of the Rachel Carson Building in Harrisburg.  9:00 a.m. Click Here to join the meeting via Microsoft Teams.  DEP Contact: Lindsay Byron at lbyron@pa.gov  or calling 717-772-8951.  Read more here.

-- EPA To Hold May 6 Virtual Hearing [If Requested] On Proposed Permit For A Sandstone Development Oil & Gas Wastewater Injection Well In Lafayette Twp., McKean County  [PaEN]

-- PA Capital-Star Guest Essay: Still Room For Frontline Community Protections From Shale Gas Impacts In Gov. Shapiro’s ‘Lightning’ Energy Plan - By Alison Steele, Environmental Health Project 

-- Capital & Main - Audrey Carleton: Chesapeake Energy, Fined $1.9 Million For Damaging Wetlands In PA, Is On New Federal ‘Fast Track’ Permit Approval List 

-- Marcellus Drilling News: PA Supreme Court Upholds Rule Of Capture In Resurrected Trespass Case  [PDF of Article] 

-- Guest Essay: The Real Waste In Pennsylvania Government - Criticizing The Right Of Citizens To Petition Their Government For Change - By Terrie Baumgardner, Resident Of Aliquippa, Clean Air Council Outreach Coordinator [PaEN]

-- DEP Announces Availability Of Air Quality General  Permit For Gaseous Fuel-Fired Spark Ignition Internal Combustion Engines (GP-16) [Copy of GP-16]

-- Environmental Quality Board Invites Comments On Spill Notification Regulation Changes; May 15 Virtual Hearing

-- Penn State Extension Center For Agricultural Assistance Training Recognizes Sen. Martin,  Sen. Yaw For Ag Conservation Leadership  [PaEN] 

-- Keep PA Beautiful: Sen. Comitta, Rep. Williams Honor Shakira Davis Of Coatesville, Chester County With Community Pride Award [PaEN] 

-- Erie Times: International Recycling Group Cancels Plans For Plastics Recycling Plant In Erie Citing President’s Tariffs, Pause In US DOE Funding Commitment  [PaEN]  

-- PASA Sustainable Agriculture Begins Staff Furloughs; Federal Funding To Support Farmers Still Frozen [PaEN] 

-- PA Dept. Of Agriculture Now Accepting Applications For Sustainable Agriculture Grants, Deadline May 23

-- AP: China Announces 34% Across-The-Board Tariff On All US Imports, Farm Products; Adopts Export Controls On Rare Earth Minerals   [PA Exported $3.5 Billion In Products To China, $2.6 Billion In Farm Products]

-- Federal Agency Fires Staff, Guts $378 Million In Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Funding; PA Says It Has Funding To Finish Current Season; Next Year In Doubt  [PaEN] 

-- Utility Dive: President Guts $378 Million In Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Funding To States Already Approved By Congress 

-- AP: Federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program Staff Fired

-- PA Capital-Star: PA, Other States ‘Ordered’ By US Education Dept. To Certify School Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Ban Compliance By All K-12 Schools In State Or Lose Funds

-- Planet Philadelphia Radio Show: April 4 - Will We Be Stuck With Dirty Fossil Fuel Forever? 4:00 p.m.

-- MCall: Fuel Oil Company Pumped 150 Gallons Of Heating Oil Into Upper Milford Mennonite Church Septic System

-- Scranton Times: Dummore Councilwoman Raises Concerns About Keystone Landfill To Shapiro, Criticizes DEP

-- WTAE: Flood Watch Issued For Western PA, Heavy Rain Raises Flooding Concerns

-- The Center Square: Volunteer Fire Departments At A Crossroads In Pennsylvania

-- Altoona Mirror: Blair County Seeks Volunteers To Help Respond To Local Disasters

-- April 5 Pennsylvania Bulletin Now Available

-- PA Environmental Council In Case You Missed It In March Now Available  [PaEN]

-- PA Dept. Of Agriculture Expands Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine Area To Bradford, Sullivan, Venango, Wyoming Counties

-- The Nature Conservancy - PA/DE Adds 509 Acres To Protected Land Along Susquehanna River Water Gaps In Dauphin County  [PaEN] 

-- WITF/StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: State Parks Attracting More Campground Reservations As Federal Recreation Sites Close Due To Staff Cuts 

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: The Allegheny Riverfront In Pittsburgh Is A Good Resource, And Could Be Great

-- PA Wilds Conservation Shop At Leonard Harrison State Park-- PA Grand Canyon-- Opens For 2025 Season In Tioga County 

-- WHYY: Delaware County Woods Set To Get A Loop Trail, Formal BMX Arrangement, Pavilion As County’s Largest Public Park

-- Erie Times: City Of Erie Developing Multimillion Dollar Plan To Improve City Parks

-- Discover NE PA: Spotting Spring Wildflowers With PA Environmental Council

-- WESA: Great Horned Owls Make Their Home At Schenley Park In Pittsburgh

Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant Restart

-- The Allegheny Front: EQT CEO Says More Natural Gas Pipelines Coming To West Virginia As Data Centers Expand, Coal Plants Retire

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: US DOE Secretary Hails $10 Billion Natural Gas Power Plant For Data Center In Homer City As Key To US Energy Dominance [PDF of Article] 

-- ABC27: Local Activist Files Lawsuit Against Dauphin County For Using Tax Money To Promote Restart Of Undamaged Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant Reactor

  

6th Oil/Natural Gas Spike: True Energy Independence Means Renewables

-- Bloomberg: Oil Slides To 4 Year Low On Hit From President’s Tariffs; European Natural Gas Prices Drop 10%; OPEC Decision To Increase Supply

New Federal Administration

-- Federal Agency Fires Staff, Guts $378 Million In Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Funding; PA Says It Has Funding To Finish Current Season; Next Year In Doubt  [PaEN]

-- Utility Dive: President Guts $378 Million In Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Funding To States Already Approved By Congress 

-- AP: Federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program Staff Fired

-- PASA Sustainable Agriculture Begins Staff Furloughs; Federal Funding To Support Farmers Still Frozen [PaEN] 

-- AP: China Announces 34% Across-The-Board Tariff On All US Imports, Farm Products; Adopts Export Controls On Rare Earth Minerals   [PA Exported $3.5 Billion In Products To China, $2.6 Billion In Farm Products]

-- Appalachian Voices Blog: President Cutting Vital Health And Safety Services for Miners 

-- United Mine Workers: UMWA President Cecil Roberts: We Can Mine More Coal, But Who Would Buy It?  Exports Under Threat From President’s Tariffs 

-- WPSU: Nearly 2,000 Top Scientists, Including Some From Penn State, Decry President’s ‘Assault’ On Science 

PA Politics - Everything Is Connected

-- City & State PA: Republicans Appeal Federal Judge’s Decision Date Requirement For Mail Ballots Is Unconstitutional

-- AP: States Sue To Block President’s Election Order, Saying It Violates Constitution [Not PA]

-- PA Capital-Star: PA, Other States ‘Ordered’ By US Education Dept. To Certify School Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Ban Compliance By All K-12 Schools In State Or Lose Funds

-- Post-Gazette/NYT: Federal Judge Blocks Federal Agency From Terminating $11 Billion In Public Health Grants [Including To PA]

-- LancasterOnline: Distress For Lancaster County Museums, Libraries As President Dismantles Federal Agency

-- Wilkes-Barre Times Letter: Federal Employees Write Open Letter To Republican Cong. Bresnahan

-- PennLive Editorial Board: Federal ICE Finally Explains Why Bhutanese Men Were Deported, But Damage Is Done

-- Post-Gazette: Allegheny County Sees Worst Flu Season In 10+ Years

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Health Care Experts Worry About Future Of Rural Hospitals If Medicare Or Medicaid See Cuts

-- AP: China Announces 34% Across-The-Board Tariff On All US Imports, Farm Products; Adopts Export Controls On Rare Earth Minerals   [PA Exported $3.5 Billion In Products To China, $2.6 Billion In Farm Products]

-- York Dispatch: Local Manufacturer Casts Wary Gaze Toward President’s Tariffs As Gov. Shapiro Warns ‘People Will Suffer’ 

-- WESA: PA Congressional Reactions To President’s Tariffs: ‘The Right Direction,’ [Republicans] Or ‘Gambling With Our Future’ [Democrats] ?

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Pittsburgh Stocks Plummet As President’s Tariffs Rattle Markets, Wiping Out $21.1 Billion In Value 

-- AP: Fear That US President’s Tariffs Will Spark Recession Wipes Out More Than $2 Trillion In Value From US Stocks; Biggest Drop Since COVID Flattened The Global Economy In 2020

-- Financial Times: Global Stock Rout Intensifies As China Retaliates

-- AP: President Says Things Are ‘Going Very Well’ After Worst Stock Market Drop In Years Over His Tariffs 

-- Wall Street Journal Editorial: President And His ‘Little Disturbance’ From Tariffs; Someone Should Sue To Block President’s Abuse Of Power On Tariffs  [PDF of Article]  

-- Financial Times Editorial: America’s Astonishing Act Of Self-Harm

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[Posted: April 4, 2025]  PA Environment Digest