PA Environment Digest Blog

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Thursday NewsClips

Governor Freezes Some State Spending Due To Shortfalls
Corbett Freezes $160 Million In State Spending
Corbett Orders Austerity In Face Of Weak Revenue
Corbett Reduces $160 Million In State Spending
House Dems Ask Corbett To Push Transportation Funding
Democrats Ask Corbett To Make Road Funding A Priority
House Dems Call For Action On Highway Funding
House Dems Call For Transportation Funding Fixes
A Nudge For Transportation Funding
CDC Scientist: Tests Needed On Gas Drilling Impact
Editorial: Fracking Still Big Unknown
Court Won't Take Another Look At Allegheny Forest Ruling
Gas Company Lawyers Challenged For Representing Dimock Family
Pine Township Drafting Drilling Regulations
Radnor Firm Buys Frack Sand Operator For $200 Million
Rep. Vitali Proposes Marcellus Air Rules
Columbia Gas Quarterly Gas Costs Decrease
National Fuel Gas Quarterly Gas Costs Increase
Cabot Sets New Marcellus Production Milestone
Gas Industry Launches National Ad Campaign
Judge: Erie Casino Must Pay $705K In Dirt Dispute
EPA Cites Scranton Sewer Authority For Violations
PECO Customers Target Of Scammers
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Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Corbett Orders Freeze Of Nearly $160 Million In State Spending

With Commonwealth revenues continuing to come in below estimate for the 2011-12 fiscal year, Gov. Tom Corbett has directed his Budget Office to freeze nearly $160 million in state spending.

The governor also has asked government entities not under his jurisdiction to reduce their spending by nearly $66 million.

"Until revenue collections improve, we must take precautions to ensure that the commonwealth budget remains in balance," Governor Corbett said.

Midway through the state's fiscal year, revenues are $486.8 million below estimate, the state Department of Revenue reported Tuesday.

Gov. Corbett has directed most agencies to reduce their overall 2011-12 spending by 3 percent. Some individual appropriations will see spending reductions of up to 10 percent.

The state-related universities – Penn State, the University of Pittsburgh, Temple and Lincoln universities – will see a reduction of 5 percent, or $25.7 million, in state funding.

Public safety agencies, such as State Police and the Department of Corrections, will freeze approximately 1 percent of their spending. The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency is not being directed to freeze any funds because of the numerous disaster-related emergency response activities that agency has coordinated this fiscal year, the governor said.

Basic education subsidy funds paid to school districts will not be affected, and the Department of Public Welfare will see a spending reduction of less than 1 percent, or $55 million.

The funds being placed into budgetary reserve across all agencies represent less than 1 percent of the total $27.2 billion General Fund budget.

"We did not make the decision to freeze these funds lightly. If the revenue picture improves in the months ahead and we determine these funds no longer need to remain frozen, we may be able to free up some or perhaps even all of the funds we are now placing into budgetary reserve," Corbett said.

Additional cuts to General Fund appropriations for environmental agencies for mostly personnel costs include: Agriculture: $2.6 million (2 percent), but no cuts to conservation districts; DCNR: $1.5 million (2.8 percent); and DEP: $4.2 million (3.1 percent).

A list of funds placed into budgetary reserve is available online.

Wednesday NewsClips

State Revenue Far Below Estimates In December
PA's Income Running Behind
State Budget Shortfall Nearing $500 Million
Senate Leader Sees Crunch Time On Shale Bill
Sen. Scarnati Urges Action On Drilling Fee In January
Drilling Fee Deadline: Before Corbett's Budget Address
Editorial: Share Costs Of Drilling Inspections
Dimock Resident Accuses Supervisors Of Secret Meeting With Cabot
More Evidence Ties Ohio Quakes To Well Site
Enterprise To Build Marcellus Ethane Pipeline To SW PA
Texas Firm To Build Ethane Pipeline From PA To Gulf
DEP Left Some Marcellus Firms Off Air Emissions Reporting List
North Abington To Wait On Taking Action On Drilling
NFG: Erie Will Pay 10.2 Percent More For Gas This Summer
PA Fighting To Host Ethane Cracker
PA, Ohio, WV Vie For Shall Ethane Plant
200 Pipeline Workers In WV, PA To Walk Off Job
Gas Industry Drove Jobs, Wages Development In SW PA
Cabot Finishes 2011 As S&P's Top Performer
Report: Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Will Create Jobs
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Tuesday, January 3, 2012

CBF: Report Debunks Myth Environmental Regs Cost Jobs, Kill Business

A new Chesapeake Bay Foundation report, titled Debunking the “Job Killer” Myth; How Pollution Limits Encourage Jobs in the Chesapeake Bay Region, examines claims that environmental regulations hurt the economy and finds them to be false.
In addition, the report looks at the jobs that have been and will be created as a result of the Bay pollution limits, and finds that, especially during economic downturns, these regulations will stimulate job growth while cleaning the water, restoring fish and shell fish, and creating a healthy environment for our children.
“For years opponents of environmental regulations have argued that they cost jobs and hurt businesses. That is not borne out by the facts,” said CBF President William C. Baker. “Whether the target is EPA or the Bay pollution limits, it is essential that the public understand that environmental regulations will create jobs to reduce pollution, and sustain jobs that depend on clean water.”
There have been many examples of industries crying wolf over new environmental regulations. In the 1970’s Henry Ford II warned that clean air and fuel efficiency standards would “shut down” the Ford Motor Company. Twenty five years later, Ford not only remains in business and makes cleaner cars today that it did then, it showed a profit of $6.5 billion in 2010.
“One of the strengths of the American economy is our ability to innovate,” Baker said. “Complying with regulations that reduce pollution has spurred advances in technology that actually improve products that we all take for granted every day.”
Another example of inflated rhetoric about jobs and regulation was the debate over federal Clean Air Act amendments in 1990. Opponents .said it would produce a “quiet death for businesses across the country.” In fact, those predictions were not true, and in 2003, President George W. Bush’s Office of Management and Budget found that the benefits outweighed the investments by more than 40 to 1.
Dr. Eban Goodstein, Director of the Center for Environmental Policy at Bard College found no support for a net loss of jobs because of environmental regulations a result of his study of economic literature on jobs and regulations. He said,” Virtually all economists who have studied this jobs-environment issue agree….There has simply been no trade-offs between jobs and the environment.”
Since the passage of federal clean water and air laws in the 1970s, a burgeoning new industry has sprouted that creates jobs and stimulates the economy through pollution reduction, including improvements to sewage and power plants. This environmental industry is now worth $312 billion a year nationally and employs almost 1.7 million people, with roughly 75 percent of job growth in this field driven by government regulation.
Close to home, when Maryland considered the Healthy Air Act to control pollution from coal-fired power plants in 2006, critics said it would force closure of power plants, cause layoffs, and cripple the reliability of the region’s electric system. In fact, none of those claims occurred, and at Constellation’s Brandon Shores power plant, in Anne Arundel County, 1,300 construction workers were employed on the renovation, and 32 people were hired in part to run the pollution control equipment.
While too early to be specific about the number of jobs that will be created by the Bay pollution limits, between 1990 and 2009, the number of environmental clean-up and monitoring jobs increased by 43 percent across the region. A projection by the Economic Policy Institute found that stormwater projects could provide work for 178,000 full-time equivalent jobs across the region over the next five years. Maryland and Virginia plan to invest a total of $3 billion to upgrade sewage treatment plants over more than a decade, creating an estimated 60,000 construction related jobs.
“If history is any guide, regulations that reduce pollution will create jobs, strengthen local economies, and restore the health of our national treasure,” Baker said. “A clean environment and a vibrant economy are two sides of the same coin. One supports the other. Clean water regulations will create jobs, strengthen the economy, and save the Bay. We will have more fish, crabs, and oysters, and fewer health impacts from dirty water. ”
A copy of the report is available online.
NewsClips
Chesapeake Bay Foundation Study Refutes Job-Killer Myth
Report Links Chesapeake Bay Cleanup, Job Creation

Tuesday NewsClips

Corbett Freezes Pay For Cabinet, Management
Op-Ed: PA Budget Crisis Fixes Can Be Found
Chesapeake Bay Foundation Study Refutes Job-Killer Myth
Report Links Chesapeake Bay Cleanup, Job Creation
Wayne County Gas Leaseholders Calls For End Of DRBC Delays
Op-Ed: Will PA Pay For The Next Energy Boom?
Expert: Drilling Wastewater Well Triggered Ohio Quake
Ohio Closes Drilling Wastewater Disposal Well After Earthquakes
Drilling Wastewater Wells Under Scrutiny Following Irvin Leak
New Truck Fleet Helps Company Compete In Shale Era
French Company Buys Stake In Chesapeake Energy Ohio Shale
NE Municipalities Noncommittal On Regionalizing Landfill Inspectors
Bridge Over Turnpike To Reconnect Hikers With Adventure
Flooding Closes Presque Isle State Park
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Monday, January 2, 2012

Yardstick For Second Year Administration Accomplishments

The first year of a Governor's administration is always a little rocky, the second year is generally when staff and the General Assembly become more comfortable in their positions.

An article in today's Harrisburg Patriot News raised the issue of what new governor's accomplish in the first year of their administrations. Here's a head start on comparing the second year of a governor's tenure with the environmental accomplishments during the second year of the Ridge-Schweiker Administration--

-- Pennsylvania officially adopts a goal of "zero pollution" in all environmental programs; DEP creates first Office of Pollution Prevention & Compliance Assistance (January)

-- DEP fields more than 350 employees to help respond to the Blizzard-Flood of 1996 and establishes a special Flood Recovery Center on its website (January).

-- DEP receives recommendations from first stakeholder group on Municipal Waste and Recycling regulation and program changes (January).

-- DEP creates Wetlands Replacement Fund and Wetlands Registry to encourage landowner preservation and creation of wetlands (January).

-- DEP wins 1996 ECOS Editor’s Choice Award for Public Participation and communications programs with weekly Update newsletter and website from the Council of State Governments (March).

-- DEP, DCNR, Education Agriculture, Penn State co-sponsor first "Building A Sustainable Future in Pennsylvania- A Conference on Sustainable Development" in Harrisburg (March).

-- DEP leads first Pennsylvania delegation to the Globe ’96 environmental technology conference in Canada to promote Pennsylvania’s environmental technology companies. (March).

-- The Host Municipal Inspector Program for municipal waste landfills and incinerators renewed (July).

-- Gov. Ridge becomes first Pennsylvania Governor to chair the Council of Great Lakes Governors (July).

-- Environmental Hearing Board reports backlog of appeals of DEP actions has been eliminated (August).

-- DEP adopts the first comprehensive agency Public Participation Policy to encourage effective public involvement in developing policies and regulations (August).

-- Gov. Ridge orders overhaul of municipal waste permit system by Executive Order (August).

-- The Governors of Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey join U.S. EPA in pledging to act to protect Delaware River Estuary (September).

-- DEP appoints Diane Wilson first director of Citizen Water Quality Monitoring Program (September).

-- The 25 winners of first Governor’s Awards for Environmental Excellence eliminated 2.8 billion pounds of pollution while achieving annual savings of $9.7 million in operating expenses and more than $1.8 million in onetime capital costs (October).

-- Gov. Ridge joins Chesapeake Bay states in Bay-wide pledge to create 2,010 miles of streamside buffers by the year 2010 (October).

-- The Pennsylvania Center for Environmental Education created by Gov. Ridge (December).

-- 81.6 percent of the stream miles assessed by DEP in 1996 fully support stream uses and, therefore, the Federal "fishable/swimmable" goal. Partial support of uses is reported in just over 7.6 percent of those streams assessed. Water uses are not being supported in just over 2,647 miles or 10.8 percent of those assessed. A total of 24,482 of Pennsylvania's 53,962 miles of streams have been assessed for this report. Although the assessments do not include all streams, it is believed, based on all available information, that many of the remaining 29,480 miles of Pennsylvania streams support uses. (DEP Water Quality Assessment Report, 1996)

-- Gov. Tom Ridge received the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Association of Water Companies' annual James McGirr Kelly Award for Excellence for his efforts to provide a safe and reliable water supply for Pennsylvanians. (July)

-- 1996 Land Recycling Program annual report. (July)

-- Regulatory Basic Initiative one year later report. (October)

-- The Waste Tire Recycling Act was passed which provided funding to cleanup and recycle over 24 million waste tires from abandoned tire piles through 2002 through grants and enforcement actions. The act was amended in 2002 to add the Waste Tire Haulers Registration Program. (December)

-- 1996 first year of zero fatalities in underground anthracite and industrial minerals mines in Pennsylvania. (January, 1997)

Here's a list of first year environmental accomplishments during the Ridge-Schweiker Administration.

Article: First Year Administration Accomplishments Compared

An article in today's Harrisburg Patriot News raised the issue of what new governor's accomplish in the first year of their administrations.

The article noted a comparison by a Governor's Office staffer noted the failures in the first year of both Democratic and Republican Governors. But it also failed to mention challenges these governors had like the melt down of Three Mile Island during the first three months of the Thornburgh Administration.

The staff of every governor wants to put their boss in the most favorable light. To provide more depth for the comparison of first year accomplishments, here's a list of first year environmental accomplishments under the Ridge-Schweiker Administration--

-- The Land Recycling and Environmental Remediation Standards Act was passed creating the Land Recycling Program to encourage the cleanup and reuse of industrial sites. (Act 2 - May) Gov. Ridge signs landmark legislation which has received national and international awards. (Major campaign promise)

-- The Economic Development Agency, Fiduciary and Lender Liability Act exempts financial institutions and municipal agencies from cleanup liability for pollution they did not cause as part of the Land Recycling Program. (Act 3 - May) (Major campaign promise)

-- The Abandoned Industrial Sites Environmental Assessment Act provides funding for environmental assessments and cleanups on land in use prior to July 18, 1995 as part of the Land Recycling Program. (Act 4 - May) (Major campaign promise)

-- The Storage Tank & Spill Prevention Act is amended to deregulate consumptive use heating oil tanks, allow heating oil tanks to opt into leak cleanup coverage, requiring DEP to pay for testing for innocent tank owners, adding members to the Storage Tank Advisory Committee (Act 16)

-- The General Assembly passes a new law splitting the Department of Environmental Resources into the Department of Environmental Protection to house traditional environmental protection programs and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to house State Parks and State Forest programs. (Act 18 - June) (Major campaign promise)

-- John Oliver named first Secretary of Conservation and Natural Resources and James Seif becomes first Secretary of Environmental Protection.

-- DEP is first state environmental agency in the U.S. to have a website. (May)

-- DEP creates Money Back Guarantee Program setting deadlines for reviewing environmental permits (July).

-- DEP begins Regulatory Basics Initiative to conduct the agency’s first comprehensive review of regulations and policies identifying potential changes that would save individuals, local governments and businesses $154 million in compliance costs without reducing environmental protection (August). (Campaign promise)

-- The General Assembly passes legislation authorizing capital projects under Key '93 Recreation and Conservation Fund Program (Act 56)

-- Gov. Ridge forms Governor's Executive Council on Recycling and Waste Reduction (October).

-- DEP sponsored the first statewide Pollution Prevention Conference (October) (Campaign promise)

-- DEP creates first Pennsylvania Office of the Great Lakes naming Kelly Burch as its head (October).

-- A new law requires the Historical & Museum Commission to conduct archaeological surveys and prohibiting state agencies from delaying action on permits based on a request from the Commission (Act 70)

-- The General Assembly recodifies bicycle regulations and authorizing transfer of funds for the Envirotest settlement that buys out the contractor from the centralized vehicle emission inspection and maintenance program adopted by Gov. Casey. (Act 72) (Campaign promise)

-- The Phosphate Ban Act is amended to extend the ban on phosphates in detergent from 1995 to 1998. (Act 78)

-- A new law authorizes the transfer of $3 million to provide new funding for local Household Hazardous Waste Collection and the first funding specifically earmarked for Small Business Pollution Prevention Programs (Act 155) (Campaign promise)

-- DEP Office of Minerals Resources Management undertakes Customer Needs Survey to evaluate the way its programs serve the public, local governments and mine operators (November).

Every new administration faces significant challenges, but that's not a reason to belittle the accomplishments of any governor in the past. The records should be compared on the facts.
Here's a list of second year environmental accomplishments during the Ridge-Schweiker Administration.