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

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- Inquirer: What’s Working For And Against Shapiro In The Veepstakes

-- AP: What Polling Shows About The Top VP Contenders For Harris

-- Inquirer: Why Shapiro As VP Nominee Is Making PA Republicans Nervous

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Kamala Harris’ Fracking Flip-Flop Shows Perils Of PA Campaigning, Josh Shapiro Can Help

-- E&E News: Shapiro Offers Harris Path Through Fracking Minefield  

-- The Allegheny Front: How Can Harris Appeal To Climate Voters In Pennsylvania? 

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: What Does Harris Think About Fracking?  - By Jeffrey Kupfer, Carnegie Mellon, Fmr Deputy At DOE

-- AP: Some Activists Step Up Criticism Of Shapiro And Kelly As Harris Closes In On Naming A Running Mate

-- Inquirer: How A Sexual Harassment Scandal Involving A Shapiro Aide Could Affect The Governor’s VP Chances

-- Spotlight PA: Court Tells Governor’s Office To Reveal More Details About Why It Hired Private Law Firms

-- PA Capital-Star: Shapiro ‘Not Happy’ With Nippon Steel’s Pending Acquisition Of US Steel

-- Reuters: Gov. Shapiro Says He Cannot Support Nippon-US Steel Merger

-- TribLive Editorial: Will US Steel Advertising Campaign Work For Nippon Steel Sale?

-- Gov. Shapiro, US Treasury Secretary Announce PA To Join IRS Direct File Allowing Free Electronic Filing Of Federal, State Taxes Starting Next Year

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Taxpayers Will Have IRS Direct File Program Available For 2025 Tax Season

-- Budget 2024

-- Spotlight PA: State Budget Leaves Embattled Child Care Industry Without Much-Needed Funding To Boost Staffing

-- AP: PA Casinos Ask Court To Force State To Tax ‘Skill’ Gambling Games Found In Stores Equally To Slots

-- Dept. Of Revenue Reports July Tax Collections Individually By Tax

-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports July Tax Revenues Were $110 Million Over July 2023

-- PA House/Senate

-- City & State PA: Lawmakers Disclosed Trips Paid For By Others In 2023

-- US Senate/House

-- Post-Gazette: US Senate Republicans Block Bipartisan Bill Helping 500,000 PA Children, Tax Break For Victims Of Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

-- November Election

-- AP: Third-Party Candidates File To Run For President, US Senate In PA

-- Election Reforms

-- Erie Times: Commonwealth Court Grants Access To 49,000 Mail-In, Absentee Ballots From 2020 Election To Erie County Republican Committee Member 

-- TribLive: Commonwealth Court Hears Arguments About Misdated Mail-In Ballots

-- AP: PA’s Long-Running Dispute Over Dates On Mail-In Voting Ballots Is Back In The Courts

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Mail-In Ballot Pre-Canvassing Is A No-Brainer

-- National Politics

-- Inquirer: What’s Working For And Against Shapiro In The Veepstakes

-- AP: Some Activists Step Up Criticism Of Shapiro And Kelly As Harris Closes In On Naming A Running Mate

-- AP: What Polling Shows About The Top VP Contenders For Harris

-- Post-Gazette: Recent Polls Show Harris Doing Better Than Biden Against Ex-President In PA

-- AP: PA Republican Cong. Kelly To Lead US House Task Force Investigating Assassination Attempt In Butler County [He Also Tried To Overturn 2020 Election Results, Not Count Any PA Mail-In Ballots]

-- Inquirer: 3 PA Members Of Congress On Task Force Investigating Assassination Attempt

-- WITF/Votebeat: How 9 Mistakenly Discarded Ballots In Luzerne County Fueled 2020 Lies About Elections

-- PA’s Role In Assault On US Capitol

-- TribLive: Westmoreland County Man Charged With Crimes Related To Assault On US Capitol  

-- Miscellaneous State/Harrisburg Politics

-- TribLive/PennLive: Fmr PA Gov. Mark Schweiker Sees No Justice In 9/11 Prisoner Plea Deal

-- AP: Sept. 11 Families Group Leader Cheers Restoration Of Death Penalty Option In 9/11 Prosecutions

-- PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: National - $3.48,  Ohio - $3.47   PA- $3.58  

-- EPA Issues Fuel Waiver For IL, IN, MI, WS As A Result Of The ExxonMobil Refinery Shutdown Due To Tornadoes In Illinois

-- PJM Electricity Auction Price 9 Times Higher Than Previous Auction-- $269.92/MW-Day For 2025/26 Delivery Compared To $28.92/MW-Day In 2024-25; Extreme Weather Risk Big Factor    [PaEN]

-- Natural Resources Defense Council: The Cost Of Slow-Walking Clean Energy Can Be Seen In Latest PJM Electricity Prices  [PaEN]

-- PennFuture: Dramatic PJM Electricity Price Increases Due To Forced Outages Of Gas Power Plants; Huge Backlog Of New Generation Projects; Demand Growth Driven By Data Centers, Cryptocurrency Mining  [PaEN] 

-- Kleinman Center For Energy Policy: The High Price Of Failing To Transition To Clean Energy In PJM Footprint; Next PJM Auction Is In December - By John Quigley, Senior Fellow, Kleinman Center  [PaEN]

-- House Committee Held 2nd Hearing On Governor’s Energy Plan To Diversify Energy Generation, Improve Grid Reliability, Lower Consumer Energy Costs  [PaEN]

-- Utility Dive: PJM Capacity Auction To Lead To Double-Digit Rate Hikes For Exelon Utilities: CFO  [PECO]

-- Utility Dive: FirstEnergy Seeks Alternatives To PJM Capacity Market’s Dramatically Higher Prices To Bolster Power Supply

-- Utility Dive: PJM Capacity Auction To Lead To Double-Digit Rate Hikes For Exelon Utilities: CFO  [PECO]

-- Bloomberg: Almost 20% Of Americans Face Prospect Of Higher Energy Bills

-- Citizens Voice: Talen Energy Nuclear Plant Owner: Delays Could ‘Chill’ Amazon Data-Center Investment

-- Guest Essay: Who Is Looking Out For PA’s Energy Interests? - By Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming)  [Indeed: He’s Pushing Data Centers, LNG Gas Exports, More Dependence On One Fuel That Destabilizes Electric Grid, Increases Energy Costs]

-- Meadville Tribune: National Fuel Natural Gas Rates Rising More Than 11% Aug. 1

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs Down 1 From Last Week To 20

-- Reuters: Coterra Energy Misses Profit Estimates On Weak Natural Gas Prices

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Natural Gas Drilling Falls Sharply In Marcellus Shale As Prices Stay Stagnant And Drillers Cut Production 

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: EQT Natural Gas’ Toby Rice On Presidential Politics: ‘Time To Hold Leaders Accountable’ [EQT, PA Shale Gas Says We Have A ‘Duty’ To Sell More Gas To China Our Economic, Military Competitor]

-- Reuters: Asian LNG Gas Imports Shift Higher As Europe’s Fades; China Is Worlds Biggest LNG Buyer

-- Reuters: US LNG Gas Exports Fall Again In July On Freeport LNG Export Facility’s Slow Restart

-- Bloomberg: Exxon Delays Golden Pass LNG Gas Export Facility To Late 2025 On Contractor Dispute

-- Bloomberg: European Natural Gas Prices Dump As Mideast Tension Stoke Supply Concerns

-- Reuters: US Natural Gas Prices Jump 4% On Forecast For Record Heat

-- Reuters: Federal Appeals Court Throws Out FERC Approval Of PA/NJ Transcontinental Regional Energy Access Expansion Pipeline Project Saying The Agency Did Not Properly Address Objections

-- Gas Explosions

-- PUC Seeks To Accelerate Removal, Replacement Of Older Plastic Pipe In Natural Gas Distribution Systems  [PaEN] 

-- AP: PUC Files Complaints Against Peoples Gas In Fatal 2021 Natural Gas Explosion In Tyrone, Blair County 

-- WESA/WPSU: PUC Ask People’s Gas To Pay $800,000 After Deadly 2021 Natural Gas Explosion In Tyrone

-- Altoona Mirror: Peoples’ Gas Secrecy Questioned In 2021 Natural Gas Explosion In Tyrone

-- Train Derailments

-- AG Henry/Gov. Shapiro: Federal Settlement Over Norfolk Southern Train Derailment Does Not Help Enough Pennsylvanians Impacted By The Incident  [PaEN] 

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: Sen. Casey, Cong. Summer Lee Call For More Oversight Of Rail Bridge Inspections

-- Altoona Mirror Editorial: Fears Surface As Report Eyes Railroad Safety

-- Centre Daily Times: Train Derailment In Philipsburg Leads To Road Closures

-- AP: Some Ohio Residents Can Now Get $25,000 For Injuries From $600 Million Norfolk Southern Train Derailment Settlement

-- Post-Gazette: US Senate Republicans Block Bipartisan Bill Helping 500,000 PA Children, Tax Break For Victims Of Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

-- Emergency Response

-- WNEP: Flash Flooding Closes Streets In Lackawanna County

-- WESA/WPSU: Penn State Meteorologists Talk ‘Twisters’ And Science Of Storm Chasing

-- Reading Eagle: Mandatory Water Conservation Order Issued For North Heidelberg Water System Customers

-- Observer-Reporter: Davistown Residents Frustrated By Prolonged East Dunkard/PA American Water Outage

-- Observer-Reporter: Water Service Restored To Davistown On East Dunkard/PA American Water System In Greene County

-- PA Emergency Management Agency Publishes Update To State Disaster Recovery Assistance Program

-- Office Of State Fire Commissioner Now Accepting Applications For Fire Company & Emergency Medical Services Grants, Deadline Oct. 20

-- Education

-- Inquirer: More Than 100 PA Schools With Kids Of Moms For Liberty Will Not Be Able To Enforce Federal Anti-Discrimination Rules

-- The Center Square: Immigrant Influx Impacts Pennsylvania School Districts Differently

-- WESA/WPSU: Fmr Penn State Students Plead Guilty In 2017 Deadly Hazing Incident

-- AP: Drexel University Agrees To Bolster Handling Of Bias Complaints After Probe Of Antisemitic Incidents

-- Health Care

-- WITF: Most US Adults Don’t Know They Can Fight Health Insurance Denials, New Study Finds

-- Law Enforcement

-- Scranton Times: Catholic Monsignor Kelly Found Guilty Under Canon Law Of Sexually Abusing 2 Minors

-- AP: By The Dozen, Accusers Tell Of Rampant Sexual Abuse At PA Juvenile Detention Facilities

-- TribLive Editorial: Don’t Feed Antisemitism In Pittsburgh

-- TribLive Editorial: Prison Phone Calls Shouldn’t Be Source Of Revenue For Counties

-- The Economy

-- PA Capital-Star: Shapiro ‘Not Happy’ With Nippon Steel’s Pending Acquisition Of US Steel

-- Reuters: Gov. Shapiro Says He Cannot Support Nippon-US Steel Merger

-- TribLive Editorial: Will US Steel Advertising Campaign Work For Nippon Steel Sale?

-- Spotlight PA: State Budget Leaves Embattled Child Care Industry Without Much-Needed Funding To Boost Staffing

-- AP: PA Casinos Ask Court To Force State To Tax ‘Skill’ Gambling Games Found In Stores Equally To Slots

-- Gov. Shapiro, US Treasury Secretary Announce PA To Join IRS Direct File Allowing Free Electronic Filing Of Federal, State Taxes Starting Next Year

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Taxpayers Will Have IRS Direct File Program Available For 2025 Tax Season

-- Other

-- AG Henry Announces New Complaint Form For Consumers’ Airline Issues

[Posted: August 4, 2024]  PA Enviroment Digest