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

 Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- Post-Gazette -Ford Turner: PA Senate Republicans Threaten Secretary Of Revenue-- And Fmr Republican State Senator-- With Prison In Dispute Over Release Of Personal Tax Data

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: State Court Rebuffs Attempts To Prevent PA Revenue Secretary, Fmr State Senator, From Appearing Before State Senate

-- PennLive: PA Revenue Secretary, Fmr State Senator, Appeals To PA Supreme Court To Block Senate Demand For Tax Records

-- Spotlight PA: No One Is Using $2.6 Billion Hydrogen, Natural Gas Tax Credit, Shapiro Wants To Rewrite The Law To Boost Electricity Production

-- Ohio River Valley Institute: Is The Appalachian Hydrogen Hub Coming Apart?  Sure Looks Like It 

-- Inside Climate News - Jon Hurdle: Appalachian Hydrogen Hub Plan Struggles-- One-Third Of Projects Scrapped, 4 Partners Have Left, Study Says 

-- Budget 2025

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Tying Transit Funding To ‘Skill’ Gambling Games Doesn’t Make Sense

-- PA Gaming Control Board Reports September Revenue Increased 6.17% Over The Same Month Last Year

-- PA House/Senate

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: As PA Democrats Fight To Keep Control Of PA House, Poll Shows Their Agenda Is Popular

-- WESA: Control Of PA Legislature Could Reshape Law, And The Constitution Itself

-- LancasterOnline: PA House Republicans Claim ‘Double Voting’ A Risk, But Won’t Share Details 

-- Post-Gazette -Ford Turner: PA Senate Republicans Threaten Secretary Of Revenue-- And Fmr Republican State Senator-- With Prison In Dispute Over Release Of Personal Tax Data

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: State Court Rebuffs Attempts To Prevent PA Revenue Secretary, Fmr State Senator, From Appearing Before State Senate

-- PennLive: PA Revenue Secretary, Fmr State Senator, Appeals To PA Supreme Court To Block Senate Demand For Tax Records

-- Post-Gazette -Ford Turner: Standoff Between PA Senate, Revenue Secretary And  Fmr Republican State Senator Over Releasing Personal Tax Information Intensifies

-- PennLive: Revenue Secretary Ordered To Appear Before PA Senate To Testify About Tax Records

-- PA House Republican Leader Appoints Regulatory Review Administrator To Reign In PA’s ‘Bloated Administrative State’ And Help Determine Which Regulations Are No Longer In The Public Interest

-- US Senate/House

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Fearmongering Ads In PA US Senate Race Overshadow Real Problems With Social Security

-- WHYY: $240 Million Floods PA US Senate Race

-- 2020/2022 Elections

-- PennLive: PA Supreme Court Agrees To Hear Appeal Of Two 2020 Election Litigation Rulings

-- TribLive: Westmoreland County Launches Voting Probe Over Unproven 2020 Fraud Allegations

-- TribLive: Democratic Westmoreland Commissioner: Republican Double-Voting Probe Of 2020 A Waste Of Time

-- AP: Luzerne County Settles Federal Lawsuit Over Ballot Paper Shortages In 2022 Voting

-- November Election

-- TribLive: Poll Workers Perform Civic Duty Despite Ramped Up Rhetoric 

-- PennLive: More Than 210,000 People In PA Requested Mail-In Ballots As Would-be Voters Swamp County Offices

-- WITF: One-Third Of Requested PA Mail-In Ballots Have Been Returned

-- AP: PA Supreme Court Declines To Decide Mail-In Ballot Issues Before Election 

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Supreme Court Will Decide If Election Officials Must Tell Voters When Mail Ballots Are Rejected

-- PA Capital-Star: US Supreme Court Won’t Take PA Freedom Caucus Suit Over Shapiro Voter Registration Order

-- Inquirer: Republicans Abandon Lawsuit Against Montgomery County That Could Have Slowed Mail Ballot Counting

-- Politics PA: Out-Of-State PA Students’ Registrations Turned Away By Lancaster County Elections Office

-- TribLive Editorial: Election Integrity And Voter Intimidation Can’t Coexist

-- Citizens Voice: Inflammatory Yard Signs Calling Democrats Terrorists, Pedophiles Emerge In Luzerne County

-- Inquirer: Local Republicans Faced Harassment After Publicly Supporting Harris; Is That ‘Just How It’s Going To Be”?  [Acts Of Political Violence Actually Down]

-- WESA/WITF: The Money Behind Politics: Tracking Finance Data For PA Candidates

-- Elections

-- LancasterOnline: PA House Republicans Claim ‘Double Voting’ A Risk, But Won’t Share Details 

-- National Politics

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Pittsburgh’s Only Immigration Crisis Is Not Having Enough Immigrants

-- TribLive Guest Essay: What Would Dick Thornburgh Do In This Presidential Election? - By David Thornburgh

-- WESA: Ex-President Promises To Revive Coal In PA, Even Though Natural Gas Is Suffocating It 

-- Miscellaneous State/Harrisburg Politics

-- PennLive - John Baer: Hey, PA Voters, We Need To Talk

-- PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- PJM Interconnection Winter Outlook: Adequate Power Supplies Available Under Normal Conditions; PJM Delays Next Power Auction After Prices Spike  [PaEN] 

-- Utility Dive: PJM Plans To Delay Upcoming Electric Generation Auction By 6 Months 

-- Utility Dive: Possible PJM Market Changes Could Lower Near-Term Capacity Prices, But Ultimately Give Rise To Higher Prices For A Longer Period Of Time - Morgan Stanley

-- Utility Dive: Omitting Talen Energy Reliability Must-Run Power Plants From PJM’s Next Capacity Auction Could Cost $14.5 Billion, Organization Of PJM States Says 

-- Utility Dive: PJM Floats Plan To Allow Limited Number Of Electric Generating Projects To Jump Into Interconnection Approval Process Early Next Year To Help Address Reliability Issues 

-- FirstEnergy, Dominion Energy, American Electric Power Reach Joint Planning Agreement To Propose Regional Electric Transmission Projects Across PJM Footprint

-- Utility Dive: FirstEnergy, Dominion Energy, American Electric Power Propose Joint 765-kV Electric Transmission Projects Across PJM Region

-- Spotlight PA: No One Is Using $2.6 Billion Hydrogen, Natural Gas Tax Credit, Shapiro Wants To Rewrite The Law To Boost Electricity Production

-- Ohio River Valley Institute: Is The Appalachian Hydrogen Hub Coming Apart?  Sure Looks Like It 

-- Inside Climate News - Jon Hurdle: Appalachian Hydrogen Hub Plan Struggles-- One-Third Of Projects Scrapped, 4 Partners Have Left, Study Says 

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy/Charles Thompson: Three Mile Island - Site Of Worst Nuclear Accident In US History Poised To Get A Rebranding To Crane Clean Energy Center  [Except for the nuclear waste]

-- Appalachian Regional Commission Awards $18.5 Million In Pennsylvania To Support Economic Revitalization Of Communities Impacted By Downturn In Coal Industry  [PaEN]

-- AAA Gasoline Prices:  National- $3.19  Ohio- $3.03   PA- $3.35

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drill Rigs Same As Last Week - 13, But Down 38% From Aug. 23 [Part Of Industry Strategy To Increase Natural Gas Prices]

-- Reuters: US Natural Gas Prices Drop 4% Ahead Of Hurricane Milton

-- Bloomberg: LNG Gas Tanker Glut Is Softening Blow For Consumers Facing High Natural Gas Prices Due To LNG Shipping Costs

-- Reuters: Canadian Natural Gas Firms Eager For LNG Gas Boom Swamp Market With Excess Supply

-- Bloomberg: LNG Gas Ships Now Diverting To Europe, Away From Asia, To Tap Price Increases Driven By Mideast War Fears  [This Week]

-- Bloomberg: LNG Gas Traders Choose To Pay Penalties For Not Shipping Gas To Germany To Chase Higher Profits In Asia  [Last Week]

-- Utility Dive: PJM Plans To Delay Upcoming Electric Generation Auction By 6 Months 

-- Financial Times: Oil Prices Breach Recent Highs On Fears Of Middle East Escalation

-- Financial Times: Brent Crude Oil Rises Above $80 As Hedge Funds Reverse Bets Over Fears Of Escalating Conflict In Middle East

-- Three Mile Island Restart

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy/Charles Thompson: Three Mile Island - Site Of Worst Nuclear Accident In US History Poised To Get A Rebranding To Crane Clean Energy Center  [Except for the nuclear waste]

-- PennLive: Three Mile Island Leaders ‘99.99%’ Sure Dauphin County’s Shuttered Nuke Plant Will Reopen

-- LancasterOnline Guest Essay: PA’s Union Workers Stand To Benefit Most From Reopening Of Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant - By Joseph Gusler, PA State Building Trades

-- Reuters: Constellation Orders $100 Million Transformer For Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant Restart

-- PennLive: US DOE Secretary Says Feds Are ‘Bullish’ On Nuclear Power At PA Chamber Event

-- Utility Dive: PJM Floats Plan To Allow Limited Number Of Electric Generating Projects To Jump Into Interconnection Approval Process Early Next Year To Help Address Reliability Issues 

-- AP: Amazon, Google Make Dueling Nuclear Power Investments To Power Data Centers With ‘Clean’ Energy  [Small Modular Reactors]

-- Flooding

-- DCNR, Fish & Boat Commission, Partners Plant Stream Buffer In Snyder County To Combat Flooding, Improve Water Quality  [PaEN]

-- TribLive Editorial: Right To Remember ‘Close-Knit Town’ Of Robindale Destroyed By Flood In Indiana County 

-- Williamsport Sun: Lycoming County Provides Tax Refunds For Flood Damaged Properties

-- TribLive: Plum Mobile Home Park Owner Continuing Fight To Expand Facility In A Flood Zone In Allegheny County

-- The Hill: Federal SBA Disaster Loan Program Is Out Of Money, Says Biden

-- AP: Hurricanes Helene, Milton Both Likely To Be $50 Billion Disasters, Joining Ranks Of Most Costly Storms

-- Gas Explosions

-- WPXI: Cranberry Twp. Families Left With Unanswered Questions After Natural Gas Leak Complaints From 70 Homes 

-- WPXI: Small Natural Gas Leaks Found In More Than 30 Homes In Cranberry Twp., Butler County

-- Train Derailments

-- AP: Some Norfolk Southern Derailment Settlement Payments Should Go Out Even During Appeal Of The Deal

-- Education

-- Spotlight PA: Private School Vouchers Paid For By Taxpayers Opposed By More Than Half Of PA Voters, Poll Shows 

-- Attorney General Henry: Reports Of School-Focused Threats Rise, PA Officials Advise Many Are Sourced Back To Social Media-Based Pranks

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: PHEAA Student Scholarship Agency Offers Up To $35,000 For Unionized Employees To Leave By Year’s End

-- Centre Daily Times: Hazing Reports At Penn State Significantly Increase, Including At Unrecognized Fraternities

-- TribLive: Carnegie Mellon Among 40 Private Universities Named In Federal Price-Fixing Lawsuit

-- Health Care

-- Spotlight PA: As Problems Roiled Penn State Health’s Transplant Programs, Unknowing Patient Kept Hope, Then They Were Blindsided

-- WESA/Spotlight PA: Increasing Nursing Home Closures In PA Affect Access To And Quality Of Care

-- TribLive: Escalating Medication Errors Pose Grave Risks For PA Patients

-- Law Enforcement

-- Attorney General Henry: Reports Of School-Focused Threats Rise, PA Officials Advise Many Are Sourced Back To Social Media-Based Pranks

-- TribLive: PA Supreme Court Hears Challenge To Life Without Parole In Pittsburgh Felony Murder

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: PA Must Abolish Mandatory Life Without Parole For Felony Murder

-- The Center Square: Juvenile Justice Reforms Slow Going In Pennsylvania

-- PennLive: Number Of Motorcyclists Killed On PA Roads Hits 20-Year High, Why?

-- The Economy

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Pittsburgh’s Only Immigration Crisis Is Not Having Enough Immigrants

-- Dept. Of Labor & Industry Reports September PA Unemployment Remains At 3.4%, Total Non-Farm Jobs Sets 14th Record High

-- MCall: Semiconductor Company In Lehigh Valley To Receive $93 Million In Federal Funding

-- Post-Gazette: PPG Plans To Lay Off 1,800 Employees, Close Facility, Sell Paints Business

-- Spotlight PA: Losing Its Only Sheetz Pushed Cameron County Community To Think Differently About Its Future

-- NextPittsburgh: The Tech Industry Now More Than 23% Of Overall Workforce In Southwest PA

-- TribLive: Allegheny County Executive Proposes 46.5% County Property Tax Hike

-- TribLive: Innamorato’s Proposed Allegheny County Property Tax Increase Probably Dead, Catena Says

-- Other

-- City & State PA: Mascot Manor: Meet The State’s Most Unusual Sidekicks

[Posted: October 20, 2024]  PA Environment Digest