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: Gov. Shapiro Issues Sharp Rebuke To President Over Treatment Of Ukrainian Leader; PA Home To 150,000 Ukranians  

-- Gov. Shapiro Announced  Federal Funds Identified In State Lawsuit Are No Longer Frozen - Mine Reclamation, Conventional Well Plugging, Water Infrastructure  [PaEN]  

-- AP: Gov. Shapiro Says Billions In Federal Funding Now Unfrozen

-- WHYY: As Gov. Shapiro Calls For Private Equity ‘Reform’ In PA Health Care, Where Are Investments Going?

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: Public Will No Longer Be In The Dark About Shapiro Flights On State Police Planes

-- PennLive: Republican State Sen. Mastriano Considering Another Run For Governor In 2026

-- Confrontation: President, Zelenskyy Over Russian Invasion

-- PennLive: Gov. Shapiro Issues Sharp Rebuke To President Over Treatment Of Ukrainian Leader; PA Home To 150,000 Ukranians  

-- Beaver Times: Shapiro: President ‘Berated’ Zelenskyy, ‘Advanced Russia’s Propaganda Directly From White House

-- TribLive: Ukrainian Community In Western PA Shaken By President, Zelenskyy Public Spat

-- WTAE: Pittsburgh Ukrainian Community Reacts To President’s Meeting With Zelenskyy - Shocking And Stunning

-- Post-Gazette: Vice President Attacks Last Year’s PA Visit To Munitions Plant By Zelenskyy In Contentious White House Meeting

-- Budget 2025

-- City & State PA: New Revenue Sources, Longstanding Debates, Dominate State Budget Talks

-- PA Capital-Star: Senate Republican Leaders Signal Openness To Changing PA’s Public School Adequacy Funding Formula

-- WITF: President’s Shifting Federal Education Policies Steal Focus Of PA Senate Budget Hearing

-- Post-Gazette: Acting Education Secretary ‘Exceptionally Concerned’ After Report On Taxpayer-Funded Private Cyber Charter Schools

-- WESA: PA Education Dept. Considering Options ‘None Of Them Pretty’ If Federal Agency Axed

-- Spotlight PA: The Children Left Behind By Free Lunch Programs And The Proposed $250 Million Solution

-- The Center Square: PA Earned Income Tax Credit Gets Another Look

-- Inquirer: Should PA Have Its Own DOGE? These Republicans Senators Think So - With A Twist

-- Budget - Federal

-- Gov. Shapiro Announced  Federal Funds Identified In State Lawsuit Are No Longer Frozen - Mine Reclamation, Conventional Well Plugging, Water Infrastructure  [PaEN]  

-- AP: Gov. Shapiro Says Billions In Federal Funding Now Unfrozen

-- PA Capital-Star: Uncertainty Remains For Programs In PA Impacted By Federal Funding Freeze, Despite Reversal

-- Inside Climate News - Jon Hurdle: $2.1 Billion In Federal Funding Restored In PA After State’s Lawsuit, But Other Funding For State-Administered Programs May Be At Risk  

-- The Allegheny Front - Reid Frazier: President’s Federal Funding Freeze Brought Some Abandoned Mine Cleanups In PA To A Standstill 

-- Reuters: EPA Administrator Planning To Cut 65% Of Agency’s Workforce

-- Politico.com: White House Now Says President Meant He Will Cut 65% Of EPA’s Budget, Not Staff 

-- AP: President Sets Stage For Large-Scale Federal Worker Layoffs In New Memo Covering Career Officials With Civil Service Protection 

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: Released Federal Funds For PA Doesn’t Include Transportation Projects

-- WESA: PA Education Dept. Considering Options ‘None Of Them Pretty’ If Federal Agency Axed

-- Post-Gazette: Acting Education Secretary ‘Exceptionally Concerned’ After Report On Taxpayer-Funded Private Cyber Charter Schools

-- PASA Sustainable Agriculture: Taking Action On Federal Funding Freeze 

-- The Allegheny Front: Pennsylvania Farm Group Faces Layoffs Amid Federal Funding Freeze 

-- National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition: Tell Your Members Of Congress To Unfreeze Agriculture Funds Now 

-- PennLive: Fmr DCNR, National Heritage Area Director Brenda Barrett Protests Cuts To National Parks: They Are ‘Endangering Our Crown Jewels’

-- PennLive Guest Essay: If You Care About National Parks, Forests, Tell Congress To Stop President’s Cuts Now - By Douglas Austen, Fmr Fish & Boat Commission Executive Director 

-- Warren Times Editorial: Not A Big Fan Of Celebrating President’s Cuts: People Receiving Pink Slips In Our Region Work Each Day To Earn A Paycheck To Support Their Families, It’s Just Adding To The Unemployment Rolls

-- WITF: Hundreds Rally Against Cut In Refugee Funding To Church World Service In Lancaster: ‘A Moral Travesty’

-- PA House/Senate

-- Inquirer: Should PA Have Its Own DOGE? These Republicans Senators Think So - With A Twist

-- PA Capital-Star: Senate Republican Leaders Signal Openness To Changing PA’s Public School Adequacy Funding Formula

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: Vexing Questions On A.I. Confront PA Lawmakers: ‘We Have Got To Get Moving On This’

-- WHYY: Philly-Area Lawmakers Walk Out Of Meeting With Penn President Over DEI Cuts

-- US Senate/House

-- TribLive/AP: PA Congressional Republicans Who Narrowly Won Their Seats Feel The Heat Of Early Votes Back Home

-- PennLive: John Fetterman For President?  Bill Maher Says Democrats Should Make It Happen

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Congress May Be More Afraid Of President Than It Is Of Voters - By Mark Singel

-- TribLive: PA Republican Member Of Congress Says He’ll Look For Budget Savings While Protecting Medicaid’s ‘Core Mission’

-- PennLive: PA Republican Members Of Congress Vote For Measure That Could Cut Medicaid, Threaten Care For Constituents

-- Inquirer: PA Democratic Members Of Congress Getting Flooded With Constituent Stories They’re Hoping To Leverage Against The President

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Make Congress Great Again By Limiting Their Terms - By former state senators Andy Dinniman (D) and John Eichelberger (R)   

-- TribLive: Republican Congressional Lawmakers Look For Ways To Weaken State Judges

-- Statewide Offices

-- Attorney General Sunday Names Executive Deputy AG, Deputy Chief Of Staff

-- 2026 Elections

-- PennLive: Republican State Sen. Mastriano Considering Another Run For Governor In 2026

-- Elections

-- The Center Square: Dept. Of State Says New Voter Registration System Needed Before 2028

-- TribLive: Republican Congressional Lawmakers Look For Ways To Weaken State Judges

-- New Federal Administration

-- Post-Gazette: Acting Education Secretary ‘Exceptionally Concerned’ After Report On Taxpayer-Funded Private Cyber Charter Schools

-- TribLive: Ending Diversity Push Or Fueling Student Anxiety? President’s Anti-DEI Stance Sparks Debate

-- WHYY: Philly-Area Lawmakers Walk Out Of Meeting With Penn President Over DEI Cuts

-- AP: PIAA Changes Policy To Follow President’s Order On Transgender Athletes In High School Sports

-- York Daily Record: No Longer Off-Limits To Immigration Arrests, PA Schools Look To Law Shielding Students  

-- Observer-Reporter: ‘Everybody Is Going To Be Impacted’ By Federal Layoffs, Cuts  [PDF of Article] 

-- TribLive: ALCOA CEO Predicts President’s Aluminum Tariffs Will Cost 100,000 Jobs

-- National Politics

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Congress May Be More Afraid Of President Than It Is Of Voters - By Mark Singel

-- PennLive: John Fetterman For President?  Bill Maher Says Democrats Should Make It Happen

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Black Men Poised To Shake Up PA Political Landscape; 24% Voted For President - By Athan Koutsiouroumbas, Long Nyquist Lobbying Firm

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: President Is Winning Pennsylvania - By Athan Koutsiouroumbas, Long Nyquist Lobbying Firm

-- PA’s Role In Assault On US Capitol

-- Post-Gazette/NYT: Venango County Woman Came Home After Being Pardoned By President For Crimes Related To Assault On US Capitol

-- Miscellaneous State/Harrisburg Politics

-- PennLive - John Baer: Hey, Harrisburg, It’s Time To Be A Better Capital City!

-- PA Energy Politics

-- AP: President’s Tariffs On Mexico, Canada To Start March 4 [Will Impact United Refining In Warren That Uses Canadian Oil ] 

-- UGI Natural Gas Costs Will Increase 7% On March 1 

-- MCall: UGI Gas Customers To See 7% Increase In Natural Gas Costs Starting March 1

-- PUC Holds March 18, March 19 Hearings On Proposed Pike County Light & Power Company Rate Hikes-- Natural Gas (44.4%), Electric (11.6%) 

-- WHYY: Bucks County Residents Call For Shutdown Of Energy Transfer/Sunoco Pipeline [After 16 Month Leak Contaminated Wells]: ‘Our Lives Have Been Upended’  

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Bucks County Residents Fear Energy Transfer/Sunoco Pipeline Leak Could Be More Widespread Than Company Acknowledges; Class Action Lawsuit Expected To Be Filed 

-- Courier Times: Energy Transfer/Sunoco Disputes Findings, Recommended Fixes Of Federal Pipeline Regulator In Jet Fuel Pipeline Leak Investigation In Bucks County 

-- WHYY: Ruptured Gas Line Prompts Evacuations Near Philly’s Central High School 

-- Protect PT Hosts In-Person March 9 Living Near Shale Gas Workshop In Westmoreland County  [PaEN] 

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $3.11  Ohio- $2.80   PA- $3.32

-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports 2024 PA Natural Gas Production Down 1.8%, PA Natural Gas Price Up 19.1% In Last Year  [PaEN] 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Natural Gas Production In PA Falls To Lowest Level Since 2020; Producers Respond To Lower Prices  

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Natural Gas Price Up 150% From 1 Year Ago, Not Coming Down Soon  [PDF of Article] 

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Rigs Still At 15 - Same For 11 Weeks

-- Reuters: EIA: US Oil And Gas Production Hit Record High In December

-- The Center Square: Gov. Shapiro Floats Leaving PJM Electric Grid Operator As Power Demand Spike Looms

-- E&E News/Politico: Electricity Prices Are Spiking; That’s A Problem For The President

-- Guest Essay: Significant Electricity Load Growth Can Be Accommodated Without A Stampede To New Natural Gas Generation Just By Increasing Efficiency At Existing Power Plants - By John Quigley, Senior Fellow, Kleinman Center For Energy Policy  [PaEN]  

-- Forbes: How LNG Gas Exports Will Define US Energy Policy Under New President; US Gas Market May Become More Vulnerable To Price Volatility In Global Gas Market Straining States That Rely On Natural Gas For Power Generation 

-- Grist: Exporting Natural Gas Raises Your Power Bills; The President Is Doing It Anyway

-- Senate DEP Budget Hearing Focuses On Permit Reviews; Governor’s Lightning Energy Plan; Bringing On More Baseload Power Generation; Firing ‘Intractable’ DEP Employees  [PaEN] 

-- DEP House Budget Hearing: Democrat Rep. Vitali Raises Concerns About Whether DEP Has The Resources To Fulfill Its Mission When Workloads Have Increased Dramatically  [PaEN]

-- DEP Budget Testimony: DEP Moving At The Speed Of Business; Lightning Energy Plan; Most Inspections; Commitment To Environmental Justice  [PaEN] 

-- NYT: Oil, Gas Companies Wanted President To Lower Costs, Tariffs Are Raising Them On Steel Pipe, Aluminum  

-- Reuters: Asia LNG Gas Imports Set To Drop To 22-Month Low As Europe Surge Drives Prices Up

-- Reuters: Shell Expects 60% Rise In Global LNG Gas Demand By 2040 As Asia-- China, India Leads Growth

-- Bloomberg: President Wants Canada’s Keystone XL Oil Pipeline Built ‘Now;’ Pipeline Developer Says It Has ‘Moved On’

-- Gas Explosions

-- WHYY: Ruptured Gas Line Prompts Evacuations Near Philly’s Central High School 

-- Three Mile Island Restart

-- DEP Issues Air Quality Permit For Nova Energy LLC Cryptocurrency Data Center In Venango County  [PaEN] 

-- Guest Essay: Significant Electricity Load Growth Can Be Accommodated Without A Stampede To New Natural Gas Generation Just By Increasing Efficiency At Existing Power Plants - By John Quigley, Senior Fellow, Kleinman Center For Energy Policy  [PaEN]  

-- Utility Dive: FirstEnergy’s 5-Year Data Center Pipeline Doubles To 3 GW, Shares Fall Nearly 10.5% On Lowered Earnings Outlook 

-- Wall Street Journal: The A.I. Data Center Boom Is A Job-Creation Bust

-- Flooding

-- Beaver Times: Climate Change Could Cost PA Billions; Lawmaker Says; It’s Time To Get Ready

-- Financial Times: Why Is America Still Building Houses In Climate Danger Zones? 

-- Penn State Extension Hosts March 19 Webinar On Green Infrastructure's Many Functions  [PaEN] 

-- Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy, Partners Host Stormwater Symposium March 14 At Ursinus College, Montgomery County  [PaEN] 

-- TribLive: Plum Creek Watershed Project Aims To Address Flooding, Pollution Concerns In Allegheny County 

-- Williamsport Sun: Lycoming County Continues Zoning Fee Waivers For Homes Damaged By Tropical Storm Debby

-- Train Derailments

-- The Energy Age Blog: Reflections & Updates On US Railroad Safety

-- Inquirer Guest Essay: The Norfolk Southern Train Disaster Could Happen In Philadelphia Next - Stop Projects Like The Gibbstown LNG Gas Export Terminal - By David Masur, PennEnvironment & Kimberly Ong, Natural Resources Defense Council

-- Education

-- Post-Gazette: Acting Education Secretary ‘Exceptionally Concerned’ After Report On Taxpayer-Funded Private Cyber Charter Schools

-- WITF: President’s Shifting Federal Education Policies Steal Focus Of PA Senate Budget Hearing

-- WESA: PA Education Dept. Considering Options ‘None Of Them Pretty’ If Federal Agency Axed

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Bipartisan Chorus Emerges - Reform PA Private Cyber Charter School Taxpayer Funding

-- PA Capital-Star: Senate Republican Leaders Signal Openness To Changing PA’s Public School Adequacy Funding Formula

-- KYW: Threat Against A Chester County Middle School Prevented After Being Reported To Safe2Say Something

-- Spotlight PA: The Children Left Behind By Free Lunch Programs And The Proposed $250 Million Solution

-- TribLive: Penn State To Close Some Branch Campuses; New Kensington, Fayette, Greater Allegheny, Beaver At Risk

-- TribLive Editorial: Penn State Must Fulfill Its Land Grant Mission

-- TribLive: Ending Diversity Push Or Fueling Student Anxiety? President’s Anti-DEI Stance Sparks Debate

-- York Daily Record: No Longer Off-Limits To Immigration Arrests, PA Schools Look To Law Shielding Students  

-- WHYY: Philly-Area Lawmakers Walk Out Of Meeting With Penn President Over DEI Cuts

-- AP: PIAA Changes Policy To Follow President’s Order On Transgender Athletes In High School Sports

-- Health Care

-- The Center Square: Officials Push For Rural Healthcare In Sparsely Populated Northern PA 

-- WESA/WVIA: Officials Take Precautions In PA As Bird Flu Spreads To Humans In Other States 

-- WITF/StateImpact PA - Rachel McDevitt: Migratory Birds Mainly Responsible For Bird Flu Outbreak, Experts Tell PA Lawmakers  

-- Post-Gazette - Mary Ann Thomas: Bird Flu Devastates Cranberry’s Seggond Chance Farm, A Sanctuary For Misfit Birds 

-- TribLive: Bird Flu Affecting More Than 600 Birds At Butler County Farm

-- The Center Square: Officials Push For Rural Healthcare In Sparsely Populated Northern PA 

-- TribLive: Measles Risk Is Real For Those Not Vaccinated, Experts Say

-- WHYY: As Gov. Shapiro Calls For Private Equity ‘Reform’ In PA Health Care, Where Are Investments Going?

-- TribLive: PA Republican Member Of Congress Says He’ll Look For Budget Savings While Protecting Medicaid’s ‘Core Mission’

-- PennLive: PA Republican Members Of Congress Vote For Measure That Could Cut Medicaid, Threaten Care For Constituents

-- TribLive Editorial: Medicaid Doesn’t Just Provide Care To The Poor

-- Spotlight PA: Deaths During Elder Abuse Investigations Rose As State Regulators Took No Punitive Action

-- PennLive: UPMC Physician Assistant Said He Had To Tell Hospital Shooter About Loved One’s Death, And ‘Healthcare Is Broken’

-- TribLive: PA Hostage-Taking And Shootout Highlight Rising Violence Against US Hospital Workers

-- AP: World Health Organization Says Unknown Disease Killed Over 50 People In Congo; 48-Hours Between Symptoms And Death 

-- Law Enforcement

-- KYW: Threat Against A Chester County Middle School Prevented After Being Reported To Safe2Say Something

-- Attorney General Sunday Names Executive Deputy AG, Deputy Chief Of Staff

-- TribLive Editorial: Police Silence About Shootings Speaks Volumes

-- The Economy

-- Observer-Reporter: ‘Everybody Is Going To Be Impacted’ By Federal Layoffs, Cuts  [PDF of Article] 

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: Vexing Questions On A.I. Confront PA Lawmakers: ‘We Have Got To Get Moving On This’

-- The Center Square: PA Earned Income Tax Credit Gets Another Look

-- AP: President’s Tariffs On Mexico, Canada To Start March 4 [Will Impact United Refining In Warren That Uses Canadian Oil ] 

-- TribLive: ALCOA CEO Predicts President’s Aluminum Tariffs Will Cost 100,000 Jobs

-- TribLive: Nippon To Meet With Federal Officials In Bid To Salvage US Steel Deal

-- Wall Street Journal: The A.I. Data Center Boom Is A Job-Creation Bust

-- Centre Daily Times: 10 Poorest Counties In PA: Cameron, Forest, Cambria, Northumberland, Fayette, McKean, Clearfield, Potter, Jefferson, Lawrence

[Posted: March 2, 2025]