Last Week/This Week At The Capitol

Last Week/This Week gives you a quick summary of action in the Pennsylvania Senate and House last week on environmental, energy bills and issues and a preview of what’s coming up this week from the October 15 PA Environment Digest.

ATTENTION!  These are the last 3 scheduled days of voting session in the Senate and House for this year. (Of course, they could add more.)  Bills not making it to the Governor’s desk will die and have to start over in January.

Anything can happen, and does. Let the scramble begin!

Last Week’s Action

With only the House in session Last Week, action on environmental and energy bills was limited.

The House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee announced Monday they would not meet Last Week to consider Senate Bill 138 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) providing oil and gas royalty interest landowners access to records of drilling companies to verify proper payment of royalties (sponsor summary).  Any future meetings would be announced by the Committee Majority Chair Rep. John Maher (R-Allegheny).

On Tuesday the House passed House Bill 2638 (Stephens-R- Montgomery) which would authorize new local authorities to cleanup former military installations or land having water, sewer or stormwater pollution in response to the PFAS contamination found around the former Willow Grove Naval Air Station and other facilities in Bucks and Montgomery counties.  The bill is due to the considered Monday in the Senate Transportation Committee

On Wednesday, the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee unanimously approved and reported out House Resolution 1112 (Barrar-R-Delaware) calling on federal government to recognize the importance of durable, flood-resilient infrastructure (sponsor summary).

This is interesting because the Trump Administration backed away from national standards for flood-resilience for infrastructure projects as a response to climate change.  Then, with Hurricane Harvey taking aim at the Gulf Coast, the Administration wasn’t as enthusiastic about this particular deregulation initiative.

Click Here for more on bills moving from PA Environment Digest.

What’s more interesting than the bills moving in the House Last Week are the bills the Senate has teed-up to take final action on during the scramble This Week….

This Week Committee Meetings

Here’s a quick list of House and Senate Committees considering environmental and energy legislation This Week putting some in position for final action--

-- Senate: the Appropriations Committee meets to consider House Bill 544 (Moul-R-Adams) further providing for liability protection for landowners opening their land for public recreation, House Bill 927 (Rader-R-Monroe) amends Act 101 Municipal Waste Planning and Recycling Act to eliminate the mandate on smaller municipalities to have a leaf waste collection program (House Fiscal Note and summary), House Bill 1284 (Peifer-R-Pike) directs DCED to develop a one-stop-shop online business formation and permitting portal for business (House Fiscal Note and summary), House Bill 2075 (Charlton-R-Delaware) authorizing rate recovery for customer- owned lead water service lines; the Transportation Committee meets to consider House Bill 2638 (Stephens-R-Montgomery) which would authorize new local authorities to cleanup former military installations or land having water, sewer or stormwater pollution identified by the Department of Environmental Protection or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency financed by tax refunds by businesses and individuals working in the remediation area (House Fiscal Note and summary); the Health and Human Services Committee meets to consider Senate Bill 1270 (Yudichak-D-Luzerne) requiring universal lead testing for children (sponsor summary).  <>  Click Here for full Senate Committee Schedule.

-- Other: the Joint House-Senate Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee holds an Environmental Issues Forum on biogas and bioenergy.

-- House:  Keep Watching...  <>  Click Here for full House Committee Schedule.

This Week Bill Calendars

Just so we don’t forget, the Senate still has 4 pipeline-related bills on its Calendar ready for action. Click Here for more.

Here’s legislation pending on the House and Senate bill calendars for action--

-- House (Oct. 15): House Bill 1401 (DiGirolamo-R-Bucks) which amends Title 58 to impose a sliding scale natural gas severance tax, in addition to the Act 13 drilling impact fee, on natural gas production (NO money for environmental programs) and includes provisions related to minimum landowner oil and gas royalties; House Bill 1446 (Quinn-R- Bucks) encouraging infrastructure for electric and natural gas fueled vehicles; House Bill 2105 (Fritz-R- Susquehanna) abolishing certain “obsolete” boards and commissions; House Resolution 284 (Moul-R-Adams) urging Congress to repeal the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s MS4 Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program (sponsor summary); House Resolution 943 (Tallman-R-Adams) urging the federal Food And Drug Administration to promptly consider candidates for Lyme disease vaccinations; House Resolution 1112 (Barrar-R-Delaware) calling on federal government to recognize the importance of durable, flood-resilient infrastructure (sponsor summary).  <> Click Here for full House Bill Calendar.

-- Senate (Oct. 15): Senate Bill 820 (Aument-R- Lancaster) providing liability protection for owners and operators of on-farm agritourism activities (sponsor summary); Senate Bill 930 (Dinniman-D- Chester) sets notification requirements related to pipeline emergencies (sponsor summary); Senate Bill 931 (Dinniman-D-Chester) requires the installation of automatic or remote controlled safety values in natural gas pipelines in densely populated areas; Senate Bill 1199 (Rafferty-R- Montgomery) providing for a landowners’ bill of rights in cases of eminent domain, including by private entities like pipeline companies (sponsor summary); Senate Resolution 214 (Greenleaf-R-Montgomery) urging Pennsylvania natural gas producers to export gas to European countries in an effort to curtail the monopoly that Russia has on supply to that region (sponsor summary); Senate Resolution 373 (Rafferty-R-Montgomery) is a concurrent Senate-House resolution to establish a Senate-House legislative Commission to Study Pipeline Construction and Operations and to recommend improvements for the safe transport of oil, natural gas and other hazardous liquids through pipelines; House Bill 86 (Lawrence-R-Chester) eliminating tailpipe emissions testing for 1992-1995 vehicles in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia areas (House Fiscal Note and summary); House Bill 1550 (Klunk-R-York) amending the Agricultural Area Security Law to allow for a residence for the principal landowner (House Fiscal Note and summary); House Bill 2154 (Causer-R-Cameron) which would weaken environmental standards for conventional (not Shale) oil and gas drilling. <> Click Here for full Senate Bill Calendar.

For more, read This Week’s PA Environment Digest.  Send questions, inquiries to Editor David E. Hess, former Secretary of DEP, by email to: PaEnviroDigest@gmail.com.