Education
Research Shows Thousands Could Be Saved With Better Air Quality Standards
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New research from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh shows thousands of lives could be saved each year if air quality standards were tightened.
Energy
Three Mile Island Unit 2, Site Of Nation’s Worst Nuclear Accident, To Be Sold, Dismantled
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A Salt Lake City-based company is in talks to purchase and dismantle Three Mile Island’s long-mothballed Unit 2 reactor — the site of the nation’s worst nuclear accident in 1979.
Energy
Nation’s Largest Power Grid Operator Asked To Focus On Clean Energy
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The power grid operator has received appeals from around the country to ensure its next leader prioritizes clean energy.
News
Report: Without Bold Climate Action, Deadly Heat Waves In Store For PA
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Pennsylvania faces unprecedented, deadly heat waves in the coming decades unless aggressive action is taken to combat climate change, according to a new report published Tuesday by the Union of Concerned Scientists.
News
A Rare Butterfly Found Refuge At An Unlikely Place: A PA Military Base
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The training center welcomes hundreds of people each summer who want to see the “regals.”
App NEWS
PA Officials Ask For Public’s Help Combating Spotted Lanternfly
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Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding joined Gov. Tom Wolf Tuesday for a tour of an area in Harrisburg infested with spotted lanternflies’
App NEWS
Pennsylvania Lawmakers Seek To Block Regulation Of Single-Use Plastics
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If approved, the amendment would block any government entity from imposing new taxes, rules, or regulations on single-use plastics
Environment
Groups Criticize PA Budget For Shifting $10-Million From Environmental Fund
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It’s absolutely the wrong direction to be decreasing, rather than increasing, our contributions to environmental programs through the state budget.”
Government
Climate Focus Intensifies, As PA’s Budget Negotiations Advance
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Scientists say governments around the world need to quickly and dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius — a threshold seen as necessary to avoid the worst effects of climate change.
Energy
As States Diverge On Climate Policies, Nation’s Largest Power Grid Operator Grapples With Carbon Pricing
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PJM is now trying to walk a fine line between respecting states’ rights and figuring out how to incorporate their climate polices into its wholesale electricity market.
App NEWS
There’ve Been A Lot Of Tornadoes In PA This Year, But No Obvious Link To Climate Change
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“We certainly have evidence flash flooding and heavy rainfall will be impacted by climate change. Whether you get tornadoes or not, there are still a lot of questions about that.”
News
Scientists Race To Figure Out How Fast A PA-Sized Glacier Could Melt
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Thwaites Glacier is roughly the size of Pennsylvania and has the potential to contribute significantly to global sea level rise — an issue of critical importance to coastal communities around the world.
App NEWS
New Research: It Isn’t Easy Being Green
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Nudges can change behavior, but for many societal problems like climate change, they are not sufficient.
Health
Poll Finds Most Pennsylvanians Link Climate Change To A Major Public Health Risk
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Fifty-one percent of respondents called climate change a “major” public health risk, 26 percent said the warming presents a “minor” risk, and 20 percent told pollsters they believe it poses no risk.
App NEWS
Bipartisan Bills Have PA Powered 100% By Renewable Energy
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“It’s not just about the environment. It’s about jobs. These are great, high-paying jobs we can create by going to renewable energy.”
Government
Wolf Aide Won’t Face Charges Following Ethics Investigation
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PA’s State Ethics Commission could not meet the burden of “clear and convincing proof” that Bane had violated the Ethics Act.
Energy
How Much Would A Nuclear Subsidy Add To A Pennsylvanian’s Electric Bill? Here’s A Breakdown
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The amounts shown represent the annual impact of HB 11 during reporting year 2019.
Environment
Citizen Climate Petition Advances, After PA Board Approves Further Study Of Cap-And-Trade Program
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The ramifications of the petition could be politically significant– allowing major climate policy to be implemented without new legislation.
App NEWS
Why Is A Few Degrees Of Warming Such A Big Deal When It Comes To Climate Change?
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We’re only talking about a few degrees of warming. Why is that such a big deal?
Energy
Political Fight Begins Over Bill To Rescue Pennsylvania Nuclear Industry
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The bills recognize nuclear plants as sources of carbon-free electricity and create new requirements about how electric utilities are to purchase power.
Energy
PA Senate Introduces Nuclear Bailout Bill, Similar To $500 Million House Plan
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Senate Bill 510 recognizes the plants as carbon free energy and adds nuclear power to the state’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard
News
Poll: Pennsylvanians’ Concerns About Climate Change Increase
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Pennsylvanians are growing increasingly concerned about climate change and want the state to do more to address it, according to a new poll conducted by Franklin & Marshall College in partnership with PA Post.
Energy
Watchdog Group Wants A Nuclear Regulatory Commission Investigation At Three Mile Island
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The nuclear watchdog group is asking federal regulators to analyze what the group calls a “potentially dangerous and risky condition”
Energy
PA Lawmaker Talks Up Nuclear Bailout Bill; Opponents Line Up To Trash It
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Opponents criticized the measure as too expensive and said it squanders an opportunity to fully address climate change.
Energy
Read A Draft Of Pennsylvania’s Nuclear Bailout Bill
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Draft legislation aimed at helping Pennsylvania’s ailing nuclear industry would reclassify the plants as “zero emission energy” and create new requirements about how electric companies are to purchase power.
Economy
Solar Jobs Grow In Pennsylvania While Declining Nationally
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Jobs in Pennsylvania’s solar industry grew 10 percent last year, while declining three percent nationally, according to a new analysis.
Education
After Some Awkward Moments, Kids Dressed As The Lorax Meet PA’s Governor
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About a dozen children dressed in Lorax costumes went to Gov. Tom Wolf’s office Monday. They wanted to give him petitions urging action on climate change and Pennsylvania’s environmental rights amendment.
Featured in Category
Federal Shutdown Slows Process For Construction Permits In PA
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The partial federal government shutdown is slowing the approval process for construction permits and several other environmental-related issues, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Crime and Justice
Following Court Ruling, PA Drillers Must Pay Millions In Outstanding Fees
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Natural gas companies must pay millions of dollars in outstanding impact fees to the state, following a recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling.
environment
PA Researcher Helps Document Deforestation, ‘Mass Extinction’ In Haiti
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More than half of the country’s species predicted to be gone by 2035
Environment
Pennsylvania Joins Regional Effort To Cut Emissions From Vehicles
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Pennsylvania, along with eight states and Washington, D.C., announced plans Tuesday to create a new regional cap for carbon emissions from vehicles to combat climate change.
Government
PA’s Top Fiscal Watchdog To Look At State Response To Climate Change
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State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale is planning a special report examining Pennsylvania’s response to climate change.
Energy
Mariner East Pipelines: Judge Reviews Request For Immediate Shutdown
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – An administrative law judge for the state Public Utility Commission heard testimony this week on whether Sunoco can operate its controversial Mariner East pipelines — a set of export lines moving natural gas liquids across Pennsylvania — while the judge reviews a request to permanently shut down the lines.
Energy
Report: PA Nuclear Plants, Including Three Mile Island, Could Be Saved If Lawmakers Act
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Pennsylvania could avoid a “devastating and permanent blow” to its economy and environment if it considers the ways other states have helped bail out their own failing nuclear plants, according to a long-awaited legislative analysis.
Environment
Climate Petition Calls On PA To Cut Emissions Through Cap-And-Trade System
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(Harrisburg) — Pennsylvania environmental regulators have the legal authority and constitutional duty to place limits on greenhouse gas emissions, according to a petition filed Tuesday by dozens of groups including environmental organizations, legal scholars, religious groups, local governments, and citizens.
Environment
PA To Hold Public Meeting On PFAS Contamination
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The state Department of Environmental Protection is hosting a public meeting to address concerns over a group of chemicals, known as PFOA and PFOS that have been contaminating drinking water.
Energy
New Plan Calls For 10% Solar Power In PA By 2030
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Pennsylvania could lower its greenhouse gas emissions, create jobs, and improve public health if it got more power from the sun. That’s according to a new report from the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Energy
PA Regulators Adopt New Policy, Clearing Confusion Over Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Pennsylvania utility regulators approved a new policy aimed at clarifying rules about how power is resold, in an effort to promote investment in public electric vehicle charging stations.
News
Lloyd Smucker Wins Re-Election In PA’s 11th Congressional District
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Freshman GOP congressman Lloyd Smucker was reelected to a second term Tuesday night–defeating Democratic challenger Jess King in the 11th district.
Environment
Climate Change: Not A Big Deal In PA’s Race For Governor
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA — A report out this month from the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change paints a pretty dire picture. By 2040, the world faces myriad crises — including food shortages, extreme weather, wildfires and a mass die-off of coral reefs — unless emissions are cut sharply.
Energy
PA’s Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Goes Into Full Service This Weekend
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A major new natural gas transmission pipeline will come online this weekend. Oklahoma-based Williams Partners said it has received approval from federal regulators to put its Atlantic Sunrise pipeline into full service on Oct. 6.
Energy
PA House Panel To Take Up Gas Royalties Bill, But Not The One Advocates Hoped For
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – A state House committee plans to vote next week on a bill that could offer some help to people who allege they’ve been cheated out of royalty money from natural gas companies, but the measure falls short of what many landowners had hoped for.
Energy
PA Moving Forward With Emission Rules For Existing Oil And Gas Sources
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – The state Department of Environmental Protection is moving forward with plans to regulate harmful air pollution from Pennsylvania’s thousands of oil and gas sites.
Energy
Shale Industry: Taxpayers Should Foot Part Of The Bill For Oil And Gas Oversight
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Since the Marcellus Shale industry took off a decade ago, there seemed to be a consensus that Pennsylvania’s oil and gas companies would pay for the oversight — the time, personnel, and equipment state environmental regulators need to do their jobs.
Energy
Environmentalists Promise They’ll Sue To Stop Power Plant’s Pollution of Susquehanna River
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Four environmental organizations are threatening to sue the owner of a York County coal-fired power plant over pollution they say is discharging into the Susquehanna River.
Energy
Trump Administration Unveils Plan To Replace Obama’s Signature Climate Initiative
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The Trump administration on Tuesday unveiled its proposal to replace the Obama administration’s signature climate initiative, the Clean Power Plan, weakening rules designed to limit emissions from coal-fired power plants.
Environment
After EPA Warning, PA Hikes Fees On Water Systems To Hire More Inspectors
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Nearly two years ago, the EPA told Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection that its water program was so under-staffed and under-funded, it was failing to enforce federal Safe Drinking Water Act standards.
News
Study: Climate Change Hinders Summer Fun On Lake Erie
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Increased water quality problems tied to global climate change are affecting the way people fish, boat, and swim on Lake Erie, according to a paper published last month in the Journal of Park and Recreation Administration.
Energy
Mariner East 2 Pipeline Opponent Jailed, Fined For Violating Court Order
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Ellen Gerhart, a retired teacher who has spent years fighting to block Sunoco from building a pipeline on part of her family’s Huntingdon County land, was fined $2,000 and sentenced to two to six months in jail Friday for violating a court order prohibiting her from interfering with the project.
Energy
Natural Gas Development In PA State Forests Has Slowed Significantly
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – The build out of natural gas infrastructure in Pennsylvania’s state forest system has slowed dramatically in recent years, according to a new report from the Department of Conservation and Natural resources.
Crime and Justice
With Policy Change, Nearly A Third Of Pennsylvanians Live In ‘Environmental Justice’ Areas
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – The state Department of Environmental Protection is expanding the number of people who are considered to live in an environmental justice area — a designation aimed at protecting poor and minority communities that often bear the brunt of industrial development and pollution.
climate change
Study: Methane Emissions Cancel Near-Term Climate Benefits Of Natural Gas
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – A new study published today in the journal Science finds climate-damaging methane emissions from the nation’s oil and gas industry are nearly 60 percent higher than Environmental Protection Agency estimates — effectively negating the near-term benefits of burning more natural gas.
Energy
Pennsylvania’s Gas Impact Fees Rise To $209-Million This Year
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Local governments in Pennsylvania will receive $209,557,300 this year in impact fees levied on Marcellus Shale gas companies, marking the third highest total since the fees went into effect in 2012.
Energy
PA Governor Signs Bill To Help Finance Clean Energy, Efficiency Projects
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Governor Tom Wolf signed a bipartisan bill Tuesday, aimed at helping commercial property owners finance the costs of installing renewable energy, water conservation, and energy efficiency upgrades.
Energy
Two Years After Climate Pledge, Wolf Administration Has ‘No Specific Timeline’ On Methane Regulations
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TATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – In January 2016, Gov. Tom Wolf — flanked by his two top environmental advisors — said in a Facebook Live event that Pennsylvania would crack down on climate-damaging methane emissions from the oil and gas industry.
Featured in Category
Virus Linked To Smallmouth Bass Deaths In Susquehanna
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Illness seen as a key piece of the puzzle in population decline
Energy
PA House Passes Bill Removing Environmental Standards For Conventional Drillers
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – The state House approved a controversial bill Tuesday that eliminates key environmental requirements for Pennsylvania’s conventional oil and gas industry.
Energy
Three Mile Island’s Future Bleak As It Fails At Power Auction
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – The future of Exelon’s unprofitable Three Mile Island nuclear power plant looks even bleaker after company said today it failed at an annual auction for the future sale of its electricity.
Energy
Environmental Group: PA Governor Misusing Money From Gas Drilling
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – An environmental group says Governor Tom Wolf is ignoring a nearly year-old state Supreme Court ruling that prohibits him from using revenue from oil and gas drilling on state land for purposes other than conservation.
Energy
PA Wants To Audit Gas Companies’ Hiring Of Women, Minorities
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – The Pennsylvania Department of General Services is continuing to call on state lawmakers to allow it to audit natural gas companies’ efforts to hire businesses owned by women, minorities and veterans.
ethics
Ethics Investigation Of Aide To PA Governor Advances
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – The State Ethics Commission is moving ahead with a full investigation of Governor Tom Wolf’s deputy chief of staff, Yesenia Bane. She is married to a natural gas industry lobbyist and is the subject of a formal complaint over her potential conflicts of interest.
Energy
PA House Panel OKs Bill To Gut Environmental Standards For Conventional Drillers
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TATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – A state House committee has approved a controversial bill to eliminate many environmental requirements for Pennsylvania’s conventional oil and gas industry.
Environment
PA Governor Watches Sixers Game With Major Donor, Skips Environmental Awards Ceremony
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Governor Wolf spent Tuesday evening courtside at the Philadelphia 76ers game, skipping the 2018 Governors Awards for Environmental Excellence ceremony in Harrisburg.
Energy
PA Senator Files Complaint, Demands Halt To Mariner East Pipeline Construction
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – State Senator Andy Dinniman is trying to halt construction on two natural gas liquids pipelines, in West Whiteland Township, Chester County, alleging they pose a serious threat to public health and safety.
climate change
New York, PA Researchers Join International Effort To Study ‘Doomsday’ Glacier
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Researchers from Penn State University will be part of a major, international effort to better understand an Antarctic glacier, dubbed the “doomsday glacier” for its potential to contribute significantly to global sea level rise.
Energy
Bill Takes ‘Principled Position’: By 2050, PA Should Use Only Renewable Energy
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – A bipartisan group of state legislators want Pennsylvania to aim for 100 percent renewable energy by the middle of this century.
Economy
Five Takeaways From StateImpact Pennsylvania’s Forum On Gas Royalties
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StateImpact Pennsylvania hosted an educational forum Monday in Towanda, Bradford County to examine how Pennsylvania and other major energy-producing states are dealing with disputes of oil and gas royalties.
Energy
Environmental Regulators Seek Public Input On New Shale Permits
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State Impact Pennsylvania – Pennsylvania environmental regulators put a call out Friday for the public to weigh in on their draft final general permits to address methane emissions from new Marcellus Shale well sites and other natural gas facilities.
News
Poll: Most PA Voters Say Climate Change Causing Problems Now
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – A majority of Pennsylvania voters agree with the scientific consensus that climate change is causing problems right now, and more than two-thirds say the state should be doing more to address it, according to a Franklin & Marshall College/StateImpact Pennsylvania poll released Thursday.
Energy
Nuns Raise Large Cross Next To Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – A group of Catholic nuns in Lancaster County held a Palm Sunday service in protest against the Atlantic Sunrise natural gas pipeline and erected a large cross on the construction site.
Economy
Report: Severance Tax Proposal Could Cost PA’s Mineral Owners Millions
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – A new analysis published Thursday by Pennsylvania’s Independent Fiscal Office estimates mineral owners could wind up losing tens of millions of dollars in natural gas royalties if Governor Tom Wolf’s proposed severance tax becomes law.
Energy
Mariner East Pipeline Problems Take Center Stage At PA Senate Hearing
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A joint state senate hearing Tuesday was ostensibly about the broad topic of “pipeline safety,” but ended up focusing almost entirely on Sunoco’s embattled Mariner East project – a series of natural gas liquids pipelines spanning the southern portion of Pennsylvania.
Energy
Jessup Frustrated With PA’s Response To Yellow Power Plant Smoke
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Residents of Jessup say they are not satisfied with the response from the state Department of Environmental Protection, after a new natural gas power plant spewed yellow-colored smoke and prompted health complaints earlier this month. The Invenergy plant being built in Lackawanna County started emitting noxious smoke on March 3. According to Jessup Borough Council President Jerry Crinella, DEP sent two people to investigate on March 6, but after they walked around, they said they couldn’t see or smell anything. Read full story here.
Government
PA Ethics Commission Investigates Complaint Against Governor’s Aide
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The Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission is investigating a complaint against one of Gov. Tom Wolf’s top aides, for potentially mixing the public’s business with her own.
Energy
Yellow Smoke, Health Complaints Prompt Investigation At Scranton Gas Power Plant
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SCRANTON, PA (State Impact PA) Pennsylvania environmental regulators are looking into health complaints after residents say a natural gas power plant being built near Scranton started emitting noxious, greenish-yellow smoke over the weekend.
Environment
EPA Restores Funding To News Outlet Covering Chesapeake Bay
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The Environmental Protection Agency agreed Thursday to restore $325,000 in funding to the Bay Journal, a print and online news outlet covering environmental issues related to the Chesapeake Bay.
Economy
Royalties: Why Some Strike It Rich In The Natural Gas Patch, And Others Strike Out
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When natural gas companies approached Charlie Clark and Jim Barrett about the minerals under their farms, the northern Pennsylvania landowners in neighboring counties both decided to let them drill.
Energy
Sunoco To Resume Work, Pay $12.6 Million In Penalties For Mariner East 2
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The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is issuing a $12.6 million civil penalty against Sunoco Pipeline, LLP for permit violations related to the construction of the Mariner East 2 pipeline project.
Energy
Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Lawsuit Over Royalty Payments Advances
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A lawsuit is moving forward by the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office alleging natural gas companies didn’t pay royalties to landowners as they’d promised. Bradford County Common Pleas Court Judge Kenneth Brown denied the preliminary objections raised by the defendants, Chesapeake Energy and Anadarko Petroleum. The lawsuit, filed in 2015, accuses the companies of violating the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, by promising landowners royalty money they never paid. You can read the full story here.
News
‘People Are Furious’: Wolf Aide Criticized After Downplaying Royalty Problems
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Advocates for Pennsylvania landowners are challenging a statement made recently by one of Governor Tom Wolf’s top aides, after he said complaints over unfair gas royalty payments have subsided. In some cases, Pennsylvania mineral owners have received royalty checks showing negative balances, saying they owe money to drillers. At an energy conference in Hershey last week, Wolf’s deputy policy director Sam Robinson said the administration hasn’t heard as much about it lately. “I think there was a crescendo of that kind of claim in 2015 to 2016,” he told the audience. “There’s been real movement in a positive direction on that issue.” You can read the full story here.
Former Environmental Secretaries Criticize Bill Changing DEP Permitting
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Former Pennsylvania environmental secretaries say changes aimed at streamlining the Department of Environmental Protection’s permitting process would likely have the opposite effect and lead to lawsuits. The tax code bill pending consideration by the House after squeaking through the Senate has a severance tax on natural gas production. It also has a number of environmental provisions that would alter the way DEP functions. Read full story here.