Pennsylvania Democrats are complaining about State Senate Republicans using a political tactic against the Dems that they themselves use. Which we find hilarious. We’re referring to a recently passed House Bill (HB) 1100, a bill to encourage new petrochemical plant investment in PA (see PA Senate Tweaks, Passes Bill Attracting Cracker-Type Investment). Although the Senate passed the bill, the Senate has not (yet) sent the bill to Democrat Gov. Tom Wolf for his signature. Gov. Wolf has pledged to veto the bill when he gets it (see Gov Wolf to Veto Bill Attracting Cracker-Type Investment to NEPA). So why do Dems care when the bill hits Wolf’s desk if it’s going to get a veto stamp anyway?
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Category: Statewide PA
PA DEP Releases Proposed Plan to Join RGGI Carbon Tax Scheme
Yesterday the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) released a draft of its proposed rules for PA’s participation in what is called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). It’s a tax on carbon aimed at coal and natural gas-fired electric power plants, with an eye to driving them out of business. PA Gov. Tom Wolf is attempting to force PA to participate in RGGI, a collection of blue northeastern states (New England, NY and NJ) in an attempt to bolster his credibility with environmentalist wackos–to ingratiate himself with the wackos so he is more appealing as a Vice Presidential candidate.
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Gov’t Study Finds Marcellus Drilling Does NOT Affect PA Streams
A brand new study (full copy below) published in the peer-reviewed Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) looked at 25 small watersheds over the course of 2 years in northeastern Pennsylvania, looking for any possible correlation between fracking and local streams. Know what they found? There is NO impact from fracking on local streams. NONE. Those who worked on the study include researchers from the US Geological Survey, the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP), and the Pennsylvania Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).
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PA’s Highest Ranking Senate Republican, Joe Scarnati, Retiring
A couple of weeks ago MDN brought you the sad news that Pennsylvania House Speaker Mike Turzai, a staunch ally of the Marcellus industry, is retiring at the end of this year (see Say It Ain’t So! PA House Speaker Mike Turzai is Retiring). Turzai is the top Republican in the Republican-controlled House. Now comes word that the top Republican in the Republican-controlled Senate, “President Pro Tempore” Joe Scarnati will also retire at the end of this year. Yikes! What’s going on?
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Time to Finish Mariner East 2 Pipeline Says SEPA Former Senator
In January the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) finally, after more than a year, agreed to lift a moratorium on new construction work for several Energy Transfer pipeline projects in the state, including the Mariner East 2 and 2X projects (see PA DEP Clears Way for ET to Complete Mariner East Pipelines). A few weeks later the DEP assessed a $1.95 million fine on the Mariner East 2 project (see PA DEP Slaps Energy Transfer Again – $2M Fine re Mariner East 2). Fine paid, permission granted…At least ET can restart work on ME2 now, right? Wrong.
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Explainer Video – The Case Against PA Joining Northeast RGGI
Our friend Mark Mathis from the Clear Energy Alliance has just hit another home run with his newest video explaining the battle in Pennsylvania to try and force the state into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). PA Gov. Tom Wolf, in a naked power-grab, intends to force PA to join RGGI, a group of northeastern states attempting to assassinate coal and gas-fired power generation by taxing it to death with an insane carbon tax (see Gov. Wolf Goes Bonkers: EO Destroying Gas-Fired Elec, Carbon Tax). Mark explains it all in this short, 4-minute video…
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You Know You’re Effective When Radical Antis Try to Get You Fired
Three cheers for Pennsylvania State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler). Hip hip hooray! Metcalfe is the Majority Chair of the House Environmental Committee. He’s not a big believer in the hoax/myth of man-made global warming, and he’s not afraid to say so. Because Metcalfe won’t bow down to the climate change worshipers and their twisted agenda, a cabal of “green” groups has colluded to demand House Speaker Mike Turzai fire Metcalfe from the Environmental Committee. When pigs fly my climate changer friends!
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PA Gov Wolf’s $4.5B Severance Tax Debacle Dead as a Doornail
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s Santa Claus routine is wearing thin. As he has done year after year with his annual proposed budgets, Wolf once again is calling for a massive tax increase of $4.5 billion, assessed solely on the Marcellus Shale industry, in order to fund a panoply of projects (see Wolf Lies About 2020 Proposed Budget – Includes $4.5B Tax Increase). The PA House and Senate (both chambers controlled by Republican majorities) are standing firm against Wolf’s desire to tax the Marcellus out of existence. They recognize his tax would kill the goose laying economic golden eggs in the state.
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Dem Union Members Call Wolf Petchem Veto “Attack on Jobs”
Yesterday MDN brought you news about Democrat trade union members in Pennsylvania turning on one of their own–Gov. Tom Wolf (see Unions Push PA Legislators to Override Wolf Veto of Petchem Bill). Wolf has pledged to veto a bill recently passed by large bipartisan majorities in both the PA House and Senate that would attract new petrochemical investment (and jobs) to the state. In a followup to yesterday’s story, the union members have turned up the heat on Wolf (to boiling hot), including a mobile billboard running up and down the streets of Harrisburg.
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Snyder Bros Off the Hook for Penalties & Interest re Strippers
In December 2018, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that so-called “stripper wells” (low-producing wells) can be taxed under the 2012 Act 13 law, slapped with an impact tax assessment if those wells produce more than 90 thousand cubic feet per day (Mcf/d) of gas in a single month, any month (see PA Supreme Court Rules Strippers Not Exempt from Impact Fee). Snyder Brothers, the driller whose stripper wells were the target of the lawsuit, asked the Supremes to reconsider their decision. They did, kicking elements of the case down to a lower court (Commonwealth Court). Synder still owes the impact tax, that’s not in question. But Snyder argued they shouldn’t also have to pay interest and late-payment penalties just because they challenged the original assessment.
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Unions Push PA Legislators to Override Wolf Veto of Petchem Bill
Pennsylvania House Bill (HB) 1100, aimed at attracting new petrochemical investment to the state, was previously passed by the PA House, and last week, by the Senate (see PA Senate Tweaks, Passes Bill Attracting Cracker-Type Investment). Gov. Tom Wolf (liberal Democrat) says he will veto the bill anyway–denying the state billions of private economic stimulus it could receive (see Gov Wolf to Veto Bill Attracting Cracker-Type Investment to NEPA). The bill was passed by a large bipartisan majority in both the House and Senate. There’s a good chance Democrats will join Republicans to override Wolf’s veto.
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Wolf Lies About 2020 Proposed Budget – Includes $4.5B Tax Increase
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf flat out, 100% lied when he introduced his latest annual budget on Tuesday, declaring “it doesn’t raise taxes.” B.S. As he has done for the past six budgets, Wolf once again is calling for a new severance tax on the Marcellus. On top of the existing impact tax (the equivalent of a severance tax). Wolf’s plan calls for a new tax that would steal $4.5 billion out of the pockets of drillers and landowners in order to redistribute their hard-earned wealth to a panoply of others.
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PA Rep. Daryl Metcalfe Shuts Down Antis During RGGI Hearing
Pennsylvania State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, Majority Chair of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, doesn’t put up with the juvenile antics from the Democrats on his committee–like Danielle Friel Otten and Greg Vitali–from those who violate decorum by pretending they want to ask a question when in fact they want to pontificate like the gasbags they are. Wednesday at a hearing on the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), Metcalfe shut down Otten and Vitali when they attempted to violate rules and bloviate instead of asking relevant questions.
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THE Dela. Riverkeeper Mouths Off at Congressional Hearing re FERC
The U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Energy (of the Committee on Energy and Commerce) held a hearing yesterday called “Modernizing the Natural Gas Act to Ensure it Works for Everyone.” The Natural Gas Act of 1938 created the Federal Power Commission (FPC), giving the agency control over the regulation of interstate natural gas sales and pipelines. Later on, the FPC was dissolved and became the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). One of the witnesses at the hearing, there to bash FERC, was (suprise!) THE Delaware Riverkeeper herself, Maya van Rossum.
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PA Senate Tweaks, Passes Bill Attracting Cracker-Type Investment
Pennsylvania House Bill (HB) 1100, aimed at attracting new petrochemical investment to the state, was voted on and passed by the full PA Senate yesterday–with some key change. Gov. Tom Wolf (liberal Democrat) says he will veto the bill anyway–denying the state billions of private economic stimulus it could receive (see Gov Wolf to Veto Bill Attracting Cracker-Type Investment to NEPA). The bill was passed by a large bipartisan majority in both the House and Senate. House Speaker Mike Turzai issued an announcement calling on Wolf to sign the bill, for the benefit of all Pennsylvanians. Don’t hold your breath.
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Gov Wolf to Veto Bill Attracting Cracker-Type Investment to NEPA
Pennsylvania House Bill (HB) 1100, aimed at attracting NEW petrochemical investment to the state, is due to be voted on (and passed) by the PA Senate this week. Gov. Tom Wolf (liberal Democrat) has vowed to veto the bill–denying the state billions of economic stimulus it could receive. Why the veto? Your guess is as good as ours. Likely because it will encourage more use of PA’s abundant natural gas supplies, and that doesn’t sit well with radicalized enviro types.
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