09/16/24 - 98 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA: http://tinyurl.com/2zvd7hju
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House Misses Bus On Transportation Funding, No Severance Tax In Sight
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It was another tough week for House Democratic Leadership. After failing to move any transportation funding bill, House Majority Leader Todd Eachus (D-Luzerne) finally announced Wednesday there are no further voting session days between now and the November 2 election in spite of a number of outstanding issues still being discussed with the Senate including a Marcellus Shale natural gas severance tax, pension reform and an independent fiscal office. Transportation Funding Rep. Evans said he would take up the bill again when the House returns to session on November 8, after the election. Unfortunately for him, nothing will happen on the issue because the Senate said they are not coming back after the election to act on legislation.
Severance Tax
The Senate this week said the bill the House sent them with the Marcellus Shale severance tax was unconstitutional and they didn't think they had another legislative vehicle handy to push their version of the severance tax back to the House next week.
In fact, Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scranati (R-Jefferson) requested a legal opinion from the Legislative Reference Bureau to back up his claims on constitutionality.
Meetings between Senate and House staff and the Department of Environmental Protection on several related issues the Senate wants to hook to the severance tax-- coal-gas well spacing, local government preemption and certain enforcement and inspection provisions-- went basically no where.
While acknowledging the constitutional questions with the bill sent to the Senate by the House, Gov. Rendell Friday called on Senate and House leaders to meet on Monday to hash out a compromise on the severance tax. Senate Republican politely said they are returning to session on Tuesday and expect to get an opinion on the legal issues from the Legislative Reference Bureau at that time.
Without another legislative vehicle in hand, and with little coming of discussions so far, it's difficult to see how the Senate and House can reconcile their differences on the severance tax and meet their written commitments to act on a proposal.
Solar Energy
Another priority of Gov. Rendell, increasing the solar energy mandate in the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards, was added to yet another bill-- House Bill 2693 (Baker-R-Tioga)-- by the House Consumer Affairs Committee this week.
As with the same proposal in the Senate last week, this one isn't going anywhere either.
John Baer: House Dems' Take On Shale Tax Is Creepy, Kooky
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10/11/2010 |
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