Speaker Sam Smith (R-Jefferson) Wednesday named Rep. Ron Miller (R-York) Majority Chair and Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) Minority Chair of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.

Rep. Miller (photo) was first elected to the House and served as Majority Chair of the Labor and Industry Committee and was a member of the House Liquor Control Committee.

He has been appointed chairman of the seven-member Pennsylvania delegation to the Chesapeake Bay Commission and serves as the Commission’s vice-chair.

"I'm looking forward to leading this committee into the upcoming session," Rep. Miller said. "My years in the private sector and current responsibilities with the Chesapeake Bay Commission make this a perfect fit."

"Chairing this committee is a natural tie-in to my responsibilities with the commission," he added. "The twenty-one legislators who serve on the commission are responsible for identifying legislation to address the needs of the Bay, hearing the wishes of their constituents and determining actions that make better stewards of all of us."

Rep. Miller is a past recipient of the Pennsylvania Conservation Districts Legislator Recognition Award, which is given in recognition for outstanding efforts to further the activities and accomplishments of conservation districts. He is a longtime promoter of environmental stewardship through assisting at York County's Envirothon events and has authored or co-sponsored numerous pieces of legislation to facilitate conservation district activities including amendments to the Conservation District Law, mitigation of flood hazards, and establishing dedicated fund for conservation districts.

Previous to his election to the House, Rep. Miller was the safety, health and environmental manager for Adhesives Research in Glen Rock, where he had been employed for 25 years.

Rep. Vitali was first elected to the 1992 and has served as a member of the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.

Last term, he worked to ensure Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling is done in a safe and responsible way. He has introduced a drilling tax bill that would dedicate some of the money to Growing Greener. He has introduced legislation to prohibit the leasing of additional state forestland for natural gas drilling.

Rep. Vitali also has introduced legislation to promote use of renewable energy.

He served on the House Appropriations and State Government committees. He was also chairman of the state's Government Committee's Subcommittee on Government Operations.

Other Committee Chairs

The other Committee Chairs named by Speaker Smith were--

Aging and Older Adult Services

Republican: Rep. Tim Hennessey (R-Chester)

Democrat: Rep. Steve Samuelson (D-Lehigh)

Agriculture and Rural Affairs

Republican: Rep. John Maher (R-Allegheny)

Democrat: Rep. Joseph Petrarca (D-Armstrong)

Appropriations

Republican: Rep. Bill Adolph (R-Delaware)

Democrat: Rep. Joe Markosek (D-Allegheny)

Children and Youth

Republican: Rep. Kathy Watson (R-Bucks)*

Democrat: Rep. Louise Bishop (D-Philadelphia)

Commerce

Republican: Rep. Chris Ross (R-Chester)*

Democrat: Rep. W. Curtis Thomas (D-Philadelphia)*

Consumer Affairs

Republican: Rep. Robert Godshall (R-Montgomery)

Democrat: Rep. Peter J. Daley (D-Washington)*

Education

Republican: Rep. Paul Clymer (R-Bucks)

Democrat: Rep. James Roebuck (D-Philadelphia)

Environmental Resources and Energy

Republican: Rep. Ron Miller (R-York)*

Democrat: Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware)*

Finance

Republican: Rep. Kerry Benninghoff (R-Mifflin)

Democrat: Rep. Phyllis Mundy (D-Luzerne)

Game and Fisheries

Republican: Rep. Martin Causer (R-Cameron)

Democrat: Rep. Gary Haluska (D-Cambria)

Gaming Oversight

Republican: Rep. Tina Pickett (R-Bradford)

Democrat: Rep. Rosita Youngblood (D-Philadelphia)

Health

Republican: Rep. Matt Baker (R-Tioga)

Democrat: Rep. Flo Fabrizio (D-Erie)

Human Services

Republican: Rep. Gene DiGirolamo (R-Bucks)

Democrat: Rep. Angel Cruz (D-Philadelphia)*

Insurance

Republican: Rep. Nick Micozzie (R-Delaware)

Democrat: Rep. Tony DeLuca (D-Allegheny)

Judiciary

Republican: Rep. Ron Marsico (R-Dauphin)

Democrat: Rep. Thomas Caltagirone (D-Berks)

Labor and Industry

Republican: Rep. Mario Scavello (R-Monroe)*

Democrat: Rep. Bill Keller (D-Philadelphia)

Liquor Control

Republican: Rep. John Taylor (R-Philadelphia)

Democrat: Rep. Paul Costa (D-Allegheny)

Local Government

Republican: Rep. Kate Harper (R-Montgomery)

Democrat: Rep. Bob Freeman (D-Northampton)

Professional Licensure

Republican: Rep. Julie Harhart (R-Lehigh)

Democrat: Rep. Harry Readshaw (D-Allegheny)

State Government

Republican: Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler)

Democrat: Rep. Mark Cohen (D-Philadelphia)

Tourism and Recreational Development

Republican: Rep. Jerry Stern (R-Blair)

Democrat: Rep. Thaddeus Kirkland (D-Delaware)

Transportation

Republican: Rep. Dick Hess (R-Bedford)

Democrat: Rep. Michael P. McGeehan (D-Philadelphia)

Urban Affairs

Republican: Rep. Keith Gillespie (R-York)*

Democrat: Rep. Ted Harhai (D-Westmoreland)*

Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness

Republican: Rep. Stephen E. Barrar (R-Chester)

Democrat: Rep. Chris Sainato (D-Beaver)

*New Chairs

12/24/2012