Monthly Archives: June 2014

For months now, state leaders have known that the 2014-2015 budget would be a difficult challenge. Yet through the first quarter of the year, most observers still considered an “on time” budget a realistic prospect. Now, with the state facing a confirmed $1.4 billion budget gap, Gov. Tom Corbett and legislative leaders have begun to acknowledge that the state’s June 30 deadline is an almost hopeless target. “Get it done right rather than quickly” is the new mantra. But this year, right may have many definitions.

In response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s June 2 draft rules to reduce carbon emissions from point sources, Green County Representative Pam Snyder (D) intends to author a bill aimed at reducing the burden placed on coal-burning power plants.

Earlier this month the House GOP proposed a $34 billion energy and water spending bill that restores almost $1 billion in cuts from the Army Corps of Engineers and takes money from the Department of Energy (DOE), notable from renewable energy programs.

The General Assembly is officially engaged in the state budget process, which with any luck will conclude on time, at the June 30 deadline. Similar to recent years, passing a fair and on time budget will continue to be a struggle as the state slips further and further into debt with lower than expected revenue numbers and a pension crisis with no immediate end in sight.

The Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority offered its proposed State Energy Plan for public review and comments in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on May 31. The plan, a statement of the Authority’s policy goals, operating principles and investment priorities, will be open to comments for 60 days.

On Monday, the Obama Administration released what could be the most important element of its climate agenda, dubbed the Clean Power Plan. In it, the EPA proposed a state-centric framework for regulating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from existing power plants. The regulation would require states to cut carbon emissions from existing coal- and gas-fired power plants by an average of 30 percent below their 2005 levels by 2030.

After a long battle in both the House and Senate, the Farm Bill passed Congress in February reauthorizing the Energy Title for five years, including $694 million in mandatory funding for bioenergy programs. Just a few short months later, a House committee has voted to roll back that mandatory funding through its fiscal year 2015 agriculture appropriations bills. The cuts were first revealed during House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee session in late May.