Even as President Donald Trump helmed as the federal government reconsiders a push for stricter air quality regulations, Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection is poised to forge ahead with the initiative following late Obama-era instructions.

 

The state Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee discussed this early draft of new rules for oil and natural gas industries at a meeting Thursday morning.

A new cabinet position and a commonwealth agency focused on energy production and coordination are on the agenda for state business leaders who want to expand Pennsylvania’s gas economy.

In a report released Thursday entitled “Forge the Future: Ideas for Actions,” industry leaders said that the state’s potential in gas economic growth – totaling $60 billion between production, energy generation and manufacturing - is threatened by poor business conditions in the state, from the nation high 9.99 corporate net income tax to slow permitting.

Citing a drilling slowdown amid continued fixed costs, the state Department of Environmental Protection proposed increasing the cost of unconventional gas well permits by 150 percent, to the cries of the industry and legislative allies.

Set in 2014, the permit for the unconventional natural gas wells used in fracking currently costs $5,000. However, under the proposed increase, the permit’s cost would increase to $12,500 — which industry allies claim would be the highest in the country.

Legal wrangling over the flashpoint Mariner East 2 piepline’s permitting was finally resolved Friday, as the Department of Environmental Protection announced it had reached a settlement with suing environmental groups.

The Philadelphia-based Clean Air Council, as well as two other state environmental groups, had originally sued the commonwealth’s main environmental regulatory agency in February 2017, claiming that DEP had issued permits off of incomplete applications.

Pittsburgh residents are not thrilled with the idea of a partnership between the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority and Peoples Natural Gas.

That’s why most of Wednesday night saw residents telling city council members that privatization would spell disaster for the city.