Don’t have time to read the articles? Listen to our energy reporter Reid Frazier and our host Kara Holsopple discuss the latest energy news:
Pa. wildlife agency says no to wind turbines on game lands
Laura Legere of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports that the Pennsylvania Game Commission declared a moratorium on wind turbines on state game lands that accounts for 1.5 million acres of land. Commissioners said wind energy is incompatible with the commission’s obligations to protect wildlife and promote recreation. There are over 2,000 active oil and gas wells on game lands.
House panel OKs bill to gut environmental standards for conventional drillers
Marie Cusick of StateImpact Pennsylvania reports that a state House committee has approved a controversial bill to eliminate many environmental requirements for Pennsylvania’s conventional oil and gas industry.
The House Environmental Resources and Energy committee voted 14-11 Monday to advance HB 2154. It’s the latest move in a years-long legal and political battle over how to regulate the state’s oil and gas industry.
Wolf again pitches severance tax on natural gas
Amy Sisk of StateImpact Pennsylvania reports that some Pennsylvania lawmakers are introducing legislation, again, to impose a severance tax on natural gas production.
The Legislature has debated enacting such a tax for a decade. Several lawmakers joined Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday to announce their latest effort: a pair of bills that propose a tax ranging from 4 to 7 cents per thousand cubic feet of gas, depending on the price of gas.
PJM will story ‘fuel security’ of electric grids as natural gas use rises
Reid Frazier of The Allegheny Front reports as low natural gas prices force more coal and nuclear plants to retire, the grid operator for 65 million customers in the mid-Atlantic region says it will look at whether it’s becoming more susceptible to outages forced by extreme weather or cyber-attack.
