Bill would repeal 'Summer gas' rule in Pittsburgh area


The Environmental Resources and Energy Committee of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a bill that would eliminate the requirement for summer blend gasoline in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler,
Fayette, Greene and Washington Counties.

The legislation, SB 1037, sponsored by Senators Elder Vogel and  Timothy Solobay,
passed the Senate 46-0 on March 19.

In a memo accompanying the legislation the sponsors write that, in 1998, the state Department of Environmental Protection adopted a 7.8psi RVP (Reid Vapor Pressure) fuel standard for southwestern Pennsylvania to address federal air pollution control measures.

"Since that time, ethanol became mandated by the federal government, increasing the RVP value of fuel. This resulted in an exclusive “boutique” fuel mandate for southwestern Pennsylvania."

The sponsors say that the law has resulted in "gas prices averaging 10 to 15 cents higher in western Pennsylvania than in neighboring counties and also across the border in Ohio."

"In Pennsylvania, this boutique fuel is only required for the Pittsburgh region, and demand for the product is low. This equates to a hidden tax drivers must pay in southwestern Pennsylvania that is not required anywhere else," they argue.

**Like what you’re reading? Click here for free updates**

The Pittsburgh-based Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) opposes the measure.

“Southwestern Pennsylvania and much of the northeastern United States struggle to meet federal health-based standards for ozone for a number of years,” said its Legal Director Joe Osborne. “The summer gas requirement is one of the most common sense and cost-effective ways to reduce ozone emissions in the area.” 

Related environmental news stories:
Bill to Do Away With ‘Summer Gas’ in Pittsburgh Passes Senate

 

Bill would repeal 'Summer gas' rule in Pittsburgh area Read More »

High voltage issue: Reversing NJ solar slowdown


[Updated at 10:45 p.m. to add related news stories} New Jersey once ranked second the nation in the number of solar energy installations, but its status has dropped in recent years.

How much? It depends on which study you believe. One says the Garden State now ranks third in the cumulative number of solar installations. But an industry trade group claims that the state has slipped to fifth place. Tom Johnson, who covers energy and environment issues for NJ Spotlight, asked a number of experts how to the slide can be reversed. He found that there is no easy answer.

Read the full story here

Related environmental new stories:

Solar Industry Snapshot: A Volatile Sector Still in Search of Stability 
Energy company offers incentive to move to solar for PSE&G customers
UD researchers and utility employees join to discuss solar power integration

PSEG Long Island announces results for 100 MW solar PV procurement program

Recent Posts:
Sunoco Pipeline plan draws political resistance
Will you know if a fracker next door polluted your well? 
NJ’s Kimberly Diamond to lead Women of Wind Energy  
Happy Birthday to Us–We’re 25 today! 
 

High voltage issue: Reversing NJ solar slowdown Read More »

Sunoco Pipeline plan draws political resistance

 
                                  The Sunoco refinery in Marcus Hook. (April Saul / Philadelphia Inquirer)

An elaborate plan by Sunoco Logistics Partners L.P. to transport Marcellus Shale natural gas liquids by pipeline across Pennsylvania to Marcus Hook is running into resistance, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports today.

The company’s subsidiary, Sunoco Pipeline L.P., last month filed an application with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to sidestep local zoning restrictions to build pump and valve control stations in 31 municipalities crossed by the pipeline.

Sunoco Pipeline argues that it is a "public utility corporation," and that
the PUC can exempt the construction of the above-ground structure from local zoning if it determines the buildings are "reasonably necessary for the
convenience or welfare of the public."

**Like what you’re reading? Click here for free updates**

A pumping station slated to be built on a two-acre site at the corner of Boot
Road and Route 202 in West Goshen Township has triggered alarm.

Two suburban Philadelphia state senators on Wednesday wrote to the PUC, contending that the exemptions would conflict with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision in December upholding local zoning rights over oil and gas activity.

Read the full story: Sunoco Pipeline plan draws political resistance

Recent Posts: 
Will you know if a fracker next door polluted your well?
NJ’s Kimberly Diamond to lead Women of Wind Energy 
Happy Birthday to Us–We’re 25 today!  
Capitol Hill Calendar: April 2-4, 2014  
Pennsylvania neighbors bicker over forced gas drilling

Sunoco Pipeline plan draws political resistance Read More »

Will you know if a fracker next door polluted your well?

fracking rig and farm So you’re farming a bucolic little site in Pennsylvania, assuming that the well water you use to grow your crops and nourish your livestock has not been tainted by the operations of the nearby natural gas drilling site.

After all, it there was a problem, the state Department of Environmental Protection would notify you, right?  Wrong.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports today that:

“Even when pollution discharges from shale gas well pads and impoundments contaminate private water supplies, those violations often go unrecorded or publicly reported by state environmental regulators, according to documents filed in the Pennsylvania Superior Court case challenging the constitutionality of the state’s oil and gas law, Act 13.

**Like what you’re reading? Click here for free updates**

“According to a 40-page brief, filed with the court in Harrisburg, it is the "practice" of state Department of Environmental Protection regulators not to issue a violation notice, fines or formal determinations of contamination where shale gas development companies reach private settlements with water well owners. “That DEP "practice," which began during the Rendell administration and continues to the present day, makes it impossible, according to the brief, for the public to know where and when groundwater, wells and springs are contaminated, because there is no publicly accessible record.” Related environmental news stories:
Fracking California’s Coast: Billions of Gallons of Fracking Pollution
State Senator Vincent Hughes Announces Legislation to Tax Natural
Natural gas industry buoyed by advancing technology 
Shale gas drilling could be boost to Allegheny County parks
Citi: Natural Gas Prices Don’t Reflect Risks – Wall Street Journal (blog) 
Pa. Farm Bureau takes on natural gas drilling companies in royalty disputes

Recent Posts:
NJ’s Kimberly Diamond to lead Women of Wind Energy
Happy Birthday to Us–We’re 25 today! 
Capitol Hill Calendar: April 2-4, 2014 
Pennsylvania neighbors bicker over forced gas drilling

Plan calls for $10B artificial islands to protect NJ coast 


Will you know if a fracker next door polluted your well? Read More »

NJ's Kimberly Diamond to lead Women of Wind Energy

Kimberly E. Diamond of Berkeley Heights, NJ has recently been appointed as Chair of the New York/New Jersey Chapter of  Women of Wind Energy (WoWE).
Chapter members include professionals from all areas of the wind industry, including investment bankers, lawyers, consultants, and developers.

Diamond, an attorney with Lowenstein Sandler LLP in the firm’s New York City office, has held a number of influential positions in the NY/NJ WoWE Chapter and in the national WoWE organization for over five years. 
In addition to serving on WoWE’s National Mentoring Steering Committee for several years, she has mentored professionals and graduate students in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and San Diego, CA.  She received the 2011 Outstanding Mentor of the Year Award during the inaugural year of such award.
For more, see: TheAlternativePress.com 
Recent Posts:
Happy Birthday to Us–We’re 25 today!
Capitol Hill Calendar: April 2-4, 2014
Pennsylvania neighbors bicker over forced gas drilling
Plan calls for $10B artificial islands to protect NJ coast  
New Jersey legislation seeks to plug holes in solar roofs 

NJ's Kimberly Diamond to lead Women of Wind Energy Read More »

Happy Birthday to Us–We’re 25 today!

Brill Public Affairs celebrates it’s 25th year today. And that’s no April Fool’s joke.

From a single room in the basement of Tom Leach’s office condo on West State Street in Trenton, to more spacious quarters in numerous locations, we’ve been serving a list of lobbying and public relations clients with dedication and pride for—a quarter of a century? Wow, that number is hard to believe.

It’s been fast, fun and rewarding. We’ve scored significant victories over the years but are still innovating and growing with each new client and business opportunity. Five years ago, we started a daily newsletter, EnviroPolitics, to serve businesses, associations, and professionals who need to stay on top of environmental news and legislation.

That worked out so well that we added EnviroPolitics Blog and Enviro-Events Calendar.
More recently, we’ve been tinkering with EnviroPolitics Podcast.

Any success we’ve enjoyed along the way is due to great colleagues, friends and clients.

The latter category has included:

  • 3M – Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing
  • Association of New Jersey Recyclers
  • B&B Automotive
  • Browning Ferris Industries
  • Chemsol Superfund Site
  • DeFeo Associates
  • Elizabethtown Water Company
  • Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries
  • National Solid Wastes Management Association
  • National Nutritional Foods Association
  • New Jersey Farm Bureau
  • NJ Auto and Metal Recyclers Association
  • NJ Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors Association
  • Northeast Spa and Pool Association
  • Portable Rechargeable Battery Association
  • Sims Recycling Solutions
  • Woodland Private Study Group

We’ve been in good company. Great stuff lies ahead. We invite you to stay in touch.

Happy Birthday to Us–We’re 25 today! Read More »