Pa could face a ‘double-whammy’ of government dysfunction

Standoffs over funding are piling up in Harrisburg and Washington, while trust in government is eroding.

By Julia Terruso and Gillian McGoldrick, Philadelphia Inquirer

    Pennsylvania school districts are taking out loans to keep schools running. Counties have had to furlough staff. Now, add to the ongoing state budget impasse a federal government shutdown threatening Pennsylvanians’ paychecks and some critical social service benefits.

    Welcome to the swing state of dual governmental dysfunction, where legislative standoffs at two levels could cause headaches for residents whose distrust in government and frustration with polarization has only grown.

    The state budget impasse — with funding nearly three months overdue — has held up billions of dollars in state payments for critical government services, from public schools to county behavioral health programs. The late budget, which is largely due to partisan disagreements between the GOP-controlled state Senate, Democratic-controlled House, and Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, has required many schools to take out loans to keep operating, and some counties have been forced to furlough staff or freeze spending.

    » READ MORE: Pennsylvania’s state budget is nearly 3 months late. Leaders still can’t agree on the basics.

    Standoffs over funding are piling up in Harrisburg and Washington, while trust in government is eroding.

    Now, Congress looks unlikely to meet its Oct 1 deadline to fund the federal government, leaving Pennsylvanians bracing for a political pileup that threatens to stall more paychecks and shutter services in one of the only states with a divided state government.

    “It takes disappointed and disillusioned Pennsylvanians and gives them one more data point that makes questions about the viability of their institutions real,” said Chris Borick, pollster at Muhlenberg College.

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    Navigating Funding to Address PFAS in Drinking Water

    Meeting banner

    Join NJ Future to learn about accessing funding to address PFAS in Drinking Water.

    Recent federal EPA standards, along with a comprehensive legislative package in NJ addressing PFAS, are set to increase costs for water systems as they work to meet stricter MCLs. Private well owners may also face compliance expenses. While funding mechanisms, such as the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, can provide financial assistance, higher rates for consumers might still be necessary, and companies may be held liable through settlements.

    Join us to discuss efforts to address PFAS and share the associated costs of treatment. Also, learn from SL Environmental Law Group about how they have successfully connected clients with PFAS settlement funding in other states. As we await the allocation of settlement funds in New Jersey, let’s explore ways to navigate the funding landscape in PFAS.

    Panelists: Moderator: Ben Dziobek, Community Outreach Specialist, Funding Navigator,  New Jersey Future Panelist: Kenneth Sansone, Senior Partner, SL Environmental Law Group PC
    Register Today!

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    Food waste ban boosting business in Massachusetts

    The ban has created more than 1,600 jobs and generated $390 million in industry activity

    By Audrey Trevarthan, Assistant Editor, Waste Today

    A recent report has determined the economic impact of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s (MassDEP) ban on commercial food waste disposal. This initiative has contributed to the state’s economy, generating jobs and revenue. 

    In October 2014, MassDEP amended its existing waste ban regulations, adding commercial organic material to the list of materials banned from disposal in Massachusetts.  

    In November 2022, the waste ban regulations were amended again, lowering the quantity of organic material businesses and institutions are allowed to dispose of every year. The new rules lowered the threshold from one ton of food waste a week to half a ton a week. 

    According to the report, the ban has: 

    • created 1,676 jobs, resulting in $143 million in labor income;
    • generated an additional $194 million in economic value; and
    • cumulatively generated more than $390 million in industry activity.

    “Massachusetts is a leader in reducing food waste,” Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey says. “Our state’s businesses and institutions have stepped up to innovate and reduce their waste, and this report shows that the long-term impacts are positive. Finding an alternative to throwing away good food is a boost for our communities, our economy and our environment.” 

    The disposal ban targets businesses and institutions that generate more than half a ton of food waste per week, including supermarkets, colleges, hotels, hospitals, nursing homes, restaurants, and food service providers. These entities must redirect their food waste from landfills to sustainable solutions, such as food recovery services, composting, and anaerobic digestion.  

    “This report reaffirms our commitment to reduce, reuse, and recycle here in Massachusetts,” Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll says. “Massachusetts has created the necessary infrastructure to ensure good, healthy food does not go to waste. For our cities and towns, this means getting food to those who need it first and foremost. It means jobs for our residents, and it conserves resources and supports local budgets.” 

    The number of facilities participating in food waste services has increased from 1,350 in 2014 to an estimated 4,150 in 2024. This growth has stimulated economic activity in related sectors, benefiting communities across the state, MassDEP says. 

    Read the full story

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    Eric Adams withdraws from New York City mayor election race


    By Katie Tarrant, Sarah Ellison, The Washington Post

    New York Mayor Eric Adams said Sunday that he is dropping his reelection bid, saying in a recorded video message, “Despite all we’ve achieved, I cannot continue my reelection campaign.”

    The Democrat, who has led the city since 2022, faced pressure to drop out of the race — particularly from President Donald Trump — to consolidate more support for former New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. Cuomo is running as an independent candidate against the Republican nominee, Curtis Sliwa, and the Democratic nominee and front-runner, Zohran Mamdani. Adams had been running as an independent, even though he was elected as a Democrat.

    Adams did not endorse another candidate in the race, and took veiled swipes at both of his erstwhile rivals, Mamdani and Cuomo.

    “New Yorkers should be suspicious of any politician or political movement that claims we must wholesale destroy the systems we created together over generations in order to usher in a new, untested order led by self-styled saviors,” he said in an apparent reference to Mamdani.

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    Company claims up to 99.9999% PFAS destruction in EPA test

    Conducted last year, the study further validates Clean Harbors’ ability to destroy potentially hazardous chemicals like PFOA and PFAS at its Aragonite, Utah, facility.

    By Jacob Wallace, Waste Dive

    The U.S. EPA last week released the results of a study conducted with Clean Harbors on the effectiveness of destroying PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, in a hazardous waste incinerator. The test revealed the incinerator was able to reach destruction efficiencies of between 99.95% and 99.9999% for nine PFAS chemicals.

    This is the third PFAS destruction test conducted in coordination with EPA researchers at Clean Harbors’ facility in Aragonite, Utah. The company has been working with the federal agency to demonstrate its ability to safely dispose of the toxic chemicals.

    “This is the most comprehensive PFAS incineration test to date and provides valuable data about PFAS incineration,” the team of researchers conducting the study noted in their report, “but is not intended to be a general recommendation of incineration for the treatment of PFAS.”

    Clean Harbors has offered PFAS management for clients for several years as they look to get ahead of shifting state and federal regulations concerning the highly persistent chemicals. 

    The company has declined to share projected revenues from the PFAS destruction business over the last two quarters. However, at the beginning of the year, co-CEO Eric Gerstenberg stated that Clean Harbors’ pipeline of PFAS business grew an estimated 20% each quarter. 

    Read the full story

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    Fed up with the PJM grid’s rates, member states threaten to pull out

    But such a move is likely hollow since it would drive power rates even higher in the short term

    By Kathryn Krawczyk, Canary Media

    The U.S. is home to seven regional transmission organizations and independent system operators that are each responsible for managing power transmission and operating energy markets among utilities in their area. PJM is the largest, serving more than 65 million customers across D.C., Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and 10 other states. And for years, leaders in those states have said it’s not doing a great job.

    The crux of the issue is rising electricity prices. This summer, PJM announced a new record in its annual capacity auction, which it uses to secure power resources for the grid. Prices hit $16.1 billion, up from $2.2 billion in 2023, Canary Media’s Jeff St. John reported in July.

    There are a few reasons for the spike in costs. For one, PJM expects that it will need a ton more power-generation capacity in the coming years as data centers come online — though experts dispute just how big the AI energy-demand bubble will actually be. PJM does have a massive backlog of clean-power and battery projects looking to connect to the grid and meet that demand. But the operator hasn’t undertaken reforms that critics say could speed interconnections, and is instead campaigning to keep expensive, dirty fossil-fuel power plants online.

    PJM member states’ longstanding dispute with the grid operator reemerged this week as 11 of their governors met in Philadelphia. There, Pennsylvania’s Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and Virginia’s Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin both said they would leave PJM if states don’t get a bigger role in the grid operator’s governance.

    “This is a crisis of not having enough power, and it is a crisis in confidence,” Youngkin said. “It’s this crisis that demands real reform, real reform immediately — and at the top of the list is that states must have a real say.” 

    PJM President and CEO Manu Asthana acknowledged that his organization needs to take cost-cutting steps like improving its load forecasting and interconnection processes, but he also put the onus on states to better their own infrastructure siting and permitting rules.

    Washington Analysis researcher Rob Rains is doubtful that states will follow through and depart PJM. He said doing so could actually cost customers more in the short term, as the states may have to negotiate their own power procurement at rates even higher than what PJM has secured. Rains predicts that instead of cutting ties with the grid operator, governors will pull other levers to pressure PJM to establish stronger power-market safeguards to keep prices low.

    Meanwhile, analysts at ClearView Energy Partners suggest that states should continue their efforts to develop more electricity generation as soon as possible.

    Read the full story

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