GOP members begin moving priority, pro-natural gas package

The raft of proposals serves as a rejection of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s own energy plan.

• Katie Meyer
  BioRecent Stories

  

  Katie Meyer was WITF’s Capitol Bureau Chief from 2016-2020. While at WITF, she covered all things state politics for public radio stations throughout Pennsylvania. Katie came to Harrisburg by way of New York City, where she worked at Fordham University’s public radio station, WFUV, as an anchor, general assignment reporter, and co-host of an original podcast. A 2016 graduate of Fordham, she earned several awards for her work at WFUV, including four 2016 Gracies.
  
  Katie is a native New Yorker, though she originally hails from Troy, a little farther up the Hudson River. She can attest that the bagels are still pretty good there.
  
  WITF's Capitol Bureau Chief Desk is partially funded through generous gifts made in the memory of Tony May through the Anthony J. May Memorial Fund.
  
  For more information about Tony May, click here.

Katie Meyer / WITF

House Republicans assembled Wednesday to announce plans for a concerted push to pass a package of pro-energy industry bills.

(Harrisburg) — House Republicans are re-launching one of their biggest initiatives for the legislative session: a package of energy-focused bills aimed at coaxing new businesses into Pennsylvania.

The package, which Republicans are calling Energize PA, includes eight bills in various stages of completion. One, a measure that gives grants to new manufacturing facilities to access existing natural gas lines, was already wrapped into the state budget, which passed in June.

Some of the remaining initiatives aren’t particularly controversial—like a measure to create a registry of abandoned industrial sites.

Others are contentious. Proposals to speed up Department of Environmental Protection permitting, and create a new, Senate-approved commission to handle the process have gotten pushback from Democrats and environmental groups.

House Speaker Mike Turzai notes, unionized building trade groups lined up behind the lawmakers at their latest press conference.

“I do think that it’s a strong message,” he said. “I do think that there are many members on the other side of the aisle that think very similar to us on this issue.”

Democratic Governor Tom Wolf, meanwhile, is pushing his own energy plan. He says Restore PA would raise $4.5 billion for infrastructure improvements using a new tax on natural gas drillers. And he says the GOP plan can’t hope to raise that much.

Turzai and many other Republicans are staunchly opposed to a gas driller tax, saying it could scare away businesses.

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About StateImpact Pennsylvania

StateImpact Pennsylvania is a collaboration among WITF, WHYY, and the Allegheny Front. Reporters Reid Frazier, Rachel McDevitt and Susan Phillips cover the commonwealth’s energy economy. Read their reports on this site, and hear them on public radio stations across Pennsylvania.

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