It is imperative that Pennsylvania not enact laws or regulations that place the commonwealth at a competitive disadvantage to our competitor states. Laws and regulations should not be more stringent than federal regulations or laws unless there is a compelling reason that is unique to our commonwealth. Environmental regulations should be adopted based on sound scientific evidence to ensure that they are reasonable and within technological limits. It is prudent that these regulations actually achieve real environmental benefits and do not advantage one sector of the economy to the detriment of another.
Recent state-by-state outmigration figures from the IRS put Pennsylvania alongside its blue state cousins watching helplessly as their residents pursue better lives in other states. The annual migration map published by Atlas Van Lines provides further proof, with 58 percent of the moves in Pennsylvania being outbound with just 42 percent of trucks coming in. ...
The Biden Administration’s massive regulatory overreach covering waterways of the United States (WOTUS) was rocked twice in the past few weeks thanks to a federal court ruling, and U.S. House approval of a resolution that would overturn the EPA’s recent rulemaking. More is in the works to protect those especially vulnerable to the federal power ...
A Senate-approved initiative that would help prevent a repeat of the regulatory abuse Pennsylvania experienced under Gov. Tom Wolf, is now stuck in the House, as it awaits the results of three special elections before organizing for the 2023-24 session. The proposed constitutional amendment, Senate Bill 1, contains a provision that would allow an executive ...
Left behind in last week’s approval of the state budget are needed reforms to the business tax and regulatory structure that would help Pennsylvania take full advantage of an unrelenting surge in the nation’s economy. America just broke the record of 120 months of sustained growth thanks to the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ...
The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is cashing in on a permissive regulatory environment in Harrisburg. Late-2017 DEP fee increase approvals are on pace to cost businesses and consumers $50 million, with more increases on the way. The fee increases have met little resistance from the regulatory bodies authorized to review them. One, the Environmental ...
Open your wallets; Wolf on crusade against carbon
January 09, 2019 | Energy | Regulatory Reform
Governor Wolf recently joined a regional compact of eight other states and Washington D.C. to reduce carbon from motor vehicle emissions. The newly formed “Transportation and Climate Initiative” has a hopeful government promo line: cap-and-invest. But if this latest top-down market meddling follows the same path as the program it’s modeled on, the Regional Greenhouse ...
Last week Governor Tom Wolf vetoed SB 1172, saying that the proposed changes to Pennsylvania’s Price Gouging Act would undermine consumer protections during a declared emergency, when the law kicks in automatically. Taking the governor’s veto message in its literal sense would mean that 235 of 253 lawmakers who voted for the bill (including nearly ...
Political obstructionism in the energy marketplace in Massachusetts led to predictable results during a cold snap earlier this winter: the cost of generating electricity increased so much that heat and power almost disappeared. Public policy pandering to environmental extremists through the blocking of new natural gas pipelines ironically forced riskier environmental practices, and, if that’s ...
Governor Wolf got some election-year publicity last week with his decree that overtime pay should apply to tens of thousands of additional workers. Highlighting the stories was a catchy, but misleading phrase, the governor used in his announcement: “It’s simple,” he said, “if you work overtime, then you should get paid fairly for it.” Actually, ...
Pipeline Task Force Comes Up Short
March 23, 2016 | Energy | Regulatory Reform
Governor Wolf’s announcement last summer that he was assembling a pipeline task force came with certain assurances. The Pipeline Infrastructure Task Force (PITF) would not masquerade as a pretext for burying the oil and gas industry under more regulations. Rather, it was understood that the PITF would identify best practices for expediting the needed lines, ...