Environmental Resources & Energy 2019-2020

The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee met on Wednesday, February 5, 2020, and took action as follows:

Reported Out as Committed:

HB 342 (Cruz) – The bill allows the City of Philadelphia to impose a $500 per-tire fine for illegal dumping of waste tires. Reported out unanimously.

SB 1030 (Yaw) – The bill mends the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act to streamline the process for consideration of alternate on-lot sewage disposal systems. Reported out by a vote of 9-1.


The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee met on Tuesday, November 19, 2019, and took action as follows:

Reported Out as Committed:

HB 476 (Mako) The bill requires that municipalities be notified of violations of state and federal waste laws within their borders. Reported out unanimously.

SB 766 (Leach) The bill increases the matching grants available for household hazardous waste collection events from $100,000 to $250,000 per county, per fiscal year. Reported out unanimously.

Reported Out as Amended:

SB 679 (Yaw) The bill authorizes counties to adopt “stream cleaning” programs for maintenance and removal of flood-related hazards and obstructions from local waterways. Reported out by a vote of 10-1.


The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee met on Wednesday, October 23, 2019, and took action as follows:

Reported Out as Committed:

SB 919 (Yaw) The bill establishes the Firefighting Foam Management Act, which prohibits using firefighting foam that contains PFAS chemicals for testing or training. Reported out unanimously.

HB 1410 (Stephens) The bill amends the Transit Revitalization Investment District Act to create a Military Installation Remediation Program and the Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Remediation Program. Reported out unanimously.


The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee met on Tuesday, October 22, 2019, and took action as follows:

Reported Out as Committed:

SB 726 (Bartolotta) The bill amends the Environmental Hearing Board Act to limit the permit appeals process. Reported out by a vote of 7-4.

SB 727 (Bartolotta) The bill amends the Environmental Hearing Board Act to change the terms of membership of the board. Reported out by a vote of 8-3.

SB 891 (Yaw) The bill establishes the Advance permit Review Program, a process for third-party review of certain permits at DEP. Reported out by a vote of 10-1.

Reported Out as Amended:

SR 191 (Yudichak) The resolution urges Congress to Reauthorize the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund (AMRF). Reported out unanimously as amended.


The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee met on Tuesday, September 24, 2019, and took action as follows:

Reported Out as Committed:

SB 790 (Scarnati) The bill establishes the Conventional Oil and Gas Wells Act. Reported out by a vote of 8-3.

HB 374 (Everett) The bill establishes the Keystone Tree Restricted Account to fund a Tree Vitalize Program and a Riparian Forest Buffer Grant Program. Reported out unanimously.


The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee met on Tuesday, June 25, 2019, and took action as follows:

Reported Out as Committed:

SB 694 (Yaw) The bill amends the Oil and Gas Act to provide for a process and accounting mechanism to allow well bores to cross multiple units, provided the operator has the right to drill wells on the units via leases with all landowners/members of the units. Reported out by a vote of 10-1.

SB 763 (Bartolotta) The bill amends the Bituminous Mine Subsidence and Land Conservation Act to provide the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) greater flexibility in controlling the costs in meeting the data analysis report requirements outlined in the Act. Reported out by a vote of 8-3.

HB 1557 (Gabler) The bill amends the Coal Refuse Disposal Control Act to align the requirements of temporary cessation of a coal refuse disposal site with those required under the Federal Surface Mine Conservation and Reclamation Law. Reported out by a vote of 9-2.

Reported Out as Amended: 

SB 256 (Dinniman) The bill amends the Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act, to expand the definition of “compost materials” to include spent mushroom substrate. Reported out unanimously.


The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee met on Tuesday, June 4, 2019, and took action as follows:

Reported Out as Committed:

SB 108 (Yaw & Yudichak) The bill establishes the Keystone Tree Fund. Reported out unanimously.

SB 305 (Baker) The bill designates Delaware River Basin Commission fracking ban as taking from landowners. Reported out by a vote of 7-3.

Reported Out as Amended:

SB 575 (Yaw) The bill establishes a Nutrient Procurement Program. Reported out as unanimously.

SB 619 (Yaw) Spill reporting requirements under the PA Clean Streams Law. Reported out by a vote of 7-3.