Pennsylvania in Focus

On the heels of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s green energy proposals for a state cap and trade program, House Democrats offered a dozen bills that couple economic growth with environmental protection. The legislative agenda includes 11 proposals focused on energy production, conservation, consumer energy costs, public transit funding, and efficiency standards for appliances, among other topics. Legislators of the 55-member Blue-Green Caucus argued the bills they’re introducing show that strong environmental policies can complement labor priorities.

Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/pennsylvania/article_8b3a591a-fc07-11ee-91a1-3bd32ac0f131.html

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Norfolk Southern reached a $600 million settlement in a class action lawsuit filed after a toxic train derailment near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. The deal, announced Tuesday, resolves all claims within a 20-mile radius of the accident in East Palestine, Ohio, that unfolded in February 2023. It is pending federal court approval. The Center Square reached out to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office for comment but did not receive a response before this publication. Both the governor’s administration and President Joe Biden have been openly critical, however, of Norfolk Southern’s response to the derailment and accused the railroad of prioritizing profits over safety.

Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/ohio/article_58677b82-f674-11ee-852d-4f6493fcd463.html

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A proposed $100 million settlement in the Northern Tier to offer service upgrades and consumer refunds for low-quality phone and internet service may soon move forward. A panel of administrative judges recommended that the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission accept the settlement, avoiding litigation and compelling Frontier to invest in its rural infrastructure. The $100 million settlement should be accepted by the PUC “in its entirety and without modification,” Administrative Law Judges Steven Haas and John Coogan wrote in their initial decision. Longstanding customer complaints prompted an investigation in January 2023 after state legislations received hundreds of complaints and tired of serving as an unofficial customer service office.

Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/pennsylvania/article_4d415f5a-f752-11ee-a728-5b2b7159ac56.html

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As the public awaits more details of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s higher education reform plans, Republican legislators offer some ideas of their own. During a Wednesday press conference, a gaggle of House and Senate leaders pushed for the creation of a grant program that offers scholarships to students who commit to stay in Pennsylvania. They also want to launch a similar deal for out-of-state students to get in-state tuition if they put down roots in the commonwealth.

Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/pennsylvania/article_98da322e-f785-11ee-b76c-8b42348a3761.html

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Japanese-owned Nippon Steel says that the company’s longtime presence in the United States makes it an ideal partner to help grow the industry domestically. The comment comes after the White House and former President Donald Trump criticized the company’s $14.9 billion plan to acquire U.S. Steel, headquartered in Pittsburgh. President Joe Biden, although opposed, has made no promises to block the potential deal. Trump said he’d do so if elected in November.

Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/pennsylvania/article_c5a07e0c-f128-11ee-a49e-ef811cbcbf90.html

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Hundreds of inmates die in Pennsylvania’s state prisons and county jails, but oversight is superficial at best. Deaths in custody rose from 171 in 2019 to 239 in 2020 in state prisons, and 56 prisoners died in county jails in 2020, a two-decade high in Pennsylvania. And numbers could be higher — reporting requirements for both institutions are weak.

Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/pennsylvania/article_3e3931b8-f112-11ee-b2ea-bf5f94e186c2.html

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On a cold, windy, wet Wednesday in South Philadelphia, Dave McCormick stopped at Geno’s to grab four “wiz wit” cheesesteaks. The Republican nominee for U.S. Senate met a few dozen supporters and campaign staffers at the well-known cheesesteak spot – walking the last block after his tour bus ran into trouble on 10th Street, the narrow lane and cramped parking making a wide turn tricky. “It was awesome, I ate everything,” McCormick said of the cheesesteak.

Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/pennsylvania/article_e3749edc-f208-11ee-8016-1f3a13194738.html

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A new plan set in motion on Monday could shake loose a constitutional amendment to enact universal photograph identification to vote. House Republican leadership said letting the bill languish in committee ignores the popularity of the policy among voters, especially those anxious about election security. “There are stronger rules in place for signing out a Curious George book for kids than there is for voting,” said Rep. Brad Roae, R-Meadville. “That seems really backwards." That’s why Roae and other leaders are drafting a discharge resolution this week to force the bill out of the State Government Committee and onto the House floor for consideration.

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More than a year beyond the Norfolk Southern train derailment and chemical burn that brought national attention to East Palestine, residents on the Ohio and Pennsylvania sides of the border feel abandoned, forgotten and discarded by legislators. “Our Pennsylvania constitutional rights were violated and continue to be violated,” said Sheila Stiegler, an organic farmer in Lawrence County near East Palestine. "We are here with our expectations for our rights to be restored and upheld." Stiegler and other nearby residents testified during a Senate committee hearing on the aftereffects of the derailment and burn-off of vinyl chloride, which she called “the Ohio Chernobyl.”

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For the fourth year in a row, legislators think Pennsylvania’s election law needs more updates. And for the fourth year in a row, there’s little consensus about what those reforms should look like. It’s typically a question of convenience versus security, though both camps would argue it’s not that simple.

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