 (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Pennsylvania
is joining a host of states in considering bills promoted by natural
gas utilities that would prohibit local governments from restricting or
banning utility hookups based on the type of energy they supply.
The bill is part of a nationwide effort by
the natural gas industry to prevent more towns from following the
example of communities in California, Washington and Massachusetts that
passed local ordinances to restrict new gas connections to buildings as a
tool for combating climate change.
There is no sign that
any community in Pennsylvania is considering such a ban, officials
representing Pennsylvania township, borough and city governments said at
a hearing of the state Senate's local government and environmental
resources committees Tuesday.
Both critics and supporters
of the bill said municipalities are already prevented by other state
laws from regulating utility service. But local government officials are
concerned that the bill, Senate Bill 275,
is so broad and ambiguous it could be read to limit local governments
from using their existing power to incentivize energy efficiency
upgrades, for example, or regulate outdoor wood-fired boilers.
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Pennsylvania will follow the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention's updated guidance on masking, Acting Secretary of Health
Alison Beam confirmed last week.
"Old
timers" in the oil and gas industry in northwest Pennsylvania and
western New York will remember Art Van Tyne for his work as a petroleum
geologist and his involvement with the Independent Oil & Gas
Association of New York and other industry organizations. He was also a
veteran of World War Two and very involved in his community.
