Trending...
- New Book Warring From the Standpoint of the Throne Room Calls Believers to Pray From Victory
- The "Unsexy" Business Quietly Creating 130+ New Entrepreneurs Across America — From Alaska to Puerto Rico
- L-Tron Returns from a Successful PACK EXPO East Conference
Governor Tom Wolf today admonished the House Republicans' actions to disapprove Pennsylvania's effort to update its volatile organic compound (VOC) regulation for conventional oil and gas wells — as required under the federal Clean Air Act — causing a delay in the process that will put Pennsylvania at risk of losing nearly a billion dollars in critical federal transportation funding.
"It's simply a disgrace that House Republicans are jeopardizing road and bridge repairs by holding up the administration's efforts to make federally required updates," Gov. Wolf said. "They hastily held a committee meeting this week without advance notice or transparency for the sole purpose of thwarting this regulation, which will jeopardize nearly a billion dollars in federal funding."
On Monday, the House Environmental Resources & Energy Committee chaired by state Representative Daryl Metcalfe convened an unannounced meeting to send a disapproval letter to the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) regarding the conventional oil and gas VOC rulemaking. Under Pennsylvania's Regulatory Review Act, this triggers a 14-day waiting period following the meeting of the Independent Regulatory Review Committee where the regulation is considered, currently scheduled for November 17. Because the 14-day waiting period will expire after November 30, when the General Assembly has adjourned, the regulation that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has moved forward cannot be finalized before the sanction trigger date of December 16.
More on The PennZone
"As a result of the House Republicans' actions, state and local governments across the commonwealth will lose the authorization to spend hundreds of millions of dollars of federal transportation funding on affected projects," Gov. Wolf said. "Because these regulations are required under the Clean Air Act, failure to submit them in final form to U.S. EPA by December 16, 2022, will result in EPA imposing non-discretionary sanctions, and the federal government would thus withhold nearly $1 billion of transportation funding – funding that cannot be recuperated. Sanctions can threaten a variety of projects, including highway expansion, new roadway construction, and many highway/bridge restoration and maintenance projects. This could result in some roads and bridges being closed or weight limited, longer commutes, longer ambulance response times, more wear and tear on Pennsylvanians' cars, and Pennsylvanians' federal gasoline tax dollars going to other states.
"This regulation is not controversial. It is a federally mandated, technology-based standard. There is no good reason to block the rulemaking but there are extreme consequences for doing so. We have been sounding the alarm for months about the real consequences of these actions and yet they insisted on disapproving the state's VOC rule.
More on The PennZone
"My administration is reviewing all options to prevent the sanctions from being implemented."
Gov. Wolf has served for two terms as a leader consistently at work for the people of Pennsylvania. Learn more about how his Priorities for Pennsylvania have fueled the commonwealth's comeback, leaving Pennsylvania in a much better place than when he arrived.
SHARE Email Facebook Twitter
"It's simply a disgrace that House Republicans are jeopardizing road and bridge repairs by holding up the administration's efforts to make federally required updates," Gov. Wolf said. "They hastily held a committee meeting this week without advance notice or transparency for the sole purpose of thwarting this regulation, which will jeopardize nearly a billion dollars in federal funding."
On Monday, the House Environmental Resources & Energy Committee chaired by state Representative Daryl Metcalfe convened an unannounced meeting to send a disapproval letter to the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) regarding the conventional oil and gas VOC rulemaking. Under Pennsylvania's Regulatory Review Act, this triggers a 14-day waiting period following the meeting of the Independent Regulatory Review Committee where the regulation is considered, currently scheduled for November 17. Because the 14-day waiting period will expire after November 30, when the General Assembly has adjourned, the regulation that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has moved forward cannot be finalized before the sanction trigger date of December 16.
More on The PennZone
- R2 Copilot Addresses Critical Privacy Issues as Enterprise AI Spending and Security Incidents Rise
- Innovative Environmental Technologies Unveils New Website Featuring Free AI Tools for the Environmental Industry
- CCHR Warns: Psychiatric Diagnoses Without Biological Proof Now Used to Justify Euthanasia
- Going Solo Life publishes new travel guide for 2026
- JL Tox Consulting Responds to New ISO 10993-1:2025 Biocompatibility Standard Release
"As a result of the House Republicans' actions, state and local governments across the commonwealth will lose the authorization to spend hundreds of millions of dollars of federal transportation funding on affected projects," Gov. Wolf said. "Because these regulations are required under the Clean Air Act, failure to submit them in final form to U.S. EPA by December 16, 2022, will result in EPA imposing non-discretionary sanctions, and the federal government would thus withhold nearly $1 billion of transportation funding – funding that cannot be recuperated. Sanctions can threaten a variety of projects, including highway expansion, new roadway construction, and many highway/bridge restoration and maintenance projects. This could result in some roads and bridges being closed or weight limited, longer commutes, longer ambulance response times, more wear and tear on Pennsylvanians' cars, and Pennsylvanians' federal gasoline tax dollars going to other states.
"This regulation is not controversial. It is a federally mandated, technology-based standard. There is no good reason to block the rulemaking but there are extreme consequences for doing so. We have been sounding the alarm for months about the real consequences of these actions and yet they insisted on disapproving the state's VOC rule.
More on The PennZone
- Impact Filtration Appoints Alejandro Sturniolo as Head of Sustainability to Engineer High-Performance, Water-Positive Infrastructure
- 106 Years Strong: The Liberty Group Celebrates a Century-Plus of Service and Unveils a Unified Family of Companies
- Airport Transportation Reaches All Five Continents Through Global Transportation Partner Network
- Acquisition of Israeli Defense Manufacturing Platform to Accelerate AI-Driven Autonomous Systems: VisionWave Holdings, Inc.: (N A S D A Q: VWAV)
- HRC Fertility to Celebrate Grand Opening of New Beverly Hills Location During National Infertility Awareness Week
"My administration is reviewing all options to prevent the sanctions from being implemented."
Gov. Wolf has served for two terms as a leader consistently at work for the people of Pennsylvania. Learn more about how his Priorities for Pennsylvania have fueled the commonwealth's comeback, leaving Pennsylvania in a much better place than when he arrived.
SHARE Email Facebook Twitter
0 Comments
Latest on The PennZone
- Scotch Whisky Market Dislocation Creates Compelling Entry Opportunity for Long-Term Investors
- Peccioli Becomes New Orleans: In July 2026, the magic of jazz comes to Tuscany
- $6 Million Funding Secured as Retail Expansion, Operational Streamlining, and Asset-Light Strategy Position the Company for Accelerated Growth $SOWG
- The "Unsexy" Business Quietly Creating 130+ New Entrepreneurs Across America — From Alaska to Puerto Rico
- Veteran Launches GTG Energy: Nicotine-Free Pouch as Americans Rethink Addiction, Focus, and What Fuels Performance
- RecallSentry™ App Launch — Your Home Safety Hub — Free on iOS & Android
- Award-Winning Director Crystal J. Huang's Under-$50K Film "The Ritual House" Wins Best Horror Feature at Golden State Film Festival
- Grads aren't getting hired — here's what we're doing about it
- L-Tron Returns from a Successful PACK EXPO East Conference
- K2 Integrity Enhances Technology Capabilities Through Acquisition of Leviathan Security Group
- #WeAreGreekWarriors Comes to Detroit in Celebration of Women's History Month
- JKS Financial Marks Five-Year Partnership with University of Pittsburgh Basketball, United Way
- Energywise Solutions and Pickleball Pros Partner to Bring More Energy and Visibility to Pickleball Clubs
- Buildout Launches CRM, Completing the Industry's First AI-Powered End-to-End Deal Engine for CRE
- The Franchise King® Releases Free Guide for Nervous Buyers
- Kanguro Insurance Taps Paylode to Launch Best-in-Class Pet and Renters Insurance Rewards Experience
- CCHR: CIA Mind-Control Files Raise Urgent Questions as Millions Take Psychotropic Drugs
- NRx Pharmaceuticals Launches Breakthrough One-Day Treatment Clinic in Florida as FDA Pathway and Clinical Data Strengthen Growth Outlook; $NRXP
- Revenue Optics Launches Talent Infrastructure Platform for SaaS Revenue Hiring and Appoints Sabz Kaur to Lead Growth
- Building a Multi-Domain Autonomous Systems Platform at the Intersection of AI, Defense and Infrastructure: VisionWave Holdings (N A S D A Q: VWAV)