Trending...
- New Book, The KI of Marketing, Helps Small Businesses Grow Without Trying to Outspend Bigger Competitors
- LCC Asia Pacific Sponsors CubeSatPlus 2026 at UNSW Sydney
- Kellyn Endorses National Push to Expand Food is Medicine
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
- ANSI BSR Upholds Appeal of AFDE Member Andrew Sulner, MSFS, JD, finding the AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB) Violated ANSI Essential Requirements
- Prolific Press Publishes 100 Word Fiction Issue #1, the Journal's Debut Anthology
- 100 Word Fiction Releases Issue #2: Forty Stories, One Hundred Words Each
- Kentucky's Plane Crash Data Lands Far from the State's Busiest Airports
- StockResearch AI Initiates Coverage on Apple (AAPL) With New Report Examining Valuation, AI Strategy and Future Growth
"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
- Netberg Announces the Aurora X2 Switch Series, Built on Xsight Labs' Programmable X2 Silicon
- Imagen Golf Named Exclusive Golf Instruction Partner at Wood Lane Golf and Social
- Pete Verbica: America Needs Statesmanship and Common Sense — Not a Cult of Personality
- Heidi G. Villari of The Villari Firm, PLLC Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2027 for Construction Law and Personal Injury Litigation
- When the Coroner's Report Isn't Enough: Colorado Families Turn to Private Autopsy for Closure
"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
- Master Of Science, Juggernaut Of The Screen: Landon Brittain Emerges As Hollywood's Most Unlikely Leading Man
- Black Dog Venture Partners and VC Fast Pitch to Host "San Francisco Investors and Innovators" Networking Event
- Four-Time Olympian Joetta Clark Diggs to Compete at World Masters Athletics Championships in Daegu
- New Book, The KI of Marketing, Helps Small Businesses Grow Without Trying to Outspend Bigger Competitors
- The Alistair Apartments Reaches 95% Occupancy in Downtown Lancaster, PA
- Food Journal Magazine Focuses Its Los Angeles Dining Coverage Across Three Editorial Verticals
- Where Do Missouri Plane Crashes Really Happen? Not Where You'd Think
- LCC Asia Pacific Sponsors CubeSatPlus 2026 at UNSW Sydney
- Kellyn Endorses National Push to Expand Food is Medicine
- LATO AI Automates Customer Communication to Help CSide Sports Academy and BAT 24 Nation Grow
- Real Estate Syndication Attorney Tilden Moschetti Releases The Real Estate Private Equity Blueprint
- 5X Gross Margin Improvement to Beat EPS Consensus; $54.6 Million 10-Year Contract Award Puts Cybersecurity Leader on Path to a $30 Million Run Rate
- Tina Hasselbusch, Turnstone Creative Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Named to LVB 300
- Pittsburgh Family Law Attorneys at Pollock Begg Earn Top Honors in 2027 Best Lawyers Guide
- Independent Colbert Packaging Thrives Amid Industrywide Consolidation
- Free Commercial Glass Estimating and Code Compliance Tools Launched by Landmark Construction - The Leading Glass Company in Los Angeles
- Tallahassee Million-Dollar Home Sales Rise in 2026 as Median Selling Time More Than Doubles
- Slotozilla Reports Strong Growth in Q2 2026
- Eric Snyder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Keystone Consulting Engineers Named to LVB 300
- Philadelphia's Girls Anthem to Host The Locker Room Experience Pop-Up for Young Women