DEC proposes GHG regulations

ALBANY, NY — New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos recently released proposed regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emission (GHG) statewide and implement the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA).

The proposed regulations establish the 1990 baseline, per the CLCPA, to include all statewide sources of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as emissions associated with imported electricity and fossil fuels. The proposed regulations establish statewide emission limits on naturally occurring and manmade gases—carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride—to guide state agency actions. The proposal is available at DEC’s website. DEC has scheduled two virtual public hearings on the proposal on Tuesday, October 20 and will accept written comments through 5 p.m. on Tuesday, October 27.

PA requests extended mail-in deadlines

HARRISBURG, PA — The PA Department of State has asked the commonwealth’s Supreme Court to extend the deadline for mail-in ballots in this year’s General Election. The current deadline is 8 p.m. on election night. Officials are asking to allow ballots postmarked by Tuesday, November 3, but received within three days after polls close, to be counted. 

The request comes after widespread concern that limitations of the U.S. Postal Service will disenfranchise voters “through no fault of their own.” The U.S. Postal Service’s general counsel and executive vice president Thomas Marshall recently said that “certain [PA] deadlines for requesting and casting mail-in ballots are incongruous with the Postal Service’s delivery standards.”

Largest ever settlement reached with utilities

ALBANY, NY — The New York State Public Service Commission last week adopted the terms of a $10.75 million joint settlement with Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. and Orange and Rockland Utilities Inc. According to the commission, this is the largest settlement of its kind in New York.

The settlement concludes the commission’s investigation into the two utilities’ preparation and response to power outages during 2018 back-to-back winter storms which left 293,000 customers without power. The settlement is unrelated to any ongoing investigations into the response of these companies and other state utilities during the recent tropical storm Isaias.

Monticello receives grant

MONTICELLO, NY — The Village of Monticello has announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded $5.6 million which will go toward upgrading the village’s local water plant. The remainder of the $18 million project is being loaned to the village and will be paid back at one-percent interest over the next 20 years.

PA music educators suspend performances

HAMBURG, PA — The PA Music Educators Association State Board (PMEA) has approved the suspension of all in-person student events for the 2020-21 school year for the safety of the students, members and all others involved. This includes the PMEA district, region and all-state festivals, district-level fests and music performance assessments (adjudication). PMEA will be holding a virtual conference and all-state event in the spring and will assist the PMEA districts in hosting their own virtual events, should they choose to do so. 

“We are working hard to help make this year as musical as it can be within the confines that we find ourselves,” PMEA said in a statement.

Museums, aquariums, others set to reopen

AlBANY, NY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo is slowly allowing indoor facilities to begin reopening. Bowling alleys throughout New York were allowed to reopen last Monday, August 17 with strict safety protocols in place. Now the governor says museums and other low-risk cultural institutions are next and can reopen starting Monday, August 24. 

Museums, aquariums and other low-risk indoor cultural arts must obey strict safety protocols, including a 25 percent maximum occupancy limit, timed ticketing required with pre-set, staggered entry, strict enforcement of face coverings, social distancing, controlled traffic flow to avoid crowding and enhanced cleaning and disinfection protocols.

Bills on PA fall sports introduced

HARRISBURG, PA — PA Republicans condemned Gov. Tom Wolf after he recommended that PA schools cancel their fall sports seasons this year because of COVID-19. He later clarified that this is a strong recommendation, not a mandate. But PA lawmakers have introduced legislation to counteract his suggestion, fearing that it could become a mandate.

Reps. Mike Reese and Jesse Topper have introduced two bills in response to the governor. One would ensure that decisions regarding sports and other extra-curriculars are left to each school’s own governing body. The other bill would allow students to repeat a school year “should they feel they missed an important athletic or educational opportunity.”

Rep. Mike Peifer, who represents Wayne and Pike counties and serves on the PIAA Oversight Committee has said that he is proud to support this legislation.

2019 top three warmest years on record

SILVER SPRING, MD — A new State of the Climate report confirmed that 2019 was among the three warmest years in records dating to the mid-1800s with short-term warming, but weak, El Niño influence early in the year. The report found that the major indicators of climate change continued to reflect trends consistent with a warming planet. Several markers such as sea level and greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere once again broke records set just one year prior, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.