Reporters Anne Danahy, Reid Frazier, Rachel McDevitt and Susan Phillips cover the commonwealth’s energy economy. Individual responders included Kathleen Griffith of Exton in Chester County, who accused the Wolf administration of ignoring the concerns of people who live near the pipeline.
Despite critics’ attacks on the PUC, a recently published letter from the regulator in February 2018 showed it ordering Sunoco to disclose calculations on the size of the “blast zone” from any failure in the Mariner East pipelines, and to state how many people would need to be evacuated if there was a leak. Jon is an experienced journalist who has covered a wide range of general and business-news stories for national and local media in the U.S. and his native U.K. As a former Reuters reporter, he spent several years covering the early stages of Pennsylvania’s natural gas fracking boom and was one of the first national reporters to write about the effects of gas development on rural communities.
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) has adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, to be published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin, seeking public comment on …
The Commonwealth Court, however, upheld some of the PUC regulations that were challenged in the case. The information for the Pennsylvania Code included at this website has been derived directly from the Pennsylvania Code, the Commonwealth's official publication of rules and regulations.Cite all material in the Pennsylvania Code by title number and section number.
Tom Wolf, who told activists for the first time that he would not shut it down. Alternative Ratemaking Methodologies. At this time, it is unclear how the PUC will react to this decision.
Reporters Anne Danahy, Reid Frazier, Rachel McDevitt and Susan Phillips cover the commonwealth’s energy economy. Parts 191-193, 199. ‘My friends were lied to’: Will coal miners stand by Trump as jobs disappear? Phone: 303-894-2000 | Permits and Insurance: 800-888-0170 In this 2018 file photo, Energy Transfer, the parent company of Mariner East 2 pipeline builder, Sunoco, works at Snitz Creek in West Cornwall Township, Lebanon County after a drilling mud spill during the summer.
Contact Information. We will meet or exceed all applicable rules and regulations that are in place for constructing and operating our pipelines.”. Consequently, the Commonwealth Court ruled those definitions invalid and unenforceable. Reported previously: Pennsylvania’s Public Utility Commission is being accused by elected officials, citizens’ groups and individuals of not doing enough to protect the public from any failure in Sunoco’s controversial Mariner East pipelines. }); At the municipal level, the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors told the PUC that its members want better communication between pipeline companies and local government officials, and called for policies that follow the recommendations of a pipeline infrastructure task force set up by Gov. Comments may be filed online, or mailed to Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, Attn: Secretary Rosemary Chiavetta, 400 North Street, Harrisburg, PA 17120. Proposed Rulemaking Order for AEPS Act of 2004. Comm., Pa. Pub.
“We should focus on streamlining the permitting process and reducing unnecessary legal barriers in our state,” the chamber said. The individual alleged that his projects qualified for net metering under the AEPS Act, but could be disapproved under the PUC’s regulations.
The Commission is authorized to enforce federal safety standards as an agent for the U.S. Department of Transportation's Office of Pipeline Safety. •eFiling Law Firms: Be Strategic In Your COVID-19 Guidance... [GUIDANCE] On COVID-19 and Business Continuity Plans.
Read their reports on this site, and hear them on public radio stations across Pennsylvania. PA Code StateImpact Pennsylvania is a collaboration among WITF, WHYY, WPSU, and The Allegheny Front. Build a Morning News Brief: Easy, No Clutter, Free! and regulations. United for Pipeline Safety, representing community groups in Delaware and Chester counties, said the PUC should be enforcing existing safety regulations before seeking to change the rules. What do you want elected officials to do about climate change? RGGI, behind the rhetoric: What we know about the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, The Pennsylvania Guide to Hydraulic Fracturing, or 'Fracking', DEP: The Department That Regulates and Oversees Drilling, Mariner East: A pipeline project plagued by mishaps and delays, Pipelines: The new battleground over fracking. Accusations that the multibillion dollar Sunoco Pipeline project has been constructed with scant regard for public safety have been fueled by several regulator-ordered shutdowns, punctured aquifers, dozens of drilling fluid spills into neighborhoods and wetlands, and a series of sinkholes along the route in Chester County. it hasn’t done enough to ensure the safety of a project that is pumping highly volatile natural gas liquids through densely populated areas like the Philadelphia suburbs, where people could be exposed to mass casualties if there was a leak or explosion. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety ... PA Public Utility Commission ... • PUC and company may work together to reach an agreement on how to correct the Non-Compliance • If an agreement cannot be reached, alleged violation can be referred
If Biden becomes president, will he be able to roll back Trump’s climate-policy rollbacks? The Gas Safety Section also has the authority to enforce certain federal gas pipeline safety regulations, as set forth in 49 U.S.C. Second, the Commonwealth Court upheld regulations establishing rules of operation for large customer-generators.
sidebar: false, PUC investigators inspect the property, buildings, plants and offices of the pipeline companies and inspect books, records, paper, email and documents relevant to the enforcement of the rules and regulations. Since 2011, he has been a freelance writer, contributing Philadelphia-area news to The New York Times; covering economics for Market News, and writing stories on the environment and other subjects for a number of local outlets including StateImpact. He said the PUC invited public input “to begin the process of crafting new rules aimed at improving the safety of construction, operation, maintenance, and other functions of hazardous liquid public utilities. “Ensuring pipeline safety is the responsibility of the PUC and the administration supports the commission taking steps to review its regulations to make sure that they are appropriately comprehensive and protective.”, In February, the Governor said Sunoco failed to respect Pennsylvania’s laws and communities, and that its practices would not be “tolerated.”, Sunoco issued a one-line statement in response to the PUC order.
RGGI, behind the rhetoric: What we know about the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, The Pennsylvania Guide to Hydraulic Fracturing, or 'Fracking', DEP: The Department That Regulates and Oversees Drilling, Mariner East: A pipeline project plagued by mishaps and delays, Pipelines: The new battleground over fracking. In written responses for the PUC’s current review of pipeline safety regulations, they urge the regulator to impose many new requirements on Sunoco and any other operator of highly volatile liquids pipelines so that the public is given more protection against any leak or explosion. When it launched the review, the PUC did not specify any pipeline operator but said it would look at whether there’s a need for more regulation in areas including: Critics of the project continue to say it represents a grave danger to public safety, especially in densely populated areas like the Philadelphia suburbs, because of the highly explosive nature of the liquefied propane, ethane and butane that are being carried, and because of public confusion over what to do in case of a pipeline emergency. The Public Utility Commission also has authority to enforce federal pipeline safety laws as they relate to non-public utility gas and hazardous liquids pipeline equipment and facilities within Pennsylvania, including cooperatively owned natural gas distribution systems, non-utility natural gas transportation, and gathering lines and propane distribution systems. “While I welcome any action whatsoever from the PUC, so much damage has already been done by their inaction on Mariner East here in Chester County.
More information about non-public utility pipelines may be found on the Act 127 page. Service locations to be aggregated must be EDC service location accounts, held by the same individual or legal entity, receiving retail electric service from the same EDC and have measureable electric load independent of the alternative energy system. The public can submit comments electronically via the PUC’s efile system by 5 p.m. today. To be independent of the alternative energy system, the electric load must have a purpose other than to support the operation, maintenance or administration of the alternative energy system. In addition, each operator must have a damage prevention program and an emergency response program. •Request for Proposal Update, 4:59 p.m. Aug. 28: The PUC said it has extended the comment deadline to Sept. 11, partly in response to Chester County’s request for a deadline extension. “It’s fair to say that the proposed rulemaking is part of the commission’s ongoing effort to evaluate and address safety issues,” he said. David N. Hommrich v. The AEPS Act does not define the term utility, but the PUC’s regulations define the term as: (i) A business, person or entity whose primary purpose, character or nature is the generation, transmission, distribution or sale of electricity at wholesale or retail. Amendments to the PUC's Electric Meter Regulations: 0541: 57-61: Proposed Revisions to 52 Pa. Code : 53.45 0540: 57-60: Reporting of Accidents Involving Property Damage: 0539: 57-59: Leasing of Equipment by Motor Carriers of Property: 0538: 57-58: Proposed Revisions to 52 Pa. Code : 53.53 0537: 57-57 Pennsylvania PUC Wants Statewide Discussion on Autonomous Vehicle Regulations. Here’s the order, which includes all issues on which PUC is seeking comment: DV.load("https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6152510-PUC-Advance-Notice-of-Proposed-Rulemaking-Order.js", { Click to begin comparing natural gas suppliers’ rates and programs! The AEPS Act only confers authority on the PUC to establish technical and net metering interconnection rules. Hodgepodge Self-Driving Vehicles Standards Nationwide Raises Concerns. PUC’s review of pipeline safety regulation prompts attacks by residents, groups and lawmakers Some argued for no added regulations, but most urged tighter curbs on the pipeline industry The gas utility must answer with a written response to the PUC within 30 days of notification. height: 900, Again, the Commonwealth Court found that the PUC’s regulations impermissibly created eligibility requirements that were not in the AEPS Act. Taking a More Holistic View - How Enterprise Architecture and Technology Business Management are Improving Government IT, As Schools Adjust to Remote Learning, Many Are Rethinking Underlying Tech Infrastructure.
The gas utility and the Gas Safety Section will work together to reach an agreement on how to correct the violation. have accused the company of failing to disclose full emergency procedures to local officials. PUC which, with the federal pipeline regulator PHMSA is responsible for pipeline safety in Pennsylvania, said it wants to craft new rules to improve safety of the construction, operation and maintenance of hazardous liquids pipelines. Unless the decision is modified, the PUC cannot use the invalid and unenforceable regulations to make decisions pursuant to the AEPS Act. The Commonwealth Court also considered whether the PUC exceeded its authority in adopting a regulation defining “virtual meter aggregation” as: The combination of readings and billing for all meters regardless of rate class on properties owned or leased and operated by a customer-generator by means of the EDC’s billing process, rather than through physical rewiring of the customer-generator’s property for a physical, single point of contact.