The state legislature returns to the capitol city on September 23 for the first of eight scheduled weeks of the fall legislative session. Top issues that were not resolved prior to summer recess will continue to simmer in the legislature and Corbett administration until agreements can be reached.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane’s decision to prosecute a major Marcellus Shale natural-gas driller for a 2010 wastewater spill on Tuesday has taken over headlines throughout the state this week.

The current Farm Bill extension expires September 30, and funding for most programs in the 2008 Farm Bill Energy Title ran out long ago – but not all. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced funding for hundreds of new projects across the country to advance energy efficiency and renewable energy under the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). New reports document the importance of energy efficiency programs for rural homes and businesses. Will Congress reauthorize and fund sensible, successful, effective, win-win programs like these?

The House and Senate return to session September 23, with several major policy issues still unresolved.  Among the biggest issues, and one which impacts all segments of business and society, is transportation funding. 

Royal Dutch Shell hasn’t decided if it will build an ethane cracker in Beaver County, but it’s taking bids from oil and gas companies in the Marcellus and Utica shales to gauge how much ethane would be available if it pulls the trigger.

Members of Congress will face acute budget problems when they return to Washington in September.  Having failed to pass appropriations bills to fund the government, battles are expected over adoption of a continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown on October 1.  And to avoid any hint of federal default, Congress will also need to raise the debt ceiling. The prospects of any bipartisan solution on these issues are dim, and ERG expects to see a significant increase in rhetoric, with a last minute temporary fix to the funding and debt issues.

During Penn State’s Annual Ag Progress Days event, U.S. Representative Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, Chair of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry, and Pa Department of Agriculture Secretary George Greig held a “Barnyard Discussion” where they touched on a variety of state and federal agriculture policy issues.

The DEP this week announced new grant awards going to support the expansion of compressed natural gas (CNG) for transportation.  The Governor said, “These grants will help to diversify our vehicle fleet, while expanding the use of natural gas produced right here in Pennsylvania.”

Last week the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized the 2013 percentage standards for four fuel categories that are part of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program established by Congress. Most of these fuels are produced by American farmers and growers domestically and help reduce the carbon pollution that contributes to climate change.

While this year’s budget was hailed as on-time, the fiscal code bill failed to make the final cut until this week. After several revisions, and a rare return to Harrisburg after the start of summer recess, the House narrowly approved the bill as amended by the Senate by a 103-85 vote, and on Wednesday the Senate signed the bill, sending it to Governor Corbett for signature.