The General Assembly also passed HB 608, sponsored by Rep. Michelle Brooks (R-Crawford), which encourages and promotes the use of switchgrass and other bioenergy crops to vegetate strip mined lands in the Commonwealth.  The bill is seen as a boost for biomass energy crop production and for small oilseeds for biodiesel production.

Under the bill, DEP is to make available – at no cost to the permittee – guarantees to cover Stage III reclamation liability under a bond if the site is revegetated using switchgrass, camelina, canola, and other bioenergy crops such as fast growing willows or poplars. The bill is now before Governor Corbett for signature with a July 6 deadline.

Several energy and utility-related bills failed to get final consideration during the pressure packed last few days of June.

Negotiations between state House and Senate Republican leaders and Governor Corbett began in earnest this week and continue as the week ends.  The House amended SB 1466 and maintained the spending level of that passed by the Senate, at $27.656 billion.

House Majority Leader Mike Turzai this week said there should be in-depth discussions with the Corbett administration about the decision making process at the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) over grant and loan programs.   The seven-member authority oversees many state economic development, water and  grant and loan programs, including the state’s solar, geothermal and wind, and alternative and clean energy programs.

According to many news reports, Governor Corbett is asking the legislature to give plants that create plastics and other items from natural gas fluids $1.65 billion in tax credits over 25 years.

After several hours of debate, the House Appropriations Committee voted along party lines to approve the Senate’s $27.65 billion budget target. While several Democrat-offered amendments were blocked during the committee meeting, the Appropriations chair signaled that amendments will be considered during ongoing budget debates next month.

Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) introduced the Clean Energy Standard Act of 2012 (S. 2146) earlier this spring. The bill would require large-scale electric utilities to produce gradually increasing amounts of electricity from clean energy sources – including increased power production from biomass, waste and reside streams, and combined heat and power plants.

Both chambers of Congress continue to consider the many components of the 2012 Farm Bill. While several bioenergy related programs have been slated for the chopping block, there is still an opportunity for the Biomass Crop Assistance Program to prevail.

Pennsylvania Congressman Glenn Thompson this week sent a bipartisan letter to U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) President and CEO Rick Fedrizzi, urging changes to the treatment of forest products under the Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) 2012 rating system. LEED, widely used by building owners and operators to certify their materials and operations are energy efficient and environmentally friendly, plans to release a revised rating system, LEED 2012, in November of 2012.

As expected, the legislature’s post-primary return has brought with it a flurry of activity on the state budget. The Senate Republicans previewed a $27.65 billion budget on Monday. The bill was unanimous approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, and passed the full Senate by a vote of 39-8 Wednesday afternoon. The Senate package (SB 1466) would spend $500 more than Governor Corbett’s initial $27.15 billion budget proposal. House Republicans and the Corbett Administration have both signaled that the proposal represents the “ceiling” for debates that will unfold over the coming weeks.