THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE SPECIAL

           In keeping with the summer theme of sweltering heat, let’s take a look at the “hot topics” still boiling at the State Capitol.  I call them The Good, The Bad, and The Special. 

           The Good: We passed a new state budget that meets the needs of all Pennsylvanians WITHOUT the need for higher taxes. 

           The Good: It’s a “conservative budget,” with spending increased by only 3.2%.  Now, the fact is that it’s never “conservative enough” for some conservatives – but we did manage to put more money away into the Rainy Day Fund to protect us from needing to increase taxes next year, as well. 

           The Good: We also cut business taxes by $47 million for this fiscal year and over $100 million for the next fiscal year. 

The Bad: The budget was passed 16 days “late” – all because of “priority” items the Governor insisted on that were NOT related to the budget.

The Bad: The budget did not contain a permanent, long-term source of funding for the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund.  The problem stemmed from lack of support for adding an additional $2.25 per ton tax (tipping fee) on local waste haulers to fund this program.  Going with the Governor’s original proposal would have meant $50 million in new fees on residents and businesses in Pennsylvania. 

The Bad: As it now stands, the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund has enough money to continue operating until January of next year.  That means we must address this matter in the fall, before the money runs out.  There are 3 hazardous waste sites in the 18^th District: the Hellertown Manufacturing site, American Fuel Harvesters site, and the Bethlehem MGP site.  These sites need to be cleaned up and they would not be cleaned up without money going to the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund.  These are some of the state’s most dangerous toxic waste sites and they will remain health hazards without new funding. 

           The Special: The Governor’s proposed Energy Independence Strategy will be considered in a Special Session to be convened on September 17^th.  The biggest sticking point on the Energy Independence proposal was an “energy tax” on electric customers that would finance borrowing (in the form of bonds) to encourage the use of alternative fuels such as bio-diesel, ethanol, wind and solar power.  Another part of the problem lies with the details of the Governor’s prediction that this will save consumers in Pennsylvania $1 BILLION!  I just don’t buy that we’re “saving” a billion dollars by increasing taxes on homeowners and small business owners to float $850 million in bonds that will have to be paid off over the next 30 years.  And, finally, I do not see ANY common sense to raising people’s electric bills right before their bills could increase by 20 to 25% when the rate caps come off.