In a publicly-released letter to Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell today, the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association criticizes the DEP for failing to answer questions regarding the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, and failing to properly advertise the virtual hearings on the controversial plan by Governor Tom Wolf for joining the multi-state compact.
PNA acknowledges that it did incorrectly comment that it appeared that DEP had not published any notices when twelve notices were released, but blames that on DEP’s lack of response to its inquiries, and claims the ads should have been published in all 67 counties, since all of the state is affected by RGGI. The group lists 41 counties where there were no notices published, including Armstrong, Cambria, and Westmoreland. It says the state’s Air Pollution Control Act requires public notice to be provided “in newspapers of general circulation in the region of the Commonwealth affected,” and since 12 million Pennsylvanians will be affected, all should have had notice.
PNA claims further that because of the state’s broadband deficiencies, as many as fifty percent of Pennsylvania’s citizens were denied the opportunity to attend the virtual-only hearings.
The organization representing newspaper publishers outlines four major failures by DEP:
- Not responding to question about the RGGI regulations
- Failing to post the videos from the virtual hearings
- Holding virtual-only public hearings
- And failing to publoish widespread public notice.
The group does not take a position on the regulations themselves. The letter is copied to the Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board, the House and Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committees, and the Independent Regulatory Review Commission.
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