June 2011 Vol. 12, No.

6 Published Monthly

The Chairmans Corner

Rep. Scott E. Hutchinson, Chairman

ENVIRONMENTAL SYNOPSIS
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This legislative session is no exception. I have introduced House Resolution 309 to re-establish the task force and its advisory committee, and set forth the issues that the task force will consider in the 2011-2012 legislative session. The resolution is cosponsored by a bipartisan group of 28 lawmakers. The issues reflect current and ongoing conditions and developments related to forests in the Keystone State.

id you know that 2011 is the International Year of Forests, as resolved by the United Nations? Governments around the world are holding forest-related activities which recognize the importance of forests and of sustainable forest management. One of the most enduring parts of the Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee (Committee) is its Legislative Forestry Task Force. The task force was first established by resolution in 1994 and has continued its work ever since. It is an important part of the Committee, and plays an important role in the growth and nurturing of sustainable forestry and the forest products industry in Pennsylvania.

In This Issue
The Chairmans Corner..................................p. 1 Notes From the Director ...............................p. 2 Research Briefs ..........................................p. 3-6 Walkin Safe in Pittsburgh Greenhouse Gases Going Down Traditional Fuels Still Recommended for Military

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The resolution enumerates five topics for the task force to conduct a comprehensive study of and investigate. They are: the impact of cash flow and working capital shortages on forest product companies and future forestry activities; On The Horizon .............................................p. 7 the negative impacts of Marcellus shale drilling-related road postings, both state and local, on forest product companies; Committee Chronicles ..................................p. 7 the policies and training of individuals engaged in gas-related land clearing on Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) lands, focusing on the benefits of land clearing operators for the Marcellus industry being held to the mandated training standard required for loggers; oint Legislative the impacts of declining state support for forestry and forest products-related Air and Water research; and Pollution Control and the current and future impacts of invasive forest pests on Pennsylvanias forests. onservation
ommittee
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A Legislative Service Agency of the Pennsylvania General Assembly

NOTES FROM THE DIRECTOR

CRAIG D. BROOKS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR he federal 2012 fiscal budget seeks congressional approval of an enhancement of the financial incentive for consumers who purchase an electric vehicle. The maximum current incentive is $7,500 for an all-electric or a hybrid electric-gasoline vehicle.

Over 1.6 million HEVs have been sold over the past six years. To reach the one million goal set by the federal government, EVs will need to average 1.7 percent of sales through 2015, an ambitious goal.

But for the Chevrolet Volt, introduced in limited markets last year, sales have been promising. The Chevy Volt Congressional approval would revamp the incentive, retails for $41,000. The $7,500 tax incentive cuts the price now taken as a tax credit, and allow it to be taken as to $33,500. The target a rebate at the point of sale. The assump- ___________________________________________________ market areas have been largely metropolitan artion is that an immediThe federal government is proposing changes to eas in New York City, ate reduction in the the incentives to purchase electric vehicles, as Washington D.C., Austin, price of the vehicle is a well as increased research and development greater incentive than ___________________________________________________ Texas, and Northern and Southern California. an equal reduction that must be taken at a General Motors plans to produce 10,000 Volts this later date through tax filings. year and will be offering them in all 50 states by the end of 2011. The company plans to produce 45,000 Volts The 2012 budget proposal also requests more in 2012, but production plans could change depending research and development on electric vehicle (EV) on the demand. components, and a program of competitive grants to up to 30 communities to help foster construction of The Volt has a nine gallon gasoline tank and a 1.3 liter infrastructure, such as charging stations for electric cars. four-cylinder engine as a backup system. It is not considered a hybrid because it runs entirely on its batteryHistorically, U.S. sales of new light-duty passenger powered electric engine until it reaches the limit of its vehicles range from 15 to 16 million vehicles per year. 40 mile range on a single battery charge, after which it Conventional hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) sales have only is powered by the gasoline engine. A hybrid uses both reached three percent of the total light-duty vehicles. engines under normal driving conditions, using the battery more at low speeds and the gasoline engine for The plan to revamp the incentive program comes acceleration. after a year of modest sales for HEVs. In 2010, hybrids accounted for only 2.4 percent of the 11.5 million lightThe Nissan Leaf also entered the commercial market duty vehicle sales. The top two pickup trucks together in 2010. The Leaf relies entirely on a battery-powered outsold the 34 hybrid models in the market in 2010, deelectric engine. Nissan North America has received spite the fact that hybrids have been in the U.S. market 20,000 Leaf reservations, its temporary limit. now for 10 years. The federal budget plan is to create enough incentives to put one million EVs on the road by 2015. There are plans to increase production capacity of more than 1.2 million EVs by 2015, but it appears that initial costs and lack of familiarity with the technology could be barriers. Other electric cars, from Ford Motor Company and smaller manufacturers, are set to debut in 2011 and 2012. More information on the federal electric vehicle program is available at: http://www.energy.gov/news/ documents/1_Million_Electric_Vehicle_Report_Final.pdf.

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RESEARCH BRIEFS
Pittsburgh Among Safest Cities for Pedestrians
-- Tony M. Guerrieri, Research Analyst eople walking in Orlando, Florida should watch where they step, while Pittsburghers should feel safer when they set out for a walk. In a report by Transportation for America, Orlando has been ranked as the most dangerous city for pedestrians, while Pittsburgh is ranked by the report as one of the least dangerous cities for pedestrians. The report, Dangerous by Design 2011: Solving the Epidemic of Preventable Pedestrian Deaths, ranks the nations 52 largest cities on the level of pedestrian safety in each city by examining statistics on pedestrian deaths from 2000 through 2009. The report uses a Pedestrian Danger Index (PDI), based on the number of pedestrian fatalities relative to the amount of walking taking place in cities around the nation.

Each month, the committees staff researches and prepares a number of briefs on several topics relevant to the Joint Conservation Committees mission. Very often, these briefs include references to reports and further research on the topics so that readers may pursue issues on their own.

Please Note: The information and opinions expressed in the Research Brief articles do not necessarily represent the opinions or positions of the Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee, nor those of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. The report notes that more than 47,000 people were killed walking the streets of the U.S. in the past 10 years, and more than 688,000 were injured. The majority of those killed, roughly 67 percent, died on roads that are eligible for federal funding, including safety improvements such as sidewalks, signals and bike lanes. ____________________________________________ Both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia fared pretty well in terms of pedestrian safety, according to the reports index ____________________________________________ Orlando, Florida where 1.2 percent of residents walk to work topped the list of most dangerous cities with a PDI score of 255.4. It recorded 557 pedestrian deaths between 2000 and 2009, an annual average of 3.0 deaths per 100,000 people. In other words, the few people who do walk to work in Orlando face a relatively high risk of being killed in traffic. It was followed by three more cities in Florida: Tampa (with a PDI score of 212.7), Jacksonville (177.8) and Miami (167.9). Riverside-San Bernardino (139.2) in California rounded out the top five cities with the highest PDI scores. At the other end of the spectrum, Boston was the safest city with a PDI score of 21.6. It recorded 483 pedestrian fatalities between 2000 and 2009, an average annual rate of 1.1 deaths per 100,000 people. The remaining top five cities named the safest for pedestrians were Cleveland (with a PDI score of 29.4), New York (30.4), Pittsburgh (30.4) and MinneapolisSt. Paul (35.1).

Pittsburgh - Gets good ratings for pedestrian safety

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Pennsylvania cities scored fairly well on the reports index. Philadelphia was 39th and Pittsburgh 49th in degree of danger to pedestrians. Phillys PDI score was 43.6. The report argues that governments fail to adequately invest in pedestrian safety, and blames deficient street design for many pedestrian deaths. Roads are built wide to move traffic quickly and safely, the report suggests, and there is little regard for the 107 million people who regularly walk to work, school and other destinations. Nationally, pedestrians account for 12 percent of all traffic deaths. But state transportation departments have allocated only 1.5 percent of available federal funds to projects that retrofit dangerous roads that put pedestrians at risk, the report states. The report also indicates that pedestrians of retirement age (specifically 65 and older) are disproportionately represented among pedestrian fatalities. Older adults are 96 percent more likely to be killed while walking than those under 65 years of age, according to the report. Older pedestrians represent nearly 22 percent of the total pedestrian fatalities, despite comprising less than 13 percent of the nations population. The report goes on to say that existing pedestrian apparatus, such as the duration of crosswalk signals, ignores the needs of older pedestrians. Older walkers are also more likely to have physical impairments that tend to decrease their ability to avoid oncoming traffic, the report said. Hawaii ranked first among senior pedestrian deaths. Hawaiis 7.21 pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 people 65 and older is significantly higher than the 5.42 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 seniors in Alaska, the state ranked second highest. The national average was 2.92 per 100,000. Transportation for America is a nonprofit organization devoted to transportation reform with an emphasis on pedestrian safety. The organizations website includes an interactive map of pedestrian fatalities and state statistics. And its 36-page report

is available at: http://t4america.org/docs/dbd2011/ Dangerous-by-Design-2011.pdf.

U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Decreased for Second Straight Year

-- Craig D. Brooks, Executive Director .S greenhouse gas emissions decreased by six percent in 2009 from 2008 levels, nearly twice the percentage point reduction from the previous year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The emissions reductions were driven by decreased energy consumption and an increase in fuel-switching from coal to natural gas, according to EPAs report, Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990 2009. In its emissions inventory from the previous year, EPA said U.S. greenhouse gas emissions declined 2.9 percent between 2007 and 2008, largely as a result of increased energy prices and a lagging economy. EPAs emissions inventory is an annual summary that identifies and quantifies the countrys greenhouse gas emissions and removals that are a direct result of human activities or are the result of natural processes affected by human activities. In 1992, the U.S. signed and ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change with the objective of making national inventories of greenhouse gas emissions and sinks available to the public. Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Within the two year decline in emissions levels, the U.S. emitted a total of 6,639.7 million tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent in 2009. While that is 7.4 percent above 1990 levels, it is the lowest of greenhouse gas emissions since 1995, according to EPA. When taking into account carbon sinks such as forests, vegetation and soil which absorb CO2 from the atmosphere the net amount of greenhouse gas

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emissions in 2009 was 5,624.6 million tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent. Emissions decreased six percent in 2009 despite a slight decline in the amount of greenhouse gases being absorbed by sinks in 2008 and 2009. ______________________________________ U.S. greenhouse gas emissions decreased by six percent in 2009 from 2008 levels, nearly twice the reduction from the previous year, according to EPA ______________________________________ Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion represented more than 78 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions in 2009. Electricity generation, which accounts for 32 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions, emitted 2,154 million tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent in 2009, the single largest source of CO2 emissions. That is down from a high of 2,412.8 million tons in 2007, a 10 percent decrease during that period. Emissions of carbon dioxide from the transportation sector also have continued to decline from a peak of 1,894 million tons in 2007, according to the report. The 2009 figure of 1,718.9 million tons represents a 9.24 percent decrease during that time. Transportation is responsible for 26 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions. Industrial facilities were responsible for 11 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in 2009, residences for five percent of total emissions and agriculture for 4.5 percent of total emissions. Emissions of methane, the second largest category of greenhouse gases, continued to increase in 2009. Emissions of methane increased from 676.7 million tons in 2007 to 686.5 million tons in 2009. The largest source of methane emissions was from natural gas systems, which emitted 221.2 million tons in 2009, followed by enteric fermentation and landfills. Landfills are the third largest source of CH4 in the United States, accounting for 17 percent of the total methane emissions in 2009. From 1990 to 2009, CH4 emissions from landfills decreased by 20 percent, with small increases occurring in some interim years.

This downward trend in overall emissions is the result of increases in the amount of landfill gas collected and combusted. The main activities producing nitrous oxide in the United States are agricultural soil management, fuel combustion in motor vehicles, manure management and stationary fuel combustion. In 2009, according to the report, agricultural soils accounted for 63 percent of the N2O emissions in the U.S. Annual N2O emissions from agricultural soils fluctuated between 1990 and 2009 because they are highly sensitive to the amount of nitrogen applied to the soils, and to weather patterns and soil types. EPAs report is available at: http://www.epa.gov/ climatechange/emissions/usinventoryreport.html.

Report Predicts No Direct Benefits for Military Use of Alternative Fuels

-- Craig D. Brooks, Executive Director uring the past few years, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has been researching and testing the use of alternative fuels that can be substituted for petroleum derived fuels used by the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force

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in their tactical weapons systems. To date, Congress has not required the DOD to use alternative fuels in tactical weapon systems nor have any directives been issued to this end. Responding to interest in the issue, however, the DOD asked RAND National Defense Research Institute to conduct an examination of alternative fuels for military applications. According to the RAND report, an increase in the DODs use of alternative fuels would have no direct benefit for the military. The report, Alternative Fuels for Military Applications, is the result of research requested by the DOD after Congress directed a study on alternative and synthetic fuel use by the military. The reports analysis of forward-based alternative fuel production concepts indicates that none provide a compelling military benefit. In contrast, most, if not all, would increase the logistics burden on deployed units. Compact fuel production systems that would use carbonaceous military wastes are now being developed. These systems could meet a small fraction of the energy needs of a forward-based unit. While they do not offer a compelling military benefit, they may represent a cost effective approach to managing wastes. Considering the complexity of the equipment required to produce liquid meeting military specifications in this way, these small waste-to-energy concepts are better suited for use in appropriately modified tactical power generators as opposed to producing fuels for high performance weapons systems, the report says. The report recommends that the military minimize its focus on testing hydrotreated renewable oils and

focus on electric power rather than specification grade military fuels for use in weapon systems. The report also recommends that the military complete testing and certification of fuel blends that are 50 percent traditional fuel and 50 percent Fischer-Tropsch liquids, which are fuels derived from gasified coal. In addition, the report says that Congress should reevaluate whether to appropriate funding for departmental alternative fuel research. And, the report recommends the DOD and the Department of Energy (DOE) should clarify their roles with respect to partnering on research projects. __________________________________________ In short, states the report, traditional systems, in which fuel is produced outside the military theater and then shipped in, are still the most practical in terms of military utility ___________________________________________ The report noted that a nationwide transition to alternative fuels will have positive effects including reducing the ability of foreign oil producers to restrict oil access, which would in turn reduce the price of oil in the U.S. The transition would also reduce the disruptions natural disasters such as hurricanes can cause to the fuel supply chain. But such a shift would not necessarily drive down the fuel process for the military. In short, traditional systems, in which fuel is produced outside the military theater and then shipped in, continue to be the most practical in terms of military utility. The report on use of alternative fuels for military use is available at: http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG969.html.

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On June 2nd, the Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution, Control and Conservation Committee (Committee) held a public hearing in Allegheny County regarding economic and public health issues in relation to the Marcellus shale gas drilling industry. The hearing was held in the district of Committee member Rep. Rick Saccone (photo at left). Among legislators attending (photo at right) were Committee members Rep. Scott Hutchinson (chairman third from right), Rep. Saccone (4th from right), Rep. Eli Evankovich (2nd from right), and Sen. Tim Solobay (3rd from left). Other lawmakers participating in the hearing were Rep. Mike Reese (left), Rep. Jeff Pyle (2nd from left) and Sen. Jim Brewster (4th from left). Committee Executive Director Craig Brooks is at the far right. The panel heard from five witnesses including leadoff witness (photo at left) James R. Ladlee, Director of Special Initiatives for the Marcellus Shale Education and Training Center, Penn State University Cooperative Extension Service. Other witnesses included: -- Tanya McCoy-Caretti, Vice-president, Business Development for L. R. Kimball; -- Brian Bagby, Executive Vice-president, Development and Marketing for H2O Resources LLC/Water TRAC; -- Douglas Hill, Executive Director for the County Commissioners Association of PA; and -- Geoffrey M. Butia, Chief of Public Drinking Water / Waste Management for the Allegheny County Health Department.

ON THE HORIZON . . . COMMITTEE CHRONICLES . . .

A LOOK AT UPCOMING EVENTS

No events are scheduled at this time.

Check the Committee website at http://jcc.legis.state.pa.us for events that may be added to the schedule.

A REVIEW OF SOME MEMORABLE COMMITTEE EVENTS

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In examining the issues a little more closely, as you may have guessed, the forest products industry has not been immune to the national and global economic downturn, while costs have continued to increase. As a result, cash flow and working capital shortages have occurred and have hindered recovery. The task force would look for possible ways to ease the problem. The task force had previously been a catalyst for positive changes to road posting and bonding regulations. Now, the boom in the Marcellus shale-related drilling industry has resulted in much greater road traffic and damage to roads also used by logging operations, a completely different business model from the gas industry. That has an economic impact on the forest products industry which needs to be examined. ______________________________________________________________ Under House Resolution 309, the Legislative Forestry Task Force would take up five issues significant to PAs forests and its forest products industry in the 2011-2012 legislative session ______________________________________________________________ In a related note, required training for loggers harvesting timber is much more extensive than that for those clearing land for gas operations and pipelines. However, the gas operations are harvesting a significant amount of timber. Training requirements need to be looked at. Tough state budgets have meant reductions in funding for forestry and forest product research. The task force would analyze the impact of funding reductions and the benefits of research to determine what could be done to find or create funding sources. Unfortunately, Pennsylvania is not immune to invasive forest pests and pathogens, like the Emerald ash borer, gypsy moth and others. Some have already had an adverse impact on the forest landscape and forest-based economy, while others have been found in nearby states and are expected to make an impact in Pennsylvania in the near future. The task force would seek to document the damages and the threats, look for better ways to monitor and remediate them, and work with DCNR on aggressive methods of salvaging forests that have been affected by invasions. As in past years, the task force, with the participation of its advisory committee, will issue a report with its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly as soon as possible, after its studies are completed. Speaking of which, the Committee will very shortly be issuing the Legislative Forestry Task Force Report for the issues the task force studied in the 2009-2010 legislative session. Well talk more about the findings and recommendations of those studies in a future article, and the report will be made available on the Committee website (http://jcc.legis.state.pa.us).

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Phone: 717-787-7570 Fax: 717-772-3836 Location: Rm. 408, Finance Bldg. Internet Website: http://jcc.legis.state.pa.us Mail: Joint Conservation Committee PA House of Representatives P.O. Box 202254 Harrisburg, PA 17120-2254

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Air and Water Pollution Control and onservation ommittee

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