Study Says PA's Tax Rate is Regressive

A new study says Pennsylvania's tax rate is one of the "most regressive" in the nation.
Sharon Ward of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, a liberal think tank, says that's because every commonwealth resident pays the same 3.07 percent personal income tax, no matter how much money he or she is bringing in.
Ward says that means lower earners end up paying out a much higher portion of their finances into income, sales and property taxes.
She wants lawmakers to consider charging a higher income tax rate to the wealthy, so that lower and middle-income taxpayers can catch a break. Ward says that's feasible.

"It's important to note that we're--our tax rate is much lower than the surrounding states. Our top income tax rate is much lower than New York, New Jersey, Delaware, even West Virginia. Very high income earners--people over 500,000 dollars--pay twice as much income taxes in West Virginia."

According to the data, families earning 19-thousand dollars or less are spending 11 percent of their income on taxes, compared to the 5 percent that families earning more than 1.3 million dollars are shelling out.

The national study was put together by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.

Casey Wants Changes to Obama Health Care Overhaul

Pro-life Democrat Bob Casey says he wants to see changes to President Obama's health care overhaul, but he's confident the measure will pass the Senate by year's end.
Casey says Democrats don't have the votes they need to pass health care legislation yet, but argues the reform movement has gained momentum, and will clear the Senate in December.
Casey supports a push to make sure the proposed public option doesn't use public dollars to fund abortions.

"I think there's a consensus in the country not to have federal tax dollars pay for abortions and I think that's the intention of people in both parties here in Washington. But I don't think we're there yet in the current version of the bill."

Casey didn't say whether he'd support barring private plans offering abortion coverage from the public exchange, saying the proposal "complicates" things.
He says since there's no template for that type of initiative, it's difficult to tell whether the Hyde Amendment would apply.
Both Casey and Democrat Arlen Specter voted to begin debate on health care this past weekend.
Specter says health care may not pass this year--but he's confident it will pass the Senate.

"We're going to work at it, but it is more important that it is done right than it is done fast. We're dealing here with a big chunk of the economy. We're dealing with health care for America, and we're going to do it right. And if it takes a little longer we are going to take our time."

Specter says he thinks the final bill will include a public option.

Hanger: DEP Working to Minimize Pollution from Drilling

Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger says he's "not surprised" fifteen Susquehanna County residents are suing Cabot Oil and Gas for contaminating their drinking water.
DEP officials say Cabot's natural gas drilling contaminated thirteen wells in Dimock Township over the past year.
Residents have filed a federal lawsuit against the company in an attempt to stop future extractions.

Hanger wouldn't comment whether or not he supports the legal effort, but said DEP has taken a number of actions against the company.


"One was to literally tell them they couldn't frak (use chemically treated water under high pressure to break the shale to release the gas) for a period of time, and they had to come to the department with a plan to ensure their future operations would be in compliance. We've also issued two different fines."

Cabot is one of several companies drilling for natural gas in Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale formation. Officials first became aware of the leaks and contamination on January 1, when a gas leak caused a well to explode in one Dimock resident's yard.

Hanger says officials are working with other drillers to minimize pollution.

"We're also encouraging reuse and recycling so there isn't a discharge back to streams, and more and more companies actually are moving to reuse and recycle water to limit what water would need to be treated.

Both Hanger and Governor Rendell say they're satisfied with DEP's inspection and oversight efforts.

PA Sets a Thanksgiving Table

When you look down at that plate full of Thanksgiving dinner today you might be surprised to learn just how much of it could have come from Pennsylvania. The Keystone State ranks number nine in the nation in turkey production and number three in the production of butter. Pennsylvania State Data Center Director Sue Copella says the state also holds its own in wheat and corn production. 124 million ponds of sweet corn were produced in the state in 2008. Copella says at $35.40 per one hundred pounds that adds up to a big impact on the Pennsylvania economy. She notes turkey production is a $138 million industry in Pennsylvania with more than 5,000 workers in the poultry processing industry. Even before you get to the table there is a reason to be proud of the state. If you watch the Macy’s parade today you should know that it is not a tradition that started in New York. Gimbel’s in Philadelphia held a Thanksgiving parade in 1920, four years before Macy’s.

PA Turnpike Braces for Thanksgiving

The Pennsylvania Turnpike will make adjustments to construction and patrol schedules to accomodate Thanksgiving traffic this week. Most road work and construction will be suspended to allow for maximum traffic flow, while State Police will be on the watch for aggressive and drunk driving.

Spokesperson Carl DeFebo says commuters can call the turnpike's special emergency number, *11, instead of 911 to report emergencies.

DeFebo says traffic will be busiest from about 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, and again from noon to 8:00 p.m. Sunday.

He says motorists wishing to relax during a long drive can stop at the Allentown or Sideling Hill Service Plazas for "Take a Break" activities. He says these activities will showcase the Turnpike's response crews and will give commuters a chance to sign up for EZ-Pass and Missing Child Services.

Report On Excellence For All Campaign Released.

Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Mark Roosevelt has released a four-year update on the Excellence For All Campaign. He says that while improvements have been made work still needs to be done. Roosevelt says that out of 38 categories in the plan, eight were met or exceeded. Roosevelt added that there was improvement in 23 other areas. One area that has not met expectations has been 11th grade performance on the PSSA's. Roosevelt said that he does expect to see those scores increase because for the last three years there have been increases in 8th grade PSSA scores. According to Roosevelt the next step in the Excellence For All Campaign is to update it.

New Battery Technology May Help In Developing The New Power Grid

A CMU Professor has received a $5 million grant from the Department of Energy. The money is part of recovery act funding and will go towards the development of a high-volume battery that can store power from the electrical grid. By storing power a power station will be able to avoid wasting of energy and save money. Currently the power grid has to turn on extra power stations when there is peak demand for energy. By storing power a power station would be able release extra energy when demand is high. By giving power stations the ability to store power it would also allow for stations to buy energy at night when costs are lower and use it during the day when costs are higher. CMU professor Jay Whitacre, who is developing the battery technology says that it would also help if renewable energy sources start to come online because sources such as wind and solar fluctuate in their output and the battery would be able to save the energy to provide a more consistent output.