DEP's+Krancer,+House+Democrats+clash+during+budget+hearing

=By Kevin Zwick= =Published by Capitolwire= =3/6/12= = = = = =HARRISBURG (March 6) – Rah rah sis boom bah!= = = =Well, not exactly, according to Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Krancer.= = = =Rep. Matt Bradford, D-Montgomery, accused him of being a “cheerleader” for the natural gas industry during a House Appropriations Committee budget hearing on Tuesday.= = = =“First of all, I’m not cheerleading for anybody or anything,” Krancer said. “…I don’t as you say ‘cheerlead’ for the industry. What I do is make sure that the industry is properly overseen and does things properly … The only cheerleading I do is cheerleading for the facts, cheerleading for the truth, standing up to falsehoods, standing up to fiction.”= = = =Democrats and Krancer clashed throughout the two-and-a-half hour budget hearing on a number of topics. Both Republican and Democratic chairmen interjected at one point during the hearing to quell arguments between Krancer and Democratic members.= = = =Much like the Senate's budget hearing for DEP, Krancer defended the proposed cuts to the department, saying the cuts won’t have a negative impact on the department’s ability to handle the increasing work caused by the Marcellus Shale boom.= = = =Krancer said after the hearing that those are "fair concerns, but overblown."= = = =The governor’s 2012-13 proposed budget, just like his first budget, proposes cuts to the department. Gov. Tom Corbett proposes cutting more than $10 million in state funding from the department’s budget, dropping the budget from $137.2 million to $126.6 million.= = = =Rep. Greg Vitali, D-Delaware, said he spoke with DEP staff who were concerned with low morale, a “hemorrhaging” of jobs to the oil and gas sector, and pay inequities.= = = =Krancer said, “I love your constant use of unnamed, unattributed sources. It’s fascinating because the credibility of those kinds of attributions are always questionable. But in any event--”= = = =“--Your staff is afraid what will happen to them if they speak publicly,” Vitali said.= = = =Krancer said there was “no credibility” with Vitali’s “assertions” because he would not name the staffer.= = = =“You’ll admit you will not let me speak with your staff in private, you will admit that publicly, won’t you?” Vitali said.= = = =“That’s normal business operations,” Krancer said, “and you won’t let me speak to yours either probably…”= = = =Appropriations Chairman Bill Adolph, R-Delaware, asked that Krancer and Vitali stay on the questions.= = = =“Well, anyway that question was akin to a speech,” Krancer said.= = = =“Secretary, answer the question, please,” Adolph said.= = = =Krancer said the morale of the staff at DEP is fine, but did say there is an issue with the salary inequity, which is happening in other areas of government. He said there is 1 percent available for salary increases for management in the proposed budget.= = = =Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Centre, mentioned a provision addressing local control in the new Marcellus Shale law, and then asked about the elimination of the sewage facility planning grants in the proposed budget.= = = =Krancer, while addressing the local control portion of the question, said Conklin was “inaccurate.”= = = =“It simply does not do what you say it does,” Krancer said, citing an Op-Ed from Sen. Chuck McIlhinney, R-Bucks. “He said in reality the new law will not force a single community in the state to permit drilling … but in any event, now to get to your question, the fact of the matter is --”= = = =“Oh I’m sorry, are we going to have a debate on [House Bill] 1950, or are we going to get to our questions Mr. Secretary,” Conklin said. “I appreciate your looking to policy constantly, but yeah, if we could get to the question it would be great--”= = = =“--Well, I’m trying to answer the first part of your statement first,” Krancer said, “because it was inaccurate--”= = = =“Oh, you mean the part that says ‘shall’ give a variance … that’s inaccurate, Mr. Secretary? It’s right in the law, read pages 72-74, sir,” Conklin said.= = = =“Thank you for that. Do you want your question answered or not?” Krancer responded.= = = =Democratic Chairman Joe Markosek, D-Allegheny, then interjected into inaudible over-talking between Conklin and Krancer:= = = =“Mr. Secretary, just answer the questions. We don’t need speeches about other members, about the governor’s budget, all those kinds of things. We’ve had plenty of secretaries that have come in here, we’ve respected them all and we respect you. But please, answer the questions, you’ve been combative, it’s almost like you don’t wanna be here, you’re defensive. Just answer the questions please, thank you,” Markosek said.= = = =Krancer said the zeroing out of the sewage-related items that Conklin asked about would not have an “on-the-ground” effect because the of a backlog in applications for the grants, as well as local governments’ abilities to generate funding through fees.= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =News= =home=