$1.3 million: That’s the amount of money spent by the five biggest natural gas drilling groups and companies to lobby state government, Capitol Ideas reports today: "That tally dwarfed that of the state’s four leading environmental groups, who spent just $51,484 during an ill-fated push for a severance tax on the industry and tighter environmental standards, according to records filed with the Pennsylvania Department of State."  More after the jump.

Springboarding off of the president’s affirmation of gay marriage, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports the state Lege isn’t likely to do any such evolving.  StateImpact PA writes the Public Utility Commission has a nearly-final plan for collecting and distributing natural gas drilling impact fee money.  The PA Independent takes a look at a House bill, similar to one passed in the Senate weeks ago, that would relax direct shipping regulations for domestic wineries.

The agency that vets applications from energy companies to pull water from the Susquehanna River Basin is hearing public comment on its next steps – both on water withdrawal permits, and the comprehensive plan that governs them. 

(York) -- A number of public buses in central Pennsylvania could soon be fueled by natural gas in an effort to help cut energy costs. rabbittransit, which provides transportation throughout Adams and York counties and northern Maryland, may switch from using diesel to compressed natural gas, or CNG. Executive Director Richard Farr says if its plan is approved, the company would purchase up to 40 new buses to run on natural gas. "CNG could potentially cost half as much as diesel per equivalent gallon. If that's true and you have a vehicle that runs 600,000 miles, you could potentially save $1 million in fuel alone, so that in itself could pay for the vehicle over its life," he says. Farr says a fueling station could be built at the company's new headquarters on Zarfoss Drive in York that's slated to open soon, in addition to a site in Adams County. He adds switching to natural gas is just one way to help boost Pennsylvania's economy in the wake of the recent natural gas drilling boom. Farr says the company could make a decision on the proposal by the end of the summer.

Seven municipalities have filed suit against the commonwealth and state agencies to stop the implementation of the new Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling impact fee law.  The Patriot-News reports that the governor’s counsel is meeting with advocacy groups to discuss the recent and “sporadic” enforcement of new restrictions on elevator access at the Capitol, and access to the area outside the governor’s office.  And, an update about a story on food stamps for people on strike.   

A Dauphin County judge will decide how long former House Speaker John Perzel and others will go to prison for corruption crimes, if they go at all.  Rick Santorum will watch Illinois primary returns in Gettysburg this evening, writes the Evening Sun, and the Citizens’ Voice checks in on which counties are deciding to levy a Marcellus Shale impact fee.  

(Harrisburg) -- One midstate lawmaker is calling for the state to offer incentives to commercial fleets that are fueled by natural gas. State Representative Stan Saylor of York County has created a bill that pushes for state grants to provide incentives to commercial fleets that switch to natural gas for fuel. Saylor says the move would help lower transportation costs for Pennsylvanians and would help support the state's natural gas industry in the Marcellus Shale region. He says it's time to start fueling cars by gas produced here in the United States. "We have got to get off foreign oil. It's very clear to us that it is continuing to damage," he says. "We're into the point now where not only are we importing oil, but we're importing gasoline, because we can't handle it here in our refineries." Saylor says the construction of more natural gas fueling stations would also help support the program. He adds $30 million spread out over five years from the state's Clean Air Fund could help fund the initiative.

(Harrisburg) -- Governor Corbett says the natural gas boom, particularly out of the state's Marcellus Shale region, could be behind two car companies' decision to produce natural gas-powered pickup trucks. Both Chrysler and General Motors have announced plans to make the trucks. Appearing on Radio Pennsylvania's "Ask the Governor" series, Corbett says he and other governors have shown support for converting their state's fleets to natural gas. "Governor Kasich in Ohio and myself and six other states have agreed that we're going to try and convert our fleets, light-duty trucks, over to the natural gas to give Detroit some impetus to do this and then obviously, because of that commitment, I can't say directly that that's what Chrysler looked at, but I think it certainly had an influence," he says. Corbett says the introduction of natural gas fueling stations in the state could have also influenced the decision to produce natural gas-powered trucks. He adds he'd like to see several such stations located along the Pennsylvania Turnpike to help grow the market for the natural gas vehicles.

There were shouts, but no clashes between protesters and police at the meeting of commissioners in charge of granting energy companies permission to take water out of the Susquehanna River Basin for the sake of hydraulic fracturing.  The roughly 25 anti-fracking protesters in attendance at the Susquehanna River Basin Commission were quiet, almost sedate, for the first 25 minutes of the public meeting.  When the commission’s final agenda item was announced – project applications – there was an audible rustling from the gallery seats.