October 9, 2023 Express Update

Last week, the State House passed amendment to the Fiscal Code as part of the ongoing state budget process. The Fiscal Code essentially has provisions that authorize the spending for programs adopted in the General Budget bill. In many occasions over the years, the Fiscal Code has been used to circumvent the regular legislative Committee […]

Last Friday marks the end of a whirlwind week in Washington as Congress averted a government shutdown by passing a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government at current levels until November 14—but did so at the expense of now-former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) job. The abridged version is that after failing […]

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is proposing a new Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) standard for residential boilers that calls into question the continued viability of oil and gas fired cast iron boilers. The Energy Policy and Conservation Act authorizes DOE to regulate the energy efficiency of residential heating oil and gas boilers. Under […]

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued the “pre-publication” version of its final consumer furnace rulemaking. The 575-page rule would be effective in late 2028 and eliminate non-condensing gas furnaces. The rule will remain in “pre-publication” until at least November 13th. Some highlights of note on the Final Rulemaking include: The Final Rule establishes an […]

Recently, over 100 members of the Merchants Payments Coalition (MPC), including representatives from PPA staff and retail membership, flooded Capitol Hill to demand a vote on the Credit Card Competition Act as an amendment to the Senate’s $280 billion spending minibus which would ensure retailer choice in payment routing by requiring at least two unaffiliated […]