Pennsylvania roundup: $19.6M freight grants, rural clinic, KOSA

By Olivia Hart

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is investing $19.6 million across 18 organizations to reduce freight diesel use, replace older equipment, lower operating costs and improve air quality.

The awards through the PA Freight Innovations in Transportation Grant Program, part of DEP's Driving PA Forward initiative, could save recipients an estimated $1.16 million. DEP attributes $991,000 of that saving to projects replacing diesel engines with electric alternatives.

DEP estimates the projects will cut nitrogen oxides by about 88 tons per year and combined particulate matter, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide by 34 tons annually. The grant logic is unusually direct: use another fuel, burn less diesel and reduce the bill.

What do the freight grants change?

DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley said the investment would reduce harmful emissions while supporting cleaner transportation and healthier communities. She said: "These projects will help recipients save more than $1.1 million annually in fuel costs — and with diesel fuel still over $6 per gallon, these projects will keep that money from going up in smoke."

Two local awards show what the funding buys:

• Nicholas Trucking, Lackawanna County: $163,134 to replace diesel-powered Class 7 box trucks with propane trucks. DEP projects savings of 3,529 gallons of diesel and $23,256 in fuel costs.
• Excel (DHL Supply Chain), Luzerne County: $142,898 to replace a diesel-powered Class 8 yard truck with a battery-electric model. Projected savings are 600 gallons of diesel and $3,954 in fuel costs.

DEP described both awards as funded replacement projects, not completed installations, and gave no equipment delivery dates. The measurable result is gallons of diesel and fuel cost removed from the participating fleets.

The agency also listed a wider record of well closure and permitting work:

• More than 500 wells plugged, exceeding the total of the previous two administrations combined.
• The first RISE PA grant round providing $267 million in Medium- and Large-Award Track grants, described as part of one of Pennsylvania's largest federal grants.
• Elimination of a historic backlog of more than 2,400 overdue permits as of Nov. 1, 2023.
• Launch of the Streamlining Permits for Economic Expansion and Development program, or SPEED, to accelerate permitting.
• Access to Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding for plugging wells and reclaiming abandoned mine land through a lawsuit filed against the federal government.

DEP's stated mission is to protect Pennsylvania's air, land and water and the health and safety of residents and visitors. Its well and permit figures provide the broader context for a smaller but more immediate program at freight fleets.

Takeaway: The transport grants have a measurable fuel target, but DEP has not yet tied them to completed equipment.

What does the rural clinic add?

Sen. Dave Argall, R-Pottsville, Rep. Jamie Barton, R-Tamaqua, and U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., joined Temple University, state and local officials and community partners at the grand opening of Temple's Dental Education Center and Clinic in downtown Tamaqua. The first-of-its-kind initiative aims to expand dental access and address a rural shortage of professionals.

The project represents a $31 million investment from Temple University, state and federal government, the Tamaqua CRIZ Authority and the Morgan Foundation. That total includes $14 million in federal Rural Transformation funding announced at the event, intended to support the clinic's long-term success and expansion of the model in other rural communities.

Argall said: "When we first announced this idea, some of my critics on Facebook thought I had to be hallucinating. Today, we are celebrating a remarkable facility that is already changing lives." He called it one of the largest investments in Tamaqua's history and said the project was worth every penny.

Barton said rural health care, including dental care, remained a major concern in Pennsylvania and that innovation was the only way to address it. Meuser said the clinic would fill a critical care gap while training future dental professionals in Schuylkill County.

The legislators said dental care can be a matter of life and death. They said the clinic should improve access for local families while training professionals in the region. Research cited in the roundup indicates that students who study and gain clinical experience in smaller communities are more likely to establish practices in similar communities.

Takeaway: The clinic now provides care and trains dental workers locally; expansion to other rural communities remains future work.

What would federal online-safety rules change?

Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday joined a bipartisan coalition of 45 attorneys general urging Congress to pass the Senate version of the Kids Online Safety Act. The letter calls for stronger nationwide protections, including minimum safety standards for social media and gaming platforms, while preserving state authority to enact and enforce child-safety laws.

Sunday cited addictive platforms, bullying, harmful chatbots and other dangerous uses of artificial intelligence as reasons to act. As a father, he said he understood why families worry about social media and modern technology. He said extended social media use posed a documented harm, parents deserved a strong advocate and Congress had a responsibility to put children first. He also said the state's child-safety work had only just begun.

The push follows the recently announced $17 billion multistate settlement with Meta. Its safeguards for users under 18 on Facebook and Instagram include:

• Daily time limits.
• Restrictions on nighttime use.
• Stronger protections against bullying.
• Limits on certain potentially harmful content.
• Enhanced parental controls.

The attorneys general said the Meta agreement, although significant, cannot provide consistent protection across the entire technology industry. KOSA's proposed Duty of Care provision would create a lasting standard for social media and gaming platforms, change as technology and platform features evolve, and leave states free to add protections.

State attorneys general have investigated major social media platforms since 2021 over addictive design features and effects on children's mental health. Those inquiries produced lawsuits against Meta and other companies, which alleged harm to young users.

Takeaway: Congress must pass the Senate KOSA to create a uniform federal floor; until that vote, the Meta settlement and state enforcement remain the operative limits.