The entire Commonwealth is in for a dangerous scorcher today, with extreme heat warnings in the eastern portion of the state and southwest and heat advisory’s everywhere else. Heat index values highs of up to 104 are expected as far…
Public Information Shouldn’t Come with a Price Tag
Should residents have to pay to access public information? Should local governments be forced to spend taxpayer dollars on newspaper ads that few people read? In a recent op-ed, PSATS Executive Director David Sanko argues that outdated state laws are blocking…
Guidance on Recent Treasury Notice on ARPA/SLFRF Reports
U.S. Treasury sent a mass email notice to all municipalities earlier this week about delinquent 2025 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA/SLFRF) Reports. However, unless your township received a phone call or email from PSATS staff Holly Fishel or Katie Lizza about…
Rain, Rain Made the Drought Go Away, But Heat Wave Coming!
The persistent rains the last few months has relieved drought conditions that have plagued much of Pennsylvania over the last year. Last week, the Commonwealth Drought Task Force lifted a drought watch for twenty-one counties but kept the watch in…
Pennsylvania Preserves Farms in Townships Across the Commonwealth
Pennsylvania is investing nearly $10 million to purchase development rights for 2,672 acres on 35 farms in 30 townships in 18 counties, protecting them from future development. The program ensures that Pennsylvania farmers will have access to prime quality land…
“Democracy Demands Free Access to Public Information”
Op-Ed Alert 2: The “Reporter” out of Pittsburgh published an op-ed written by PSATS executive director, Dave Sanko. Dave includes some updated information of interest.“A May 2024 Pew Research Center report found that only 4% of Americans prefer getting their local news from print…
Op-Ed Alert: Charging for Public Information Is Undemocratic — It’s Time to Break the Monopoly
We’ve just submitted an op-ed for publication that calls for a long-overdue change in how public information is shared in our state. As Pennsylvania celebrates its 250th anniversary, we believe it’s time to modernize outdated laws that require legal notices…
Shapiro Promotes Improvements to Speed of State Permit Review, DEP Tracking Site
Gov. Josh Shapiro is crediting his Administration’s work to speed state permit reviews as a key factor in securing a $20 billion investment from Amazon in artificial intelligence data centers in Pennsylvania. He noted the Pennsylvania Permit Fast Track program,…
Natural Gas Impact Fee Outlook Released
The Independent Fiscal Office released a report on the calendar year 2024 natural gas impact fee that will be distributed in July 2025, as well as the future outlook for the fee. According to the report, the Public Utility Commission…
Former PSATS Executive Director R. Keith Hite Passes Away
Former PSATS Executive Director R. Keith Hite passed on June 16 after a struggle with cancer. Hite was executive director of PSATS from 2000 to 2009, when he wrapped up a 30-year career with PSATS. He is survived by his wife,…
