By Tim Lambert | Editor-in-chief
“Every time I talk about property taxes, people complain about not seeing the relief from casinos promised by politicians more than 20 years ago. This set of bills will increase property tax relief for 96% of Pennsylvania’s homeowners and deliver it directly into their hands.” — State Rep. Russ Diamond (R-Lebanon), who’s proposing an update to the commonwealth’s Gaming Act.
A good Wednesday morning to you. Today will mark our second day in our new office space in Harrisburg. After moving a couple of blocks from our former digs, we’re now located at 105 North Front Street in Suite 205A, right along the Susquehanna River. If you are in the neighborhood, come on in and say, “Hello.”
Thanks for starting your day with us. As always, we deeply appreciate you reading, sharing and supporting our work. -- Tim
A Pennsylvania Skill game in a Delaware County convenience store. (Photo by Peter Hall/Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
By Peter Hall
With the future of skill games in Pennsylvania on the line, a Lebanon County state lawmaker is proposing an update to the commonwealth’s Gaming Act to legalize the gambling machines before they’re forced to go dark.
Rep. Russ Diamond (R-Lebanon) said in a news release Tuesday that taxing slot-machine-like skill games could also provide nearly $1 billion in additional property tax relief for homeowners.
“Pennsylvania’s gaming law was originally written for a much different era,” Diamond said, noting the legislation would bring skill games under regulation as the industry faces a legal deadline.
Whether going to school, a job or the doctor’s office, e-scooters, e-bikes or other vehicles can be more affordable and healthy for users. (Capital-Star Photo)
By Whitney Downard
Advances in battery technology and other innovations have made small, lightweight e-scooters designed to travel short distances cheaper — and faster — than ever, but Pennsylvania’s legal code and safety regulations haven’t kept up.
The increasingly popular devices aren’t legal to operate on public streets in the commonwealth, and critics say car and truck drivers may be unprepared to share the road with their smaller counterparts.
“It’s like the wild west out there,” Scott Slingerland, the executive director of the Coalition for Appropriate Transportation, told state legislators in the Lehigh Valley on Tuesday.
Construction is underway for the PAX-1 data center hub in Middlesex Township, Cumberland County. (Photo by Peter Hall/Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
COMMENTARY
By Michael Helbing of the The Conversation
Governors across the country are relying on their executive powers to address the increasing public backlash against data center proposals.
This past July, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul placed an effective moratorium on data center permitting until the state’s Department of Public Service creates a generic environmental impact statement regarding the impacts of data centers. Similarly, in August, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced a moratorium on data centers until state agencies can audit data related to impacts on the electric grid.
In Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed executive order 2026-05 on Aug. 18, placing restrictions on the state’s review of permits related to data centers.
I am the executive director of Penn State’s Center for Energy Law and Policy, and I have been tracking policy responses to data center proposals in Pennsylvania and across the country. I find it notable that one of the justifications the governor appears to cite in his order is a little-used but potentially powerful legal tool: the Environmental Rights Amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution.
Independent reporting on Pennsylvania state government that impacts communities statewide — free to read and republish.
We saw a tremendous influx of contributions over the last three days, so we wanted to take a moment to thank each and every one of you supporting our work:
Gregory from Lebanon, Phyllis from York, Jody from Mechanicsburg, Brett from New Cumberland, Tim from Allentown, Joshua from Sewickley, Miriam from Bethel Park, Kevin from Mechanicsburg, Lisa from Lemoyne, Frank from Warminster, Jason from Lancaster, Sandra from Harrisburg, Donald from Mifflinburg, Eric from West Grove, Bard from Orrtanna, Ilyse from Harrisburg, Theresa from Chambersburg, Cary from Harleysville and Thomas from Fairfax, Virginia.
We can’t do what we do without you.
A view of the top of a waste coal pile at Windber Mine 37 in western Pennsylvania. Once the site of an active mine, a massive pile of old coal now occupies a mountainside there and pollutes the Paint Creek below. (Photo by Kyle Bagenstose/Inside Climate News)
By Kyle Bagenstose of Inside Climate News
Pennsylvania’s waste coal industry is propped up by hundreds of millions of dollars in public subsidies, primarily through its inclusion in the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards (AEPS), a regulation dating back to 2004 that requires utilities operating in the state to purchase a certain percentage of their power from specific sources.
The industry also receives financial support from state tax breaks, first instituted in 2016, that now amount to about $50 million a year.
There is also a climate cost. Burning waste coal is more carbon-intensive than most other energy sources; a September 2025 study from University of Nevada Researchers found they produce 7 percent to 118 percent more greenhouse gas emissions per kilowatt hour of energy than traditional coal plants, which are responsible for the majority of historical global warming.
TODAY IN THE CAPITAL-STAR
Whistleblower predicts ‘catastrophic’ effect under vote-by-mail order: The U.S. Postal Service rushed the development of electronic tools to comply with a Trump administration policy placing new restrictions on mail-in voting, and defied a court order to stop work on the system, according to an explosive whistleblower complaint published by Democratic U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal.
SNAP cuts could lead to kids losing free school breakfast and lunch: Many students who receive free school meals automatically qualify because of their household participation in SNAP or Medicaid. So a reduction in those social service programs can directly threaten their eligibility for free school meals.
New York’s ‘climate Superfund’ law blocked as other states watch closely: A federal judge ruled that New York can’t enforce its landmark “climate Superfund” law, a measure that sought to charge fossil fuel companies to help the state deal with the costs of climate change. While the legal battle is far from over, the ruling could give pause to lawmakers in many other states.
ICYMI
The Pa. cattle industry is concerned about Trump’s beef imports: Pennsylvania cattle producers are joining other beef industry leaders speaking out against President Trump’s effort to lower beef prices. “It makes basically no sense,” said Bill Devore, president of the Pennsylvania Cattlemen’s Association.
Farmers have until Dec. 31 to file claims in Deere settlement: Farmers who purchased and had to repair John Deere large agricultural equipment during a certain time frame may be eligible for a payment as part of an antitrust class-action settlement. Right to repair advocates argue that accepting the current settlement will give prevent farmers from future or more substantial settlements or damages.
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