The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that “the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments in a case over drilling in state forests that could reset expectations for what the government must do to show that it is conserving public natural resources.”  

“The court’s seven justices, including three new members who will take their seats in January, appear poised to review the government’s obligations under the state constitution’s environmental rights amendment, which was given new respect with a 2013 Supreme Court decision that relied on it to upend key parts of a state Marcellus Shale drilling law, known as Act 13.”  

“The court has agreed to hear arguments on two issues, one broad and one narrower: What is the proper standard for reviewing government actions and laws to see if they comply with the environmental rights amendment, and is it constitutional for the General Assembly to transfer money from state forest drilling out of a special fund set aside for conservation purposes?”