In renaming Department of Environmental Resources and defining rulemaking authority of Department of Environmental Protection, repealing provisions relating to Department of Environmental Protection and providing for Department of Environmental Services; and making editorial changes.
HB913 would rename Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection as the Department of Environmental Services throughout the Conservation and Natural Resources Act and related references in state law. The bill repeals the existing section that renamed the former Department of Environmental Resources to the Department of Environmental Protection and replaces it with a new section establishing the Department of Environmental Services as the successor name. It also updates statutory references so that any mention of the Department of Environmental Protection in statutes or regulations is deemed to refer to the Department of Environmental Services.
The bill includes transition provisions intended to avoid disruption to agency operations. Existing licenses, contracts, deeds, official actions, signage, computer systems, badges, stationery, and other materials would remain valid during a phased transition, with the department permitted to use old naming until supplies are exhausted or routine replacements occur. The act also preserves the department’s existing powers and duties and carries forward personnel, funds, regulations, and other administrative assets tied to transferred functions, including energy-related programs and funds previously administered by the Pennsylvania Energy Office.
HB913 would amend the Conservation and Natural Resources Act and related statutory cross-references to formally redesignate the Department of Environmental Protection as the Department of Environmental Services. It would not appear to change the substantive environmental regulatory powers of the agency, but it would update legal references, administrative titles, and transition rules across state law, regulations, and agency materials. The bill also preserves the transfer of energy program functions, funds, personnel, and related records to the renamed department, affecting the Department of Environmental Protection, the Pennsylvania Energy Office, and entities interacting with those programs.
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes, the measure appears to be a largely administrative reorganization proposal rather than a policy dispute over environmental regulation. The naming change and transition language suggest an effort to modernize or rebrand the agency while minimizing operational disruption. Because there is no available discussion transcript or voting history in the provided materials, no clear partisan or stakeholder sentiment can be identified from the record here.
The main point of potential contention is the agency renaming itself, since changing the Department of Environmental Protection to the Department of Environmental Services could be seen as symbolic or as signaling a shift in the department’s mission or public identity. Another possible issue is the breadth of conforming changes across statutes, regulations, contracts, and energy-related programs, though the bill explicitly tries to preserve existing authority and avoid legal disruption. No specific objections, supporters, or negotiated compromises are reflected in the provided committee or vote materials.