Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett last week appointed six new commissioners to the board of the Delaware River Port Authority.

Gov. Tom Corbett has lifted a restriction on additional natural-gas drilling in Pennsylvania that could allow more extraction in the Marcellus Shale region.

Pennsylvania lawmakers are working on legislation that would enable public-private-partnerships to help finance transportation infrastructure needs throughout the state.

The Harrisburg Authority is pushing back against a Ba1 rating from Moody’s Investors Service on the authority’s $69.4 million of water bonds, calling the rating “fundamentally unfair.”

Pennsylvania collected $13.7 billion of revenue from July through January — $264 million, or 2% above budgeted estimates, with help from strong sales, personal income, and business taxes.

The Securities and Exchange Commission will review bond-related documents that Harrisburg provides to investors.

Philadelphia International Airport plans a $5.2 billion expansion project that would include about $4.2 billion of borrowing to help finance an increase in capacity. Officials also would like to improve the facility’s on-time record, especially during bad weather.

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell this week returned to Ballard Spahr LLP, where he will work on public-private partnership infrastructure developments, and energy and environmental issues.

A judge last week delayed to March 15 a hearing regarding a suit that could force Harrisburg to repay debt-service costs on $282 million of outstanding incinerator debt before meeting other expenses.

Moody’s Investors Service Tuesday downgraded $69.4 million of Harrisburg Authority water bonds to Ba1 from A1. The outlook is negative.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett took office Tuesday, pledging to reduce the size of government and implement fiscal restraint.

Harrisburg’s $56 million 2011 budget remained uncertain Friday afternoon as Mayor Linda Thompson continued to review the spending plan.

Harrisburg could receive a financial recovery plan by ­­mid-May as Pennsylvania ­Wednesday announced that Novak Consulting Group will head a team of advisers to work with city ­officials on a fiscal strategy.

Nancy Winkler, a long-time adviser at Public Financial Management Inc., will leave the private sector to become Philadelphia’s treasurer on Jan. 31.

Robust December collections boosted Pennsylvania’s tax receipts to $191.2 million above budgeted estimates for the first half of fiscal 2011.

Pittsburgh's City Council late last week was expected to override a veto by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl of a bill that would raise fees on city-owned parking garages to fund pension costs.

Harrisburg might receive legal help from Pennsylvania as the capital city fights off a lawsuit that could force it to raise revenue to repay $282 million of outstanding incinerator debt.

Pennsylvania Wednesday announced that its cash-strapped capital city, Harrisburg, will be placed in its program for financially distressed municipalities. The city as a result will work with an outside financial adviser to craft a fiscal recovery plan.

With an eye on its credit ratings, the Delaware River Port Authority chose to keep in place a $1 toll hike Wednesday that was set to begin July 1 after weeks of debate on whether to delay the increase to 2012.

Pennsylvania on Wednesday will take bids on $650 million of general obligation debt, including $466 million of taxable Build America bonds.