A Democratic state representative from southern Pennsylvania sent out a press release Tuesday questioning the ethics of state Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati relating to a donation from an energy company.

Scarnati, R-Brockway, has served as the region’s state senator since 2000.

State Rep. Greg Vitali, D-Havertown, said a $5,000 contribution by Consol Energy to Scarnati’s campaign on March 29 was closely followed April 13 by the senator introducing a bill that would help Consol in a pending legal action.

Senate Bill 624, according to Vitali, would reduce protections afforded to streams where coal companies seek to conduct longwall mining operations underneath them. The bill was voted from the Senate Environmental Resource and Energy Committee on Monday along party lines.

Senate Bill 624 would affect a pending case before the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board (EHB Docket No. 2014-072-B) relating to Consol’s mining activity in and near Greene County’s Ryerson Station State Park.

A hearing was held in August 2016, and a decision from the state Environmental Hearing Board is expected soon. Senate Bill 624 has a retroactive effect and would directly affect this case, Vitali said.

Scarnati called Vitali’s account of the donation and the bill “offensive and factually inaccurate.”

“As I have always emphasized, campaign contributions do not drive my policy decisions,” Scarnati said. “I receive over $1 million in campaign donations each year — often from competing interests — and my legislative decisions cannot and do not take contributions into account.”

He continued, “I have rigorously followed campaign finance laws and all campaign finance reports are publically accessible.”

When asked about the timing of the donation and the timing of the bill’s introduction, Scarnati said, “My staff and I have been aware of this issue and working to address it since 2016.”

Scarnati’s ethics have been called into question in the past, when he accepted Super Bowl tickets from Consol Energy when the state’s impact fee legislation was in the planning stages. The senator vehemently defended himself against any impropriety then, and reimbursed the cost of the trip.

On Tuesday, Scarnati was again vehement in pointing to his reputation for ethics, and suggested Vitali’s press release was a way to call attention to himself.

“Rep. Vitali distributed his press release in an attempt to maintain his relevancy,” Scarnati said via email. “These types of allegations are precisely why he is no longer Democratic chair of the House Environmental Resources & Energy Committee. Being a leader requires honesty and accuracy, not merely seeking the attention of a faux spotlight.”

Scarnati also explained details of the bill that Vitali had called into question.

“Senate Bill 624 clarifies current law that has good balance between sustaining jobs, economic growth and environmental protection,” the senator said. “The legislation was raised to counter a devious legal argument that was made by the Sierra Club, which if upheld would have a broad and disastrous effect on the mining of coal and extraction of natural gas and other minerals in Pennsylvania.

“Senate Bill 624 is a re-statement of the Department of Environmental Protection’s current policy,” the senator continued. “In fact, DEP is currently rigorously defending this position before the Environmental Hearing Board.”

In a closing salvo, Scarnati said, “It is unfortunate that Rep. Vitali chooses to spend his time working against what is in the best interest of good, paying Pennsylvania jobs. Perhaps his time and the time of his four staffers listed on this press release could be better spent studying the issues associated with SB 624.”

For his part, Vitali said, “Confidence in government erodes when special-interest groups donate to politicians who in turn push legislation favorable to the donors. This unfortunately is a common practice in Harrisburg.”

The bill is now in a position to be considered by the Senate as a whole.

Vitali said he urges Gov. Tom Wolf to veto the legislation should it reached his desk.