HARRISBURG — Republicans lawmakers who back the sale of the state-owned liquor store system are pursuing an independent study to determine the value of privatizing the licenses.

House Republican spokesman Steve Miskin said Wednesday that GOP lawmakers will select a firm that is pre-qualified by the state Office of Administration to carry out such a study.

House Majority Leader Mike Turzai said the sale of wholesale and retail licenses can produce a one-time windfall of $2 billion. Gov. Tom Corbett supports the privatization concept, and has said he hopes privatization will provide a sizable nest egg to ease some of the financial pressures facing state government.

HARRISBURG — An analysis of federal government data by the environmental advocacy group PennEnvironment shows that Pennsylvania's coal-fired power plants ranked second in the nation in 2009 for mercury emissions.PennEnvironment released the analysis Wednesday, along with a list showing that three of the nation's eight dirtiest coal-fired plants are in Western Pennsylvania.All told, Pennsylvania's power plants put out more than 15,000 pounds of mercury that year, second only to Texas. Ohio and West Virginia were third and fourth.State officials have said that smokestack mercury accumulates near power plants, working its way up through the food chain to fish, plants and humans.The federal government says children and fetuses are particularly vulnerable to effects of the toxic metal, which can damage the development of the nervous system.

LORETTO — Hundreds of property owners in Cambria County are banding together in the hope that pooling their acreage will help them land a lucrative Marcellus Shale lease with a natural gas exploration company.The Altoona Mirror said neighbors in the Loretto Landowners Group have expanded to include 30,000 acres of mostly adjacent land. The group hired South Jersey Resources Group to drum up interest and it includes Ebensburg Borough after council members voted 4-0 on Monday to join.Ebensburg signed a $2.6 million lease in 2008, plus royalties on any gas production. But the market soured and the company, GFI Oil & Gas, never paid.

PITTSBURGH — A casino in Pittsburgh has gotten approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to expand its table games and build a 15,000-square-foot ballroom.Rivers Casino said the gaming board approved its request to add a dozen more blackjack tables, four poker tables and several roulette tables.The casino said it plans to hire about 100 more workers and anticipates that the new tables will be available in mid-March.