PA Environment Digest Feb. 4, 2019

Issue #762 Harrisburg, PA Feb.
4, 2019
PA Environment Digest Blog Twitter Feed Facebook Page
Gov. Wolf Proposes A $4.5 Billion, 4-Year Restore Pennsylvania Community &
Environmental Infrastructure Investment Program
On January 31, Gov. Tom Wolf proposed a $4.5 billion,

4-year Restore Pennsylvania initiative to fund
high-impact community and environmental infrastructure
projects that he said will help catapult Pennsylvania
ahead of every state in the country in terms of
technology, development and infrastructure.
Restore Pennsylvania has 5 priority areas-- High
Speed Internet Access; Storm Preparedness and Disaster
Recovery; Downstream Manufacturing, Business
Development and Energy Infrastructure; Demolition,
Revitalization and Renewal; and Transportation Capital
Projects.
It would be funded by monetizing a severance tax on natural gas production in
Pennsylvania that would generate $300 million a year, over and above the existing Act 13
drilling impact fee.
“Over the past four years my administration has worked hard to improve our
infrastructure and build strong, stable communities across the Commonwealth,” said Gov. Wolf.
“We’ve made progress, but we still have more work to do.”
“It is far past time that Pennsylvanians stop allowing our Commonwealth to be the only
state losing out on the opportunity to reinvest in our communities,” said Gov. Wolf. “And as
long as that is allowed to continue – my vision of a restored Pennsylvania that is ready to
compete in the 21st century economy will never become reality.”
The Governor said this proposal is separate from the budget because it is not intended to
make up for funding deficits in the regular budget.
Senators John Yudichak (D-Luzerne), Minority Chair of the Senate Environmental
Resources and Energy Committee, and Tom Killion (R-Delaware) will co-sponsor the
implementing legislation in the Senate.
Representatives Jake Wheatley (D-Allegheny) and Thomas Murt (R-Montgomery) will
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co-sponsor the implementing legislation in the House.
“Restore Pennsylvania is a bold and innovative plan to inject billions of dollars into
infrastructure projects across the Commonwealth through a fair severance tax,” said Sen. John
Yudichak. “I applaud Governor Wolf for working in a bipartisan fashion to craft a plan that will
benefit all Pennsylvanians.”
"We can no longer afford to lose billions of dollars by not having a sensible severance tax
on drillers,” said Sen. Tom Killion. “I thank Governor Wolf for his strong leadership on this
issue. I am proud to work with Senator Yudichak on passing the governor's proposal in the
senate. Let's finally get this done for Pennsylvania's families."
“As the Democratic chairman of the House Finance Committee, I appreciate the
difficulty behind fairly and effectively raising revenue,” said Rep. Jake Wheatley. “This is a
reasonable severance tax, with exciting new ideas on how to maximize our investment. That’s
why I’m pleased to be one of the prime sponsors of this legislation, along with looking forward
to working with the governor and my Republican colleagues to finally get this done.”
“It is time that we faced our responsibilities honestly and tapped our vast natural gas
resources in a way that will allow us to invest in Pennsylvania’s future success,” Rep. Thomas
Murt said. “Restore Pennsylvania will help us upgrade transportation infrastructure, fight blight,
and address contamination issues like lead and PFAS in my district and throughout the
Commonwealth.”
Environmental Elements
The environmental elements include funding for flood damage reduction and floodplain
restoration projects, stormwater pollution reduction to help communities comply with the MS4
requirements, helping families recover from disasters, brownfield and contaminated site cleanup,
funding to preserve open space, address the State Park maintenance backlog, for farmland
preservation, abandoned mine cleanup and creating new recreation opportunities, improving
energy efficiency, installing combined heat and power and micro-grid system, improving dirt and
gravel roads and for transit capital projects.
This initiative represents the first new funding to support local environmental restoration
projects since the Growing Greener Program was enacted in 1999 under Gov. Ridge and had its
funding expanded in 2002 under Gov. Schweiker.
With this proposal, Gov. Wolf joins the Republican and Democratic governors of
Maryland, New York and Virginia, upstream and downstream of Pennsylvania in the
Chesapeake Bay Watershed, who have already laid out extensive plans in their states to address
critical water-related environmental funding issues.
Here are some highlights on the environment-related elements of the Restore
Pennsylvania proposal--
-- Critical Flood Control Infrastructure: Last year was the wettest year on record in
Pennsylvania, and modelling suggests that increased rain will continue.
Communities across the state were impacted by record-breaking rainfall, flash flooding
and river flooding across the state, from Philadelphia in the east and Allegheny County in the
west to Bradford and Columbia in the north and widespread devastation in Schuylkill, Lebanon,
York and Lancaster Counties in Central Pennsylvania, among others.
A single storm in early August created more than $60 million in damage to transportation
infrastructure alone in the middle of the state.
A Center for Rural Pennsylvania study done by Penn State in 2017 showed the frequency
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and duration of heavy precipitation events increased 71 percent from 1958 to 2013.
The devastation these natural disasters leave in their wake demonstrate all too clearly that
Pennsylvania’s legacy infrastructure needs to be updated to handle changing weather and new
development.
Many needed projects involve streambank restoration to restore flow and prevent future
erosion.
Other projects will be for floodplain restoration, which allows stormwater to spread out
and slow down, so it can be absorbed into the groundwater, rather than flooding over
streambanks.
Additional critical flood control infrastructure includes dams, levees and flood walls.
Restore Pennsylvania will provide funding for flood prevention that will protect against
severe weather and save homes and businesses in flood prone areas across the state. It will
provide funding to help towns and cities prepare for flooding and severe weather, upgrade flood
walls and levees, replace high-hazard dams, and conduct stream restoration and maintenance.
-- Helping Families Rebuild After Disasters: In the aftermath of severe storms and other
disasters, homeowners who have in some cases lost everything need immediate assistance to
begin to put their lives back together.
While Federal Emergency Management Agency funding is available to assist property
owners recovering from events that have been declared a Major Disaster, and funding is
available from the U.S. Small Business Administration for some smaller events, there is
currently very limited help available for Pennsylvanians who experience catastrophic losses due
to localized flooding or other severe weather events that were not declared a Major Disaster by
the federal government.
Restore Pennsylvania will establish a disaster relief trust fund to assist individuals who
suffer losses that are not compensated by FEMA or other programs.
-- Stormwater Infrastructure: Across Pennsylvania, communities large and small are
struggling to implement new federal requirements that they manage stormwater to prevent
pollution from flowing into local streams and rivers.
Nearly 1,000 communities with municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4) are
currently preparing to implement a Pollutant Reduction Plan to reduce discharges from their
storm sewers into local waterways.
While funding this new infrastructure is a challenge, it is also an opportunity to create
local jobs to construct and maintain green infrastructure that captures stormwater where it falls
while also beautifying downtowns with rain gardens, parks, and streetscape improvements.
Restore Pennsylvania will provide grants to municipalities moving forward with
Pollutant Reduction Plans to help them implement creative solutions to comply with their
stormwater mandates and transform their communities.
Additional state funding will reduce the need for new stormwater fees, which have
proven unpopular where they have been proposed.
Additional incentives will be provided for communities that are working collaboratively
with their neighbors to tackle the problem in the most efficient manner possible.
-- Brownfield Clean-Up: In communities across the state, underutilized and abandoned former
industrial and commercial sites sit waiting for cleanup to unlock their potential as a catalyst for
new manufacturing and economic development.
Frequently these sites have existing infrastructure, historic buildings and close proximity
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to transportation that make them attractive locations for redevelopment and reuse.
Revitalizing these locations improves the health and quality of life of our citizens and
injects much-needed revenue into our local communities by returning once lifeless properties to
the tax rolls.
Pennsylvania’s land recycling program has long been lauded as a national model for the
successful cleanup of brownfields, with over 6,000 sites having been successfully cleaned up and
returned to productive use.
With the long-anticipated phase out of the Capital Stock and Franchise Tax in 2016,
which helped fund the program, there is now a need to identify funding to ensure that this critical
work can continue.
Restore Pennsylvania will provide funding to ensure the continuation of Pennsylvania’s
Brownfields program, ensuring that more sites can be returned to use for recreation, or returned
to the tax rolls as commercial, residential, or industrial sites.
Restore Pennsylvania will increase resources for addressing blight by providing
financial resources at the local level to establish land banks and acquire and demolish blighted
buildings in order to create new development opportunities or provide new green space. The
funding will be administered by entities established by the legislature as land banks or
demolition funds.
-- Contaminant Remediation: In addition to remaining brownfields, many residential homes
and neighborhoods still face issues with contaminants like lead and Perfluoroalkyl and
Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS).
Studies continue to find elevated lead levels in blood tests of Pennsylvania’s youngest
residents, a result of Pennsylvania’s older housing stock, 70 percent of which was built before
the 1978 ban on lead paint. Long-term exposure to lead paint can have devastating
developmental consequences including lowered-IQ, memory problems, and other neurological
and behavioral effects.
To help prevent the ongoing exposure of Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable populations, we
must redouble our level of effort to remediate lead paint from homes throughout
theCommonwealth.
There have also been recent discoveries of PFAS contaminants in numerous communities
across the Commonwealth, threatening the safety of residents’ drinking water. The cleanup costs
associated with addressing these chemicals can be significant, and without the Hazardous Sites
Cleanup Fund there are few funding options available at the state level.
Restore Pennsylvania will fund expanded efforts to remove lead and other contaminants
from communities.
-- Green Infrastructure (Open Space, State Park Maintenance, Farmland Preservation,
Pollution Reduction, Abandoned Mine Cleanup, New Recreation Opportunities):
Pennsylvania has long recognized the need to invest to protect open space, address maintenance
needs in state parks, preserve working farms, install farm best management practices, clean up
abandoned mines and restore watersheds, provide funds for recreational trails and local parks,
help communities address land use, and provide new and upgraded water and sewer systems.
These projects help create prosperous and sustainable communities, protect the
environment, add quality of life value that attracts jobs, contribute to Pennsylvania’s outdoor
recreation and tourism industries, and improve public health.
Moreover, the outdoor recreational opportunities provided by our state’s network of
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parks, trails, greenways, riverfronts and other open spaces are increasingly cited as an important
factor in where residents decide to live and work, creating a major incentive to invest in creating
these opportunities as a strategy to attract and retain the workforce that will power
Pennsylvania’s economy tomorrow.
However, significant need continues to exist. Over 19,000 miles of streams and rivers do
not meet federal and state water quality standards. Nearly 200,000 acres of abandoned mine land
remain across 43 Pennsylvania counties.
More than 2,000 working farms remain on county waiting lists to be preserved. Over
200,000 orphaned and abandoned wells pollute our landscape.
There is a significant backlog of needed infrastructure work to fix deteriorating buildings,
water and sewer treatment systems and trails and roads in the state parks and state forests.
The legislature in recent sessions has recognized the need to continue the success of prior
initiatives to address these ongoing issues, but no consensus on a new source of funding has
emerged.
Restore Pennsylvania will provide significant new funding to enable new
environmental projects and new recreational opportunities across the state, including
infrastructure and maintenance in state parks, creation and revitalization of new local parks, and
funding for new hiking, biking and ATV trail projects.
-- Energy Infrastructure/Conservation: Pennsylvania has always been an energy powerhouse.
Our coal fueled the industrial revolution, our power plants keep lights on throughout the
northeast.
Over the past decade, Pennsylvania has emerged as a leading state in production of clean
burning natural gas, and we currently outproduce every state but Texas.
The first decade of development has seen a rush to build wells and pipelines to take gas
to markets where it can be used.
In the second decade, we need to focus on making sure we capture the benefits of this
prolific resource in Pennsylvania to spur manufacturing and drive job creation in downstream
industries.
Royal Dutch Shell is currently undertaking the largest development project that this
commonwealth has ever seen in Beaver County northwest of Pittsburgh. This is the first major
project of its kind in the United States built away from the Gulf Coast region in a generation.
When this ethane cracker plant opens early in the 2020s, it will produce millions of
pounds of plastic pellets, the building blocks for everything from water bottles to airplane parts.
To realize the full potential of this massive investment, Pennsylvania needs to seize the
opportunity to jump start advanced manufacturing facilities that will take the building blocks,
and turn them into high value products, employing Pennsylvanians with well paid, family
supporting jobs.
To prepare for this opportunity and assist existing manufacturers and businesses across
the state to take advantage of the benefits of locally-produced natural gas to lower costs, reduce
emissions, and power an advanced industrial revolution in Pennsylvania.
Restore Pennsylvania will provide funding for infrastructure that helps build
manufacturing facilities and other downstream businesses for the natural gas produced in
Pennsylvania while helping businesses and individuals use more of Pennsylvania’s natural gas in
their homes, creating jobs, lowering costs, and improving energy efficiency.
Restore Pennsylvania will provide funding to develop pad-ready locations in prime
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locations and areas ripe for development with an emphasis on downstream manufacturers and
support for businesses.
This funding will expand the extremely successful Business in Our Sites program which
empowers communities and economic development partners to attract expanding businesses by
building an inventory of ready sites.
Approved projects can use the funding for any site development activities required to
make the site shovel-ready. Sites can be previously utilized property or undeveloped property
that is planned and zoned for development including former or underutilized industrial,
commercial, military, mining, railroad, or institutional sites or buildings.
Restore Pennsylvania will provide increased spending flexibility to ensure that more
communities and businesses across the state have access to low-cost, clean-burning natural gas
and will also provide grants to help downstream businesses install combined heat and power and
micro-grid systems at existing or new facilities.
-- Transportation/Transit: Pennsylvania has roughly as many state-maintained road miles as
New England, New York, and New Jersey combined and keeping our large system in a state of
good repair requires continued investment.
The American Society of Engineers’ 2018 “infrastructure report card” gives Pennsylvania
a D+ rating for the quality of its roads and bridges and a D for transit.
A safe and reliable transportation network is essential for Pennsylvania residents,
businesses, and visitors and improving and maintaining this extensive multimodal system
requires stable, sufficient funding.
Restore Pennsylvania will provide funding for local road upgrades, create new flexible
funding options for businesses that need local infrastructure upgrades to enable development
projects, and multimodal and large-scale capital projects for transit.
Restore Pennsylvania will accelerate progress of projects to resurface, repave and
repair four-digit roads and provide technical assistance and funding for dirt and gravel roads
throughout the state.
Restore Pennsylvania will create a flexible funding tool to enable capacity upgrades
needed to support development where TIIF funding is not available.
Restore Pennsylvania will support new capital projects at public transit capital projects
throughout the state.
Click Here for a more detailed description of the entire Restore Pennsylvania initiative.
Click Here for the Governor's announcement.
With this proposal, Gov. Wolf joins the Republican and Democratic governors of
Maryland, New York and Virginia, upstream and downstream of Pennsylvania in the
Chesapeake Bay Watershed, who have already laid out extensive plans in their states to address
critical water-related environmental funding issues.
Gov. Wolf will make his formal budget address to a joint session of the Senate and House
on February 5.
Reaction
PennFuture is taking a wait and see approach to Governor Wolf’s recently announced
Restore Pennsylvania plan, due to concerns about its potential impact on climate change.
“The Governor has put together a bold plan to tackle the many infrastructure problems
impacting Pennsylvanians that includes important investments in flood mitigation, recreation
projects, and clean water infrastructure, but the devil is in the details,” said PennFuture President
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& CEO Jacquelyn Bonomo. “A closer look is needed at the size and potential impacts the
proposed subsidies for natural gas and petrochemical businesses would have on Pennsylvania
carbon reduction goals, which the Governor announced on January 8th.”
Restore Pennsylvania aims to invest $4.7 billion over four years to address five targeted
infrastructure issues impacting Pennsylvanians: high-speed internet access, storm preparedness
and disaster recovery, natural gas and petrochemical buildout, blight redevelopment, and
transportation projects.
Details on how the projects will be chosen and how much investment would go to each
bucket of projects have not been announced yet. Projects would be financed by a severance tax
on natural gas.
On January 8th, Governor Wolf announced a historic executive order setting the
first-ever carbon reduction target for Pennsylvania. The Executive Order calls for a 26 percent
reduction by 2025 and an 80 percent reduction by 2050 from a 2005 baseline.
“Pennsylvania was hit hard in 2018 by unprecedented flooding and extreme rain events
supercharged by rising global temperatures,” Bonomo said. “Communities need help rebuilding
their infrastructure, not help supporting fossil fuel projects that will cause more extreme weather
disasters, which is why I’m calling on the House and Senate co-sponsors of the Restore
Pennsylvania legislation to take additional steps to allow financing for climate-safe projects like
energy efficiency and renewable energy.”
Restore Pennsylvania is being co-sponsored in the State Senate by Senators John
Yudichak (D-Luzerne) and Tom Killion (R-Delaware) as well as in the State House by Rep. Jake
Wheatley (D-Allegheny) and Tom Murt (R-Montgomery).
Legislative details for the Restore Pennsylvania plan are forthcoming.
House Republican Leaders issued this statement about Gov. Wolf's Restore
Pennsylvania proposal-- "The governor's proposal includes three of the worst ways to grow an
economy: taxing, borrowing and uncontrolled government spending.
“While improving Pennsylvania's aging infrastructure is a shared goal, it cannot come at
the expense of the Commonwealth's economy and taxpayers.
“Unfortunately, the governor has not included the General Assembly in the development
of this proposal. If he had, he would know that there are not enough votes to enact a new energy
tax, borrow billions of dollars and spend monies on more government programs.”
[Note: In 2012, a Republican General Assembly and Governor authorized a $4.5 billion
bond issue to pay back the federal government’s unemployment compensation trust fund
securitized by fees paid by state businesses.]
Marcellus Shale Coalition president David Spigelmyer issued this statement--
“Pennsylvania’s tax on natural gas – the impact fee – generates hundreds of millions of
dollars annually for critical infrastructure programs across the entire Commonwealth. This
existing annual tax revenue, when combined with other business taxes paid by the industry as
well as lease bonuses and royalties tied to natural gas development on state land, has provided
nearly $5 billion in revenue since unconventional shale gas development began.
“Imposing additional energy taxes will cost consumers, hurt local jobs, especially among
the building and labor trades, and negatively impact investment needed to safely produce clean
and abundant energy that’s ushering in a new era of manufacturing growth.
“We’ll continue to work with leaders in Harrisburg on solutions to drive continued
economic growth, environmental progress and a brighter future for the entire Commonwealth.”
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NewsClips:
Gov. Wolf Outlines Plan To Restore Critical Pennsylvania Infrastructure
AP-Levy: Wolf Seeks $4.5B Capital Program Paid By Marcellus Shale Tax
Esack: Wolf Wants $4.5 Billion to Corral Sewage, Attack Blight And Boost Internet Speeds
Wolf Wants Natural Gas Severance Tax To Pay For Massive Infrastructure Rebuild
Gov. Wolf Seeks A Severance Tax Once Again
Wolf Visits Wilkes-Barre To Pitch Severance Tax To Fund $4.5B Infrastructure Program
Wolf’s Plan To Restore PA’s Infrastructure Dependent On Gas Severance Tax
Wolf Again Pitches Plan For Taxing Marcellus Gas Drillers
Meyer: Wolf Wants To Fund Infrastructure With Shale Tax; Republicans Say Nope
Reuters: PA Governor Seeks Natural Gas Tax To Raise $4.5 Billion
Levee Plan In Lycoming Grows Complicated With Wolf’s Infrastructure Proposal
Sen. Yaw: I Could Support A Reasonable Severance Tax, But Not At Expense Of Impact Fee
Editorial: Wolf’s Severance Plan Seems Ambitious
Pennsylvanians Urged To Help Preserve The Legacy Of PA’s State Parks & Forests
Hopey: State Parks, Forests Face $1 Billion Maintenance Funding Shortfall
PA Parks Have A Maintenance Backlog Worth $1 Billion, Report Finds
Op-Ed: Runoff Fees Support Solutions To Local Pollution, Flooding
Related Stories:
CFA Now Accepting Applications For Act 13 Fee Supported Watershed Restoration, Mine
Reclamation, Sewage, Flood Mitigation, Recreation Grants
PUC: Act 13 Drilling Impact Fee Amounts Will Not Change For 2018 Collection Year
DEP Working With Villanova University On Update To Stormwater BMP Manual
Villanova's Dr. Robert Traver Receives National Environmental & Water Resources Institute
Lifetime Achievement Award
Gov. Wolf Announces $121 Million In Funding For Water Infrastructure Projects in 20
Counties, $1.1 Million For Nonpoint Projects
Allegheny Institute: Review Of Pittsburgh Water Authority’s 5-Year Infrastructure Plan: The
Price That Has To Be Paid For Years Of Neglect
Attorney General Files 161 Criminal Charges Against Pittsburgh Water Authority Over Lead
Water Lines
Senate State Government Committee Unanimously Approves, Reports Out Bill Recognizing
Eastern Hellbender
Pennsylvanians Urged To Help Preserve The Legacy Of PA's State Parks & Forests
Growing A Cleaner, Greener Pennsylvania In 2019: Opportunities For House And Senate
Leadership
[Posted: Jan. 31, 2019]
The Public Utility Commission published notice in the

February 2 PA Bulletin setting the 2018 collection year
Act 13 drilling impact fees. The fee amounts will not
change from the 2017 fees.
Year 1 horizontal well fees will remain at $50,700, Year
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2 horizontal well fees will remain $40,500, Year 3 still $30,400 and Year 4 remains at $5,200.
Vertical producing unconventional well fees will also remain the same.
Click Here for the 2018 fees. Click Here for the 2017 fees. Click Here for the 2016 fees.
The fees are set by a formula included in Act 13.
On January 24, the Independent Fiscal Office estimated the Act 13 drilling impact fee
will generate $247 million from fees imposed in 2018, $37.4 million more than last year.
This also represents the most revenue ever collected under this fee since it was created in
2012. The previous high was $225.7 million in 2013, the first year the fee was imposed.
For more information, visit the PUC’s Act 13 Impact Fee webpage.
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Gov. Wolf Proposes A $4.5 Billion, 4-Year Restore Pennsylvania Community & Environmental
Infrastructure Investment Program
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[Posted: Feb. 1, 2019]
The Commonwealth Financing Authority is now accepting

applications for grants funded by Act 13 drilling impact
fees for watershed restoration, abandoned mine drainage
abatement, baseline water quality data, orphaned or
abandoned well plugging, sewage facilities, flood
mitigation programs and recreation.
The deadline for applications is May 31.
These grants are funded by the Act 13 drilling
impact fees paid by natural gas drillers.
Here’s a quick summary of what’s available and the
links for more details--
-- Watershed Restoration: The overall goal of the Watershed Restoration and Protection Program
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is to restore, and maintain restored stream reaches impaired by the uncontrolled discharge of
nonpoint source polluted runoff, and ultimately to remove these streams from the Department of
Environmental Protection’s Impaired Waters list.
-- Abandoned Mine Drainage Abatement and Treatment: Projects which involve the reclamation
of Abandoned Mine Well(s), construction of a new AMD site, remediation and repair of existing
AMD project sites, operation and maintenance maintaining current AMD remediation sites,
establishment of trust fund to ensure ongoing maintenance is achieved, and monitoring of water
quality to track or continue to trace nonpoint source load reductions resulting from AMD
remediation projects.
-- Orphan or Abandoned Well Plugging Program: Projects which involve the cleaning out and
plugging of abandoned and orphaned oil and gas wells; stray gas mitigation systems; and well
venting projects.
-- Baseline Water Quality Data: Projects which involve practices for water sample collection and
analysis to document existing groundwater quality conditions on private water supplies.
-- Sewage Facilities Program: Costs associated with the planning work required under Act 537
Sewage Facilities Act.
-- Flood Mitigation: Projects authorized by a flood protection authority, the Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) or the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) or identified by a
local government for flood mitigation are eligible for the program.
-- Greenways, Trails And Recreation Program: Projects which involve development,
rehabilitation and improvements to public parks, recreation areas, greenways, trails and river
conservation.
Applicants are strongly urged to contact their House and Senate member to make
them aware you intend to submit an application for funding under theses programs and ask for
their endorsement.
For more information and instructions on how to apply, visit the Commonwealth
Financing Authority Act 13 Programs webpage. Questions should be directed to 717-787-6245.
New DCNR Grant Round
DCNR is now accepting applications for grants to support riparian buffer, trail and
recreation projects. The deadline is April 10. Click Here for more.
Forest Buffer Summit
Registration is now open for the DCNR and Western PA Conservancy Pennsylvania
Riparian Forest Buffer Summit on February 20-21 at the Best Western Premier Conference
Center, 800 East Park Drive in Harrisburg. Click Here for more.
Related Stories:
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The Department of Environmental

Protection is working with Villanova
University to update and modernize its
13-year-old Stormwater Best
Management Practices Manual.
Ramez Ziadeh, DEP’s Executive
Deputy Secretary for Programs,
mentioned the update at the January 16
meeting of the PA Chesapeake Bay
Watershed Planning Steering Committee. Reducing pollution from stormwater is a key part of
what Pennsylvania must do to meet its Chesapeake Bay cleanup obligations.
Since December of 2006, the Stormwater BMP Manual has served as a technical
reference guide containing planning concepts and design standards that developers, communities
and project planners can use to satisfy Pennsylvania’s stormwater management requirements.
DEP has contracted with Villanova University and a team headed by Dr. Robert Traver,
Director of Villanova’s Urban Stormwater Partnership and faculty researcher of Villanova’s
Center for Resilient Water Systems who is currently working to provide the Department of
Environmental Protection with a draft updated Stormwater BMP Manual.
The first goal of the update is to first evaluate the existing BMP’s in the Manual in terms
of the latest science and in-field experience on their effectiveness, water pollution reduction
potential and ongoing maintenance and costs.
The second is to organize the BMPs into a menu of practices emphasizing first in a
hierarchy those practices that use a natural systems approach in their design and function while
at the same time are the most effective at achieving stormwater flow and rate objectives as well
as water pollution reductions.
Nearly 20 years of experience with building and operating green infrastructure projects
under the Growing Greener Program and recent research presented to the PA Chesapeake Bay
Watershed Planning Steering Committee demonstrates stormwater practices based on natural
system functions are more effective at reducing flooding and water pollution.
Third, the Villanova team will recommend new best management practices developed or
perfected since the 2006 Manual was adopted to achieve stormwater and pollution reduction
objectives.
DEP hopes to have a draft Manual available for public review during the third quarter of
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this year and would look to formalize it as a technical guidance document.
The agency will be looking to engage a broad set of stakeholders in the review of the
draft Manual, including the Water Resources Advisory Committee, to provide input into the
practices and the proposed prioritization of BMP.
Click Here to review a copy of the existing Stormwater BMP Manual.
NewsClips:
Scranton Stormwater Pollution Reduction Options Study Still Outstanding
Wyoming Authority OKs Changes On Stormwater Fees
More Outrage Over Stormwater Fee As Wyoming Authority Makes Changes
Cong. Meuser Seeks Information On Stormwater Fee
Op-Ed: Government, Public Must Address Stormwater Runoff Challenges In Pittsburgh
Op-Ed: Stormwater Fees Support Community Solutions To Local Pollution, Flooding
Early Registration Deadline Feb. 1: PA Riparian Forest Buffer Summit Feb. 20-21
Related Stories:
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[Posted: Jan. 31, 2019]
Villanova's Dr. Robert Traver Receives National Environmental & Water Resources
Institute Lifetime Achievement Award
By Griffin Davis, ‘22 Villanova University
Villanova University’s Robert Traver, PhD, PE, D.WRE, F.EWRI,

F.ASCE, the Edward A. Daylor Chair in Civil Engineering and
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director of the Villanova Center for Resilient Water Systems, continues to advance his already
distinguished career with the 2019 Environmental & Water Resources Institute (EWRI) Lifetime
Achievement Award.
This award is presented to a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers for
demonstrating a life-long level of commitment to environmental or water resources engineering
through public service, research or education.
With internationally-recognized expertise in urban stormwater management and
widespread engagement in related disciplines, Dr. Traver has distinguished himself as a
registered professional engineer, a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE),
a fellow of the EWRI, and a Diplomate of the American Academy of Water Resource Engineers,
which he served as president.
Dr. Traver’s D.WRE board certification is the highest, advanced certification for
professional engineers dedicated to the water resource engineering profession.
The EWRI Lifetime Achievement Award is just one among many of Dr. Traver’s
academic and professional honors, which include:
-- Villanova University’s 2016 Outstanding Faculty Research Award, which requires the
recipient to have an established national and international scholarly reputation in their field; be
full-time, tenured full professors; have held a tenure track faculty position at Villanova for at
least 10 years; and be formally nominated by full-time Villanova faculty members.
-- The ASCE 2014 William H. Wisley American Civil Engineer Award “for his leadership of
ASCE’s Task Committee on Flood Safety Policies and Practices.” Dr. Traver also edited the
Committee’s report, “Flood Risk Management: Call for a National Strategy.”
-- The Outstanding Civilian Service Medal in 2007, the third highest honor the Department of
the Army can award a civilian, from the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, for his work on ASCE’s External Review Panel of the Corps investigation of
Hurricane Katrina.
-- Serving as a committee member of the National Research Council Committee that authored
“Urban Stormwater Management in the United States” (2009)
Dr. Traver remains active in the field, serving as an associate editor of the Journal of
Sustainable Water in the Build Environment, which he helped to create, and leading a number of
research projects.
He also recently visited China where he delivered a keynote speech at the first
International Academic Conference on Sponge City Construction.
“I am honored by this recognition from my peers in the water resources professional
community. I am also grateful for the past and future support of Villanova, my faculty
colleagues, and, of course, our students. Service to and care for the community are our guiding
principles as we work to solve our future water challenges.”
Dr. Traver will officially receive the EWRI award during the World Environmental &
Water Resources Congress 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in May 2019.
NewsClips:
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Related Story:
On January 30, Gov. Tom Wolf announced the

approval of $121 million in funding for 25 drinking
water, wastewater and nonpoint source projects across
20 counties by the PA Infrastructure Investment
Authority.
“Clean water is the keystone for strong, vibrant
communities,” said Gov. Wolf. “The approvals
announced today show our continued commitment to
investments in clean water for Pennsylvania by
supporting our citizens and strengthening our
communities.”
The funding comes from a combination of state funds approved by voters, Growing
Greener, Marcellus Legacy funds, federal grants to PennVEST from the Environmental
Protection Agency and recycled loan repayments from previous PennVEST funding awards.
Funds for these projects are disbursed after expenses for work are paid and receipts are
submitted to PennVEST for review.
“These projects benefit public health, the environment, and support sustainable
communities as we advance our shared goal of clean water, safe environment and prosperous
communities for our families to enjoy, both now and for future generations,” said Gov. Wolf.
Nonpoint Source Projects
PennVEST provided funding for these nonpoint sources water pollution control projects--
-- Chester County Conservation District – received a $695,838 loan to pay for a circular
concrete manure storage facility (Photo), roofed stacking structure, barnyard and curbing with
confinement fence, roofed heavy use area, gravel access road, roof cutters, downspouts, and
reinforced gravel animal walkway on the Clair Good property. The project is expected to
eliminate over 8,000 pounds of nitrogen, 3,529 pounds of phosphorus and 10,180 pounds of
sediment from Cedar Creek a tributary to the Conestoga River, and Susquehanna River.
-- Chester County Conservation District – received a $469,308 grant to cover the costs related
to construction of manure storage facilities, heavy use areas, walkways and stormwater controls
on the Benuel Stoltzfus property. The project is expected to eliminate 6,612 pounds of nitrogen,
2,789 pounds of phosphorus and 5,660 pounds of sediment from entering the Little Conestoga
Creek, a tributary to the Conestoga River and the Susquehanna River.
Click Here for a list of projects funded.
14
For more information on available water infrastructure project funding, visit the PA
Infrastructure Investment Authority website. PennVEST accepts applications on a continuing
basis.
(Photo: Manure storage facility, P
enn State Extension.)
NewsClips:
Related Stories:
Water Lines
Eastern Hellbender
Leadership
[Posted: Jan. 30, 2019]
Attorney General Files 161 Criminal Charges Against Pittsburgh Water Authority Over
Lead Water Lines
On February 1, Attorney General Josh Shapiro filed 161 criminal

charges against the Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority for
failing to notify residents when the agency replaced lead water
lines creating health risks for affected households.
The attorney general also charged the Authority with
failing to sample water lines following the replacements within
the time frame required under state law.
Attorney General Shapiro charged the Water & Sewer
Authority with multiple violations of the Pennsylvania Safe
Drinking Water Act.
The charges are third-degree misdemeanors, and the 161
counts correspond to 161 households in Pittsburgh neighborhoods
15
where the Authority failed to notify residents of its water line replacements and failed to conduct
sampling.
“Pennsylvanians have a constitutional right to clean air and pure water – I’m here to
defend that,” Attorney General Shapiro said, at a news conference at a recreation center in
Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood – an area impacted by the Authority’s violations. “The
Water & Sewer Authority knew it was required to notify residents of its plans to replace service
lines, and it knew it was required to sample the lines for lead content – yet it failed to do so. That
makes PWSA criminally liable under the Safe Drinking Water Act.”
The Tribune Review quoted Authority Executive Director Robert A. Weimar as saying
the Authority was “deeply disappointed” the Attorney General chose to pursue criminal charges,
adding, “We will defend these changes.”
Weimar said the alleged violations are related to previously addressed actions that PWSA
settled with the state Department of Environmental Protection in November 2017.
“We self-reported the issues to DEP, agreed to a civil penalty of $2.4 million and have
since established one of the most comprehensive lead service line replacement programs in the
nation,” Weimar said. “We have cooperated with DEP and addressed the issues covered by the
civil settlement. Additional fines related to these previous missteps would only divert ratepayer
dollars that would otherwise be used for critical water quality improvement projects and
programs.”
House Speaker Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) issued this statement in response to the action
taken by the Attorney General--
“Attorney General Shapiro conducted a thorough investigation into the deficiencies at the
PWSA and we applaud him for ensuring that there is accountability for those deficiencies. It
was the same concern for the public that lead us to enact legislation placing the PWSA under the
oversight of the Public Utility Commission in 2017.
“PUC oversight is crucial to correcting the authority’s long-standing difficulties. The
PUC has the power to demand sound financial practices, systemic upgrades to infrastructure and
reliable service delivery to customers. That’s why it is imperative for us to make lasting change
within the agency.”
Background
The problems involving elevated lead levels in Pittsburgh’s drinking water – and the
Authority’s handling of the problems – are well-known in Pittsburgh.
The water lines installed years ago to deliver water to Pittsburghers were constructed of
lead pipe. While lead pipes last for a long time, they can also leach dangerous amounts of lead
into drinking water.
Children are especially sensitive to lead, which can have adverse health impacts on
developing brains and lead to nervous system damage, learning disabilities and impaired hearing.
It’s also not safe for adults – potentially leading to kidney damage, high blood pressure,
and reproductive issues.
Under Pennsylvania law, if the lead level in a water system exceeds 0.015 mg/L, the
water system’s operator is required to take three action steps to address the high concentration--
-- Replace 7 percent of its water lines, until there are 2 consecutive monitoring periods which are
at or below the action level.
-- Notify residents using the system at least 45 days prior to doing the line replacements.
Replacing the service lines can cause temporary, and potentially significant, increases in lead
16
levels in residents’ drinking water. The notice requirement is to provide residents with
information on how to minimize their exposure to lead, including how to flush your faucet,
bathtub and shower to get rid of any potential lead, and a recommendation not to consume any
tap water during the procedure, and more.
-- Collect samples from the replaced lines to analyze lead content within 72 hours of the new
pipes being installed.
In 2016, PWSA conducted lead level tests of its system on two separate occasions, and
the results each time showed lead levels in excess of the level allowed under state law.
The Department of Environmental Protection advised PWSA it must begin replacing 7
percent of their service lines to lower the lead levels in drinking water.
PWSA estimated that it needed to replace 1,341 lead lines by June 30, 2017 to meet the 7
percent requirement. However on June 30, PWSA reported that it had only replaced 415 service
lines.
PWSA also admitted its failure to provide many residents with advance notice of the
lines’ replacement. And, PWSA acknowledged it had not collected water samples from those
same residences with new pipes within 72 hours of installation.
DEP fined PWSA $2.4 million and entered into a civil consent order and agreement in
November 2017.
DEP also referred the matter for criminal investigation to the Office of Attorney General,
and the referral was narrowly tailored to review PWSA’s failure to notify residents and its failure
to sample water after replacement lines were installed.
The Attorney General’s office began a criminal investigation, leading to today’s charges
against the Authority for 161 counts of violating the state Safe Drinking Water Act.
The maximum penalty for each count is 1 year in prison and a fine of not less than $1,250
nor more than $12,500.
Attorney General Shapiro said the charges were being filed against the Authority alone
because his agents found no evidence of any one single person intending harm to any users of the
system.
Attorney General Shapiro said he has arranged that whatever fines which PWSA is
ultimately required to pay, the monies will be targeted by DEP to programs in Pittsburgh to
protect and enhance the public health.
“This money isn’t going to a fund in Harrisburg – it’s coming back here to
neighborhoods like Lawrenceville that were affected by these violations,” Shapiro said. “I hope
that, with these charges, we can shine a light on these violations and force the necessary reforms
to take shape to keep Pittsburgh’s drinking water safe.”
For more information on what Authority customers can do to reduce their lead exposure
risk, visit the Authority’s Community Lead Response webpage.
Visit DEP’s Pittsburgh Water Authority webpage for more information on DEP’s actions
on the lead service line issue in Pittsburgh.
For more information on health threats from lead in drinking water, visit DEP’s Lead In
Drinking Water webpage.
More Resources
The Joint State Government Commission and a special Senate Lead Exposure Task
Force will be making recommendations on reducing exposure to lead as early as April as a result
of Senate Resolution 33, sponsored by Sen. John Yudichak (D-Luzerne), Minority Chair of the
17
Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.
For information on health threats from lead from other sources, visit the Department of
Health’s Lead Poisoning webpage.
NewsClips:
Pittsburgh Water Authority Faces 161 Criminal Charges For Lead Water Line Violations
State AG Files Charges Against Pittsburgh Water Authority Over Lead Line Notifications
AP- Pittsburgh Water Authority Charged Criminally Over Lead Service Lines
AG Files 161 Criminal Charges Against Pittsburgh Water Authority Over Lead Levels In Water
Pittsburgh Water Authority Gearing Up To Accelerate Lead Service Line Replacements
10 Older Schools In Lancaster County Find Lead In Drinking Water
All Lancaster County Schools To Test For Lead
Crable: Ephrata Schools Send Letter To Parents Over Lead Contamination In 4 Schools
Editorial: School Ought To Be Required To Test Water For Lead, Disclose Results To Parents
NJ Landfill Agrees To Accept PFAS-Contaminated Soil From PA Military Base
NJ Landfill Backs Out Of Plan To Accept PFAS Contaminated Soil From PA
Navy Searching For New Landfill To Take PFAS Contaminated Soil From Willow Grove Base
Bagenstose: Navy Moving Ahead With PFAS Testing At Fmr Willow Grove Station
Bagenstose: Report: EPA Won’t Regulate PFAS In Drinking Water
Hurdle/Phillips: Report Says EPA Refuses To Regulate 2 PFAS Chemicals
EPA Won’t Set Legal Limit For PFAS In Drinking Water Report Says
Allentown-Lehigh Valley Water Authority Dispute Over Water/Sewer System Sale Piles Up
Legal Fees
Related Stories:
Pittsburgh Water Authority’s Latest Drinking Water Samples Show Lead Levels Above EPA
Standard
Pittsburgh Water Authority To Replace 3,400 Lead Service Lines Using PennVEST Funding In
2019
Pittsburgh Water Authority Replaced 2,048 Lead Water Service Lines In 2018, Surpassing DEP
Goal
Senate State Government Committee Unanimously Approves, Reports Out Bill

Recognizing Eastern Hellbender
On January 29, the Senate State Government

Committee voted unanimously to approve and
report out Senate Bill 9 (Yaw-R-Lycoming)
designating the Eastern Hellbender as the state
amphibian and clean water ambassador
(sponsor summary).
Sen. Gene Yaw, prime sponsor of the bill and
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Majority Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, appeared before
the Committee to urge its passage. Click Here to watch a video of Sen. Yaw's remarks (Twitter).
“Because the Eastern Hellbender exemplifies what is good about Pennsylvania’s
waterways, it is the perfect selection to become the official State Amphibian,” Sen. Yaw said.
“It is an excellent natural indicator of water quality, so, in effect, if you have hellbenders in your
water the water quality most likely is very good. The hellbender will be a visible symbol of
Pennsylvania’s commitment to clean water.”
Peter Petokas, Ph.D., Amphibian Conservation Biologist at Lycoming College and
faculty member of the College’s Clean Water Institute, applauded Senate action. “Passage of
Senate Bill 9 takes the Eastern Hellbender one step closer to the status of official amphibian of
the State of Pennsylvania, a designation that it uniquely deserves and which will help promote
conservation programs that protect and sustain the unique amphibian resources of the
Commonwealth.”
“Even in times of budget crisis and pensions and everything else impacting Pennsylvania,
this is something that showed the student sponsors of the bill that their elected officials do,
indeed, listen to them. They had a great idea and I was privileged to present their idea to the
Senate on their behalf,” Sen. Yaw added.
“Clean water is important for humans and amphibians, and if we don’t act on making our
waterways as clean as they can be, we will all suffer from it,” former SLC President Abby
Hebenton said. “So, it’s important to bring awareness to it in a positive way, like with the
hellbender, than deal with the repercussions later.”
“The students have shown a remarkable amount of determination,” said Lane Whigham,
CBF Outreach and Advocacy Manager in Pennsylvania. “Their desire to learn the Pennsylvania
legislative process is second only to their sheer tenacity to raise awareness of the hellbender’s
plight and the need for clean water. With students who share this level of dedication to
Pennsylvania’s environment, I feel certain the future is in good hands.”
The bill easily passed the Senate in 2017, but got stuck in the House and died,
disappointing the high school students who worked for 2 years researching the Hellbender and
drafting the legislation.
High School students from the 43 counties in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed have been
pushing to have the Eastern Hellbender designated the state amphibian and clean water
ambassador for the last 2 years. The students are members of the Chesapeake Bay
Foundation-PA’s Student Leadership Council.
The bill now goes to the full Senate for consideration.
Sen. Mike Folmer (R-Lebanon) serves as Majority Chair of the Senate State Government
Committee and can be contacted by calling 717-787-5708 or sending email to:
mfolmer@pasen.gov. Sen. Anthony Williams (D-Philadelphia) serves as Minority Chair and
can be contacted by calling 717-787-5970 or sending email to: anthony.williams@pasenate.com.
NewsClips:
AP-Levy: PA Senate Resumes Push To Recognize Eastern Hellbender
PA Resumes Push To Recognize Eastern Hellbender
Students Push Hellbender As State Amphibian
BJ Small: Hellbender One Step Closer To Becoming The Official State Amphibian
Related Stories:
19
Water Lines
Leadership
[Posted: Jan. 29, 2019]
On January 28, the Parks and Forests Foundation debuted

“The Legacy of Pennsylvania Parks and Forests: The Future
is in Our Hands” report at the State Capitol in Harrisburg.
In attendance were dozens of organizations and individuals
committed to preserving the legacy of these important
recreational, historic, and natural resources.
Their remarks echo what PPFF staff have been hearing over
the years; that while people still enjoy these resources, they
are noticing a decline in upkeep due to dwindling budgets
and staff being asked to ‘do more with less’.
Tina Molski, Director of Operations for REI’s east coast distribution center in Bedford
and Vice Chair of the PPFF board, said, “As someone who works in the recreation industry, I
know the value of Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests. These resources provide unparalleled
outdoor recreational opportunities for residents and visitors alike. And yet, the lack of a reliable,
dedicated source of funding to maintain and improve existing recreational infrastructure in
Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests is harming its potential.” Click Here for full remarks.
Marci Mowery, President of PPFF, added to those sentiments. “Our state parks and
forests are the vacation destination for over 40 million visitors a year. Our parks and forests are
where our kids learn to camp, hike, and make s’mores. They are the places where family
memories are made, proposals of ever-lasting love are issued, and where friendships are formed.
Yet, despite the many documented benefits of our parks and forests, they suffer from decades of
‘making do’. Years of underfunding has reduced staffing levels in state parks to the same levels
they were in the 1970s when there were fewer parks and only 20 million visitors. State forest
staffing levels are also down, while pressures on the forests, from invasive pests and flooding to
increased visitation, are on the rise.” Click Here for a video of her remarks. Click Here for full
20
written remarks.
Katie Hess, Director of the South Mountain Partnership, said, “There are 500
structures within our state parks currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places and
more than 5,000 culturally or historically significant sites within state forests. And these lists
only contain places that we know about. These places and structures tell us important stories
about our past – and they are literally our heritage. But the legacy of PA’s state parks and forests
is under threat, and this is a concern to me and those I work with through the South Mountain
Partnership because these public lands are economic engines for many towns and
municipalities.” Click Here for full remarks.
Andre Weltman, Chair of the Friends of Pine Grove Furnace State Park, said
“Visitors to our state parks and forests might not realize the extent of the work required by
volunteers and by employees to keep facilities and trails safe, efficient and attractive. At my
park, Pine Grove Furnace, we have excellent staff but simply not enough of them. Last year’s
rainy summer created even more work for the limited number of employees. Between 1995 and
2016, DCNR spent roughly $400 million to improve state park infrastructure, yet like owning a
home, the to-do list never seems to get shorter. Acts of nature such as heavy precipitation and
subsequent flooding, changes in safety standards, increased visitor demands, and general
wear-and-tear all add to the work needed in our parks and forests.” Click Here for full remarks.
Richard Lewis, President of the Pennsylvania Forestry Association, the nation’s
oldest forestry association, said, “It’s time to stop asking those professionals who manage our
vital State Park and State Forest assets to ‘make do’ while they watch our campgrounds,
buildings, rest stations, hiking trails, swimming beaches, boat ramps, dams, and forest roads to
continue to become degraded. We hope that our elected leaders’ vision for the future of
Pennsylvania includes restoring and maintaining these ‘crown jewels’ so they can be fully
enjoyed by future generations of Pennsylvanians.” Click Here for full remarks.
Join The Movement
PPFF encourages all citizens of the Commonwealth, as well as out-of-state visitors to our
state parks and forests, to raise their voice to support adequate funding for the maintenance and
care needs of Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests.
They can do this by reading the Legacy of Pennsylvania’s State Parks and Forests report,
signing up to join the cause, writing their legislator, joining a volunteer friends group, and more,
all of which they can learn more about at the PPFF website.
For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the PA Parks &
Forests Foundation website. Click Here to sign up for regular updates from the Foundation,
Like them on Facebook or Follow them on Twitter. Click Here to become a member of the
Foundation.
(Photo: Marci Mowrey, President, PA Parks & Forests Foundation)
NewsClips:
Related Stories:
DCNR Accepting Applications For Parks, Recreation, Trail, Buffer, Conservation Grants
21
Water Lines
Eastern Hellbender
Leadership
[Posted: Jan. 30, 2019]
Chester County Developer Files Lawsuit To Force Mariner East Pipeline Off Its Property
Citing Expiring Easements
On February 1, attorneys for the Hankin Group, a

Chester County-based residential, commercial and retail
developer, asked a Chester County Common Pleas
Court judge to force Sunoco off four of its properties
where it is still constructing the Mariner East Pipeline.
The lawsuit cites the fact that Sunoco’s temporary
easements related to construction of the pipeline are
expiring at sites throughout Chester County.
The four sites identified in the filing include one at Corner Park Apartments on Boot
Road in West Whiteland, one at New Kent Apartments in East Goshen, and two on Stockton
Drive and Sierra Drive at Eagleview in Upper Uwchlan.
Residents have raised numerous concerns about pipeline construction at these locations,
including environmental, air quality and quality-of-life impacts, given their close proximity to
multi-family residential dwellings.
The Complaint contends that Sunoco is in breach of a temporary easement agreement that
has elapsed on the Corner Park and New Kent Properties in November and on the Eagleview
Properties in January.
In turn, the four-count complaint calls for Sunoco to immediately cease all pipeline
construction activities at the sites, remove all construction equipment, pipes, machinery and
related materials there, and restore the affected areas to their prior condition.
In addition, Hankin Group is suing Sunoco for trespassing, breach of agreement and
damages.
22
According to the lawsuit, Sunoco’ trespass and breach of easement agreements have
caused “damage to the ground caused by excavation; damage from excessive runoff caused by
removal of grass and foliage; harm to the value of properties; lost rents; loss of use; and
diminution in value of properties.”
Click Here for a copy of the complaint.
Sen. Andy Dinniman (D-Chester), who has long been a leading and vocal critic of the
safety concerns associated with the Mariner East Pipeline, said the lawsuit should serve as a
reminder to others in the area.
“Temporary easements that Sunoco negotiated nearly two years ago – long before we
knew just how significant and how potentially dangerous this project would be – may now be
expiring,” Sen. Dinniman said. “I encourage residents and businesses in the area to check their
easement agreements to see if Sunoco should still be on their land. Sunoco may try to walk all
over us, but this is a matter of private property rights.”
Sen. Dinniman, who also highlighted news reports that the Mariner East project is
adversely impacting local property values, said the lawsuit may serve as a turning point in
opposition to the problem-riddled project.
“Hankin Group has always been a first-rate and community-conscious developer in the
Chester County region. What we are now seeing are major players in economic development
standing up and saying, ‘No, the way this project is going isn’t good for our communities and it
isn’t good for business, either.’ Hankin is leading the way and it’s up to others to follow,” Sen.
Dinniman said.
Sen. Dinniman pointed to a notice to vacate that Hankin’s in-house counsel sent to
Sunoco on January 23.
In that letter, Michael Malloy, General Counsel for the Hankin Group, wrote, “At the
time, Landowner and Grantee negotiated the Easement, Grantee’s representatives vastly
underplayed, and consequently, Landowner greatly underestimated the substantial damage that
the pipeline installation would cause to the Property, Landowner’s business interest and most
importantly, the health, safety and welfare of our community.”
Sen. Dinniman also noted that the project’s repeated delays due to public safety and
environmental safety violations, which are resulting in the easement expirations, were Sunoco’s
own fault.
“Mariner East has basically brought nothing but problems to Chester County. Sunoco
appears to be a textbook example of how to be a bad neighbor. And what’s more ironic is that its
own apparent hastiness and carelessness seem to have resulted in more and more delays and
shutdowns. Sunoco has not only chosen to position itself as an enemy of our residents and
communities. It’s been its own worst enemy, too,” Sen. Dinniman said.
NewsClips:
Hurdle: PUC Seeks School Evacuation Drills On Mariner East Pipeline Route
Op-Ed: Citizens Are Heroes In Flight For Pipeline Safety - Sen. Dinniman
Sen. Dinniman Decries Pipeline Lobbying In Harrisburg
Rep. Watson Calls On Attorney General, Auditor General To Investigate Mariner East 1 Pipeline
Templeton/Hopey: Attorney General Conducting Criminal Investigation Of Environmental
Crimes Committed By Shale Gas Industry
Related Story:
Op-Ed: Citizens Are Heroes In Flight For Pipeline Safety
23
Op-Ed: Citizens Are Heroes In Flight For Pipeline Safety
By Sen. Andy Dinniman (D-Chester)
Back in August of 2016, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental

Protection, at my insistence, held a public hearing on Sunoco’s Mariner
East pipeline project at West Chester University.
At the time, a handful of citizens and I raised our concerns about
this project and its impact on our environment, property values, quality of
life, and health and safety.
Some said I was being too aggressive – that my comments were
too strong and too heated. A few even said I was wrong to sound the
alarm so loudly, so early on.
As it turns out, unfortunately, we weren’t wrong. But oh, how I
wish we were. Today, the sky isn’t falling, but in parts of Chester County,
the ground sure is.
With Mariner East, we’re experiencing the same problems and potential safety
emergencies again and again and again. This week, it was a sinkhole exposing Mariner East 1 off
Lisa Drive in West Whiteland. If that sounds familiar, it’s because the same thing happened last
winter.
And so, for the umpteenth time, I worked to navigate the patchwork of state
and federal bureaucracies entrusted with pipeline safety only to again be left even more troubled
and infuriated than before.
Here’s why: on two occasions in the past year, the PUC has forced Sunoco to shut down
ME1 due to safety concerns only to allow it to resume operation shortly thereafter without a clear
and thoroughly vetted explanation why.
Same pipeline. Same place. Same problem. Obviously, the PUC’s on-again, off-again
approach to pipeline safety isn’t working.
And that’s not all. Although Sunoco now has again been forced to suspend operation on
ME1 due to the current situation, its other pipelines nearby are still up and running. The 12-inch
line, another antiquated repurposed petroleum pipeline like ME1, is still moving hazardous,
highly volatile natural gas liquids far too close latest sinkhole.
In fact, because of the way Sunoco cobbled together segments of pipeline to salvage the
controversial Mariner East 2 (ME2) project, no PUC approvals were required to put it into
service.
That’s right: there was no regulation or government inspection whatsoever of a more than
80-year-old pipeline that has a history of leaks, including 33,516 gallons of gasoline as recently
as mid-June and a 2015 leak in Edgemont Township.
There are so many problems with the PUC’s backward approach to pipeline safety and
oversight that it alone could be the subject of another column.
But one of the clearest examples came in December when its own Bureau of
Investigation and Enforcement tried to explain its position on the 12-inch line – saying that it
never made any assertion that the pipeline is “safe,” but that’s not to say it’s “unsafe.”
24
Whatever that means it sure doesn’t make you feel, well, safe.
Sunoco has one of the worst safety track records in the pipeline industry and has
demonstrated that it certainly can’t be trusted to do right by our residents and communities.
The PUC, which operates with little to no transparency, lost our confidence a long time
ago. Keep in mind, when the PUC investigates pipeline mishaps and accidents, those reports are
never made public until the investigations are completed, which can take a year or more.
So, we still don’t know the full story of what happened on Lisa Drive last March or
earlier this week, just like we still don’t entirely know their findings regarding the pipeline
explosion in Beaver County in September.
It’s like the Public Utility Commission is all “utility” and no “public.”
Fortunately, the public has done an incredible job of stepping up, getting involved, and
working to ensure that its voice is heard.
From day one, the citizens themselves have been the heroes of this process, from
speaking out at the preliminary hearings and meetings several years ago to raising funds for their
own pipeline risk assessment to filing formal legal complaints and petitions to the PUC.
In fact, both times sinkholes exposed ME1 on Lisa Drive, residents – not Sunoco nor the
county – were the first to notify the PUC.
Chester County is blessed with some of the best and brightest minds in law, engineering,
statistics, chemistry, environmental science, hydrology, geology, advocacy and so on.
My constituents are not only seasoned professionals in their fields, they’re also moms,
dads, and grandparents who are rightfully concerned about the safety of their children, families,
and communities.
As a result, opposition to Mariner East has gone from a political micro-issue to strong
and growing bipartisan, grassroots movement. Sunoco vastly underestimated the citizens Chester
County and their resilience. And we’re not about to stop now.
Sen. Andy Dinniman (D-Chester) serves on the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy
Committee and can be contacted by calling 717-787-5709 or send email to:
andrew.dinniman@pasenate.com.
NewsClips:
Related Stories:
Chester County Developer Files Lawsuit To Force Mariner East Pipeline Off Its Property Citing
Expiring Easements
PUC Investigation Of Mariner East 1 Pipeline Sinkhole In Chester County Shifts To Geological
Testing
[Posted: Jan. 30, 2019]
Plans Now Due From Electric Utilities For 3rd Party Electric Vehicle Charging Services
On February 2, the Public Utility Commission
25
published the final policy statement on third-party electric vehicle (EV) charging stations
designed to reduce regulatory uncertainty, provide greater clarity and consistency among electric
distribution companies (EDCs), and promote increased investment in EV charging infrastructure
in the state in the PA Bulletin.
With the policy statement’s publication, electric utilities need to file amended tariffs with
the Commission addressing third party EV charging stations.
After a 30-day public comment period on proposed tariff modifications, the PUC’s
Bureau of Technical Utility Services (TUS) will prepare Orders for Commission approval.
The Commission voted 5-0 to approve the statement on November 8 in order to clarify
that third-party electric vehicle charging is providing a service and not considered resale/
redistribution under Section 1313 of the Public Utility Code and directs EDCs to amend their
tariffs to address third party EV charging tariff provisions consistent with the new policy.
“Today, we take a large step toward designing a regulatory landscape which supports
innovative and dynamic pricing for electric vehicle charging,” said Chairman Gladys M. Brown
in her statement. “Technological advancements, including the advent of electric vehicles, are
transforming the electric consumption profiles of customers and the grid as a whole.”
“As such, it is of paramount importance that electric utilities be able to adapt their
infrastructure to support this transformation in an economic manner,” added Brown.
Background
On June 15, 2017, the Commission issued a Secretarial Letter launching a third-party EV
charging inquiry, underscoring the differing rules and provisions of the resale of utility service
by third-party EV charging stations, all of which may be subject to differing interpretations.
Based on its conclusions from initial comments received in response to the Secretarial
Letter, the Commission proceeded to issue a Proposed Policy Statement on May 4, 2018
requesting additional public comment on two key issues:
-- Any entity, other than a public utility, owning and operating an EV charging facility that is
open to the public for the sole purpose of recharging an EV battery should not be construed to be
a sale to a residential customer and should therefore not fall under the pricing requirements of
Section 1313; and
-- EDC tariff provisions must exclude these third party EV charging stations from the pricing
requirements of Section 1313 and put forth rules for when and how owners/operators of such
third party EV charging stations are to notify the EDC of a planned EV charging facility
installation and what information the EDC will need in advance.
Click Here for a copy of the February 2 PA Bulletin notice.
NewsClip:
Shell Buys Electric Vehicle Charging Company Greenlots As Oil Majors Prep For Rise Of EVs
Related Stories:
PUC Approves PECO Rate Settlement With Pilot Program For Fast-Charging Stations For
Electric Vehicles
DCNR: Public Electric Car Charging Stations Coming To 40 State Park, Forest Locations
PUC Provides Tips On Energy Conservation, Safe Heating During Frigid Weather
With frigid temperatures gripping the state this week, the
26
Public Utility Commission provided tips to consumers on lessening the harsh impacts of the cold
weather and keeping families safer through the practices of sound energy conservation and safe
heating.
Severe cold temperatures put extra demands on utility systems, and energy conservation
around the house helps. Try these energy-saving tips:
-- Instead of turning up the heat, add an extra blanket or sweater, if your health permits.
-- Use a programmable thermostat and set it to lower the temperature at night or whenever the
house is unoccupied.
-- Keep doors and windows closed as much as possible. This includes overhead doors on
attached garages.
-- Seal off unused rooms. Close the floor or wall registers and return air vents, and keep the
doors closed in those areas.
-- Open south-facing window curtains, drapes and blinds during the day. Close coverings at night
to keep the heat in.
-- Weather strip and caulk windows.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, more than one-fifth of residential fires are
related to the use of supplemental room heaters, including wood- and coal-burning stoves,
kerosene heaters, gas space heaters and electric heaters, so before you put logs on the fireplace or
plug in the electric heater, take some precautions. Also, never use an oven or stove to help heat
your home.
In addition to winter weather and home heating safety, the PUC’s annual Prepare Now
campaign focuses on educating consumers about the availability of low-income programs;
increasing consumer awareness of ways to reduce winter heating costs; educating consumers on
energy conservation; encouraging consumers to check electric and natural gas bills and supplier
contracts; and informing customers about www.PAPowerSwitch.com and
www.PAGasSwitch.com as resources to shop for energy suppliers and learn more about
efficiency and conservation measures.
Visit the PUC’s Prepare Now campaign webpage or call the PUC at 1-800-692-7380 for
more information.
Should you lose power, consider the following to help stay safe until power is restored:
-- Use flashlights or battery-operated lanterns for emergency lighting. Do not use candles or
other potential fire hazards.
-- If you use a generator, do NOT run it inside a home or garage. Also, connect the equipment
you want to power directly to the outlets on the generator, not your home's electrical system,
which could shock or injure utility crews working on nearby power lines. Additional generator
tips are available here.
-- Turn off lights and electrical appliances (except for the refrigerator and freezer). When power
comes back on, it may come back with momentary "surges" or "spikes" that can damage
equipment.
-- After you turn the lights off, turn one lamp on so you will know when power is restored. Wait
at least 15 minutes after power is restored before turning on other appliances.
-- Check on elderly neighbors and those with special needs who might need additional
assistance.
Consumers using natural gas appliances can also be impacted by the colder than normal
temperatures:
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-- Electric power outages can affect gas furnaces and other appliances. If they do not function
properly when power is restored, call a professional for service.
-- If you smell natural gas, get everyone out of the building immediately.
-- Leave the door open and do NOT use phones, switch lights or turn appliances on or off, or
take any other action while inside the building.
-- After you are safely outside, call 9-1-1 from your cell phone or neighbor’s home.
For more information, visit the PUC’s Prepare Now webpage.
NewsClips:
Science Says: Get Used To Polar Vortex Outbreaks
Polar Vortex Set To Test Midwest, PJM Electric Grids Amid FERC Resilience Debate
Marcellus Gas Industry: Pennsylvanians Stay Warm For Less During Brutal Cold Snap
Edinboro University Cancels Wednesday, Thursday Classes Due To Polar Vortex
U.S. Postal Service Suspends Mail Delivery In Parts Of PA, Other States
Cold Weather Forces Salem Nuclear Plant In NJ Offline As Owner Presses For Subsidies
Editorial: Cold Kids Are Soft?
After Trump Tells Global Warming To Come Back Fast, NOAA Tweets Winter Storms Don’t
Disprove Climate Change
Related Stories:
PA American Water Urges Customers To Prepare Now For Cold Weather To Avoid Frozen
Pipes
Dept. Of Health Offers Tips For Safety And Preparedness For Winter Storms
National Weather Service Winter Driving Safety Tips
Dept. Of Agriculture Reminds Livestock, Pet Owners To Keep Animals Safe In Severe Cold
[Posted: Jan. 30, 2019]
Local Keep PA Beautiful Affiliates Collect 2.2 Million Pounds Of Electronics, 17,000 Tires,
And More During 2018
On January 30, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful announced

local affiliates collected a combined total of over 2.2
million pounds of electronics, 17,293 tires, 950 appliances
and 21,434 pounds of household hazardous waste from
local residents, emphasizing the continued need for
disposal options for hard to dispose items.
Close to 40 collections were held in 14 counties by Keep
Pennsylvania Beautiful affiliates: Keep Cambria County
Beautiful, PA CleanWays of Cumberland County, PA
CleanWays of Fayette County, Keep Huntingdon County
Beautiful, Keep Juniata County Beautiful, PA CleanWays of McKean County, PA CleanWays of
Mifflin County, Keep Perry County Beautiful, Tri-County CleanWays, serving Butler,
Lawrence and Mercer counties; PA CleanWays of Venango County, Westmoreland Cleanways
and Keep Washington County Beautiful.
KPB’s affiliate network at the county and municipal level offer annual special collections
to seek to eliminate illegal dumping and littering of tires and other hard to dispose items in local
communities across Pennsylvania.
28
The affiliate groups are able to keep their costs to their residents low by participating in
the Department of Environmental Protection’s Household and Small Business Hazardous Waste
Collection Program that provides partial funding for the responsible recycling of all items
collected.
The items collected are sent to DEP approved facilities for recycling. Tires are processed
into rubber mulch, play turf, rubber asphalt roads and other items. The metal, plastic and glass
are separated from the electronics and appliances and sold for reuse in items such as metal rebar,
glass aggregate and plastic cell phones, laptops, and other equipment.
“The special collections coordinated by our local affiliate network provide a convenient,
low cost option for disposing of tires that seem to collect in people’s garages and basements. I
applaud our affiliates for providing this valuable service to their communities. Without special
collections, we would be expending far more resources on pulling those materials up the
hillside,” said Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful works to increase the availability of convenient, affordable
disposal for certain items, such as tires, electronics, household hazardous waste, pharmaceuticals,
and appliances.
The Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Affiliate Network often works with local solid waste
and recycling offices to identify local disposal needs and implement special collections.
For more information, visit the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Calendar of Events for 2019
collection events.
Contact your local County affiliate for more information about proper disposal.
For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the Keep
Pennsylvania Beautiful website. Click Here to become a member. Click Here to sign up for
regular updates from KPB, Like them on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, Discover them on
Pinterest and visit their YouTube Channel.
Also visit the Illegal Dump Free PA website for more ideas on how to clean up
communities and keep them clean and KPB’s Electronics Waste website.
Sign up now for the 2019 Great American Cleanup of PA and volunteer or set up your
own cleanup and beautification event runs March 1 to May 31.
NewsClips:
Claysville Woman Wins County Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Award
Bagenstose: Bucks Landfill Gas Power Plant, 3rd Largest In Country, Closing
Food Waste Digester Could Generate $2 Million In Savings For Altoona Water Authority
Wilkes-Barre Reminds Businesses, Institutions To File Recycling Reports
Pittsburgh Group Calls For An End To Plastic’s Great Future
Carnegie Science Center Plastic Straw Sculpture Draws Attention To Ocean Pollution
NJ Looking At Bucks County Landfills As Source Of Odor Complaints
Related Story:
DEP Now Accepting Applications For Recycling Implementation Grants Thru March 22
[Posted: Jan. 30, 2019]
Game Commission Board Approves Additional Protection For 3 Cave Bat Species
On January 29, the state Board of Game Commissioners gave

final approval to a measure that updates the state’s list of
29
threatened and endangered species, providing three cave bat species additional protection by
reclassifying them as state endangered species.
The update also upgrades the peregrine falcon’s status from endangered to threatened;
upgrades the piping plover from extirpated to endangered, and lists the red knot – a federally
threatened species – as a threatened species within Pennsylvania, as well.
The three cave bat species that have been given additional protection are the northern
long-eared bat, tri-colored bat and little brown bat, all of which have been decimated by
white-nose syndrome since it appeared in Pennsylvania in 2008,
The northern long-eared bat was listed as a federal threatened species in April 2015. In
addition, tri-colored bats and little brown bats currently are being considered for protection under
the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
The updates adopted Tuesday were approved preliminarily in September.
Written public comments on the measure were accepted through December. Of the 33
comments submitted, none opposed any of the listings.
These listings historically have ensured the Game Commission and other resource
agencies work with industry if projects could be affected by the presence of endangered or
threatened species.
All projects are screened for potential conflicts through a state environmental review,
which has been in place since the early 1980s and now is called the Pennsylvania Natural
Diversity Inventory (PNDI).
PNDI was established to provide current, reliable, objective information to help inform
environmental decisions and guide conservation work and land-use planning. Resource agencies
continually update PNDI’s species records to ensure the best guidance and conservation possible.
Northern long-eared bats currently are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species
Act. If they become state listed, the Game Commission will continue to defer comments on
potential impacts to northern long-eared bats to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. No additional
coordination with the Game Commission will occur.
Since tri-colored and little brown bats currently are not federally listed, projects within
300 meters of known summer roost locations and winter hibernacula used by these bats will
require Game Commission consultation.
“Sites that held these bats prior to the arrival of white-nose syndrome, but not since,
won’t affect projects,” said Dan Brauning, Wildlife Diversity Division supervisor. “That
distinction alone immediately reduces the potential for conflicts when you consider bats have
lost upward of 97 percent of their historic populations in Pennsylvania.”
For perspective, there are about 30 hibernacula and 120 maternity sites known to support
little brown and tri-colored bats that will be added to PNDI as a result of the state-endangered
listing.
Prior to white nose syndrome appearing in 2008 in Pennsylvania, there were about 250
bat hibernacula and 300 maternity sites listed in PNDI, according to Greg Turner, Game
Commission Endangered and Nongame Mammals Section supervisor.
What works against these cave bats is their annual reproduction provides limited
replacement. Most female cave bats have one pup per year, a rate that would place their potential
recovery more than a century away.
But some of the proposals for status change represent better news.
The peregrine falcon has seen a steady statewide recovery, which qualifies its status to be
30
upgraded to threatened under the agency’s Peregrine Falcon Management Plan. This upgrade
would keep PNDI screening and Game Commission coordination at status quo.
Upgrading the piping plover’s status to endangered recognizes its return to breeding in
Pennsylvania. After more than 60 years of absence, piping plover pairs successfully nested at
Presque Isle State Park in 2017 and 2018.
And changing the status of the red knot – a rare migrant bird found in Pennsylvania
mostly at Presque Isle State Park – recognizes its vulnerability to further declines.
Both piping plovers and red knots currently are federally listed. The Game Commission
would continue to defer potential conflict coordination for both species to the USFWS.
For more information, visit the Game Commission’s Threatened & Endangered Species
webpage.
Game Lands
The Board also took action to add more than 3,000 acres to the state game lands system.
Click Here for the complete summary of the January 29 meeting of the Game
Commission board.
(Photo: Brown bat.)
NewsClips:
3 New Varieties Of Bats Added To State Endangered Species List
DCNR Blog: Wildflower Spotting In The Winter
[Posted: Jan. 29, 2019]
Senate/House Bills Moving Last Week
The following bills of interest saw action last week in the House and Senate--
Senate
Eastern Hellbender: Senate Bill 9 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) designating the Eastern Hellbender as

the state amphibian and clean water ambassador (sponsor summary) was reported out of the
Senate State Government Committee and is now on the Senate Calendar for action.
Senate/House Agenda/Session Schedule/Gov’s Schedule
Here are the Senate and House Calendars for the next voting session day and Committees
scheduling action on bills of interest as well as a list of new environmental bills introduced--
Bill Calendars
House: Click Here for full House Bill Calendar.
Senate: Senate Bill 9 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) designating the Eastern Hellbender as the state
amphibian and clean water ambassador (sponsor summary). Click Here for full Senate Bill
Calendar.
Committee Meetings This Week

31
House: the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee holds informational meeting on
State Of The State. Click Here for full House Committee Schedule.
Senate: Click Here for full Senate Committee Schedule.
Bills Pending In Key Committees
Check the PA Environmental Council Bill Tracker for the status and updates on pending state
legislation and regulations that affect environmental and conservation efforts in Pennsylvania.
House and Senate Co-Sponsorship Memos
House: Click Here for all new co-sponsorship memos
Senate: Click Here for all new co-sponsorship memos
Session Schedule
Here is the latest voting session schedule for the Senate and House--
Senate
February 4, 5
Budget Hearings: Feb. 19 to March 8
March 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27
April 8, 9, 10, 29, 30
May 1, 6, 7, 8
June 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28
House
February 4, 5, 6, 19, 20, 21
Budget Hearings: Feb. 11 to March 7
March 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27
April 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 29, 30
May 1, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 22, 23
June 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28
Governor’s Schedule
Gov. Tom Wolf's work calendar will be posted each Friday and his public schedule for the day
will be posted each morning. Click Here to view Gov. Wolf’s Weekly Calendar and Public
Appearances.
News From The Capitol
32
House Names Standing Committee Members, Following Senate Appointments
On January 28, the House introduced House

Resolution 6 naming members to each of its
standing committees, following Senate
appointments last week.
The House Environmental Resources and
Energy Committee members include 5 of 14 are
new members on the Republican side and 7 of 10
are new members on the Democratic side--
Republicans
Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler), New Majority
Chair
Rep. Martin Causer (R-Cameron)
Rep. Chris Dush (R-Jefferson) - New
Rep. Jonathan Fritz (R-Wayne) - New
Rep. R. Lee James (R-Venango)
Rep. Carl Walker Metzgar (R-Bedford) - New
Rep. Timothy O’Neal (R-Washington)
Rep. Jason Ortitay (R-Allegheny)
Rep. Jeffrey Pyle (R-Armstrong)
Rep. Kathy Rapp (R-Forest)
Rep. Tommy Sankey (R-Clearfield)
Rep. Paul Schemel (R-Franklin) - New
Rep. Ryan Warner (R-Fayette)
Rep. David Zimmerman (R-Lancaster)
Democrats
Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware), New Minority Chair
Rep. Carolyn Comitta (R-Chester)
Rep. Mary Jo Daley (D-Montgomery) - New
Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler (D-Philadelphia) - New
Rep. MaryLouise Isaacson (D-Philadelphia) - New
Rep. Leanne Krueger (D-Delaware)
Rep. Danielle Friel Otten (D-Chester) - New
Rep. Pam Snyder (D-Fayette) - New
Rep. Perry Warren (D-Bucks)
Rep. Michael Zabel (D-Delaware) - New
Click Here for a listing of all House standing committee members. Click Here for Senate
standing committee members.
Related Story:
Senate Committee Member Assignments Now Complete With Republicans Naming Their Team
[Posted: Jan. 28, 2019]
House Environmental Committee Holds Feb. 5 Informational State Of The State Meeting
33
On January 31, Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler), Majority Chair of the House Environmental
Resources and Energy Committee announced the Committee will hold a "State Of The State"
information meeting.
Invited as guests are Associated Petroleum Industries of PA, Marcellus Shale Coalition,
Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources.
Gov. Wolf presents his FY 2019-20 budget request at Noon the same day.
The meeting will be held in Room 205 of the Ryan Building starting at 10:00.
Committee meetings are usually webcast through the House Republican website.
Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler) serves as Majority Chair of the House Environmental
Committee and can be contacted by calling 717-783-1707 or sending email to:
dmetcalf@pahousegop.com. Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) serves as Minority Chair and can be
contacted by calling 717-787-7647 or sending email to: gvitali@pahouse.net.
[Posted: Jan. 31, 2019]
House, Senate Democratic Policy Committees Hold Feb. 7 Hearing On Fire And Air
Pollution Caused By Clairton Coke (Coal) Works Fire
The House and Senate Democratic Policy

Committees are scheduled to hold a hearing on
February 7 on the air pollution caused by the
Clairton Coke (Coal) Works fire in Clairton,
Allegheny County.
Sen. Jim Brewster (D-Allegheny) and Rep. Austin
Davis (D-Allegheny) will chair the meeting.
The hearing will focus on the recent fire that took
place at the Clairton Coke Works, and the
subsequent hazardous amounts of sulfur dioxide
that were emitted in the Mon Valley. Improving
the air quality of the area affected will be thoroughly discussed. The meeting will be open to the
public to attend.
The hearing will be held at the Clairton Council Chambers, 551 Ravensburg Blvd.,
Clairton, Allegheny County starting at Noon.
Contact Seth Rolko, Senate Democratic Policy Committee Executive Director, with any
questions at 717-787-4236 or send email to: Seth.Rolko@pasenate.com, or Jim Dawes, House
Democratic Policy Committee Executive Director at 717-772-0036 or send email to:
JDawes@pahouse.net.
Sen. Lisa Boscola (D-Lehigh) serves as chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee
and Rep. Mike Sturla (D-Lancaster) serves as chair of the House Democratic Policy Committee.
(Photo: Clairton Coke (Coal) Works, A llegheny Front.)
NewsClips:
Repairs To Clairton Coke (Coal) Works To Cost About $40 Million After Fire
Editorial: Pittsburgh Needs Cleaner Air And Water
Frazier: Residents, Environmental Groups Call For Clairton Coke (Coal) Plant To Go On Hot
Idle
34
Residents, Officials Push For Answers About Response To Clairton Coke (Coal) Works Fire
Mon Valley Residents, Advocacy Groups Call For More Action On Air Quality
Hopey: Passions Still Hot In Aftermath Of Coke (Coal) Works Fire
Frazier: Residents Question Air Quality Notification Delay After Clairton Coke (Coal) Works
Fire
Clairton Residents Demand Action After Coke Works Fire Caused Dangerous Emissions
Editorial: Achilles’ Heel: Bad Air Quality Requires More Attention In Western PA
[Posted: Jan. 29, 2019]
January State Revenues $137.7 Million Below Estimates; Ahead $290 Million For Fiscal
Year
On February 1, the Department of Revenue reported Pennsylvania collected $2.9 billion in

General Fund revenue in January, which was $113.7 million, or 3.8 percent, less than
anticipated.
Fiscal year-to-date General Fund collections total $18.2 billion, which is $290 million, or
1.6 percent, above estimate. That surplus shank significantly since December’s revenue report
when the surplus was running $403.7 million over estimates.
Also on February 1, the Independent Fiscal Office reported January revenues were $99.1
million below its estimates, with fiscal year to date revenue was $320.6 million over its
estimates. Click Here for the full IFO report.
Revenue Department
Since the start of the 2018-19 fiscal year, overall tax revenue is $957.1 million, or 5.7
percent, more than was collected in the same period of the last fiscal year.
Sales tax receipts totaled $1 billion for January, $37.2 million above estimate.
Year-to-date sales tax collections total $6.6 billion, which is $200.4 million, or 3.1 percent, more
than anticipated.
Personal income tax (PIT) revenue in January was $1.5 billion, $146.3 million below
estimate. This brings year-to-date PIT collections to $7.4 billion, which is $349.7 million, or 4.5
percent, below estimate.
January corporation tax revenue of $143.1 million was $6.8 million above estimate.
Year-to-date corporation tax collections total $1.8 billion, which is $301.4 million, or 20.1
percent, above estimate.
Inheritance tax revenue for the month was $80.2 million, $7.7 million below estimate,
bringing the year-to-date total to $597.9 million, which is $7.5 million, or 1.2 percent, below
estimate.
Realty transfer tax revenue was $42.9 million for January, $8.4 million below estimate,
bringing the fiscal-year total to $319.8 million, which is $14.1 million, or 4.2 percent, less than
anticipated.
Other General Fund tax revenue, including cigarette, malt beverage, liquor and gaming
taxes, totaled $114.6 million for the month, $1.7 million below estimate and bringing the
year-to-date total to $1.1 billion, which is $2 million, or 0.2 percent, above estimate.
Non-tax revenue totaled $18.8 million for the month, $6.5 million above estimate,
bringing the year-to-date total to $374.3 million, which is $157.5 million, or 72.6 percent, above
estimate.
35
In addition to the General Fund collections, the Motor License Fund received $203.9
million for the month, $19.9 million below estimate. Fiscal year-to-date collections for the fund
— which include the commonly known gas and diesel taxes, as well as other license, fine and fee
revenues — total $1.6 billion, which is $56.8 million, or 3.5 percent, below estimate.
NewsClips:
Related Stories:
[Posted: Feb. 1 2019]
News From Around The State
Allegheny Institute: Review Of Pittsburgh Water Authority’s 5-Year Infrastructure Plan:

The Price That Has To Be Paid For Years Of Neglect
On January 30, the Allegheny Institute For Public

Policy in Pittsburgh published a policy briefing
reviewing the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer
Authority’s 5-Year Infrastructure Plan to make
improvements to its water infrastructure.
The brief concluded by saying, “... this is the price
that has to be paid because of years of failing to
address the problem of antiquated system
components.”
Here’s the entire policy brief--
2017 was a momentous year for the PWSA [Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority].
After a couple of water system issues spotlighted a frail and aging system that would be very
36
costly to repair, the state Legislature placed the PWSA under the regulatory oversight of the state
PUC (see Policy Briefs Vol. 17, No. 14, No. 29 and No. 49).
Act 65 of 2017 compels the PWSA to do two things: 1) bring its operating system into
compliance with the rules and regulations of the PUC, and 2) put together a long-term
infrastructure improvement plan for the replacing/upgrading of its systems, both water and sewer
conveyance.
PWSA’s plan, covering the first five years, 2018 to 2023, was submitted to the PUC in
September 2018 and is now being reviewed by the PUC.
News reports note that after obtaining public input, the PUC has until November 2019 to
accept outright, accept pending the PUC’s recommended changes or reject the plan.
The proposed plan spells out the details of the two systems’ infrastructure components.
The water system is very old and much of it is well past its expected life span with an
estimated average age of over 80 years. Forty percent of the system was installed prior to 1920
and 86 percent was built prior to 1970. It is comprised of over 1,000 miles of water lines of
which 964 miles are water mains.
While the entire system has not yet been adequately cataloged and updated, the PWSA
says it is using a Geographic Information System that is constantly being updated to get a more
accurate picture of the system’s health.
However, given the extreme age of much of the system, estimates of needed immediate
and near-term replacements are just that. It is almost impossible to know with certainty where
potentially calamitous breaks might occur.
The water system contains two treatment plants (one rapid sand and one microfiltration),
eight distribution pump stations, four reservoirs (three covered, one not), 10 distribution storage
tanks/reservoirs, two finished water pumps, one raw water pump on the Allegheny River, 24,900
valves and 7,450 public fire hydrants.
While the PWSA does not treat sewage—the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority
(ALCOSAN) does—it does have a conveyance system to ALCOSAN that needs to be looked at
as well.
There are 1,213 miles of sanitary, storm and combined sewer lines in the system. The
system also has four wastewater pump stations, 30,000 inlets, 29,000 manhole covers, 185 storm
sewer outfalls and 38 combined sewer overflow outfalls.
Approximately 77 percent of the sewer system is combined with storm water, which by
federal consent decree, must be separated. There are 24 neighboring municipalities that convey
wastewater through PWSA lines for which they do not provide a cost share to PWSA.
Obviously, the system is immense and will take many years and billions of dollars to fix
it in its entirety. The proposed five-year plan covering 2018 through 2023 will be the first of
several such plans.
Recall that a similar comprehensive plan by an engineering firm from 2012 proposed a
40-year time frame recommending eight five-year plans, for overhauling the entire system.
According to the five-year capital improvement plan submitted to the PUC, the top
priorities are “the Aspinwall Water Treatment Plant, replacement or rehabilitation of the two
major (treated) or finished water pumping stations, upgrades to storage facilities; replacement of
critical transmission lines; continuation of the lead service line replacement program; and
acceleration of the small diameter water main replacement program with an overall five-year
budget of approximately $775 million.”
37
Small diameter pipes (8 inches or smaller) are scheduled to be replaced in one percent of
the system (720 miles) in the next five years.
The lead service line replacement program has been well underway, replacing more than
2,700 lines from 2016 to 2018 and plans to be finished by 2026. It has been under a Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection order to do so since 2016.
As was mentioned in a state Auditor General’s report from 2017, the city had an
agreement with PWSA to provide bulk water to city properties (600 million gallons per year) and
that many city properties were not metered.
As part of this plan, the PWSA will also be installing meters at approximately 200-400
sites that are currently unmetered along with another 500 properties that pay a flat rate but do not
have a meter.
The cost of this part of the program will be billed to these customers and is expected to
take five years to complete. The PWSA does not provide an estimated cost per meter.
This five-year plan also includes wastewater system renewal priorities that have a budget
of $155 million over the five years. The total budget for the three project areas comes to $930
million.
In sum, this plan calls for spending a very large amount of money. And it represents only
the first five years of repairs and replacements.
As was noted in an earlier Policy Brief (Vol.17, No. 14), the PWSA carries a large
amount of debt. In 2015 the amount of net total bonds and loans stood at $763 million before
increasing to $866 million at the end of 2017 (2017 audited financial statement).
The net position of the PWSA at the end of 2017 was negative $43.8 million—up from
2015’s negative $35.7 million but better than 2014’s negative $59.1 million net position. And
this figure depends on what can only be an estimated value of the system’s infrastructure.
In the plan, the PWSA states that “current planned improvements will be funded through
both current rates and rate increases, as well as through revenue bonds, a capital line of credit,
pay-as-you-go funding, and PennVest low interest loans.”
It will also explore federal funding through the Water Infrastructure Finance and
Innovation Act of 2014, which offers low fixed-interest rates and flexible terms. It will also look
to potential private-public partnerships where possible—and if allowed by the mayor and council
who have been unalterably opposed to privatization.
In September 2018 it was reported the PWSA petitioned the PUC to increase rates across
its customer base, including 17 percent on residential customers and 10 percent on educational
and health care organizations.
In 2018 the PWSA’s budget show receipts from water totaled $109.7 million. With an
estimated composite average rate hike of 13.5 percent, those receipts should climb another $14.8
million.
If approved the new rates will take effect in April 2019 and remain through 2020. It will
likely be the first of a several rate increases for PWSA customers in the coming years.
And, of course, the plan’s estimates of costs are just the direct monetary cost of the
replacement and repair to be borne by the PWSA.
There will be other huge costs, some non-monetary, imposed on the citizenry as streets
are closed during work on the water lines. Add to that the lost revenue and output of businesses
whose patrons and employees cannot get to them. Nor do the PWSA’s costs include the serious
inconvenience of water service being cut off to communities for extended periods.
38
According to the plan, in 2014 through 2017 annual capital spending was under $40
million per year. Spending increased to $70 million in 2018 and is projected to balloon to $330
million by 2021 before dropping a bit to $265 million in 2023—in all $1.35 billion over five
years.
But this is the price that has to be paid because of years of failing to address the problem
of antiquated system components. Bear in mind, too, that PWSA funds were misused by past
administrations to shore up city budgets rather than investing in needed repairs.
Still this plan, though too long in coming and purposely delayed, is the first step of many
to insure a properly functioning reliable water and sewer system for Pittsburgh.
For more information on policy issues affecting Western Pennsylvania, visit the
Allegheny Institute For Public Policy website.
NewsClips:
Related Stories:
Water Lines
PUC Sets Schedule For Considering Pittsburgh Water Authority Long-Term Infrastructure Plan
Pittsburgh Water Authority To Replace 3,400 Lead Service Lines Using PennVEST Funding In
2019
[Posted: Jan. 30, 2019]
Delaware River Basin Commission Hearing Feb. 13, Business Meeting March 13
On January 30, the Delaware River Basin Commission announced it will hold a hearing on water
withdrawal requests and other issues on February 13 and its next regular business meeting on
March 13. (formal notice)
Both the public hearing and business meeting are open to the public and will be held at
the Washington Crossing Historic Park Visitor Center, 1112 River Road, Washington Crossing,
Bucks County.
The hearing starts at 1:30 and the business meeting at 10:30.
Click Here for the agenda of items to be considered and how you can submit comments.
For more information on programs, initiatives and upcoming events, visit the Delaware
River Basin Commission website. Click Here to sign up for regulator updates. Follow DRBC
on Twitter. Visit them on YouTube.
NewsClips:
Delaware RiverKeeper Feb. 1 RiverWatch Video Report
NJ Governor Urges Full Fracking Ban In Delaware River Basin
[Posted: Jan. 30, 2019]
PA Clean Water Legislative Briefing Book Available From PennFuture
39
The General Assembly plays an important role in protecting these critical water resources
through the funding of the state resource agencies charged with their protection and passing and
enhancing laws that help to steward them.
The first edition of the Clean Water Legislative Briefing Book from PennFuture presents
important information about the opportunities and threats facing Pennsylvania waterways, as
well as explanations of bedrock clean water laws and the state’s major watersheds.
These issues are laid out in detail and with instructive guidance on legislative solutions.
Enacting the policy recommendations in this book will advance sustainable solutions to
Pennsylvania’s water challenges, maintain the integrity of the Commonwealth’s natural systems,
and promote public health while addressing the needs of municipalities, industry, agriculture,
and business.
In order to accomplish this, PennFuture is asking the General Assembly to do the
following:
-- Provide Adequate Funding for State Resource Agencies: Since the 2002-03 fiscal year
budget, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Conservation
and Natural Resources, and Department of Agriculture have each experienced significant budget
cuts.
While the modest increases in funding since 2013 were a step in the right direction, our
state resource agencies are still operating with significantly reduced resources than are necessary
to keep our air and water clean.
-- Establish A Dedicated Fund for Clean Water: A dedicated fund for water quality and flood
abatement efforts would make better use of state agency staff time and resources by promoting
more consistent planning and leveraging local and private investments more efficiently. Yearly,
inconsistent budget negotiations jeopardize the resources needed to restore and protect
waterways.
-- Restore Fair Share Funding to River Basin Commissions: River Basin Commissions are
interstate, federal regulatory agencies that work to ensure that waterways split among several
state jurisdictions are healthy enough to serve as sources of drinking water, recreation, and in
some cases, transportation.
These commissions are responsible for overseeing water quality, flood control, wildlife,
water flow, water withdrawals, aquatic flora, and industrial runoff in their respective basin. Most
states and the federal government have not contributed their fair share of funding in more than
two decades.
Along with our three legislative priorities, PennFuture identified the following 10 policy
priorities: (1) economic benefits of Pennsylvania’s waterways; (2) helping farms thrive by
protection water and soil; (3) empowering municipalities to reduce the impacts of polluted
runoff; (4) cleaning up abandoned mine drainage to restore fish populations, (5) mitigating the
impacts of flooding in Pennsylvania; (6) restoring and reconnecting streams to improve water
quality and reduce flooding; (7) protecting wild trout and expanding protective stream
designations; (8) keeping children safe from lead in school drinking water; (9) ensuring that
wastewater permits are up-to-date; and (10) advancing environmental justice.
Click Here for a copy of the briefing book.
For more information, visit PennFuture’s PA Clean Water legislative Briefing Book
webpage.
Related Stories:
40
Register Now: PA Riparian Forest Buffer Summit Feb. 20-21
You can still register for the DCNR and Western PA

Conservancy Riparian Forest Buffer Summit on
February 20-21 is closing fast.
Pennsylvania has a goal of planting 95,000 acres of
riparian buffers statewide by 2025 to improve water
quality.
The objective of the Summit is to provide conservation
professionals and other Riparian Forest Buffer
practitioners, decision makers and others with the
latest and greatest information on Forest Buffer
science, implementation strategies, outreach, funding
options, as well as to provide networking opportunities for those working and volunteering in the
forest buffer field.
DCNR and the Conservancy held the first Forest Buffer Summit last year.
This year’s Summit will be held at the Best Western Premier Conference Center, 800
East Park Drive in Harrisburg.
Click Here to register, for a tentative agenda, sponsorship opportunities and more.
Questions should be directed to Teddi Stark, DCNR's Riparian Forest Buffer Coordinator, by
calling 717-787-0656 or send email to: c-tstark@pa.gov.
Resources
For more information on buffers, financial and technical assistance available, visit
DCNR’s Forest Buffers webpage.
CFA Accepting Applications
The Commonwealth Financing Authority will accept applications from February 1 to
May 31 for its Act 13 Watershed Restoration Grants which includes funding control nonpoint
source pollution runoff, which includes agricultural operations. Click Here for more.
New DCNR Grant Round Open
Click Here to learn more about grant opportunities to support riparian buffer, trail and
recreation projects. The deadline for applications is April 10.
NewsClips:
Forests - Wildfires
AP: Big Storm Sets Sights On California, Evacuations Ordered In Wildfire Burned Areas
PG&E Utility Files For Bankruptcy After Devastating California Wildfires
41
After Bankruptcy, PG&E Headed Back To Court Over Wildfires
Insurance Claims From Deadly California Wildfires Top $11.4 Billion
Related Stories:
[Posted: Jan. 30, 2019]
Need Community Service Ideas? Attend The Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed

Partnership Community Leader Breakfast Feb. 21 In Philadelphia
Are you a volunteer coordinator or community

Leader? Do you need community service ideas for
2019?
Join the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed
Partnership on February 21 for a Volunteer
Coordinator Breakfast and Networking session at the
Globe Dye Works, 4500 Worth Street, Philadelphia
from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m.
The TTF watershed – from the headwaters in the
upstream communities of Abington, Cheltenham,
Jenkintown, Rockledge, and Springfield in
Montgomery County – to downstream neighborhoods
in North, Northeast, and Northwest Philadelphia – the Partnership implements programs that
educate neighbors and stakeholders about clean water issues and how we can all make a
difference in our own backyards, parks, and communities.
Please RSVP by calling 215-744-1853 or send email to: Nagiarry@ttfwatershed.org by
February 19.
For more information on programs, initiatives and other upcoming events, visit the
Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership website.
Related Stories:
[Posted: Jan. 29, 2018]
Octorara High Students Explore Local History, Learn To Protect Fresh Water In Chester
County
Octorara High School students spent three days

last fall experiencing and learning about their
local parts of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed,
with the help of the Stroud Water Research
42
Center. They also discovered the impacts their choices make to promote its health and integrity.
The group of 13 students, and their teacher of animal and plant science Helena Martin,
participated in a free program led by Stroud Water Research Center.
The Center provides education programs and professional development for schools and
teachers in the Susquehanna River Watershed and across the country, along with the Sultana
Education Foundation, which inspires people in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed to preserve and
restore America’s largest estuary.
Octorara High School specializes in providing students with career and technical
education.
On the first day, Chris Cerino, vice president of SEF, introduced the students to the rich
history of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, and Tara Muenz, Stroud
Water Research Center’s assistant director of education, prepared them for the following two
days of outdoor educational adventures to engage them in the watershed.
On day two, the students headed to the Stroud Center to learn about water quality and
how to perform surveys and assessments to better understand the health of a local waterway.
Recent rain had made White Clay Creek too deep for the students to collect
macroinvertebrates, but they still experienced a tour of the laboratories learning about careers in
science and topics in freshwater ecology, including watersheds, stream orders, chemistries, and
how to enter their data into the Water Quality App™.
By day three, the skies had cleared, and the students and staff set off in canoes on the
Octoraro Reservoir to experience the fun and beauty this freshwater resource had to offer. For
some, it was their first time canoeing.
They also learned more about their place and role in the watershed. Activities included
seine fishing and aquatic insect collection, wildlife observation in the marsh, and water quality
monitoring.
“Seeing the wildlife and litter while learning how the marshes filter pollution and their
importance, really stuck with me and I’m hoping with the students too,” said Ms. Martin.
“We wanted the students to have fun learning about the local history, environment, and to
ultimately discover how we as humans impact water quality through our choices,” said Muenz.
One student said, “This is so much fun, and we did a lot of laughing and saw a lot of cool
animals.”
The program was made possible by a cooperative agreement between the U.S.
Department of the Interior, the National Park Service, Captain John Smith Chesapeake National
Historic Trail, and Sultana Education Foundation.
The partnership will continue over the next year so that more students and teachers from
Octorara High School and the surrounding area can enjoy similar experiences.
For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the Stroud Water
Research Center website, Click Here to subscribe to UpStream. Click Here to subscribe to
Stroud’s Educator newsletter. Click Here to become a Friend Of Stroud Research, Like them on
Facebook, Follow on Twitter, include them in your Circle on Google+ and visit their YouTube
Channel.
NewsClips:
Stroud Water Research Center Recognizes Robin L. Vannote’s Watershed Work
Eastern Hellbender
43
Lackawanna Heritage Valley Accepting Applications For Conservation, Education Other Grants
Pike Conservation District Now Accepting Applications For A $500 Environmental Education
Grant
Carbon County Environmental Ed Center Winter Wildlife (Video)
DCNR Blog: Wildflower Spotting In Winter?
Brodhead Watershed Assn: Feb. 9: Kids, Explore The H2Olympics; Feb. 16 Pasold Farm Hike
In Monroe County
Da Vinci Science Center Returns To Northampton County Council A Year After Losing Grant
Loyalhanna Watershed Group Seeks 6 Conservation Interns In Westmoreland
Cusick: Kids Dressed As The Lorax Got To Meet Gov. Wolf, And Make Their Point On Climate
Change, Environmental Rights
Video Of Better Path Coalition Program On Enforcing Environmental Rights Amendment
(Facebook)
Video Of Monday Environmental Rights Event With Kids Dressed As The Lorax
Earlier Story On Better Path Coalition Program
South Mountain Partnership Announces 6 Lectures For 2019 Speakers Series Beginning March
16
Related Stories:
In Monroe County
Grant
Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority Accepting Applications For Conservation, Preservation,
Education Partnership Grants
(Reprinted from the Stroud Water Research Center newsletter. Click Here to sign up for your
own copy.)
[Posted: Jan. 31 2019]
Pike Conservation District Now Accepting Applications For A $500 Environmental

Education Grant
The Pike County Conservation District is offering a

$500 Environmental Education Project Grant
opportunity to Pike County teachers or youth
organizations to fund a project that complements
the District’s mission. Deadline for applications is
May 3.
PCCD is committed to natural resource
44
conservation through leadership, education, technical assistance, planning and enforcement to
ensure the long-term protection and sustainable use of Pike County’s natural resources and
implementation of environmentally sound development and land use practices.
This environmental education project grant has provided funding since 2005 to all three
school districts in Pike County and hundreds of students with a variety of projects including:
-- Equipment to support sampling for the Rusty Crayfish invasive species.
-- “The Overuse of Plastic Bags,” a habitat rehabilitation project.
-- A native plant garden installation.
-- A “Trout in the Classroom” project.
-- “Seven Wonders of Pike County,” which uses GPS to direct residents and visitors through the
trails and paths of some of our area’s natural wonders.
-- Signage and deer enclosure area educational materials, which were incorporated in an
interpretive trail/outdoor classroom.
-- A courtyard garden project.
-- An outdoor classroom.
Applicants are encouraged to be creative. Projects should plan to start up in the Fall.
Click Here for a copy of the application and more information. Questions should be
directed by email to: pikecd@pikepa.org or call 570-226-8220.
For more information on programs, initiatives, financial and technical assistance
available and upcoming events, visit the Pike County Conservation District website.
NewsClips:
Eastern Hellbender
Octorara High Students Explore Local History, Learn To Protect Fresh Water In Chester County
In Monroe County
(Facebook)
16
45
Related Stories:
In Monroe County
Brodhead Watershed Assn: Feb. 9: Kids, Explore The H2Olympics; Feb. 16 Pasold Farm
Hike In Monroe County
The Brodhead Watershed Association will host two

upcoming events in Monroe County for kids and the
whole family.
Water Wiser Kids Explore The H2Olympics
On February 9 kids and their grownups take part in
the H2Olympics at Brodhead Creek Heritage Center
in Analomink from 12:30 to 2:00.
An environmental educator will guide
elementary-age children as they work alone and in
teams at action stations.
At each station, kids will explore different properties
of water. How does water carry things? Absorb
things? Change things? How does water “hold
together”? They’ll imagine what the water might do in each situation, then test their hypotheses,
observe the results, and sketch what actually happens. Was the hypothesis correct? Why? Why
not? What would change the result?
The Indoor H2Olympics brings out the natural scientist in every kid. Grownups may be
surprised, too!
To register call 570-839-1120 or 570-629-2727 or send email to:
info@brodheadwatershed.org.
This program is part of the Water Wiser Kids Series sponsored by Brodhead Watershed
Association, funded by a Dr. Claus Jordan Endowment Grant from Lehigh Valley Health
Network Pocono Foundation.
Winter Hike At Pasold Farm
On February 16 find out what makes the trail loop at Pasold Farm in Barrett Township so
special during the winter by joining naturalist Patti O’Keefe for a winter walk starting at 10:00
a.m.
The low, near-solstice sun paints the leafless trees and their lanky shadows gold and
black. You see long views of the land, its folds and rises. The trail, newly widened, is wet after
record-breaking rains.
Through woods on either side, you see elephant-sized boulders with lichen and ferns
growing from every crevice, like crazy-big Chia pets. Many of them are slowly being split by
white pine seedlings, their thread-like roots working into microscopic fissures, the finest of
filaments able to crack ancient rock.
46
The spring that once served Pasold Farm is beautifully preserved, and there’s no risk of
missing the spot, now that a hand-carved sign points the way. Water rises from among the roots
of an old oak and is tamed in a square, man made pool.
Fly Fishing in America began on the Brodhead. It is still considered one of the finest
trout streams in the world. Thanks to the people of Barrett Township who conserved this land,
fishing this historic stream is open to all.
To register and get directions, Call 570-839-1120 or 570-629-2727; email
info@brodheadwatershed.org.
The hike is part of the Get Outdoors Poconos series administered by Brodhead Watershed
Association and supported by a grant from the William Penn Foundation.
For more information on programs, initiatives and other upcoming events, visit the
Brodhead Watershed Association website.
NewsClips:
Eastern Hellbender
Grant
(Facebook)
16
Related Stories:
Grant
[Posted: Jan. 31, 2019]
47
DEP Accepting Applications For Recycling Implementation Grants Thru March 22
The Department of Environmental Protection is

accepting applications for Section 902 Recycling
Implementation Grants. The deadline for
applications is March 22.
DEP will give priority to the following
applications--
-- Incentive-based pricing and collection
programs designed to increase the quantity and
types of recyclable materials and reduce the
amount of waste collected;
-- Multi-Municipal collection, processing, and/or
materials marketing programs that reduce capital costs or enhance recycling marketability; and
-- Collection methods that provide greater marketability and value to collected recyclables.
Existing municipal recycling programs that include the following will also receive
additional consideration--
-- Publicly provided or municipally contracted waste and recycling services;
-- Collection of at least 6 of the following materials: newsprint, office paper, corrugated paper
and other marketable grades of paper, aluminum, steel or bimetal cans, colored or clear glass
containers and plastics; and
-- Incentive-based pricing and collection programs designed to increase the quantity and types of
recyclables collected and reduce the amount of waste.
To be eligible, projects must involve municipalities that have a mandatory trash
collection program or seek support for residential recycling in communities that already operate
a commercial recycling program.
Applicants must also schedule a pre-application conference with their regional DEP
recycling coordinator to discuss requirements and program details.
For more information, visit DEP’s Recycling Grants webpage. Questions should be
directed to Mark Vottero at 717-772-5719 or send email to: mvoterro@pa.gov.
NewsClips:
Related Story:
(Reprinted from the PA Township News. )

DEP Will Accept Comments On Speciality Granules' Proposed Northern Tract Quarry In
48
Adams County Thru Feb. 13
The Department of Environmental Protection will be accepting comments on a noncoal surface

mine permit application, and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)
application for Specialty Granules LLC’s Northern Tract Quarry, located in Hamiltonban
Township, Adams County through February 13.
DEP held a meeting and hearing on the permits January 30 in Fairfield.
DEP representatives from the Cambria District Mining Office were available to answer
questions concerning the permit application. At 7:00 PM, formal comments regarding the permit
applications will be accepted.
DEP conducted an initial information session and hearing on July 23, 2018. In response
to questions and comments generated from that event, Specialty Granules submitted further data
and information, and results of further analyses.
Specialty Granules is proposing to conduct noncoal surface mining activities on company
owned property located immediately north of its existing Charmain Plant facility, and discharge
water to the Toms Creek watershed, which is designated as High Quality, Cold Water Fishes,
and Migratory Fishes.
A copy of the application is available for public review at the Adams County
Conservation District, 670 Old Harrisburg Road, Suite 201, Gettysburg, PA 17325. Responses to
the previously submitted comments and supporting documentation is available for review on
DEP’s website.
Individuals in need of an accommodation to participate in the hearing, as provided for in
the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, should contact DEP’s Daniel Sammarco at
814-472-1900, or the Pennsylvania AT&T Relay Service at 1-800-654-5984 (TDD) to discuss
how DEP may accommodate your needs.
Questions should be directed to John Repetz by calling 717-705-4904 and send an email
to: jrepetz@pa.gov.
NewsClips:
Crable: Abandoned Quarry Near Susquehanna Gets New Purpose To Replenish River In
Droughts In Lancaster
[Posted: Jan. 30, 2019]
PUC To Host PA Statewide Sustainable Energy Board Meeting Feb. 7
On January 31, the Pennsylvania Sustainable

Energy Board, in conjunction with the Public
Utility Commission, announced will hold its
annual meeting at 10:30 a.m., February 7 in the
Desert Room of the Keystone Building Meeting
Center in the Commonwealth Keystone Building,
400 North St., Harrisburg.
In the event of inclement weather, the annual
meeting will be held Thursday, Feb. 22, 2019, at
the same location and time.
The meeting will provide updates from the regional Sustainable Energy Funds (SEFs)
49
and update Commonwealth agencies and other interested groups on the funds’ activities.
Some of the projects being discussed at the meeting will include the following:
-- The PECO Sustainable Development Fund will present information on its energy lending in
2018, along with its grant to Green Building United for training to implement the 2015/2018
International Energy Conservation Code, and its work on several important policy initiatives
(Pennsylvania Solar Future, community solar, C-PACE, etc.).
-- The Metropolitan-Edison Co. and Pennsylvania Electric Co. SEF will discuss 2018 grant and
loan approvals and share the results of its strategic planning process, including four new funding
programs that will roll out over the next 24 months.
-- The West Penn Power Co. SEF will provide a summary of its funding activities during the last
24 months and planned future activities. The Fund will showcase its recent funding
commitments to institutional-scale solar and the construction of high-performance buildings.
-- The PPL Sustainable Energy Fund will provide results from its nonprofit makeover, status of
Net Zero Building, science fair results and financing activities for 2018.
The PASEB was originally established by the Commission in 1999 to provide oversight,
guidance and technical assistance to the regional sustainable energy boards that fund projects
such as wind farms, solar power systems, smart thermostat programs and the construction of
buildings using energy efficient technologies.
On Aug. 7, 2003, the Commission issued an order further defining the role of the
PASEB. That order charged the PASEB with holding an annual meeting; enhancing
communications among the four funds and state agencies; and establishing bylaws and a “best
business practices” model.
For more information, visit the Pennsylvania Sustainable Energy Board webpage.
(Photo: Solar energy installation at Elizabethtown College, Lancaster County.)
NewsClips:
Solar Panels Could Be Coming To Centre County Correctional Facility
Op-Ed: Gut-Checking Pennsylvania’s Climate Moment, Keeping Nuclear Power Plants Open
Op-Ed: Natural Gas Is Doing Far More Than Renewables To Clean Our Air
Sisk: Bitter Cold Tests Electricity, Natural Gas Systems
[Posted: Jan. 31, 2019]
Op-Ed: NRDC Expresses Opposition To “No Strings Attached” PA Nuclear Subsidy Bill
By Mark Szybist, Natural Resources Defense Council
[Note: The upcoming discussion of whether to subsidize

the operation of Pennsylvania’s nuclear power plants
has attracted national attention. This piece by the
Natural Resources Defense Council is only the most
recent one from national groups weighing in on this
issue.]
According to news reports, state legislators in Pennsylvania will soon introduce one or more bills
to provide financial support to the state's nuclear power plants.
50
Such legislation has been anticipated since last November, when the General Assembly's
nuclear caucus issued a report making a case for subsidies, and is expected to do little besides
adding a nuclear target to the state's Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act.
We criticized the caucus report for failing to endorse an energy policy that aims to
transition Pennsylvania away from both nuclear power and fossil-fuel generation to renewable
sources and energy efficiency, in accordance with NRDC's issue brief on nuclear transition.
This week NRDC sent a letter to members of the General Assembly urging the need for
such a policy and asking legislators to reject any bill that merely subsidizes nuclear plants, since
that is no more a clean energy policy than the status quo: a massive build-out of natural gas
generation driven by the absence either of state limits on carbon pollution or a price on carbon in
PJM's electricity markets, and a weak AEPS.
The letter is printed below in modified form--
January 29, 2019
Re: Opposition to anticipated “no strings attached” nuclear subsidies bill
Dear Senator/Representative:
In the near future, you will likely be asked to support legislation that would establish a
new tier for nuclear power in Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act (AEPS)
but fail to either (i) significantly increase the statute’s renewable energy targets; or (ii) establish a
declining cap on carbon pollution from the Commonwealth’s power sector.
On behalf of our 112,000 members and activists in Pennsylvania, the Natural Resources
Defense Council (NRDC) respectfully requests that at this time you oppose such legislation and
decline to co-sponsor it until fundamental and significant changes are incorporated into the
legislation.
NRDC’s Position on Nuclear Power and Nuclear Subsidies
NRDC’s view is that state policy making concerning nuclear power should have the goal
of an orderly and deliberate transition away from nuclear to a safer, more economical low-carbon
electric power system based mainly on renewable energy and energy efficiency.
In managing this transition, policymakers must ensure both that electricity is affordable
for consumers and that the communities and workers whose livelihoods currently depend on
nuclear plants have new opportunities for economic development and jobs, after the plants close.
Accordingly, NRDC identifies “best practices” for state proposals that subsidize nuclear
plants to value the low-carbon power they generate. These practices include:
-- A requirement that plants show severe financial distress as a precondition to receive subsidies;
-- The narrow tailoring of support mechanisms (i.e., so that they account for current market
conditions), accompanied by a finite time horizon to prevent the establishment of an entrenched
subsidy;
-- A binding and declining cap on carbon emissions;
-- Policies to significantly scale up energy efficiency and renewable energy;
-- Conditioning support for uneconomical nuclear power plants on a commitment to better
manage the toxic waste they house onsite; and
-- Mechanisms to aid the workers and communities that will be affected when a plant closes.
Our position is based on three core considerations.
First, it is critical that we – the United States and rest of the world – reduce our
greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 percent by 2050 to avoid the worst impacts of climate
change.
51
Second, although nuclear power has beneficial low-carbon attributes, it also comes with
significant safety, global security, environmental, and economic risks. Until these risks are
properly mitigated and the complete nuclear fuel cycle is sufficiently regulated, nuclear power
should not be a leading strategy to diversify America’s energy portfolio and reduce carbon
pollution.
Third, based on analysis performed by NRDC in 2017, the most cost-effective way for
the United States to cut greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050 is to aggressively ramp up
our use of energy efficiency and renewable energy while minimizing our use of both fossil fuels
and nuclear power.
Cutting Carbon and Creating Jobs in Pennsylvania’s Power Sector
In November 2018, the General Assembly’s nuclear caucus issued a report that offers
three rationales for providing financial support to nuclear plants in Pennsylvania: the thousands
of jobs that these plants support; the low-carbon electricity they generate; and the notion that
nuclear power is necessary for “grid resilience and reliability.”
While the idea that nuclear power is essential to reliability or resilience is false, it is true
that the Commonwealth’s nuclear plants both support good-paying jobs and currently generate
most of its low-carbon electricity.
That said, a bill that merely props up uneconomical nuclear plants without putting
Pennsylvania firmly on a path to continuing decreases in carbon pollution and a growing clean
energy economy, is not a climate bill. Nor, in the long run, is it a good jobs bill either.
With respect to climate, keeping nuclear plants online may prevent them from being
replaced by fossil generation in the short term – but the key question is what will replace them in
the long run.
While solar and wind energy paired with battery storage is increasingly the cheapest form
of generation in the U.S., the absence of a price on carbon in the markets run by the PJM
Interconnection, along with other market barriers, make it harder for renewables to compete in
Pennsylvania.
As a result, the Commonwealth is experiencing a massive build-out of natural-gas-fired
generation, which – though less polluting than coal – still emits enormous quantities of climate
pollution, especially when methane leaks during gas production activities are taken into account.
To ensure an ongoing decrease in carbon pollution from the power sector, Pennsylvania
needs a declining cap on emissions with market mechanisms for trading and pricing, along with
ambitious energy efficiency and renewable energy goals.
Regarding jobs, as the unanimously-passed Senate Resolution 420 of 2018 noted, based
on Environmental Entrepreneurs' 2018 Clean Jobs Pennsylvania report, “the clean and renewable
energy sector is a growing part of this Commonwealth's economy, growing at a current rate of
more than 2 percent annually, and has been a key driver of economic growth in Pennsylvania in
recent years with the number of jobs in the clean and renewable energy sector in Pennsylvania
now standing at more than 86,000.”
To a large extent, this growth is due to rapidly declining costs for renewables and the fact
that Pennsylvanians increasingly want cleaner and more efficient energy. But as comparisons
between the Commonwealth and other states show, energy policies matter.
A cap on carbon pollution from the power sector, together with stronger renewables
targets in the AEPS, stronger efficiency standards, and strategic public- and private-sector
investments, would stimulate demand for clean energy and create tens of thousands of new jobs
52
in manufacturing, construction, among other fields, and spur much-needed economic
development to areas of Pennsylvania that urgently need it.
Simply put, any nuclear power bill that does not prioritize policies that support the clean
and renewable energy sector, and ensures we cap and cut power sector carbon pollution, is
myopic and regressive.
We urge members to embrace forward-looking policies that will transition Pennsylvania
to a lower-carbon future and clean-energy-based economic development.
For all these reasons, we respectfully request that you oppose any legislation that solely
establishes a new tier for nuclear power in Pennsylvania’s AEPS without significantly increasing
renewable energy targets, further expanding the state’s successful energy efficiency programs,
and establishing a declining cap on carbon pollution from the state’s power sector.
And we urge you, when legislating energy policy – as well as other policies that affect
Pennsylvanians’ economic and energy futures, especially fiscal and labor policy – to ensure that
energy is affordable and increasingly cleaner for all Pennsylvanians, no matter their zip code.
We look forward to continuing to work with the General Assembly, the Governor,
relevant state agencies, and other stakeholders to chart a truly clean and sustainable energy future
for the Commonwealth.
Meanwhile, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or would like
to discuss the issues raised in this letter.
Thank you very much.
Mark Szybist
Mark Szybist is a Senior Attorney in the Climate & Clean Energy Program, Natural Resources
Defense Council. Click Here for more.
NewsClips:
Bloomberg: Exelon Seeking Russian Nuclear Fuel For Illinois Power Plant
Bill Gates Sells Nuclear Power As The Only Viable Alternative Energy Source To Slow Climate
Change
Related Stories:
Nuclear Energy Caucus Releases Report On The Impact Of Closing Nuclear Power Plants,
Possible Solutions
PA Environmental Council Releases Report Recommending PA Join RGGI Regional Climate
Initiative, Update AEPS
Gov. Wolf Sets Goal Of Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions By 80% By 2050 From 2005
Levels
Clean Air Council, Widener Law & Sustainability Center, 61 Others Petition EQB To Set Up A
Cap-And-Trade Program To Reduce PA Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Leadership
PA Environmental Council: In Case You Missed It In January
53
The In Case You Missed It In January newsletter is now available from the PA Environmental
Council featuring stories on--
-- PA Environmental Council Releases Report Recommending PA Join RGGI Regional Climate
Initiative, Update AEPS
-- Podcast: Time To Act On Climate
-- Putting The Pieces Together On Climate - Gov. Wolf (Video)
-- Statewide Watershed Conference Coming In February
-- Western PA Environmental Award Nominations Due Feb. 8
-- Podcast: PA Legacies: Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
-- Podcast: PA Legacies: Down By The River In Wyoming County
For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the PA
Environmental Council website, visit the PEC Blog, PEC Bill/Regulation Tracker, follow PEC
on Twitter or Like PEC on Facebook. Visit PEC’s Audio Room for the latest podcasts. Click
Here to receive regular updates from PEC.
[Posted: Feb. 1 2019]
PennDOT Announces Multimodal Project Funding, Including Bike Lanes, Trails, Green
Infrastructure
On February 1, Gov. Tom Wolf announced 50

highway, bridge, transit, aviation, and bike and
pedestrian projects in 23 counties were selected for
$44.5 million in funding through the Multimodal
Transportation Fund.
"Transportation is critical to connecting communities
and economies, and we are an important partner in
bringing progress across the state," Governor Wolf said.
"These investments will improve overall mobility and
safety while bolstering commercial projects."
Reflecting Governor Wolf's and PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards' commitment to
improving locally owned infrastructure, several of the projects will also help local governments
address bridges and roadways in need of repair or replacement.
"Whether we’re making roadways more accessible to all means of travel or creating new
connections for businesses investing in our communities, transportation is integral to our quality
of life,” Richards said. “These projects will bring long-lasting improvements across the state.”
PennDOT evaluated the applications and made selections based on such criteria as safety
benefits, regional economic conditions, the technical and financial feasibility, job creation,
energy efficiency, and operational sustainability.
The bicycle, trail, green infrastructure projects include--
Allegheny County
-- McKees Rocks Community Development Corporation — $1.9 million for multimodal
transportation and green infrastructure improvements and streetscapes including ADA-compliant
sidewalks and crosswalks, curbing, bus lanes, pedestrian circulation, bike racks, infiltration cells,
traffic signals, and new street lighting beginning at the intersection of Chartiers Avenue, Linden
Avenue, and Furnace Street Ext., and extending northwest along the first block of Chartiers
54
Avenue.
-- Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County — $650,000 for a new
three-acre public open space providing improvements to intersection, public streetscape, new
accessible pedestrian pathways, bicycle routes, bus stop, bikeshare station, stormwater
management, energy-efficient lighting, and other public amenities.
Huntingdon County
-- Mount Union Borough — $1.2 million to complete the Pennsylvania Avenue Linear Park
Corridor as a multimodal transportation hub in the heart of town. The project will link the Mount
Union Area School District and surrounding neighborhoods to the central business district on the
southern side of the rail lines.
Lancaster County
-- East Lampeter Township — $1.6 million to complete improvements that have been
recommended in the Lincoln Highway Streetscape Plan targeting pedestrian and multimodal
facilities, including the addition of a bicycle/pedestrian path on the south side of the highway,
widening of the pedestrian sidewalk on the north side of the highway, and crosswalks at the
signalized intersections.
Lehigh County
-- Borough of Coopersburg — $1.2 million for traffic, bicycling, and pedestrian improvements
to Main Street and East State Street, including ADA-compliant pedestrian crosswalks at two key
intersections, 0.11 miles of curb, sidewalk, pedestrian lighting, signs, and pavement marking.
Tioga County
-- County of Tioga — $1 million to extend the Pine Creek Rail-Trail to a trailhead in Wellsboro
Borough, three miles south.
Click Here for the entire announcement.
(Photo: Pine Creek Rail Trail. )
NewsClips:
11 Hiking Trails To Abandoned Ruins In Pennsylvania
Suspicious Device Near Lower Saucon Rail Trail Proves Harmless Police Say
Op-Ed: Pittsburgh Needs Commuter Bicycle Routes
Related Stories:
In Monroe County
Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority Accepting Applications For Conservation,

Preservation, Education Partnership Grants
The Scranton-based Lackawanna Heritage Valley

Authority is now accepting applications for
55
Spring Partnership Grants to support conservation, preservation or educational programs about
historic, cultural, economic and natural resources in the Lackawanna Valley.
The deadline for applications is March 1.
Nonprofit and civic organizations, governmental agencies and educational institutions
may submit proposals for grants of up to $2,500.
For more information, visit the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority website or call
570-963-6730.
NewsClip:
Related Stories:
Grant
[Posted: Jan. 30, 2019]
South Mountain Partnership Announces 6 Lectures For 2019 Speakers Series Beginning
March 16
On January 29, the South Mountain

Partnership announced its scheduled of 6
lectures for the 2019 South Mountain
Speakers Series.
Each event highlights a specific topic or
challenge central to the Partnership’s mission
and goals of protecting and promoting
landscape resources.
The Series also provides a vehicle for
engaging the public in on-going, informed dialogue about conservation challenges facing the
South Mountain landscape.
This year's Speakers Series includes these free public events--
-- March 16: Creating The Appalachian Trail In The South. Tom Johnson of the Potomac
Appalachian Trail Club will talk about how in the 1920s, the mountains south of the Potomac
River invited hikers to explore. Led by the dynamic Myron Avery of Washington, D.C., a small
group of enthusiasts created the Appalachian Trail in just a few years. During this presentation
you will “meet” this remarkable group and follow them as they lay out a new trail in the South.
Location: Pine Grove Furnace Ironmasters House in Gardners. Noon.
-- March 23: Barn Survey Volunteer Training. Over the past fifteen years, the Preservation
Society of Historic Gettysburg-Adams County has added more than 300 barns to the Adams
County Barn Registry as a primary component of its Barn Preservation Project. HGAC Barn
Preservation Specialist David Maclay will talk about various facets of barn preservation for both
novice and seasoned surveyors alike. Following the presentations, participants will venture into
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the field, fanning out into the countryside to document local barns in a hands-on, fun-filled
exploration into the rich diversity of Adams County’s agricultural and architectural legacy.
Participation is free of charge and includes breakfast, but advance registration is required by
March 20 by contacting David Maclay at 717-677-4000 or send email to: dmaclay@mac.com.
Location: Apple Museum in Biglerville. 8:30 a.m..
-- April 16: Charcoal Hearths, Collier Huts, and Haul Roads: Traces of the Iron Industry
across South Mountain. Andre Weltman, chairman of the Friends of Pine Grove Furnace State
Park, will discuss the connection between the 19th century charcoal iron industry and today’s
South Mountain landscape. Modern trails and campsites often overlap with still-visible remnants
of an important part of iron making: transforming the forests into charcoal fuel for the region’s
iron furnaces. Location: Dickinson College in the Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium, Carlisle.
7:00 p.m.
-- May 8: Pollinators and Their Habitat. Join Messiah's Director of Sustainability, Brandon
Hoover, as he discusses the importance of pollinators, the local honey industry, and the role
Messiah is taking to promote pollinators. Some time will be spent outside visiting the college’s
hives. Messiah College, Boyer Hall Room 131 in Mechanicsburg. 6:00 p.m.
-- June 11: Appreciating the PA Local Craft Brew Industry. Dr. Alison Feeney, professor of
geography and earth science at Shippensburg University, released a new book in 2018-- For the
Love of Beer. The book examines Pennsylvania's brewing history, geography and cultural
richness while highlighting more than 100 of the state's thriving craft breweries. Come learn
firsthand from Dr. Feeney about what makes Pennsylvania, including the South Mountain
region, so great for the craft brewing industry. Location: Appalachian Brewing Company in
Shippensburg. 6:30 p.m.
-- September 12: Methods of Combating Illegal Dumping and Vandalism in a Forest
Setting. Discover ways to fight illegal dumping and vandalism in a forest setting with a joint
presentation by Forest Ranger Todd Ottinger and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Program
Coordinator Rob Dubas. Technical, social, cultural and financial aspects of the problem will be
explored. Location: Caledonia State Park in Fayetteville. 6:30.
The South Mountain Speakers Series is presented as a revival of the Michaux Lectures, a
series of talks given by Joseph Rothrock to build a groundswell of public support for his work to
preserve and restore Pennsylvania’s forested landscape.
The late 19th century Michaux Lectures were an educational mission that catalyzed real
change in Pennsylvania’s environmental history.
As we face the challenges of the 21st century, the South Mountain Speakers Series is
intended to encourage a new generation to find in the past a positive vision for the future of the
South Mountain Conservation Landscape.
For more information on the program visit the South Mountain Speakers Series webpage.
More information on programs, initiatives and other upcoming events is available at the
South Mountain Partnership website. Click Here to sign up for the partnership’s newsletter
(bottom of the page). Like them on Facebook.
Related Stories:
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[Posted: Jan. 29, 2019]
Penn State Extension Offers 2 Spring Gardening Workshops On April 2 & 9 At

Northampton Community College
Penn State Extension is offering 2 Spring Gardening

Workshops on April 2 and 9 at the Northampton
Community Fowler Family Center, 511 E. 3rd Street
in Bethlehem from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The Spring Garden Series covers four topics
of interest to the home gardener in two evenings--
-- Pruning Landscape Trees and Shrubs
-- Water Gardening Basics
-- Bring the Butterflies and the Beauty in your Garden
-- Starting Vegetable Seedlings Indoors
To register or for more information, visit the
Extension’s Spring Gardening Workshops webpage.
[Posted: Jan. 30, 2019]
Environmental NewsClips - All Topics
Here are NewsClips from around the state on all environmental topics, including General
Environment, Budget, Marcellus Shale, Watershed Protection and much more.
The latest environmental NewsClips and news is available at the PA Environment Digest Daily
Blog and Twitter Feed.
Punxsutawney Phil Predicts Early Spring! [No mention of Climate Change]

Guide To Groundhog Day 2019 With Punxsutawney Phil
Oddsmaker Weighs In: Will Punxsutawney Phil See His Shadow
Environmental Rights Amendment
Video Of Better Path Coalition Program Sunday On Enforcing PA Environmental Rights
Amendment (Facebook)
PA Chamber Hits Back At NIMBYs And Delaware RiverKeeper
Politics
House Environmental Committee Holds Feb. 5 Informational State Of The State Meeting
John Baer: Wait, Harrisburg’s Trying To Get Stuff Done? Bipartisan Initiatives
AP: Republican Don White Leaving Senate In Middle Of Term
House Names Standing Committee Members, Following Senate Appointments
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Fairmount Park Conservancy Leader To Challenge Philly Council Member
Click Here for a Week’s Worth Of Political NewsClips
Air
House, Senate Democratic Policy Committees Hold Feb. 7 Hearing On Fire And Air Pollution
Caused By Clairton Coke (Coal) Works Fire
Repairs To Clairton Coke (Coal) Works To Cost About $40 Million After Fire
AG Shapiro Joins Lawsuit Calling On EPA To Issue New Rule Eliminating Exemptions For
Asbestos Reporting
Alternative Fuels
Awards & Recognition
Eastern Hellbender
Editorial: Clarion’s River Of The Year: Mother Nature And Man Team Up
Biodiversity/Invasive Species
Budget
January State Revenues $137.7 Million Below Estimates; Ahead $290 Million For Fiscal Year
59
Chesapeake Bay
Eastern Hellbender
Latest From The Chesapeake Bay Journal
Click Here to subscribe to the free Chesapeake Bay Journal
Click Here to support the Chesapeake Bay Journal
Follow Chesapeake Bay Journal On Twitter
Like Chesapeake Bay Journal On Facebook
Citizen Action
60
AP: Cabot Oil Wants Dimock Homeowner Thrown In Jail For Not Submitting To Questioning In
Its $5M Lawsuit Against Him
(Facebook)
Protecting Water Quality In The Lehigh Valley Workshop Feb. 28
Need Community Service Ideas? Attend The Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership
Community Leader Breakfast Feb. 21 In Philadelphia
Penn State Extension Offers 2 Spring Gardening Workshops On April 2 & 9 At Northampton
Community College
Climate
Sisk: Wolf Just Set A Lofty Climate Goal, What Will It Take To Get There?
Cap-And-Trade Could Fill Gaps In Gov. Wolf’s Climate Change Executive Order
WITF Smart Talk: PA Sets Carbon Goals, Water Quality Systems Need Upgrade
3 Takeaways From The Future Of Energy: Can We Get To Zero Carbon? Forum In Pittsburgh
(Facebook)
Hershey Wants To Make Sure Climate Change Doesn’t Destroy It’s Chocolate Supplies
Erie Nature Watch: Does Climate Change Affect Bird Migration?
AP: Climate Fight: Germany Sets 2038 Deadline To End Coal Use
Edinboro University Cancels Wednesday, Thursday Classes Due To Polar Vortex
U.S. Postal Service Suspends Mail Delivery In Parts Of PA, Other States
Editorial: Cold Kids Are Soft?
After Trump Tells Global Warming To Come Back Fast, NOAA Tweets Winter Storms Don’t
Disprove Climate Change
Coal Mining
Coal Industry’s Burned Out, Pockets Of Poverty Remain Where Sick People Get Sicker - Part I
In PA Coal Region, Many Are Forced To Travel Long Distances To Get The Health Care They
Need - Part II
61
Drug Deaths Are Rising In PA Coal Country, Treatment Hard To Come By - Part III
What’s Being Done About The Doctor Shortage In PA Coal Country? - Part IV
Forum Caps Off Mining Heritage Month In Wilkes-Barre
Compliance Action
Water Lines
Delaware River
Delaware RiverKeeper Feb. 1 RiverWatch Video Report
Delaware River Basin Commission Hearing Feb. 13, Business Meeting March 13
Drinking Water
Water Lines
Crable: Ephrata Schools Send Letter To Parents Over Lead Contamination In 4 Schools
Editorial: School Ought To Be Required To Test Water For Lead, Disclose Results To Parents
Legal Fees
Education
Eastern Hellbender
62
Grant
In Monroe County
(Facebook)
16
Emergency Response
Energy
3 Takeaways From The Future Of Energy: Can We Get To Zero Carbon? Forum In Pittsburgh
Natural Gas Prices Slump Despite U.S. Winter Weather Blast
Letter: Be Cautious Of Dropping Temperatures, Energy Bills
Op-Ed: PA’s Future Depends On The Growth, Diversification Of Its Energy Portfolio
Editorial: PUC Takes Step Toward Helping More People Afford To Heat Their Homes
Peoples’ Gas Wants To Raise Rates By 14-19% To Into Replacing Pipelines
Peoples’ Gas Customers Could Face Double-Digit Rate Hikes As Pipeline Projects Ramp Up
Peoples Natural Gas Seeks Base Rate Increase
UGI Files For Nearly 17% Rate Hike For Residential Customers
UGI Proposes 16.8% Rate Hike To Fund System Upgrades
UGI Requests Rate Hike For Residential, Commercial Natural Gas Customers
63
Cold Weather Forces Salem Nuclear Plant In NJ Offline As Owner Presses For Subsidie
Change
Environmental Policy
PA Environmental Council: In Case You Missed It In January
Farming
Kummer: 1775 Farmhouse, Land Owned By Albert Barnes To Be Preserved
Op-Ed: Want To Save Lehigh Valley Farmland? Buy More Locally Grown Food
Doylestown-Based L’Oreal Brand Gets Down To Earth With Local Farm Partnership
Sown In China, Grown On High Seas Product Of USA Mushrooms Are Killing American Farms
Flooding
64
Forests
Forests - Wildfires
AP: Big Storm Sets Sights On California, Evacuations Ordered In Wildfire Burned Areas
PG&E Utility Files For Bankruptcy After Devastating California Wildfires
After Bankruptcy, PG&E Headed Back To Court Over Wildfires
Insurance Claims From Deadly California Wildfires Top $11.4 Billion
Grants/Funding
Grant
Green Infrastructure
65
Hazardous Substances
Conference At Phipps Conservatory Explores Cancer And The Environment
Land Conservation
Kummer: 1775 Farmhouse, Land Owned By Albert Barnes To Be Preserved
Op-Ed: Want To Save Lehigh Valley Farmland? Buy More Locally Grown Food
Fairmount Park Conservancy Leader To Challenge Philly Council Member
16
Littering/Illegal Dumping
Mine Reclamation
66
DEP: Jeansville Mine Fire Extinguished After 4-Year Battle
Work To Extinguish Olyphant Mine Fire Expected To Begin This Summer In Lackawanna
Noncoal Mining
DEP Holds Jan. 30 Meeting/Hearing On Speciality Granules' Proposed Northern Tract Quarry In
Adams County
Oil & Gas
AP: Cabot Oil Wants Dimock Homeowner Thrown In Jail For Not Submitting To Questioning In
Its $5M Lawsuit Against Him
Op-Ed: America Cannot Afford To Keep It In The Ground
Op-Ed: Saving PA’s Tourism Assets From The Gas Industry
National Fuel Gas To Raise Gas Price In Erie
Peoples’ Gas Wants To Raise Rates By 14-19% To Into Replacing Pipelines
Peoples’ Gas Customers Could Face Double-Digit Rate Hikes As Pipeline Projects Ramp Up
Peoples Natural Gas Seeks Base Rate Increase
UGI Files For Nearly 17% Rate Hike For Residential Customers
UGI Proposes 16.8% Rate Hike To Fund System Upgrades
UGI Requests Rate Hike For Residential, Commercial Natural Gas Customers
Litvak: CNX Scales Back Gas Production Growth, Market Panics
Natural Gas Prices Slump Despite U.S. Winter Weather Blast
AP: Trump Rollbacks For Fossil Fuel Industries Carry Steep Cost
67
American Refineries Will Feel Consequences Of Trump’s Venezuela Crackdown
Permitting
DEP Posted 76 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In Feb. 2 PA Bulletin
Pipelines
Chester County Developer Files Lawsuit To Force Mariner East Pipeline Off Its Property Citing
Expiring Easements
Op-Ed: Citizens Are Heroes In Flight For Pipeline Safety - Sen. Dinniman
Radiation Protection
Bloomberg: Exelon Seeking Russian Nuclear Fuel For Illinois Power Plant
Change
Recreation
PennDOT Announces Multimodal Project Funding, Including Mike Lanes, Trails, Green
Infrastructure
Ohiopyle State Park Celebrates Season With Annual Winterfest Feb. 2
Feb. 1 Take Five Fridays With Pam, PA Parks & Forests Foundation
11 Hiking Trails To Abandoned Ruins In Pennsylvania
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In Monroe County
Record Rain Makes Pittsburgh Area Rivers Challenging To Use
Crable: Lancaster County’s First Natural Playground Takes Shape In Woods Near Pequea
Suggestions Sought For Allegheny Parks’ Mascot Name
Op-Ed: Pittsburgh Needs Commuter Bicycle Routes
Suspicious Device Near Lower Saucon Rail Trail Proves Harmless Police Say
16
AP: National Parks Work To Undo Damage After Federal Govt. Shutdown
Recycling/Waste
DEP Now Accepting Applications For Recycling Implementation Grants Thru March 22
Renewable Energy
PUC To Host PA Statewide Sustainable Energy Board Meeting Feb. 7
Solar Panels Could Be Coming To Centre County Correctional Facility
Stormwater
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Susquehanna River
Sustainability
Hershey Wants To Make Sure Climate Change Doesn’t Destroy It’s Chocolate Supplies
Wastewater Facilities
AP: Wolf To Ask Lawmakers For New $4.5 Billion Community, Environmental Infrastructure
Funding Program
Johnstown, Confluence Get $22.8 Million In Sewer Funding From State
WITF Smart Talk: PA Sets Carbon Goals, Water Quality Systems Need Upgrade
Legal Fees
Watershed Protection
70
Eastern Hellbender
Editorial: Clarion’s River Of The Year: Mother Nature And Man Team Up
Need Community Service Ideas? Attend The Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership
Community Leader Breakfast Feb. 21 In Philadelphia
PA Clean Water Legislative Briefing Book Available From PennFuture
Latest From The Chesapeake Bay Journal
Click Here to subscribe to the Chesapeake Bay Journal
Follow Chesapeake Bay Journal On Twitter
Like Chesapeake Bay Journal On Facebook
Wildlife
Schneck: Saturday Opener For Deer Hunting Season Gains First-Round Approval
Frye: Opinions Split On Proposal To Start Deer Season On A Saturday
Game Commission Considering Saturday Start To Deer Season, Semi-Autos For Big Game
Changes Coming For Buck Season?
Game Commission Gets Feedback On Sunday Hunting, Changing Deer Season
Game Commission Plan To Cull Deer In Blair County Angers Some
Crable: Game Commission Pulls Plug On Considering Use Of Semiautomatic Rifles For Big
Game
No Citation, Just Warning For Man Who Took Home Rescued Deer In York County
Coyotes Among Problems For PA Deer
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Volunteers Create Better Habitat For Wildlife In Bradford County
Game Commission: Pneumonia Likely Caused Upper Dauphin County Deer Deaths
Erie Welcomes Ice Fishing Season
Rare Half-Male, Half-Female Cardinal In Erie Featured In National Geographic
Erie Nature Watch: Does Climate Change Affect Bird Migration?
Crable: Where Have Lancaster County’s Backyard Feeder Birds Gone?
Schneck: Monarch Butterfly Population Up 144% At Wintering Grounds
Guide To Groundhog Day 2019 With Punxsutawney Phil
Oddsmaker Weighs In: Will Punxsutawney Phil See His Shadow
Schneck: PA Nature Calendar For February
Federal Policy
National Geographic: 15 Ways The Trump Administration Has Impacted The Environment
AP: National Parks Work To Undo Damage After Federal Govt. Shutdown
EPA Highlights Decrease In Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Deregulation In Annual Review
Click Here For This Week's Allegheny Front Radio Program
Public Participation Opportunities/Calendar Of Events
This section lists House and Senate Committee meetings, DEP and other public hearings and
meetings and other interesting environmental events.
NEW means new from last week. Go to the online Calendar webpage for updates.
Note: DEP published the 2019 schedules of its advisory committees, councils and board
meetings in the Dec. 10 PA Bulletin, page 7708.
February 2-- Delaware Highlands Conservancy Eagle Watch Bus Tour. 10:00 to 1:00. Click
Here for more.
February 4-- DEP PA State Clean Diesel Grant Program Webinar. 10:00.
February 5-- NEW. House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee informational
State Of The State meeting. Room 205 Ryan Building. 10:00. Committee meetings are usually
webcast through the House Republican website. Click Here for more.
February 5- Governor’s Budget Address. Noonish.
February 5-- Brandywine Conservancy Public Meeting On Chester County Greenway Water
Trail Project. Downingtown Borough Annex, 4 West Lancaster Ave., Downingtown. 5:00 to
7:00.
February 5-6-- Monroe, Pike Conservation Districts Hold Water Quality Permitting, Green
Infrastructure, Invasive Species Workshop. Keystone Hall and Gallery, Room 202, Northampton
Community College - Monroe Campus, 2411 Rte. 715, Tannersville.
72
February 6-- Agenda Posted. DEP Aggregate Advisory Board meeting. Room 105 Rachel
Carson Building. 10:00. Contact: Daniel Snowden, 717-787-5103, dsnowden@pa.gov.
February 6-- Agenda Posted. DEP State Board for Certification of Water and Wastewater
Systems Operators meeting.. 10th Floor Conference Room, Rachel Carson Building. 10:00.
Contact: Edgar Chescattie, echescattie@pa.gov.
February 6-- Penn State Extension Woods In Your Backyard Webinar Series Starts. 7:00 to
8:00 p.m.
February 6-- Public Utility Commission Low-Income Utility Customer Assistance Program
Stakeholder Group. Executive Chambers of the PUC, Keystone Building, 400 North Street,
Harrisburg. 1:00 to 3:00. Parties who wish to attend should RSVP by email to:
ra-pc-uswg@pa.gov by January 31.
February 6-8-- Penn State Agriculture & Environment Center. PA In The Balance Conference
On Farm Conservation. Hershey Lodge, Hershey.
February 6-9-- PA Association For Sustainable Agriculture. Pennsylvania Sustainable

Agriculture Conference. Lancaster County Convention Center, Lancaster.
February 7-- NEW. Joint House and Senate Democratic Policy Committees hearing On Clairton
Coke (Coal) Works Fire And Air Pollution. Clairton Council Chambers, 551 Ravensburg Blvd.,
Clairton, Allegheny County. Noon. Click Here for more.
February 7-- CANCELED. DEP Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee meeting. Next
scheduled meeting is April 11. DEP Contact: Kirit Dalal, 717-772-3436 or send email to:
kdalal@pa.gov. (f ormal notice)
February 7-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission hearing on proposed water withdrawal
actions tentatively on the March agenda of the Commission. Hearing Room 1, North Office
Building, Harrisburg. 2:30. SRBC Contact: Ava Stoops, Administrative Specialist,
717-238-0423, fax 717-238-2436. (formal notice and agenda)
February 7-- NEW. PA Sustainable Energy Board meeting. Desert Room, Keystone Building
Meeting Center in the Commonwealth Keystone Building, 400 North St., Harrisburg. 10:30.
Click Here for more.
February 7-- Schuylkill Environmental Ed Center: Environmental Justice In Pennsylvania - A

New Vision Presentation. Schuylkill Center, 8480 Hagy's Mill Road, Philadelphia. 7:00 to 9:00.
February 8-- Change Of Date. Harrisburg University Center for Environment, Energy &
Economy Climate Disruption & Sustainable Development Series: Is 100% Renewable Energy
The Answer To Climate Change?. Harrisburg University, 14th Floor Auditorium, 326 Market
73
Street, Harrisburg. 11:30 to 1:00.
February 9-- NEW. Brodhead Watershed Association Water Wiser Kids Explore The
H2Olympics. Brodhead Creek Heritage Center, Analomink, Monroe County. 12:30 to 2:00.
February 11-- House Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 10:00- Independent Fiscal
ouse Republican
Office. Room 140 Main Capitol. Hearings are typically webcast through the H
Caucus website.
February 11-- Berks County Master Watershed Stewards Volunteer Information Meeting. Berks
County Ag Center Auditorium, 1238 County Welfare Road, Leesport. 6:00.
February 12-- Agenda Posted. DEP Environmental Justice Advisory Board meeting. 16th Floor
Delaware Room, Rachel Carson Building. 8:30. Contact: Allison Acevedo, 484-250-5818,
alacevedo@pa.gov.
February 12-- NEW. Dept. of Labor & Industry Uniform Construction Code Review and
Advisory Council meeting. Labor & Industry Building, 651 Boas Street, Room E-100, First
Floor, Harrisburg. 10:00. Contact: Nathan Clark 717-772-9162. (formal notice)
February 12-- Brandywine Conservancy Public Meeting On Chester County Greenway Water
Trail Project. Brandywine River Museum of Art, 1 Hoffman’s Mill Rd., Chadds Ford. 5:00 to
7:00.
February 12-13-- Advanced Watershed Educator Workshops For Non-Formal Educators.

Dauphin County Agriculture & Natural Resources Center, 1451 Peters Mountain Road, Dauphin,
Dauphin County. Click Here to register.
February 13-- House Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 10:00- State Treasurer, 1:00-
Auditor General, 3:00- Attorney General. Room 140 Main Capitol. Hearings are typically
ouse Republican Caucus website.
webcast through the H
February 13-- Agenda Posted. DEP Cleanup Standards Scientific Advisory Board meeting.
Room 105 Rachel Carson Building. 9:00. Contact: Michael Maddigan, 717-772-3609,
mmaddigan@pa.gov.
February 13-- Agenda Posted. DEP State Board for Certification of Sewage Enforcement
Officers meeting. 11th Floor Conference Room B, Rachel Carson Building. 10:00. Contact:
Amy Forney, aforney@pa.gov.
February 13-- NEW. Delaware River Basin Commission Hearing. Washington Crossing
Historic Park Visitor Center, 1112 River Road, Washington Crossing, Bucks County. 1:30.
(formal notice)
February 14-- House Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 10:00- Dept. of
74
Environmental Protection, 1:00- Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources. Room 140 Main
Capitol. Hearings are typically webcast through the H
February 14-- Agenda Posted. DEP Radiation Protection Advisory Committee meeting. Room
105 Rachel Carson Building. 9:00. Contact: John Chippo, 717-783-9730, jchippo@pa.gov.
February 16-- NEW. Brodhead Watershed Association Get Outdoors Poconos Pasold Farm
Hike. Barrett Township, Monroe County. 10:00.
February 19-- Senate Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 10::00- Dept. of

Revenue/Lottery, 1:00- Independent Fiscal Office, 3:00- Public Utility Commission. Hearing
Room 1, North Office Building.
February 19-- Environmental Quality Board meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson Building. 9:00.
Contact: Laura Edinger, 717-772-3277, ledinger@pa.gov.
February 19-- DEP Citizens Advisory Council meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson Building.
10:00. Contact: Keith Calador, Executive Director, 717-787-8171 or send email to:
ksalador@pa.gov.
February 20-- NEW. House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee informational meeting
with Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. Room B-31 Capitol Building. 9:00.
February 20-- Penn State Extension Land Use Webinar Series. Geodesign: Using Data
Transparency And Community Voices For Enhanced Land Use Planning. Noon to 1:15.
February 20-- Southwest PA Commission Water Resource Center Winning Public Support For
Water Infrastructure Projects Workshop. Fisher Hall at Burrell Lake Park, 209 Delberta Road,
Lower Burrell, Westmoreland County. 9:00 to Noon.
February 20-21-- DCNR, Western PA Conservancy. PA Riparian Forest Buffer Summit. Best
Western Premier Conference Center, 800 East Park Drive, Harrisburg.
February 21-- Senate Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 1:00- State Police/Homeland
Security, 3:00- PA Emergency Management Agency/Fire Commissioner. Hearing Room 1,
North Office Building.
February 21-- PA Resources Council. Zero Waste Pennsylvania. Green Building Alliance. True
Zero Waste Symposium. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Pittsburgh. 8:00 to 3:00.
February 21-- Southwest PA Commission Water Resource Center Winning Public Support For
Water Infrastructure Projects Workshop. Findlay Township Activity Center, 310 Main Street in
Imperial, Allegheny County. 9:00 to Noon.
February 21-- Manada Conservancy Spotted Lanternfly Program. Hershey Conservatory at
75
Hershey Gardens, Dauphin County. 7:00 to 8:00.
February 21-- NEW. Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership Volunteer

Coordinator, Community Leader Breakfast. Globe Dye Works, 4500 Worth Street, Philadelphia.
8:30 to 10:00
February 22-- Foundation for Sustainable Forests. French Creek Valley Conservancy. Woods &
Waters Film Series. Erie National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, 11296 Wood Duck Lance,
Guys Mills, Crawford County. 6:30.
February 24-25-- PA Environmental Council, PA Organization For Watersheds & Rivers.
Statewide Watershed Connections Conference. State College.
February 25-- House Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 10:00- State

Police/Homeland Security, 3:00- Dept. of Health. Room 140 Main Capitol. Hearings are
typically webcast through the H
February 25-- Senate Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 3:00- Dept. of

Transportation. Hearing Room 1, North Office Building.
February 26-- House Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 1:00- Dept. of

Transportation, 3:00- Dept. of General Services. Room 140 Main Capitol. Hearings are
typically webcast through the H
February 26-- DEP Climate Change Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson
Building. 10:00. Contact: Lindsay Byron, 717-772-8951, lbyron@pa.gov.
February 27-- House Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 1:00- Dept. of Community &
Economic Development. Room 140 Main Capitol. Hearings are typically webcast through the
House Republican Caucus website.
February 27-- Senate Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 10:00- Dept. of Health.
Hearing Room 1, North Office Building.
February 27-- DCNR Webinar On Applying For Statewide and Regional Partnership Grants.
10:00 to 11:30.
February 28-- Senate Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 3:00- Dept. of

Environmental Protection. Hearing Room 1, North Office Building.
March 2-- PA Wilds. Retailers, Producers, Public 3rd Annual PA Wilds Buyer’s Market.
Gemmell Student Complex Multi-Purpose Room, Clarion University.
March 4-- House Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 10:00- Dept. of Education.
Room 140 Main Capitol. Hearings are typically webcast through the House Republican Caucus
76
website.
March 4-- Senate Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 3:00- Dept. of Conservation &
Natural Resources. Hearing Room 1, North Office Building.
March 5-- House Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 10:00- Dept. of Agriculture.
Room 140 Main Capitol. Hearings are typically webcast through the House Republican Caucus
website.
March 5-- DEP Storage Tank Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson
Building. 10:00. Contact: Kris Shiffer, 717-772-5809, kshiffer@pa.gov.
March 5-- DEP Board Of Coal Mine Safety meeting. DEP Ebensburg Office, 286 Industrial
Park Road, Ebensburg. 10:00. DEP Contact: Margaret Scheloske, 724-404-3143,
mscheloske@pa.gov. (f ormal notice)
March 5-- Montgomery Master Watershed Stewards Environmental Advisory Councils In

Action Workshop. Lower Frederick Township Building, 53 Spring Mount Rd., Schwenksville,
Montgomery County. 6:00 to 7:00
March 5-6-- Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance. Healthcare Industry Forum On Energy
Efficiency. Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center, State College, Centre County.
March 6-- House Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 10:00- Governor’s Budget
ouse
Secretary. Room 140 Main Capitol. Hearings are typically webcast through the H
Republican Caucus website.
March 6-- Senate Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 1:00- Dept. of Agriculture.
Hearing Room 1, North Office Building.
March 6-7-- PA Lake Management Society Conference. Ramada Conference Center, State
College.
March 7-- House Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 10:00- Open. Room 140 Main
Capitol. Hearings are typically webcast through the H
March 7-- Senate Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 1:00- Dept. of Community &
Economic Development, 3:00- Budget Secretary. Hearing Room 1, North Office Building.
March 9-- 2019 Watershed Congress Along The Schuylkill River. Montgomery County
Community College campus in Pottstown.
March 9-- Penn State Extension York County Master Gardeners GardenWise Native Plants,
Ecosystems Gardening Workshop Central York Middle School, 1950 N. Hills Road, York. 7:30
to 4:00.
77
March 13-- DEP Sewage Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson Building.
10:30. Contact: Janice Vollero, 717-772-5157, jvollero@pa.gov.
March 13-- NEW. Delaware River Basin Commission meeting. Washington Crossing Historic
Park Visitor Center, 1112 River Road, Washington Crossing, Bucks County. 10:30. (f ormal
notice)
March 14-- DEP Solid Waste Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson
Building. 10:00. Contact: Laura Henry, 717-772-5713, lahenry@pa.gov.
March 15-- Harrisburg University Center for Environment, Energy & Economy Climate
Disruption & Sustainable Development Series: Legal Pathways To Zero Greenhouse Gas
Emissions. Harrisburg University, 14th Floor Auditorium, 326 Market Street, Harrisburg. 11:30
to 1:00.
March 16-- NEW. South Mountain Partnership Speakers Series: Creating The Appalachian Trail
In The South. Pine Grove Furnace Ironmasters House, Gardners, Adams County. Noon.
March 18-- Penn State Extension 2 Home Water And Septic System Workshops. Gracedale
Nursing Home Conference Room, 2 Gracedale Ave., Nazareth, Northampton County. 1:30 and
6:00.
March 18-19-- PA Assn. Of Environmental Educators. 2019 Cityscapes & Greenscapes
Conference. Philadelphia.
March 19-- Environmental Quality Board meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson Building. 9:00.
Contact: Laura Edinger, 717-772-3277, ledinger@pa.gov.
March 19-- DEP Citizens Advisory Council meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson Building.
10:00. Contact: Keith Calador, Executive Director, 717-787-8171 or send email to:
ksalador@pa.gov.
March 19-- DCNR, Penn State Extension Forest Health, Insect & Disease Briefing. Penn Stater
Hotel and Conference Center, State College. 8:30 to 3:30
March 20-- Penn State Extension Land Use Webinar Series. Options For Meeting MS4
Stormwater Pollution Reduction Requirements Without Breaking The Budget. Noon to 1:15.
March 20-21-- Northeast Recycling Council Spring Conference. Wilmington, DE.
March 21-- DEP Oil and Gas Technical Advisory Board meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson
Building. 10:00. DEP Contact: Todd Wallace, 717-783-9438, twallace@pa.gov. (f ormal
notice)
78
March 22-23-- Penn State Center For Private Forests 4th Biennial Forest Landowners
Conference. Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center, State College.
March 23-- NEW. South Mountain Partnership Speakers Series: Adams County Barn Survey
Volunteer Training. Apple Museum in Biglerville. 8:30.
March 27-28-- Advanced Watershed Educator Workshops For Non-Formal Educators. Jennings
Environmental Education Center, 2951 Prospect Road, Slippery Rock, Butler County. Click
Here to register.
March 28-- DEP Water Resources Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson
Building. 9:30. Contact: Diane Wilson, 717-787-3730, diawilson@pa.gov.
March 29-- Harrisburg University Center for Environment, Energy & Economy Climate
Disruption & Sustainable Development Series: Natural Gas In PA: Energy, Innovation And The
Environment. Harrisburg University, 14th Floor Auditorium, 326 Market Street, Harrisburg.
11:30 to 1:00.
April 2-- NEW. Penn State Extension Spring Gardening Workshop. Northampton Community
Fowler Family Center, 511 E. 3rd Street, Bethlehem. 6:30 to 8:30.
April 5-- Wildlife For Everyone We Love Wild Things & Wild Places Gala. Nittany Lion Inn,
State College.
April 5-- Harrisburg University Center for Environment, Energy & Economy Climate Disruption
& Sustainable Development Series: Towards A Public Web-Platform For Limiting Methane
Emissions From The Oil & Gas Sector. Harrisburg University, 14th Floor Auditorium, 326
Market Street, Harrisburg. 11:30 to 1:00.
April 7-9-- CMU Mascaro Center For Sustainable Innovation. 2019 Engineering Sustainability
Conference. David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh.
April 9-- NEW. Penn State Extension Spring Gardening Workshop. Northampton Community
Fowler Family Center, 511 E. 3rd Street, Bethlehem. 6:30 to 8:30.
April 11- DEP Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson
Building. 9:15. DEP Contact: Kirit Dalal, 717-772-3436 or send email to: kdalal@pa.gov.
April 16-- NEW. South Mountain Partnership Speakers Series: Charcoal Hearths, Collier Huts
And Haul Roads. Dickinson College in the Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium, Carlisle,
Cumberland County. 7:00.
April 16-18-- PA American Water Works Association Annual Conference. Hershey Lodge and
Convention Center.
79
April 17-- Penn State Extension Land Use Webinar Series. Making The Most Of Historical And
Heritage Assets. Noon to 1:15.
April 19-- Harrisburg University Center for Environment, Energy & Economy Climate
Disruption & Sustainable Development Series: Using The Latest Digital Innovations To Address
Energy Poverty In Developing Counties. Harrisburg University, Room 1151, 326 Market Street,
Harrisburg. 11:30 to 1:00.
April 25-- NEW. DEP Agricultural Advisory Board meeting. DEP Southcentral Regional
Office, 909 Elmerton Ave., Harrisburg. 9:30. DEP Contact: Jay Braund 717-772-5636 or
jbraund@pa.gov. (formal notice)
April 29 to May 2-- Center for Watershed Protection. 2019 National Watershed and Stormwater
Conference. South Carolina.
May 1-- Pennsylvania Groundwater Symposium. State College.
May 4-- PA Environmental Council, DCNR Moshannon State Forest Tree Planting, Clearfield
County.
May 4-- Manada Conservancy Native Plant Sale. Hummelstown Boro Park, Poplar Avenue and
Water Street in Hummelstown, Dauphin County.
May 8-- NEW. South Mountain Partnership Speakers Series: Pollinators And Their Habitat.
Messiah College, Boyer Hall Room 131, Mechanicsburg, Cumberland County. 6:00.
May 8-10-- PA Assn. Of Environmental Professionals. 2019 Annual Conference - Growth
Through Collaboration. State College.
May 15-- Penn State Extension Land Use Webinar Series. The Benefits And Challenges of
Ridesharing On The Transportation System. Noon to 1:15.
May 16-18-- PA Land Trust Association. Land Conservation Conference. Monroe County.
May 18-- Environmental Advisory Council Network Conference. Held in conjunction with the
PA Land Conservation Conference in Monroe County
June 3-7-- American Society of Mining & Reclamation Annual Meeting. Montana.
June 11-- NEW. South Mountain Partnership Speakers Series: Appreciating The PA Local Craft
Brew Industry. Appalachian Brewing Company in Shippensburg. 6:30.
June 16-21-- Cumberland Valley TU Rivers Conservation & Fly-Fishing Youth Camp. Messiah
College, Grantham, Cumberland County.
80
July 24-26-- Professional Recyclers Of PA. Annual Recycling & Organics Conference.
Harrisburg.
September 12-- NEW. South Mountain Partnership Speakers Series: Methods Of Combating
Illegal Dumping And Vandalism In A Forest Setting. Caledonia State Park in Fayetteville,
Franklin County. 6:30.
September 22-24-- Pennsylvania Greenways And Trails Summit. Shippensburg University

Conference Center.
October 8-10-- Natural Areas Association Natural Areas Conference. Pittsburgh.
Related Tools ----------------
Visit DEP’s Public Participation Center for public participation opportunities.

Click Here for links to DEP’s Advisory Committee webpages.
Visit DEP Connects for opportunities to interact with DEP staff at field offices.
Click Here to sign up for DEP News a biweekly newsletter from the Department.
DEP Facebook Page DEP Twitter Feed DEP YouTube Channel
DEP Calendar of Events DCNR Calendar of Events
Click Here to hook up with DCNR on other social media-- Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and
Flickr.
Senate Committee Schedule House Committee Schedule
You can watch the Senate Floor Session and House Floor Session live online.
Grants & Awards
This section gives you a heads up on upcoming deadlines for awards and grants and other
recognition programs. NEW means new from last week.
February 4-- PA Environmental Professionals College Scholarships

February 4-- Accepting Game Commission Seedlings For Schools Applications
February 8-- PEC, Dominion Energy Western PA Environmental Awards
February 8-- Pocono Arts Council Entries To Earth Speaks V Exhibition
February 8-- DEP FAST Act Alternative Fuels Corridor Infrastructure Grants
February 11-- PA Land Trust Assn. Government Leadership Award
February 15-- Extended. Wildlife Leadership Academy Youth Conservation Ambassador
February 15-- Schuylkill River Restoration Fund Water Quality Improvement Grants
February 15-- EPA Environmental Justice Small Grants
February 15--PA Lake Management Society Awards
February 15-- Delaware River Basin Commission Winter Photo Contest
February 15-- Green Stormwater Infrastructure Partners Awards - Philly Area
February 20-- NOAA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education & Training Grants
February 21-- PEC/DCNR Laurel Highlands Conservation Mini-Grants
February 22-- Celebrating Women In Conservation Awards
81
February 26-- POWR PA Sojourn Grants
February 28-- PA Great Outdoors Visitors Bureau Winter Photo Contest
February 28-- DEP PA State Clean Diesel Grants
March 1-- NEW. Lackawanna Heritage Valley Conservation, Preservation Education Grants
March 1-- PHMC Keystone Fund Historic, Archaeological Protection Grants
March 1-- PA Parks & Forests Foundation Wilderness Wheels Grants (Rolling Deadline)
March 1-- West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Investment Funding (Rolling Deadline)
March 4-- DCNR PA Outdoor Corps Young Adult Crews (At The Very Latest!)
March 6-- PA Lake Management Society Photo Contest
March 7-- Chesapeake Bay Watershed Community Stormwater Grants
March 11-- Pennsylvania Sea Grant Research Grants
March 15-- WPC TreeVitalize Pittsburgh, Allegheny County Tree Planting Grants
March 21-- Rivers Conservation & Fly-Fishing Youth Camp
March 22-- NEW. DEP Section 902 Recycling Implementation Grants
March 22-- CFA Alternative & Clean Energy Funding
March 22-- CFA Renewable Energy-Geothermal and Wind Funding
March 22-- CFA Solar Energy Funding
March 22-- CFA High Performance Building Funding
March 31-- DEP Level 2 Electric Charging Station Rebates (First-Come)
March 31-- DEP Municipal, Hazardous Waste Host Municipality Inspector Grants
April 10-- DCNR Community Conservation Partnership, Recreation, Buffer Grants
April 18-- Schuylkill River Restoration Fund Land Transaction Grants
May 3-- NEW. Pike Conservation District Environmental Ed Grant
May 10-- DEP Class 8 Truck/Transit Bus Clean Vehicle Grants
May 17-- CFA Alternative & Clean Energy Funding
May 17-- CFA Renewable Energy-Geothermal and Wind Funding
May 17-- CFA Solar Energy Funding
May 17-- CFA High Performance Building Funding
May 31-- CFA Act 13 Watershed Restoration Grants
May 31-- CFA Act 13 Abandoned Mine Drainage Abatement and Treatment Grants
May 31-- CFA Act 13 Orphan or Abandoned Well Plugging Grants
May 31-- CFA Act 13 Baseline Water Quality Data Grants
May 31-- CFA Act 13 Sewage Facilities Grants
May 31-- CFA Act 13 Flood Mitigation Grants
May 31-- CFA Act 13 Greenways, Trails And Recreation Grants
July 1-- PA Wilds Center Champion Of PA Wilds Awards
July 15-- DEP Grants/Rebates Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
July 19-- CFA Alternative & Clean Energy Funding
July 19-- CFA Renewable Energy-Geothermal and Wind Funding
July 19-- CFA Solar Energy Funding
July 19-- CFA High Performance Building Funding
December 16-- DEP Grants/Rebates Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
March 1-- Western PA Trail Volunteer Fund Grants
March 22-- DEP Act 101 Recycling Implementation Grants
June 1-- Western PA Trail Volunteer Fund Grants
82
September 1-- Western PA Trail Volunteer Fund Grants
September 23-- DEP Class 8 Truck/Transit Bus Clean Vehicle Grants
December 1-- Western PA Trail Volunteer Fund Grants
-- Visit the DEP Grant, Loan and Rebate Programs webpage for more ideas on how to get
financial assistance for environmental projects.
-- Visit the DCNR Apply for Grants webpage for a listing of financial assistance available from
DCNR.
Regulations, Technical Guidance & Permits
Here are highlights of actions taken by agencies on environmental regulations, technical

guidance and permits.
Gov. Wolf formally published Executive Order 2019-01- Commonwealth Leadership In

Addressing Climate Change and Promoting Energy Conservation And Sustainable Governance,
Governor’s Green Government Council in the February 2 PA Bulletin.
Regulations -----------------------
No new regulations were published this week. Pennsylvania Bulletin - February 2, 2019
Technical Guidance -------------------
The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the February 2 PA Bulletin of

the calculation of bond amounts for noncoal mining operations.
The Public Utility Commission published its third part electric vehicle charging services policy
requiring electric utilities to submit plans in the February 2 PA Bulletin.
Permits ------------
Note: The Department of Environmental Protection published 76 pages of public notices related
to proposed and final permit and approval/ disapproval actions in the February 2 PA Bulletin -
pages 479 to 555.
Sign Up For DEP’s eNotice: Did you know DEP can send you email notices of permit
applications submitted in your community? Notice of new technical guidance documents and
regulations? All through its eNotice system. Click Here to sign up.
Related Tools ----------------------
Visit DEP’s Public Participation Center for public participation opportunities.
83
DEP Proposals Out For Public Review
Other Proposals Open For Public Comment - DEP webpage
Submit Comments on Proposals Through DEP’s eComment System
Recently Closed Comment Periods For Other Proposals - DEP webpage
Other Proposals Recently Finalized - DEP webpage
DEP Regulations In Process

Proposed Regulations Open For Comment - DEP webpage
Proposed Regulations With Closed Comment Periods - DEP webpage
Recently Finalized Regulations - DEP webpage
DEP Regulatory Update - DEP webpage
August 4, 2018 DEP Regulatory Agenda - PA Bulletin, Page 4733
DEP Technical Guidance In Process

Draft Technical Guidance Documents - DEP webpage
Technical Guidance Comment Deadlines - DEP webpage
Recently Closed Comment Periods For Technical Guidance - DEP webpage
Technical Guidance Recently Finalized - DEP webpage
Copies of Final Technical Guidance - DEP webpage
DEP Non-Regulatory/Technical Guidance Documents Agenda (July 2018)- DEP webpage
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PA Environment Digest is a publication of PA Environment News LLC and is edited by

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Issue #762 Harrisburg, PA Feb.

PA Environment Digest Blog​ ​Twitter Feed​ ​ Facebook Page

On January 31, Gov. Tom Wolf proposed ​a $4.5 billion,

The Public Utility Commission ​published notice ​in the

The ​Commonwealth Financing Authority​ is now accepting

DEP Working With Villanova University On Update To Stormwater BMP Manual

The Department of Environmental

By Griffin Davis, ‘22 Villanova University

Villanova University’s Robert Traver​, PhD, PE, D.WRE, F.EWRI,

On January 30, Gov. Tom Wolf announced the

On February 1, Attorney General Josh Shapiro filed 161 criminal

Senate State Government Committee Unanimously Approves, Reports Out Bill

On January 29, the ​Senate State Government

On January 28, the ​Parks and Forests Foundation​ debuted

On February 1, attorneys for the ​Hankin Group​, a

Op-Ed: Citizens Are Heroes In Flight For Pipeline Safety

By Sen. Andy Dinniman (D-Chester)

Back in August of 2016, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental

On February 2, the Public Utility Commission

With frigid temperatures gripping the state this week, the

On January 30, ​Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful​ announced

On January 29, the state Board of Game Commissioners gave

Senate/House Bills Moving Last Week

Eastern Hellbender:​ ​Senate Bill 9​ (Yaw-R-Lycoming) designating the Eastern Hellbender as

Senate/House Agenda/Session Schedule/Gov’s Schedule

House:​ ​Click Here​ for full House Bill Calendar.

Committee Meetings This Week

Senate:​ ​Click Here​ for full Senate Committee Schedule.

Bills Pending In Key Committees

House and Senate Co-Sponsorship Memos

House: ​Click Here​ for all new co-sponsorship memos

Senate: ​Click Here​ for all new co-sponsorship memos

News From The Capitol

On January 28, the House introduced ​House

The ​House​ and ​Senate​ Democratic Policy

On February 1, the Department of Revenue reported Pennsylvania collected $2.9 billion in

News From Around The State

Allegheny Institute: Review Of Pittsburgh Water Authority’s 5-Year Infrastructure Plan:

On January 30, the ​Allegheny Institute For Public

PA Clean Water Legislative Briefing Book Available From PennFuture

Register Now: PA Riparian Forest Buffer Summit Feb. 20-21

You can still register for the DCNR and Western PA

Need Community Service Ideas? Attend The Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed

Are you a volunteer coordinator or community

Octorara High School​ students spent three days

Pike Conservation District Now Accepting Applications For A $500 Environmental

The ​Pike County Conservation District​ is offering a

The ​Brodhead Watershed Association​ will host two

The Department of Environmental Protection is

(Reprinted from the ​PA Township News.​ )

The Department of Environmental Protection will be accepting comments on a noncoal surface

PUC To Host PA Statewide Sustainable Energy Board Meeting Feb. 7

On January 31, the ​Pennsylvania Sustainable

By ​Mark Szybist​, Natural Resources Defense Council

[​Note: ​The upcoming discussion of whether to subsidize

PA Environmental Council: In Case You Missed It In January

On February 1, Gov. Tom Wolf announced ​50

Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority Accepting Applications For Conservation,

The Scranton-based ​Lackawanna Heritage Valley

On January 29, the ​South Mountain

Penn State Extension Offers 2 Spring Gardening Workshops On April 2 & 9 At

Penn State Extension is offering ​2 Spring Gardening

Environmental NewsClips - All Topics

Punxsutawney Phil Predicts Early Spring! ​ [No mention of Climate Change]

Click Here For This Week's Allegheny Front Radio Program

Public Participation Opportunities/Calendar Of Events

February 5- ​Governor’s Budget Address. Noonish.

PA Environment Digest Blog Twitter Feed Facebook Page

On January 31, Gov. Tom Wolf proposed a $4.5 billion,

The Public Utility Commission published notice in the

The Commonwealth Financing Authority is now accepting

Villanova University’s Robert Traver, PhD, PE, D.WRE, F.EWRI,

On January 29, the Senate State Government

On January 28, the Parks and Forests Foundation debuted

On February 1, attorneys for the Hankin Group, a

On January 30, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful announced

Eastern Hellbender: Senate Bill 9 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) designating the Eastern Hellbender as

House: Click Here for full House Bill Calendar.

Senate: Click Here for full Senate Committee Schedule.

House: Click Here for all new co-sponsorship memos

Senate: Click Here for all new co-sponsorship memos

On January 28, the House introduced House

The House and Senate Democratic Policy

On January 30, the Allegheny Institute For Public

Octorara High School students spent three days

The Pike County Conservation District is offering a

The Brodhead Watershed Association will host two

(Reprinted from the PA Township News. )

On January 31, the Pennsylvania Sustainable

By Mark Szybist, Natural Resources Defense Council

[Note: The upcoming discussion of whether to subsidize

On February 1, Gov. Tom Wolf announced 50

The Scranton-based Lackawanna Heritage Valley

On January 29, the South Mountain

Penn State Extension is offering 2 Spring Gardening

Punxsutawney Phil Predicts Early Spring! [No mention of Climate Change]

February 5- Governor’s Budget Address. Noonish.

February 6-9-- PA Association For Sustainable Agriculture. Pennsylvania Sustainable

February 7-- Schuylkill Environmental Ed Center: Environmental Justice In Pennsylvania - A

February 12-13-- Advanced Watershed Educator Workshops For Non-Formal Educators.

February 14-- House Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 10:00- Dept. of

February 19-- Senate Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 10::00- Dept. of

February 21-- Manada Conservancy Spotted Lanternfly Program. Hershey Conservatory at

February 21-- NEW. Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership Volunteer

February 25-- House Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 10:00- State

February 25-- Senate Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 3:00- Dept. of

February 26-- House Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 1:00- Dept. of

February 28-- Senate Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 3:00- Dept. of

March 5-- Montgomery Master Watershed Stewards Environmental Advisory Councils In

March 20-21-- Northeast Recycling Council Spring Conference. Wilmington, DE.

May 1-- Pennsylvania Groundwater Symposium. State College.

September 22-24-- Pennsylvania Greenways And Trails Summit. Shippensburg University

October 8-10-- Natural Areas Association Natural Areas Conference. Pittsburgh.

Visit DEP’s Public Participation Center for public participation opportunities.

February 4-- PA Environmental Professionals College Scholarships

The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the February 2 PA Bulletin of

Visit DEP’s Public Participation Center for public participation opportunities.

PA Environment Digest is a publication of PA Environment News LLC and is edited by

PA Environment Digest weekly was the winner of the PA Association of Environmental

Note: Content is gladly shared. For permission, send email to:

PA Environment Digest is proud to be a sponsor of the 2019 PA Abandoned Mine Reclamation

PA Environment Digest is a supporting member of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers