Fishing with the kids in Swatara Creek, Dauphin County on the Swatara Water Trail at the Hummel Nature Trail

A little after 2:15 a.m. Thursday, the General Assembly passed a $24.2 billion state budget, along with legislation implementing the $625 million environmental bond issue and reallocating funding now going to the existing Growing Greener Program. (see separate article in this Digest)

The General Assembly also restored cuts proposed by Gov. Rendell for funding conservation districts, the Pennsylvania Center for Environmental Education and the Pennsylvania Senior Environment Corps.

Both the departments of Environmental Protection and Conservation and Natural Resources received a little less money from the General Fund than they did in FY 04-05 ($635,000 and $244,000 respectively).

Look in the Digest’s Bills on the Governor’s Desk section to checkout other bills that saw final action by the General Assembly in the last 10 days on topics like local government contributions to watershed associations, freezing storage tank fees, providing for security improvement loans from PennVEST and designating another scenic byway.

Session Schedule

The Senate returns to session on September 19 and the House September 26.

Contents – On the Hill

· Bills On the Governor’s Desk

· Senate and House Bills Passed/Moving

· Bills Introduced

· Environmental Bond Bill Passes, Existing Environmental Funding Reallocated

· Senate Bill Authorizes Public/Private Partnerships to Preserve Farmland

· House Bill to Encourage Waste Tire Recycling Passes House

Other News

· Some Counties Experiencing Drop in Ground, Surface Water Levels

· PUC Offers Summer Heat Wave Tips to Help Consumers

· Applications Due January 6 for Small Business Advantage Grant Program

· Gautier Steel, Johnstown, Cut Energy Costs by $290,000+

· Energy Efficient, Affordable House Topic of August Conference

· Revised Great Lakes Water Withdrawal Policy Proposed for Comment

· Comments Requested on Little Mill Creek TMDL, Clarion County

· July is Lake Awareness Month in Pennsylvania

· RecycleBank Makes Philadelphia Live 8 Concert Environmentally Friendly

· PRC Sponsors “Hard to Recycle” Collection July 16 in Pittsburgh

· Get Outdoors PA Highlights Summer Recreation Programs in State Parks, Forests

· 2005 Rivers Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp Completed

· PA Environmental Professionals Support Environmental Heritage Project

· Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Ross Announces Retirement

· DCNR Accepting Nominations for Trails Advisory Board

Award Winning Performance

· Projects, Environmental Centers Discover Natural Pennsylvania

Opinion

· Protecting Your Schuylkill River, By Donald S. Welsh, EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator

Go To: PA Environment Digest Calendar Page

7/8/2005