On June 18, the Department of Environmental Protection told the Environmental Quality Board it expects to present the Board with a consultant’s evaluation of the cost and benefits of the  climate cap-and-trade petition early next year.

DEP said it was in the process of putting out a Request For Proposal for a consultant to review the petition and determine costs and benefits overall and by major economic sectors.  Also included will be an evaluation of the program structure and carbon pricing system proposed in the petition.

The EQB accepted the climate cap-and-trade petition for study on April 16.  It calls for eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from all major sources by 2052 in Pennsylvania.

After the EQB meeting, the Associated Press reported Gov. Wolf is seeking authorization from the General Assembly to join the interstate Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative related to power plant emissions.

DEP also gave an update on a PFOA rulemaking petition the EQB accepted from the Delaware RiverKeeper on August 15, 2017.

DEP said a toxicologist was needed to evaluate the petition and one has now been hired by the Department of Health and that person will start work in July.

In addition, DEP is in the process of retaining its own toxicology services to assist with PFOS related issues, including evaluating the rulemaking petition.

DEP added it announced a statewide water sampling plan to identify other areas of possible PFOS water contamination.

DEP gave no timeframe for completing the evaluation of the petition.

The PFOS petition calls for the Board to adopt a maximum contaminant level for perfluorooctanoic chemicals in the Delaware River.  The Delaware RiverKeeper recently filed a petition with Commonwealth Court to require the EQB to act on the petition.

For more information on PFOS, PFAS issues, visit DEP’s PFAS: What They Are webpage.

Also on the agenda were--

-- Proposed Regulation on Water Supply Replacement for Surface Coal Mining [approved for public comment]; and

-- Radiation Protection Program Fee Report: No fee increase is being recommended at this time [no action required by the Board].

The Board accepted two new rulemaking petitions dealing with the MAX Environmental Bulger Facility in Washington County which accepts drill cuttings, contaminated soils from remediation sites, air pollution control dusts, sludges and other wastes and the MAX Environmental Yukon Facility in Westmoreland County that treats and disposes of residual waste from energy, construction, remediation and manufacturing processes.

The company is requesting the hazardous waste delisting of sludge generated from the treatment of disposal impoundment and landfill leachate and contact stormwater at the Yukon and Bulger waste treatment and disposal sites.

DEP announced the July EQB meeting has been canceled.

For more information and available handouts, visit the Environmental Quality Board webpage.  Questions should be directed to Laura Edinger by calling 717-772-3277 or send email to: ledinger@pa.gov.

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6/23/2019