Here are 68 new stories in the PA Environment Digest about individuals, groups, local governments, farmers, businesses, watershed groups and many more working all across Pennsylvania to restore and protect the environment and show others the beauty that surrounds us.

Thank you for your leadership!

-- Flinchbaugh’s Orchard & Farm In York County Winner Of 2022 Leopold Conservation Award [PaEN]

-- Keep PA Beautiful Announces Recipients Of 2022 Volunteer & Community Partner Awards  [PaEN]

-- Sustainable Pittsburgh Announces First Ever Sustainable Pittsburgh Workplaces  [PaEN]

-- DCNR Honors Passerby Who Saved Man From Drowning At Codorus State Park In York County  [PaEN]

-- York Dispatch: DCNR Honors Citizen Who Saved Man From Drowning At Codorus State Park

-- Environmental Quality Board Publishes Final Reg. Setting PFOA/PFOS Drinking Water Standard And The First MCL Developed By DEP  [PaEN]

-- WHYY - Susan Phillips/Zoe Read: PA Sets Drinking Water Standards For Two PFAS ‘Forever Chemical’ Compounds

-- DEP Announces Award Of More Than $19 Million In Growing Greener Plus Grants To Support 82 Local Watershed Restoration Projects  [PaEN]

-- Reading Eagle: 2 Berks Projects Awarded Environmental Grants

-- DCNR Announces $11.8 Million Investment To Plant Trees, Buffers, Meadows To Improve Water Quality, Climate Resiliency; New Grant Rounds Opening Jan. 17  [PaEN]

-- PennVEST Announces Investment Of $236 Million In 25 Water Infrastructure Projects In 17 Counties  [PaEN]

-- DEP: 47 Coal Mine Reclamation Projects Covering 977 Acres And Costing $123 Million Now In Active Construction  [PaEN]

-- DEP Releases 2 More Bid Solicitations To Plug 38 Abandoned Conventional Gas Wells In Venango County At Taxpayer Expense; Average Cost To Plug $95,000  [PaEN]

-- Chesapeake Stormwater Network Accepting Nominations For Best Urban BMP In The Chesapeake Bay Award  [PaEN]

-- Rodale Institute Releases 2023 Webinar Schedule Providing Educational Opportunities On Regenerative Agriculture, Soil Health

-- LancasterOnline: PA Sustainable Agriculture Conference Comes To Lancaster This Winter

-- Guest Essay: Sustained Funding For Clean Water, More Trees, Fewer Cows In Streams On Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Wish List For PA In 2023 - By Harry Campbell,  Science Policy & Advocacy Director  [PaEN]

-- PA Capital-Star Guest Essay: A New Year, A New Governor, A New Chance To Clean Up The Chesapeake Bay - By Harry Campbell, Chesapeake Bay Foundation

-- Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Files Citizen Suit Against York County Landfill For Federal Clean Water Act Violations, Including PFAS Contamination  [PaEN]

-- York Daily Record: Lawsuit Filed Alleging ‘Dangerous’ Levels Of PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ In York County Creek

-- PA Environmental Health Project: PA Dept. Of Health Issues Medical Advisory On PFAS Exposure

-- WHYY: Bucks, Montgomery County Residents Learn More About Their Exposure To Toxic Chemicals In PFAS Study

-- Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper: Challenge For New Year - Curiosity, Questions Offer Key To Improve Drinking Water Quality At Home & Across Area - By John Zaktansky

-- Coalition For The Delaware River Watershed: 2023 Federal Budget Includes $11.5 Million For Delaware River Conservation Projects

-- DRBC: New Study Estimates Groundwater Availability For The Delaware River Basin, With Focus On Southeastern PA Groundwater Protected Area  [PaEN]

-- WHYY: Delaware River Basin Has Enough Groundwater To Last Decades

-- Bay To Bay News Guest Essay: New Rules Regulating High-Volume Fracturing Wastewater In Shared Delaware River Waters - Steve Tambini, Delaware River Basin Commission

-- DEP, Health Joined By Lung Cancer Survivor To Encourage Home Radon Testing; Winners Of Student Radon Poster Contest Announced  [PaEN]

-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: Fmr DEP Secretary McDonnell Said DEP’s Underfunding Will Test Its New Leader

-- Better Path Coalition Outlines Needed Environmental, Climate Policy Changes For Incoming Shapiro Administration  [PaEN]

-- Environmental Defense Fund Blog: With Strong Climate Policies, Gov. Shapiro Can Help Pennsylvania Win The Future

-- WESA: Pittsburgh Advocates: EPA’s Proposed PM2.5/Soot Air Quality Standards Aren’t Strong Enough

-- LancasterOnline Editorial: We Need Serious, Comprehensive Strategies For Improving Air Quality In Lancaster County

-- EDF Experts Testify At EPA Hearing Urging Swift Finalization Of Strong Limits On Methane Emissions From Oil & Gas Facilities

-- EQT, Chesapeake, Equitrans Shale Gas Companies Announce Methane Reduction Initiatives  [PaEN]

-- Groups Host Jan. 17 Webinar On Climate & Health Impacts Of Methane Gas From Oil & Gas Operations  [PaEN]

-- WFMZ: UGI Corp. Receives AAA Rating For Environmental, Social And Governance Standards

-- York Dispatch Guest Essay: Clean Energy Permitting Reform Needed For PA To Boost Economy, Protect Climate And Burn Less Coal - By  Citizens Climate Lobby 

-- Environmental Health Project Webinar: Jan. 25 - Blue Hydrogen Made From Natural Gas - What You Need To Know.  Noon to 1:00 p.m.

-- EPA Invites Comments On Draft Oil & Gas Waste Injection Well Permit In Young Twp., Jefferson County; Feb. 13 Virtual Hearing Tentatively Set  [PaEN]

-- FracTracker Alliance Hosts Jan. 17 Webinar On Exploring Oil & Gas Industrialization Impacts On Watersheds  [PaEN]

-- Bob Donnan’s Blog: Has Anything Changed? - Shalefield Stories, Revisiting Our Fracking Past

-- MCall Guest Essay: Fracking Can Benefit Everyone - But We Must Keep Drillers Honest - By Ed Sokalski, Salisbury Twp. Resident

-- Slippery Rock University Engineering Alumnus Has Successful Start To Her Career In Natural Gas Industry

-- Environmental Health News: Citizen Scientists Seeing Substantial Increase In Plastic Nurdles In The Ohio River In SW PA

-- Inquirer: This North Philly Company Wants Retailers To Reuse Food, Drug Boxes

-- PA Audubon Council Releases Guidelines For Municipalities On Bird-Friendly, Environmentally Responsible Utility Scale Solar Energy Facilities  [PaEN]

-- Republican Herald: Pottsville City Council Approves Purchase Of 4 More Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: PNC Increases Environmental Finance Commitment For Transition To Low-Carbon Economy 50% To $30 Billion

-- Centre Daily Times: Climate Watch - International Energy Agency Predicts Dramatic Rise In Renewable Energy Use

-- Inquirer Guest Essay: Vanguard’s Withdrawal From Net Zero Climate Program Endangers All Of Us - By Jonathan Ogle, Earth Quaker Action Team

-- PennLive Guest Essay: By Failing On Climate Change, We Are Failing Our Children - By Clean Air Council

-- The BURG: Change Agent: Meet Greg Czarnecki, A Man On A Mission To Impact Climate Change, One Pennsylvania At A Time

-- Warren Times: Finding A Sense Of Place In The Natural World - Audubon Community Nature Center

-- DCNR Outlines Accomplishments During Wolf Administration  [PaEN] 

-- DCNR Announces $19.4 Million In Grants To Underserved/Distressed Communities, Partnerships To Improve Recreation, Community Revitalization Efforts Across PA; New Grant Rounds Opening Jan. 17   [PaEN]

-- DCNR Announces $3.2 Million Investment For Trail Gaps, ATV/Snowmobile Projects; New Grant Rounds Opening Jan. 17  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette: Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Gets Mellon Foundation Grant To Improve Hays Woods Park

-- TribLive: Five Star Trail To Get Improved Access In Greensburg

-- Tube City Almanac: Westmoreland Trail Eyes Mon Valley Connection

-- Scranton Times: A Winter Hike In Bear Creek Preserve Satisfies All The Senses

-- South Mountain Partnership Winter Partnership Meeting Jan. 20, Penn Twp Fire Hall, Newville, Cumberland County 9:00 to 11:30 a.m.

-- PA/NJ Chapter American Chestnut Foundation Update: Spring Meeting April 1; Spring/Summer Internships; Forest Landowners Conference March 24 & 25; More!

-- Foundation For Sustainable Forests Jan. 20 Online Woods & Water Film Series

-- Game Commission Now Accepting Orders From Landowners For Tree & Shrub Seedlings To Improve Habitat  [PaEN]

-- Harrisburg University Professor Discovers 5 Million-Year-Old Turtle Species ‘Entirely New To Science’  [PaEN]

-- York Daily Record - Brian Whipkey: The Bird Count Is In From Hawk Mountain, Here Are The Big Migration Numbers 

-- Williamsport Sun - Bill Bower: Reflections In Nature - In Animal World, All Eyes Are Different

Visit the PA Environment Digest website to learn more.

Going The RIGHT WAY:

-- 68 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 37 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 25 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 3,190 New Stories In 2022 - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership [PaEN]

Going The WRONG WAY:

-- This Week’s Examples Of Going The WRONG WAY On Environmental, Energy Issues  [PaEN]

[Posted: January 15, 2023]

1/16/2023