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[Posted: March 12, 2023]  PA Environment Digest

Senate/House ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Gov. Shapiro

-- Gov. Shapiro’s Budget Proposes Major Initiative To Speed Up DEP Permit Reviews/ Inspections; Double Oil & Gas Fund Investment In State Parks/Forests Infrastructure  [PaEN]

-- Pennsylvania State Actions Responding To Ohio/PA Train Derailment - Week Of March 6  [PaEN]

-- Gov. Shapiro Announces Agreement With Norfolk Southern To Pay $7.38 Million In Initial Response Costs, Costs To Businesses, Residents From Train Derailment  [PaEN]

-- AP: Gov. Shapiro: Norfolk Southern To Pay Millions For Train Derailment

-- The Center Square: Shapiro, Norfolk Southern Broker $7.4 Million Aid Deal

Budget

-- Gov. Shapiro’s Budget Proposes Major Initiative To Speed Up DEP Permit Reviews/ Inspections; Double Oil & Gas Fund Investment In State Parks/Forests Infrastructure  [PaEN]

-- Gov. Shapiro: Unveils Commonsense Budget To Address The Issues PA Faces

-- DEP Posts Documents On Proposed FY 2023-24 Agency Budget Request

-- DCNR Blog: Gov. Shapiro’s Budget Supports Outdoor Recreation Economy, Park And Forest Infrastructure

-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: Shapiro’s Budget Proposal Includes Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative

-- PennLive: Shapiro Backs ‘Hydrogen Hubs’ In PA, Boosts Plugging Abandoned Oil & Gas Wells

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Shapiro Signals Support For Regional Hydrogen Hub

-- Erie Times: Shapiro Didn’t Mention These Topics In His Budget Address, Why That Matters

-- MCall - Paul Muschick: 6 Proposals In Shapiro’s Budget You May Not Have Heard About, But Should

-- AP: Audit Says Surplus In Senate, House Legislative Expense Accounts Jumped To A Record $261 Million In FY 2022; Spending Reached $392 Million On Themselves

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: Legislatures Financial Surplus Sets Record High At $261 Million

-- PennLive Guest Essay: If There’s Any Wasteful Government Spending, It’s In The PA Senate, House - By Mark Singel 

Train Derailment

-- Pennsylvania State Actions Responding To Ohio/PA Train Derailment - Week Of March 6  [PaEN]

-- Norfolk Southern CEO To Appear March 20 Before PA Senate Committee To Answer Questions About Ohio/PA Train Derailment; Committee Subpoenas Documents [PaEN]

-- House Democratic & Republican Policy Committees Hold March 14 Joint Hearing On Impact Of Ohio/PA Train Derailment In Beaver County [PaEN]

-- Gov. Shapiro Announces Agreement With Norfolk Southern To Pay $7.38 Million In Initial Response Costs, Costs To Businesses, Residents From Train Derailment  [PaEN]

-- DEP Reports No Signs Of Groundwater Contamination With First Results From Water Sampling Near Ohio/PA Train Derailment Site  [PaEN]

-- Dept. Of Health Extends Operation Of Health Resource Center In Beaver County For PA Residents Impacted By Ohio/PA Train Derailment  [PaEN]

-- Moms Clean Air Force: Impacted Parents From Ohio, PA Will Raise Concerns About Chemical Pollution From The Train Derailment, Petrochemical Industry In The Ohio Valley During U.S. Senate Hearing [PaEN]

-- Sen. Bob Casey Testifies Before U.S. Senate Committee On Ohio/PA Train Derailment [PaEN]

-- Politics PA: Sen. Casey, Testifies At U.S. Senate Norfolk Southern Hearing

-- PA Capital-Star: PA House Democrats Call On Congress, Feds To Toughen Regs On Toxic Trains

Environment/Energy Issues

-- Rep. Greg Vitali Named Majority Chair Of House Environmental Committee; House Appoints Committee Members  [PaEN]

-- AP: Audit Says Surplus In Senate, House Legislative Expense Accounts Jumped To A Record $261 Million In FY 2022; Spending Reached $392 Million On Themselves

-- Republicans On Senate Committee Report Out Bill Allowing General Assembly To Kill Regulations By Doing Nothing  [PaEN]

-- The Guardian: One Of The Worst Global Methane Leaks In 2022 Was In PA - Equitrans In Cambria County; Routine Abandonment, Non-Compliance Of Conventional Gas Wells  [PaEN]

-- Senate Passes Bill Blocking Local Elected Officials From Moving To Cleaner Energy Sources To Combat Climate Change [PaEN]

-- Rep. Fiedler, Labor Leaders, Educational, Environmental Leaders Announce Bill To Create Grant Program To Invest In Solar Energy Facilities At Schools  [PaEN]

-- Bill Setting Decommissioning Rules For Utility-Scale Solar Energy Facilities Passes The Senate  [PaEN]

-- Sen. Yaw Proposes Independent Energy Office To Promote Development Of PA’s Diverse Energy Portfolio - Natural Gas, Nuclear Power, Coal [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Greene County House That Exploded In 2018 From Natural Gas Leak Stands As A Monument To Leaking Gas Pipelines, Leaking Gas Wells, Leaking Gas Storage Areas

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Business, Natural Gas, Oil Groups Urge Shapiro, General Assembly To Promote State’s Energy Industry

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Well Done Foundation Says Taxpayers Shouldn’t Be Stuck With Paying To Plug Oil & Gas Wells, Private Finance Or Corporate Funding Needed

-- Bradford Era Guest Essay: Natural Gas Keeps PA Open For Business - Marcellus Shale Coalition

-- LancasterOnline Guest Essay: Help Europe Replace Russian Natural Gas With U.S. [PA] Natural Gas - PA Chamber Of Business & Industry

-- Erie Times Guest Essay: Support Reliable, Affordable PA Natural Gas, Coal, Petroleum And Grow Renewable Energy - Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie)

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Energy Efficient Appliances Can Help The Environment, Save Pennsylvanians Money - Reps. Jennifer O’Mara (D-Delaware), Tom Mehaffie (R-Dauphin), Sen. Lindsey Williams (D-Allegheny), Flora Cardoni (PennEnvironment)

-- Post-Gazette: Smoke Stacks From Closed Hatfield’s Ferry Coal-Fired Power Plant Demolished, Closing Chapter In PA Industrial History In Greene County: ‘I’m Ecstatic. It Was The Dirtiest, Dirtiest Place Ever.  It Put A Blight On Our Community’

-- WESA: CMU Researchers Find High Levels Of A Hazardous Chemical Acrolein Weeks After Ohio/PA Train Derailment [Acrolein Also Used In Shale Gas Fracking Fluid,To Treat Shale Gas Drilling Impoundments]

-- Inquirer: Solar Panels Can Cost $20,000 But Some Philly-Area Homeowners Say They’re Worth The Investment As Energy Prices Go Up [Driven By Natural Gas Price Spikes] 

-- LancasterOnline: New Energy Co-Op Helps Make Switch To Solar Power Easier, More Affordable In Lancaster

-- U.S. EIA: 'Increasing Electricity Generation From Renewable Sources Contributes To Lower Power Prices' In 2023  [PaEN]

-- U.S. Senate Hearing: Energy, Environmental Impacts Of Cryptocurrency Mining In Pennsylvania  [PaEN]

-- PA Capital-Star: U.S. Senate Panel Probes How Cryptocurrency Mining Increases Energy Consumption

-- Nebraska Examiner: U.S. Senate Panel Probes How Cryptocurrency Mining Increases Energy Consumption In Nebraska And PA

-- AP: Business Backlash Pushing Congressional Republicans To Weaken Anti-ESG Proposals

-- Interstate Chesapeake Bay Commission Issues 2022 Annual Report

Top 10 Headlines From Harrisburg Last Week -----------------------------------

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else-- 

-- Top 10 Stories: Harrisburg/PA Politics Reported By Local News Media Last Week  [PaEN]

Articles & NewsClips By Topic ------------------------------------------------------- 

-- 75 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA  [PaEN]

-- Environment & Energy Educational Opportunities For Students And Adults [PaEN]

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

Check Calendars For Events Near You!

-- Check The Calendars For Events Near You: PA Parks & Forests Foundation’s Events webpage and DCNR’s Calendar of Events.

Air

-- The Guardian: One Of The Worst Global Methane Leaks In 2022 Was In PA - Equitrans In Cambria County; Routine Abandonment, Non-Compliance Of Conventional Gas Wells  [PaEN]

-- DEP Oil & Gas Advisory Board Meets March 13 To Hear Updates On Regulation Of Natural Gas Storage Areas, Chapter 78 Regs; Federal Well Plugging Program, Carbon Capture, Hydrogen Development  [PaEN]

-- DEP Methane Overflight Research Study Resulted In Voluntary Reductions In Oil & Gas, Landfill Facilities; Coal Industry Uncooperative [PaEN]

-- Scranton Times Editorial: Lower Boom On Natural Gas Leaks, Audit Abandoned Gas Well Capping  [PaEN]

-- PA-based Evangelical Environmental Network: Opposes Congressional Republican Attempts To Repeal Federal Oil & Gas Methane Emissions Reduction Program

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Final Piece Of Shell Petrochemical Plant Fence Line Air Monitoring System Now Online, But Don’t Expect Instant Data

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - March 4 to 10; Big Week For Spills  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - March 11 [PaEN]

-- Sen. Yaw Proposes Independent Energy Office To Promote Development Of PA’s Diverse Energy Portfolio - Natural Gas, Nuclear Power, Coal [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Greene County House That Exploded In 2018 From Natural Gas Leak Stands As A Monument To Leaking Gas Pipelines, Leaking Gas Wells, Leaking Gas Storage Areas

-- Post-Gazette: Smoke Stacks From Closed Hatfield’s Ferry Coal-Fired Power Plant Demolished, Closing Chapter In PA Industrial History In Greene County: ‘I’m Ecstatic. It Was The Dirtiest, Dirtiest Place Ever.  It Put A Blight On Our Community’

-- TribLive: Fmr Cheswick Coal-fired Power Plant Property Could Be Rezoned Residential In Allegheny County

-- WESA: CMU Researchers Find High Levels Of A Hazardous Chemical Acrolein Weeks After Ohio/PA Train Derailment [Acrolein Also Used In Shale Gas Fracking Fluid ,To Treat Shale Gas Drilling Impoundments]

-- Nebraska Examiner: U.S. Senate Panel Probes How Cryptocurrency Mining Increases Energy Consumption In Nebraska And PA

-- The Guardian: Among 10 Worst Places To Live In U.S. For Particulate Air Pollution - Harrisburg, York, Lancaster Region

-- WESA: Mon Valley Clean Air Watchdogs Call On EPA To Challenge Clairton Coke (Coal) Plant’s Operating Permit From Allegheny County

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: EPA Region III Official To Meet With Pittsburgh Environmental Groups Over Air Pollution Standards

-- WNEP: Columbia County Residents Concerned About Coal Mine Fire Near Mount Carmel - ‘Like Burning Tires’

-- TribLive Editorial: Air And Water Testing Is Not Just For Disasters

-- PA Interfaith Power & Light/Jewish Earth Alliance March 15 Webinar On Why PA Needs Both RGGI And Expanded Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards

-- USDA NRCS-PA Seeking Nominees To Task Force On Agricultural Air Quality Research

-- Post-Gazette: Pollen Season Is Coming, Here’s What To Know

Allegheny National Forest

-- Save Our Streams PA Hosting April 28-30 Abandoned Well Weekend Workshop In Bradford County  [PaEN]

Alternative Fuels

-- Scranton Times: Electric Vehicle Education Evolving In NE PA

-- Scranton Times: The Electric City Gets First Electric Vehicle Fleet

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Proposed Electric Vehicle Fees Fall Short Of Solving State’s Highway/Bridge Infrastructure Woes

-- TribLive: City Of Pittsburgh To Continue Leasing Natural Gas Fueling Equipment

Awards & Recognition

-- PUC’s #CallUtilitiesNow Campaign Receives International, PA Recognition

-- PA Wilds Accepting Nominations For PA Wilds Champion Awards; Awards Celebration July 27  [PaEN]

-- Dept. Of Health Now Accepting Entries To How To Prevent A Tick Bite/Lyme Disease  Student Art Video, Poster Contest 

-- Chesapeake Bay Foundation Now Accepting Entries To 2023 Save The Bay Photo Contest  [PaEN]

Biodiversity/Invasive Species

-- PA/NJ Chapter American Chestnut Foundation: Spring Growers Meeting Agenda April 1; Upcoming Native Plant, Forest Events

-- ABC27: Two PA Freshwater Mussels Listed As Threatened Under Federal Endangered Species Act

-- AP: Longsolid, Round Hickorynut Freshwater Mussels Granted Federal Protection

Federal Climate/Energy Law

-- Financial Times: Oil Companies Line Up For Billions In Subsidies Under U.S. Climate Law

Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

-- DEP Receives $29.35 Million In Federal Funding To Support Abandoned Mine Land Economy Revitalization  [PaEN]

-- EPA: $16 Million In Pollution Prevention Grants Available In Environmental Justice Communities

-- DOE Now Accepting Proposals For $6 Billion In Funding To Decarbonize Energy-Intensive Industries 

Federal FY 2024 Budget Proposal

-- Reuters: Biden Budget To Target U.S. Fossil Fuel Subsidies

-- EPA Statement On President’s Proposed FY 2024 Federal Budget

-- DOE Statement On President’s Proposed FY 2024 Federal Budget

-- Appalachian Voices Urge Congress To Pass Proposed FY 2024 Investments In Appalachian Coalfields

-- Bay Journal Forum: Farms Need Federal Support Now, For Their Own Sake And For The Chesapeake Bay - Chesapeake Bay Foundation

-- Utility Dive: Proposed Federal Budget Boosts Funding For Clean Energy, Permitting, Energy Efficiency Programs 

Budget

-- Gov. Shapiro’s Budget Proposes Major Initiative To Speed Up DEP Permit Reviews/ Inspections; Double Oil & Gas Fund Investment In State Parks/Forests Infrastructure  [PaEN]

-- Gov. Shapiro: Unveils Commonsense Budget To Address The Issues PA Faces

-- DEP Posts Documents On Proposed FY 2023-24 Agency Budget Request

-- DCNR Blog: Gov. Shapiro’s Budget Supports Outdoor Recreation Economy, Park And Forest Infrastructure

-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: Shapiro’s Budget Proposal Includes Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative

-- PennLive: Shapiro Backs ‘Hydrogen Hubs’ In PA, Boosts Plugging Abandoned Oil & Gas Wells

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Shapiro Signals Support For Regional Hydrogen Hub

-- Erie Times: Shapiro Didn’t Mention These Topics In His Budget Address, Why That Matters

-- MCall - Paul Muschick: 6 Proposals In Shapiro’s Budget You May Not Have Heard About, But Should

-- AP: Audit Says Surplus In Senate, House Legislative Expense Accounts Jumped To A Record $261 Million In FY 2022; Spending Reached $392 Million On Themselves

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: Legislatures Financial Surplus Sets Record High At $261 Million

-- PennLive Guest Essay: If There’s Any Wasteful Government Spending, It’s In The PA Senate, House - By Mark Singel

Chesapeake Bay

-- Bay Journal: Chesapeake Bay Foundation Leader Hillary Harp Falk Calls For Shifts In Bay Cleanup Strategies

-- Bay Journal Forum: Farms Need Federal Support Now, For Their Own Sake And For The Chesapeake Bay - Chesapeake Bay Foundation

-- Interstate Chesapeake Bay Commission Issues 2022 Annual Report

-- Lancaster Clean Water Partners March 20 Workshop: Prepare And Connect On National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Funding Applications, Farm & Home Center, Lancaster

-- Susquehanna University Freshwater Research Institute, Chesapeake Conservancy Formalize Relationship On Watershed Restoration Projects  [PaEN]

-- Bay Journal: 2022 Was Another Hot Year In The Chesapeake Bay Watershed

-- Chesapeake Bay Foundation Now Accepting Entries To 2023 Save The Bay Photo Contest  [PaEN]

-- Forests For Chesapeake Bay: Forests Responding To Unseasonable Conditions; Volunteer Tree Plantings, Tree Talk - Black Cherry; More!

Latest From The Chesapeake Bay Journal

Click Here to subscribe to the free Chesapeake Bay Journal

Citizen Action

-- WESA: PA Supreme Court: Groups That Appeal Environmental Permits And Win Can Recoup Legal Fees From Companies

-- Brodhead Chapter Trout Unlimited Hosting March 11 Conservation Advocacy 101 Workshop In Monroe County  [PaEN]

-- Save Our Streams PA Hosting April 28-30 Abandoned Well Weekend Workshop In Bradford County  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Final Piece Of Shell Petrochemical Plant Fence Line Air Monitoring System Now Online, But Don’t Expect Instant Data

-- Lancaster Clean Water Partners March 20 Workshop: Prepare And Connect On National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Funding Applications, Farm & Home Center, Lancaster

-- Reminder: Penn State Extension Hosts 4-Part Educator Training Course: Carbon Incentives For Forest Owners Starting March 8 [PaEN]

-- DEP Hosting 6 Regional Engagement Sessions On Climate Action For Environmental Justice Communities Starting April 5  [PaEN]

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - March 4 to 10; Big Week For Spills  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - March 11 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posts 84 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In March 11 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]

-- PA Interfaith Power & Light/Jewish Earth Alliance March 15 Webinar On Why PA Needs Both RGGI And Expanded Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards

-- DEP Posts Updated List Of Technical Guidance In Development To Promote Public Involvement  [PaEN]

-- March 10 Take Five Fridays With Pam Now Available From PA Parks & Forests Foundation  [PaEN]

-- PA Environmental Council In Case You Missed It In February Now Available  [PaEN]

-- USDA NRCS-PA Seeking Nominees To Task Force On Agricultural Air Quality Research

-- WNEP:  Jim Thorpe Borough Council Shoots Down Development Near Mauch Chunk Lake In Carbon County

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Montgomery County Residents Fight Plan To Build New Town Hall On What They Thought Was Permanent Open Space

-- PennLive: Cumberland County Secures Nearly $4 Million For Farmland Preservation

-- Bay Journal: Chesapeake Bay Foundation Leader Hillary Harp Falk Calls For Shifts In Bay Cleanup Strategies

-- LancasterOnline: Fritz Schroeder Named President Of Lancaster Conservancy

Climate

-- Rep. Greg Vitali Named Majority Chair Of House Environmental Committee; House Appoints Committee Members  [PaEN]

-- Republicans On Senate Committee Report Out Bill Allowing General Assembly To Kill Regulations By Doing Nothing  [PaEN]

-- The Guardian: One Of The Worst Global Methane Leaks In 2022 Was In PA - Equitrans In Cambria County; Routine Abandonment, Non-Compliance Of Conventional Gas Wells  [PaEN]

-- DEP Oil & Gas Advisory Board Meets March 13 To Hear Updates On Regulation Of Natural Gas Storage Areas, Chapter 78 Regs; Federal Well Plugging Program, Carbon Capture, Hydrogen Development  [PaEN]

-- DEP Methane Overflight Research Study Resulted In Voluntary Reductions In Oil & Gas, Landfill Facilities; Coal Industry Uncooperative [PaEN]

-- Scranton Times Editorial: Lower Boom On Natural Gas Leaks, Audit Abandoned Gas Well Capping  [PaEN]

-- PA-based Evangelical Environmental Network: Opposes Congressional Republican Attempts To Repeal Federal Oil & Gas Methane Emissions Reduction Program

-- Senate Passes Bill Blocking Local Elected Officials From Moving To Cleaner Energy Sources To Combat Climate Change [PaEN]

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Pittsburgh Poised To Become Hub For Energy Storage, Battery Production

-- PA Solar Center Hosts March 17 Webinar On Opportunities For PA In Solar Supply Chain, Solar Recycling And Reuse [PaEN]

-- Penn State PA Technical Assistance Program Hosts March 23 TEC Talk On Trends On Industry Decarbonization At Hazleton Campus  [PaEN]

-- Rep. Fiedler, Labor Leaders, Educational, Environmental Leaders Announce Bill To Create Grant Program To Invest In Solar Energy Facilities At Schools  [PaEN]

-- Bill Setting Decommissioning Rules For Utility-Scale Solar Energy Facilities Passes The Senate  [PaEN]

-- Sen. Yaw Proposes Independent Energy Office To Promote Development Of PA’s Diverse Energy Portfolio - Natural Gas, Nuclear Power, Coal [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Greene County House That Exploded In 2018 From Natural Gas Leak Stands As A Monument To Leaking Gas Pipelines, Leaking Gas Wells, Leaking Gas Storage Areas

-- Post-Gazette: Smoke Stacks From Closed Hatfield’s Ferry Coal-Fired Power Plant Demolished, Closing Chapter In PA Industrial History In Greene County: ‘I’m Ecstatic. It Was The Dirtiest, Dirtiest Place Ever.  It Put A Blight On Our Community’

-- WESA: CMU Researchers Find High Levels Of A Hazardous Chemical Acrolein Weeks After Ohio/PA Train Derailment [Acrolein Also Used In Shale Gas Fracking Fluid ,To Treat Shale Gas Drilling Impoundments]

-- U.S. Senate Hearing: Energy, Environmental Impacts Of Cryptocurrency Mining In Pennsylvania  [PaEN]

-- PA Capital-Star: U.S. Senate Panel Probes How Cryptocurrency Mining Increases Energy Consumption

-- Nebraska Examiner: U.S. Senate Panel Probes How Cryptocurrency Mining Increases Energy Consumption In Nebraska And PA

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Pittsburgh Hydrogen Advocates Say Permitting Reform Needed Before Hub Becomes Reality

-- Inquirer: Solar Panels Can Cost $20,000 But Some Philly-Area Homeowners Say They’re Worth The Investment As Energy Prices Go Up [Driven By Natural Gas Price Spikes] 

-- LancasterOnline: New Energy Co-Op Helps Make Switch To Solar Power Easier, More Affordable In Lancaster

-- U.S. EIA: 'Increasing Electricity Generation From Renewable Sources Contributes To Lower Power Prices' In 2023  [PaEN]

-- Reminder: Penn State Extension Hosts 4-Part Educator Training Course: Carbon Incentives For Forest Owners Starting March 8 [PaEN]

-- PA Interfaith Power & Light/Jewish Earth Alliance March 15 Webinar On Why PA Needs Both RGGI And Expanded Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards

-- Scranton Times: Electric Vehicle Education Evolving In NE PA

-- Scranton Times: The Electric City Gets First Electric Vehicle Fleet

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Proposed Electric Vehicle Fees Fall Short Of Solving State’s Highway/Bridge Infrastructure Woes

-- TribLive: City Of Pittsburgh To Continue Leasing Natural Gas Fueling Equipment

-- WESA: Study Receives EPA Grant To Look At Flooding And Health Outcomes In Pittsburgh Neighborhoods

-- DOE Now Accepting Proposals For $6 Billion In Funding To Decarbonize Energy-Intensive Industries

-- Financial Times: Oil Companies Line Up For Billions In Subsidies Under U.S. Climate Law

-- Financial Times: U.S. Solar Power Installations Slow In Setback For Climate Goals

-- Reuters: U.S. Officials Warn - Don’t Let China Control Clean Energy Supply Chain

-- AP: Business Backlash Pushing Congressional Republicans To Weaken Anti-ESG Proposals

Coal Mining

-- Senate Passes Bill Blocking Local Elected Officials From Moving To Cleaner Energy Sources To Combat Climate Change [PaEN]

-- Sen. Yaw Proposes Independent Energy Office To Promote Development Of PA’s Diverse Energy Portfolio - Natural Gas, Nuclear Power, Coal [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette: Smoke Stacks From Closed Hatfield’s Ferry Coal-Fired Power Plant Demolished, Closing Chapter In PA Industrial History In Greene County: ‘I’m Ecstatic. It Was The Dirtiest, Dirtiest Place Ever.  It Put A Blight On Our Community’

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Seward Coal-Fired Generating Station In Westmoreland County To Get New Operator

-- U.S. Senate Hearing: Energy, Environmental Impacts Of Cryptocurrency Mining In Pennsylvania  [PaEN]

-- PA Capital-Star: U.S. Senate Panel Probes How Cryptocurrency Mining Increases Energy Consumption

-- Nebraska Examiner: U.S. Senate Panel Probes How Cryptocurrency Mining Increases Energy Consumption In Nebraska And PA

-- Observer-Reporter: Fmr Hatfield Power Plant Smokestacks Demolished, Marking End Of Coal-Fired Era

-- TribLive: Fmr Cheswick Coal-fired Power Plant Property Could Be Rezoned Residential In Allegheny County

-- WESA: Mon Valley Clean Air Watchdogs Call On EPA To Challenge Clairton Coke (Coal) Plant’s Operating Permit From Allegheny County

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: EPA Region III Official To Meet With Pittsburgh Environmental Groups Over Air Pollution Standards

-- WNEP: Columbia County Residents Concerned About Coal Mine Fire Near Mount Carmel - ‘Like Burning Tires’

-- Post-Gazette/WPost: More Coal Plants Could Shut Down Under EPA’s New Water Pollution Rule

-- EPA: Proposes Stronger Limits On Water Pollution From Coal-Fired Power Plants

-- Utility Dive: EPA Proposes Stricter Wastewater Discharge Limits For Coal-Fired Power Plants

Compliance Action

-- Citizens Voice: Dallas Municipal Authority Pleads Not Guilty To Criminal Charges Of Illegally Dumping Sewage

-- Lehigh Valley Live: Months After Tanker Crash In Bethlehem, Cleanup Continues Of 8,500 Gallons Of Spilled Gasoline, Diesel Fuel

-- PUC PA One Call Damage Prevention Committee Assesses $229,625 In Penalties Against Utility Owners, Excavators, Project Owners

-- DEP Took Action On 749 Permits, 95% Within Permit Decision Guarantee Deadlines; Conducted 1,726 Inspections; Responded To 7 Environmental Emergencies Last Week

Court Decision

-- WESA: PA Supreme Court: Groups That Appeal Environmental Permits And Win Can Recoup Legal Fees From Companies 

DCNR

-- DCNR Blog: Gov. Shapiro’s Budget Supports Outdoor Recreation Economy, Park And Forest Infrastructure

-- PA Director Of Outdoor Recreation Announces Statewide Stakeholder Meetings Starting March 29  [PaEN]

-- The Center Square: PA’s Outdoor Recreation Boom Persists, Data Shows

-- Scranton Times Editorial: State Outdoor Recreation Industry Green, Growing

-- March 10 Take Five Fridays With Pam Now Available From PA Parks & Forests Foundation  [PaEN]

-- DCNR State Parks Environmental Education Update - Vernal Equinox Edition  [PaEN]

-- Governor’s Advisory Council For Hunting, Fishing And Conservation Meets March 13

DEP

-- DEP Receives $29.35 Million In Federal Funding To Support Abandoned Mine Land Economy Revitalization  [PaEN]

-- DEP Posts Documents On Proposed FY 2023-24 Agency Budget Request

-- Republicans On Senate Committee Report Out Bill Allowing General Assembly To Kill Regulations By Doing Nothing  [PaEN]

-- The Guardian: One Of The Worst Global Methane Leaks In 2022 Was In PA - Equitrans In Cambria County; Routine Abandonment, Non-Compliance Of Conventional Gas Wells  [PaEN]

-- DEP Oil & Gas Advisory Board Meets March 13 To Hear Updates On Regulation Of Natural Gas Storage Areas, Chapter 78 Regs; Federal Well Plugging Program, Carbon Capture, Hydrogen Development  [PaEN]

-- DEP Methane Overflight Research Study Resulted In Voluntary Reductions In Oil & Gas, Landfill Facilities; Coal Industry Uncooperative [PaEN]

-- Scranton Times Editorial: Lower Boom On Natural Gas Leaks, Audit Abandoned Gas Well Capping  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Final Piece Of Shell Petrochemical Plant Fence Line Air Monitoring System Now Online, But Don’t Expect Instant Data

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - March 4 to 10; Big Week For Spills  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - March 11 [PaEN]

-- Lehigh Valley Live: Months After Tanker Crash In Bethlehem, Cleanup Continues Of 8,500 Gallons Of Spilled Gasoline, Diesel Fuel

-- U.S. Senate Hearing: Energy, Environmental Impacts Of Cryptocurrency Mining In Pennsylvania  [PaEN]

-- PA Capital-Star: U.S. Senate Panel Probes How Cryptocurrency Mining Increases Energy Consumption

-- Nebraska Examiner: U.S. Senate Panel Probes How Cryptocurrency Mining Increases Energy Consumption In Nebraska And PA

-- TribLive Editorial: Air And Water Testing Is Not Just For Disasters

-- DEP Hosting 6 Regional Engagement Sessions On Climate Action For Environmental Justice Communities Starting April 5  [PaEN]

-- DEP Posts Updated List Of Technical Guidance In Development To Promote Public Involvement  [PaEN]

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Pittsburgh Hydrogen Advocates Say Permitting Reform Needed Before Hub Becomes Reality

-- DEP Took Action On 749 Permits, 95% Within Permit Decision Guarantee Deadlines; Conducted 1,726 Inspections; Responded To 7 Environmental Emergencies Last Week

-- DEP Posts 84 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In March 11 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]

Delaware River

-- Delaware Currents: Future Of Rail Shipment Of PA LNG-Natural Gas To Gibbstown LNG  Export Project Remains Far From Certain In Philadelphia Area

-- Coalition For Delaware River Watershed: Bipartisan Bill Introduced In Congress To Expand Equity In Delaware River Conservation Program  [PaEN]

-- The Water Center At University Of Pennsylvania Hosts March 17 In-Person Panel Discussion Of Delaware Basin-Wide Cooperation For Drought Resilience In Philadelphia

-- Delaware RiverKeeper March 10 RiverWatch Video Report

DRBC

-- The Water Center At University Of Pennsylvania Hosts March 17 In-Person Panel Discussion Of Delaware Basin-Wide Cooperation For Drought Resilience In Philadelphia

Drinking Water

-- Inquirer: Field Of Dread, 6 Former Phillies Died From Same Brain Cancer, We Tested The Vet’s AstroTurf And Found PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’

-- The Water Center At University Of Pennsylvania Hosts March 17 In-Person Panel Discussion Of Delaware Basin-Wide Cooperation For Drought Resilience In Philadelphia

-- MCall: Lehigh Valley Is Among Worst Places For Lead Poisoning, Here’s Why

-- PA Capital-Star Guest Essay: This Is The Time For Pennsylvanians To Pipe Up On Lead Water Service Line Removal - By PA American Water

-- PUC Sets March 21 Telephonic Hearing On Aqua PA’s Proposed Acquisition Of Shenandoah Water System In Schuylkill County

Drought

-- The Water Center At University Of Pennsylvania Hosts March 17 In-Person Panel Discussion Of Delaware Basin-Wide Cooperation For Drought Resilience In Philadelphia

Economic Development

-- DCNR Blog: Gov. Shapiro’s Budget Supports Outdoor Recreation Economy, Park And Forest Infrastructure

-- PA Director Of Outdoor Recreation Announces Statewide Stakeholder Meetings Starting March 29  [PaEN]

-- The Center Square: PA’s Outdoor Recreation Boom Persists, Data Shows

-- Scranton Times Editorial: State Outdoor Recreation Industry Green, Growing

-- PA Wilds Accepting Nominations For PA Wilds Champion Awards; Awards Celebration July 27  [PaEN]

-- PA Environmental Council In Case You Missed It In February Now Available  [PaEN]

-- PASA Sustainable Agriculture Workshop: March 28 - Urban Growers Leasing Land For Growing Projects, Garden Dreams Nursery, Pittsburgh

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Pittsburgh Poised To Become Hub For Energy Storage, Battery Production

-- PA Solar Center Hosts March 17 Webinar On Opportunities For PA In Solar Supply Chain, Solar Recycling And Reuse [PaEN]

-- Penn State PA Technical Assistance Program Hosts March 23 TEC Talk On Trends On Industry Decarbonization At Hazleton Campus  [PaEN]

-- Penn State PA Technical Assistance Program Accepting Applications For ISO 50001 Energy/Sustainability Readiness Cohort 

-- DOE Now Accepting Proposals For $6 Billion In Funding To Decarbonize Energy-Intensive Industries

-- AP: Business Backlash Pushing Congressional Republicans To Weaken Anti-ESG Proposals

Education

-- Gov. Shapiro’s Budget Proposes Major Initiative To Speed Up DEP Permit Reviews/ Inspections; Double Oil & Gas Fund Investment In State Parks/Forests Infrastructure  [PaEN]

-- Pennsylvania State Actions Responding To Ohio/PA Train Derailment - Week Of March 6 [PaEN]

-- Rep. Greg Vitali Named Majority Chair Of House Environmental Committee; House Appoints Committee Members  [PaEN]

-- DCNR State Parks Environmental Education Update - Vernal Equinox Edition  [PaEN]

-- Reminder: Penn State Extension Hosts 4-Part Educator Training Course: Carbon Incentives For Forest Owners Starting March 8 [PaEN]

-- Brodhead Chapter Trout Unlimited Hosting March 11 Conservation Advocacy 101 Workshop In Monroe County  [PaEN]

-- Better Path Coalition Hosts March 24 Program: ‘In the Footsteps of Rachel Carson: Lessons for Our Time’ Discussion With Author Patricia DeMarco, Ph.D  [PaEN]

-- Save Our Streams PA Hosting April 28-30 Abandoned Well Weekend Workshop In Bradford County  [PaEN]

-- Future Scientists Wanted: Land Health Institute Accepting Applications For Future Environmental Scientists, Stewards Program  [PaEN]

-- NextPittsburgh: Communitopia’s Raina Rippel Believes Pittsburgh Students Can Be Environmental Action Leaders

-- TribLive Editorial: 9-Year Old Lobbies Vandergrift Elected Officials To Open Playgrounds Early, Council Put Off A Decision

-- Warren Times - Audubon Community Nature Center: An Ode To Mud

-- DEP Hosting 6 Regional Engagement Sessions On Climate Action For Environmental Justice Communities Starting April 5  [PaEN]

-- PASA Sustainable Agriculture Workshop: March 28 - Urban Growers Leasing Land For Growing Projects, Garden Dreams Nursery, Pittsburgh

-- Dept. Of Health Now Accepting Entries To How To Prevent A Tick Bite/Lyme Disease  Student Art Video, Poster Contest 

-- TribLive: Wildlife Livestream Helps ‘Bring The Outdoors In’ For Saint Vincent Students

-- Warren Times: Audubon Nature Center Accepting Summer Day Camp Registrations

-- TribLive: Game Commission Seeking Genetic Info On ‘Tame’ Ruffed Grouses

-- Governor’s Advisory Council For Hunting, Fishing And Conservation Meets March 13

-- Game Commission Hosts 10 Regional Public Information Sessions On Reintroduction Of The American Marten

-- Williamsport Sun - Bill Bower: Reflections In Nature - March Brings Mud

-- 2023 PA Firefly Festival, Glow & Know Campout Details Now Available, Registration Deadline March 31

-- NextPittsburgh: Want To Learn Whitewater Kayaking? Start In The Swimming Pool

-- Forests For Chesapeake Bay: Forests Responding To Unseasonable Conditions; Volunteer Tree Plantings, Tree Talk - Black Cherry; More!

-- PA Director Of Outdoor Recreation Announces Statewide Stakeholder Meetings Starting March 29  [PaEN]

-- The Center Square: PA’s Outdoor Recreation Boom Persists, Data Shows

-- DCNR Blog: Gov. Shapiro’s Budget Supports Outdoor Recreation Economy, Park And Forest Infrastructure

-- The Water Center At University Of Pennsylvania Hosts March 17 In-Person Panel Discussion Of Delaware Basin-Wide Cooperation For Drought Resilience In Philadelphia

-- Chesapeake Bay Foundation Now Accepting Entries To 2023 Save The Bay Photo Contest  [PaEN]

-- York Daily Record - Brian Whipkey: Students Across PA Are Raising Catfish In Classrooms

-- Warren Times: Tamarack Wildlife Center Returns Eagle To Wild After 5-Month Rehab

-- ABC27: Two PA Freshwater Mussels Listed As Threatened Under Federal Endangered Species Act

-- AP: Longsolid, Round Hickorynut Freshwater Mussels Granted Federal Protection

-- Penn State PA Technical Assistance Program Accepting Applications For ISO 50001 Energy/Sustainability Readiness Cohort 

-- PA Solar Center Hosts March 17 Webinar On Opportunities For PA In Solar Supply Chain, Solar Recycling And Reuse [PaEN]

-- PA Interfaith Power & Light/Jewish Earth Alliance March 15 Webinar On Why PA Needs Both RGGI And Expanded Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards

-- Penn State PA Technical Assistance Program Hosts March 23 TEC Talk On Trends On Industry Decarbonization At Hazleton Campus  [PaEN]

-- U.S. Senate Hearing: Energy, Environmental Impacts Of Cryptocurrency Mining In Pennsylvania  [PaEN]

-- PA Capital-Star: U.S. Senate Panel Probes How Cryptocurrency Mining Increases Energy Consumption

-- Nebraska Examiner: U.S. Senate Panel Probes How Cryptocurrency Mining Increases Energy Consumption In Nebraska And PA

-- Senate Passes Bill Blocking Local Elected Officials From Moving To Cleaner Energy Sources To Combat Climate Change [PaEN]

-- Rep. Fiedler, Labor Leaders, Educational, Environmental Leaders Announce Bill To Create Grant Program To Invest In Solar Energy Facilities At Schools  [PaEN]

-- Bill Setting Decommissioning Rules For Utility-Scale Solar Energy Facilities Passes The Senate  [PaEN]

-- The Guardian: One Of The Worst Global Methane Leaks In 2022 Was In PA - Equitrans In Cambria County; Routine Abandonment, Non-Compliance Of Conventional Gas Wells  [PaEN]

-- DEP Oil & Gas Advisory Board Meets March 13 To Hear Updates On Regulation Of Natural Gas Storage Areas, Chapter 78 Regs; Federal Well Plugging Program, Carbon Capture, Hydrogen Development  [PaEN]

-- DEP Methane Overflight Research Study Resulted In Voluntary Reductions In Oil & Gas, Landfill Facilities; Coal Industry Uncooperative [PaEN]

-- Scranton Times Editorial: Lower Boom On Natural Gas Leaks, Audit Abandoned Gas Well Capping  [PaEN]

-- PA-based Evangelical Environmental Network: Opposes Congressional Republican Attempts To Repeal Federal Oil & Gas Methane Emissions Reduction Program

-- Sen. Yaw Proposes Independent Energy Office To Promote Development Of PA’s Diverse Energy Portfolio - Natural Gas, Nuclear Power, Coal [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Greene County House That Exploded In 2018 From Natural Gas Leak Stands As A Monument To Leaking Gas Pipelines, Leaking Gas Wells, Leaking Gas Storage Areas

-- Post-Gazette: Smoke Stacks From Closed Hatfield’s Ferry Coal-Fired Power Plant Demolished, Closing Chapter In PA Industrial History In Greene County: ‘I’m Ecstatic. It Was The Dirtiest, Dirtiest Place Ever.  It Put A Blight On Our Community’

-- TribLive: Fmr Cheswick Coal-fired Power Plant Property Could Be Rezoned Residential In Allegheny County

-- WESA: CMU Researchers Find High Levels Of A Hazardous Chemical Acrolein Weeks After Ohio/PA Train Derailment [Acrolein Also Used In Shale Gas Fracking Fluid ,To Treat Shale Gas Drilling Impoundments]

-- Inquirer: Solar Panels Can Cost $20,000 But Some Philly-Area Homeowners Say They’re Worth The Investment As Energy Prices Go Up [Driven By Natural Gas Price Spikes] 

-- LancasterOnline: New Energy Co-Op Helps Make Switch To Solar Power Easier, More Affordable In Lancaster

-- U.S. EIA: 'Increasing Electricity Generation From Renewable Sources Contributes To Lower Power Prices' In 2023  [PaEN]

-- The Guardian: The First Great Energy Transition: How Humanity Gave Up Whaling

-- Bloomberg: Oil Investors Get $128 Billion Payout As Doubts Grow About Fossil Fuels; Long-Term Projects Like Refineries, Natural Gas Power Plants Could Become Stranded Assets

Ohio/PA Train Derailment

-- Pennsylvania State Actions Responding To Ohio/PA Train Derailment - Week Of March 6 [PaEN]

-- Norfolk Southern CEO To Appear March 20 Before PA Senate Committee To Answer Questions About Ohio/PA Train Derailment; Committee Subpoenas Documents [PaEN]

-- House Democratic & Republican Policy Committees Hold March 14 Joint Hearing On Impact Of Ohio/PA Train Derailment In Beaver County [PaEN]

-- Gov. Shapiro Announces Agreement With Norfolk Southern To Pay $7.38 Million In Initial Response Costs, Costs To Businesses, Residents From Train Derailment  [PaEN]

-- AP: Gov. Shapiro: Norfolk Southern To Pay Millions For Train Derailment

-- The Center Square: Shapiro, Norfolk Southern Broker $7.4 Million Aid Deal

-- WESA: Norfolk Southern Agrees To Pay For East Palestine, OH Residents To Relocate During Cleanup

-- Dept. Of Health Extends Operation Of Health Resource Center In Beaver County For PA Residents Impacted By Ohio/PA Train Derailment  [PaEN]

-- DEP Reports No Signs Of Groundwater Contamination With First Results From Water Sampling Near Ohio/PA Train Derailment Site  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette: ‘We’re Afraid To Drink Our Water’: Beaver County Families Want Assurances After Train Derailment

-- StateImpactPA - Reid Frazier: Dioxin Concerns From Ohio/PA Train Derailment Persist As People Wait On Test Results

-- Moms Clean Air Force: Impacted Parents From Ohio, PA Will Raise Concerns About Chemical Pollution From The Train Derailment, Petrochemical Industry In The Ohio Valley During U.S. Senate Hearing  [PaEN]

-- Sen. Bob Casey Testifies Before U.S. Senate Committee On Ohio/PA Train Derailment [PaEN]

-- Politics PA: Sen. Casey, Testifies At U.S. Senate Norfolk Southern Hearing

-- The Center Square: Norfolk Southern Budges On Safety Reform Amid Derailment Recovery

-- Inquirer Guest Essay: I Live In Beaver County Near East Palestine, OH, After The Train Derailment, My Head Aches With Anxiety And Vinyl Chloride

-- AP: Aches, Rashes And Fear: Trauma Remains After Ohio/PA Train Derailment

-- WPost: The Testing Of East Palestine Ohio

-- StateImpactPA - Reid Frazier: Ohio/PA Train Derailment Site Under Investigation By OSHA After workers Report Health Problems

-- TribLive/AP: Norfolk Southern CEO ‘Sorry,’ Brings Aid, But Avoids Specifics At U.S. Senate Hearing

-- AP: Norfolk Southern CEO ‘Deeply Sorry’ For Train Derailment, As U.S. Senators Ready Probe

-- Norfolk Southern CEO Testimony Before U.S. Senate Committee

-- WPost Guest Essay: Norfolk Southern Committed To Helping East Palestine Recover From Train Derailment - By Alan Shaw, Norfolk Southern, CEO

-- Ohio/PA Train Derailment, Pipeline Explosions, Uncontrolled Releases Put Spotlight On Public Health, Safety Threats Posed By Petrochemical, Natural Gas Industrial And Pipeline Infrastructure In PA  [PaEN]

-- PA Capital-Star: PA House Democrats Call On Congress, Feds To Toughen Regs On Toxic Trains

-- WESA/WCPN: No Evidence Ohio Agriculture System Was Impacted By Train Derailment, Officials Say

-- WESA: CMU Researchers Find High Levels Of A Hazardous Chemical Acrolein Weeks After Ohio/PA Train Derailment [Acrolein Also Used In Shale Gas Fracking Fluid, To Treat Shale Gas Drilling Impoundments]

-- The Guardian: Experts Warn Home, Water, Air Testing Checks Need To Look For Wider Range Of Chemicals Near Train Derailment Site

-- TribLive Editorial: Air And Water Testing Is Not Just For Disasters

-- UnionProgress.com: Southwest PA Municipalities Request Inspection Reports On Rail Infrastructure

-- Post-Gazette: Pittsburgh, Other Cities Looking For ‘Critical Information’ About Status Of Local Rail Infrastructure

-- The Allegheny Front - Reid Frazier: New Norfolk Southern Safety Plan Would Add More ‘Hotbox’ Sensors To Its Tracks

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Norfolk Southern’s Safety Plan Seeks To Improve Track-side Heat Sensors

-- AP: NTSB To Open Special Investigation Into Norfolk Southern Ohio/PA Train Derailment

-- WESA/AP: Railroads Warned About Railcar Flaw That Could Cause Train Derailments

-- AP:  Railroads Propose Safety Reforms After Fiery Ohio/PA Train Derailment

-- Erie Times: What We Know And Don’t Know About The Hazards Of PA Rails

-- KYW: Train Derailments Are Common, But Few Reach The Level Of Ohio/PA Crisis

Emergency Response

-- Gov. Shapiro Announces Agreement With Norfolk Southern To Pay $7.38 Million In Initial Response Costs, Costs To Businesses, Residents From Train Derailment  [PaEN]

-- Lehigh Valley Live: Months After Tanker Crash In Bethlehem, Cleanup Continues Of 8,500 Gallons Of Spilled Gasoline, Diesel Fuel

6th Oil/Natural Gas Price Spike: True Energy Independence Means Renewables

[There Is No Limit To What Oil/Natural Gas Industry Can Make You Pay]

-- Sen. Yaw Proposes Independent Energy Office To Promote Development Of PA’s Diverse Energy Portfolio - Natural Gas, Nuclear Power, Coal [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Greene County House That Exploded In 2018 From Natural Gas Leak Stands As A Monument To Leaking Gas Pipelines, Leaking Gas Wells, Leaking Gas Storage Areas

-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: PA Annual Natural Gas Production Falls For First Time In 10 Years

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Business, Natural Gas, Oil Groups Urge Shapiro, General Assembly To Promote State’s Energy Industry

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: What A Top Analyst Sees For Shale Gas Industry In Near-Term: Surplus Of Natural Gas Will Continue, Prices Remain Lower Sending A Chill Thru The Industry  

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Well Done Foundation Says Taxpayers Shouldn’t Be Stuck With Paying To Plug Oil & Gas Wells, Private Finance Or Corporate Funding Needed

-- Bradford Era Guest Essay: Natural Gas Keeps PA Open For Business - Marcellus Shale Coalition

-- LancasterOnline Guest Essay: Help Europe Replace Russian Natural Gas With U.S. [PA] Natural Gas - PA Chamber Of Business & Industry

-- Erie Times Guest Essay: Support Reliable, Affordable PA Natural Gas, Coal, Petroleum And Grow Renewable Energy - Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie)

-- Post-Gazette: Smoke Stacks From Closed Hatfield’s Ferry Coal-Fired Power Plant Demolished, Closing Chapter In PA Industrial History In Greene County: ‘I’m Ecstatic. It Was The Dirtiest, Dirtiest Place Ever.  It Put A Blight On Our Community’

-- TribLive: Fmr Cheswick Coal-fired Power Plant Property Could Be Rezoned Residential In Allegheny County

-- WESA: CMU Researchers Find High Levels Of A Hazardous Chemical Acrolein Weeks After Ohio/PA Train Derailment [Acrolein Also Used In Shale Gas Fracking Fluid ,To Treat Shale Gas Drilling Impoundments]

-- Inquirer: Solar Panels Can Cost $20,000 But Some Philly-Area Homeowners Say They’re Worth The Investment As Energy Prices Go Up [Driven By Natural Gas Price Spikes] 

-- LancasterOnline: New Energy Co-Op Helps Make Switch To Solar Power Easier, More Affordable In Lancaster

-- U.S. EIA: 'Increasing Electricity Generation From Renewable Sources Contributes To Lower Power Prices' In 2023  [PaEN]

-- TribLive: Gasoline Prices Trending Upward As Annual Change To Summer Blends Is Underway

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: PA Average- $3.61, National Average- $3.40

-- Delaware Currents: Future Of Rail Shipment Of PA LNG-Natural Gas To Gibbstown LNG  Export Project Remains Far From Certain In Philadelphia Area

-- Reuters: Chesapeake Energy Strikes 15-Year U.S. LNG Natural Gas Supply Deal With Swiss Commodity Trader Gunvor

-- Bloomberg: Oil Investors Get $128 Billion Payout As Doubts Grow About Fossil Fuels; Long-Term Projects Like Refineries, Natural Gas Power Plants Could Become Stranded Assets

National/International

-- Bloomberg: EU To Propose Extending Cuts In Natural Gas Demand Until Next Year

-- Reuters: Europe Should Stop Relying On Luck For Energy Security And Build LNG Natural Gas Import Facilities, Shell CEO

-- Reuters: EU Agrees To Push For Fossil Fuel Phase Out Ahead Of COP28

-- WSJ: U.S. Shale Boom Shows Signs Of Peaking As Big Oil Wells Disappear

Energy

-- Rep. Greg Vitali Named Majority Chair Of House Environmental Committee; House Appoints Committee Members  [PaEN]

-- Republicans On Senate Committee Report Out Bill Allowing General Assembly To Kill Regulations By Doing Nothing  [PaEN]

-- Senate Passes Bill Blocking Local Elected Officials From Moving To Cleaner Energy Sources To Combat Climate Change [PaEN]

-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: PA Annual Natural Gas Production Falls For First Time In 10 Years

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Pittsburgh Poised To Become Hub For Energy Storage, Battery Production

-- PA Solar Center Hosts March 17 Webinar On Opportunities For PA In Solar Supply Chain, Solar Recycling And Reuse [PaEN]

-- Penn State PA Technical Assistance Program Hosts March 23 TEC Talk On Trends On Industry Decarbonization At Hazleton Campus  [PaEN]

-- Rep. Fiedler, Labor Leaders, Educational, Environmental Leaders Announce Bill To Create Grant Program To Invest In Solar Energy Facilities At Schools  [PaEN]

-- Bill Setting Decommissioning Rules For Utility-Scale Solar Energy Facilities Passes The Senate  [PaEN]

-- The Guardian: One Of The Worst Global Methane Leaks In 2022 Was In PA - Equitrans In Cambria County; Routine Abandonment, Non-Compliance Of Conventional Gas Wells  [PaEN]

-- DEP Oil & Gas Advisory Board Meets March 13 To Hear Updates On Regulation Of Natural Gas Storage Areas, Chapter 78 Regs; Federal Well Plugging Program, Carbon Capture, Hydrogen Development  [PaEN]

-- DEP Methane Overflight Research Study Resulted In Voluntary Reductions In Oil & Gas, Landfill Facilities; Coal Industry Uncooperative [PaEN]

-- Scranton Times Editorial: Lower Boom On Natural Gas Leaks, Audit Abandoned Gas Well Capping  [PaEN]

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - March 4 to 10; Big Week For Spills  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - March 11 [PaEN]

-- Delaware Currents: Future Of Rail Shipment Of PA LNG-Natural Gas To Gibbstown LNG  Export Project Remains Far From Certain In Philadelphia Area

-- Sen. Yaw Proposes Independent Energy Office To Promote Development Of PA’s Diverse Energy Portfolio - Natural Gas, Nuclear Power, Coal [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Greene County House That Exploded In 2018 From Natural Gas Leak Stands As A Monument To Leaking Gas Pipelines, Leaking Gas Wells, Leaking Gas Storage Areas

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Business, Natural Gas, Oil Groups Urge Shapiro, General Assembly To Promote State’s Energy Industry

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Well Done Foundation Says Taxpayers Shouldn’t Be Stuck With Paying To Plug Oil & Gas Wells, Private Finance Or Corporate Funding Needed

-- Bradford Era Guest Essay: Natural Gas Keeps PA Open For Business - Marcellus Shale Coalition

-- LancasterOnline Guest Essay: Help Europe Replace Russian Natural Gas With U.S. [PA] Natural Gas - PA Chamber Of Business & Industry

-- Erie Times Guest Essay: Support Reliable, Affordable PA Natural Gas, Coal, Petroleum And Grow Renewable Energy - Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie)

-- Post-Gazette: Smoke Stacks From Closed Hatfield’s Ferry Coal-Fired Power Plant Demolished, Closing Chapter In PA Industrial History In Greene County: ‘I’m Ecstatic. It Was The Dirtiest, Dirtiest Place Ever.  It Put A Blight On Our Community’

-- Observer-Reporter: Fmr Hatfield Power Plant Smokestacks Demolished, Marking End Of Coal-Fired Era

-- TribLive: Fmr Cheswick Coal-fired Power Plant Property Could Be Rezoned Residential In Allegheny County

-- WESA: CMU Researchers Find High Levels Of A Hazardous Chemical Acrolein Weeks After Ohio/PA Train Derailment [Acrolein Also Used In Shale Gas Fracking Fluid ,To Treat Shale Gas Drilling Impoundments]

-- Penn State PA Technical Assistance Program Accepting Applications For ISO 50001 Energy/Sustainability Readiness Cohort 

-- PA Interfaith Power & Light/Jewish Earth Alliance March 15 Webinar On Why PA Needs Both RGGI And Expanded Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards

-- U.S. Senate Hearing: Energy, Environmental Impacts Of Cryptocurrency Mining In Pennsylvania  [PaEN]

-- PA Capital-Star: U.S. Senate Panel Probes How Cryptocurrency Mining Increases Energy Consumption

-- Nebraska Examiner: U.S. Senate Panel Probes How Cryptocurrency Mining Increases Energy Consumption In Nebraska And PA

-- AP: Vistra To Buy Energy Harbor For $3.4 Billion That Owns Nuclear Plants In PA

-- Post-Gazette: Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Plant Part Of $3.4 Billion Acquisition By Vistra

-- TribLive: Gasoline Prices Trending Upward As Annual Change To Summer Blends Is Underway

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: PA Average- $3.61, National Average- $3.40

-- WHYY: Don’t Let Philadelphia Natural Gas Works Charge Customers For Warmer Winters, Residents Tell PUC

-- TribLive: City Of Pittsburgh To Continue Leasing Natural Gas Fueling Equipment

-- Bloomberg: Oil Investors Get $128 Billion Payout As Doubts Grow About Fossil Fuels; Long-Term Projects Like Refineries, Natural Gas Power Plants Could Become Stranded Assets

-- DOE, EPA Partner On Increasing The Reliability Of The Nation’s Electrical Grid

-- WPost: South, Rural America Could Ditch Fossil Fuels For Home Heating Easier Than Big Cities And The Costs

-- WSJ: U.S. Shale Boom Shows Signs Of Peaking As Big Oil Wells Disappear

-- The Guardian: The First Great Energy Transition: How Humanity Gave Up Whaling

Energy Conservation

-- Penn State PA Technical Assistance Program Accepting Applications For ISO 50001 Energy/Sustainability Readiness Cohort 

-- Penn State PA Technical Assistance Program Hosts March 23 TEC Talk On Trends On Industry Decarbonization At Hazleton Campus  [PaEN]

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Energy Efficient Appliances Can Help The Environment, Save Pennsylvanians Money - Reps. Jennifer O’Mara (D-Delaware), Tom Mehaffie (R-Dauphin), Sen. Lindsey Williams (D-Allegheny), Flora Cardoni (PennEnvironment)

Environmental Health

-- Republicans On Senate Committee Report Out Bill Allowing General Assembly To Kill Regulations By Doing Nothing  [PaEN]

-- The Guardian: One Of The Worst Global Methane Leaks In 2022 Was In PA - Equitrans In Cambria County; Routine Abandonment, Non-Compliance Of Conventional Gas Wells  [PaEN]

-- DEP Oil & Gas Advisory Board Meets March 13 To Hear Updates On Regulation Of Natural Gas Storage Areas, Chapter 78 Regs; Federal Well Plugging Program, Carbon Capture, Hydrogen Development  [PaEN]

-- DEP Methane Overflight Research Study Resulted In Voluntary Reductions In Oil & Gas, Landfill Facilities; Coal Industry Uncooperative [PaEN]

-- Scranton Times Editorial: Lower Boom On Natural Gas Leaks, Audit Abandoned Gas Well Capping  [PaEN]

-- PA-based Evangelical Environmental Network: Opposes Congressional Republican Attempts To Repeal Federal Oil & Gas Methane Emissions Reduction Program

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Final Piece Of Shell Petrochemical Plant Fence Line Air Monitoring System Now Online, But Don’t Expect Instant Data

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - March 4 to 10; Big Week For Spills  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - March 11 [PaEN]

-- Better Path Coalition Hosts March 24 Program: ‘In the Footsteps of Rachel Carson: Lessons for Our Time’ Discussion With Author Patricia DeMarco, Ph.D  [PaEN]

-- Sen. Yaw Proposes Independent Energy Office To Promote Development Of PA’s Diverse Energy Portfolio - Natural Gas, Nuclear Power, Coal [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Greene County House That Exploded In 2018 From Natural Gas Leak Stands As A Monument To Leaking Gas Pipelines, Leaking Gas Wells, Leaking Gas Storage Areas

-- Post-Gazette: Smoke Stacks From Closed Hatfield’s Ferry Coal-Fired Power Plant Demolished, Closing Chapter In PA Industrial History In Greene County: ‘I’m Ecstatic. It Was The Dirtiest, Dirtiest Place Ever.  It Put A Blight On Our Community’

-- U.S. Senate Hearing: Energy, Environmental Impacts Of Cryptocurrency Mining In Pennsylvania  [PaEN]

-- PA Capital-Star: U.S. Senate Panel Probes How Cryptocurrency Mining Increases Energy Consumption

-- Nebraska Examiner: U.S. Senate Panel Probes How Cryptocurrency Mining Increases Energy Consumption In Nebraska And PA

-- WNEP: Columbia County Residents Concerned About Coal Mine Fire Near Mount Carmel - ‘Like Burning Tires’

-- WESA: Mon Valley Clean Air Watchdogs Call On EPA To Challenge Clairton Coke (Coal) Plant’s Operating Permit From Allegheny County

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: EPA Region III Official To Meet With Pittsburgh Environmental Groups Over Air Pollution Standards

-- The Guardian: Among 10 Worst Places To Live In U.S. For Particulate Air Pollution - Harrisburg, York, Lancaster Region

-- Observer-Reporter: Fmr Hatfield Power Plant Smokestacks Demolished, Marking End Of Coal-Fired Era

-- TribLive: Fmr Cheswick Coal-fired Power Plant Property Could Be Rezoned Residential In Allegheny County

-- Lehigh Valley Live: Months After Tanker Crash In Bethlehem, Cleanup Continues Of 8,500 Gallons Of Spilled Gasoline, Diesel Fuel

-- Save Our Streams PA Hosting April 28-30 Abandoned Well Weekend Workshop In Bradford County  [PaEN]

-- Inquirer: Field Of Dread, 6 Former Phillies Died From Same Brain Cancer, We Tested The Vet’s AstroTurf And Found PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’

-- MCall: Lehigh Valley Is Among Worst Places For Lead Poisoning, Here’s Why

-- PA Capital-Star Guest Essay: This Is The Time For Pennsylvanians To Pipe Up On Lead Water Service Line Removal - By PA American Water

-- Dept. Of Health Now Accepting Entries To How To Prevent A Tick Bite/Lyme Disease  Student Art Video, Poster Contest 

-- Post-Gazette: Pollen Season Is Coming, Here’s What To Know

Environmental Heritage

-- Better Path Coalition Hosts March 24 Program: ‘In the Footsteps of Rachel Carson: Lessons for Our Time’ Discussion With Author Patricia DeMarco, Ph.D  [PaEN]

-- The Guardian: The First Great Energy Transition: How Humanity Gave Up Whaling

Environmental Justice

-- DEP Hosting 6 Regional Engagement Sessions On Climate Action For Environmental Justice Communities Starting April 5  [PaEN]

EPA

-- EPA Statement On President’s Proposed FY 2024 Federal Budget

-- WESA: Mon Valley Clean Air Watchdogs Call On EPA To Challenge Clairton Coke (Coal) Plant’s Operating Permit From Allegheny County

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: EPA Region III Official To Meet With Pittsburgh Environmental Groups Over Air Pollution Standards

-- PA-based Evangelical Environmental Network: Opposes Congressional Republican Attempts To Repeal Federal Oil & Gas Methane Emissions Reduction Program

-- WESA: Study Receives EPA Grant To Look At Flooding And Health Outcomes In Pittsburgh Neighborhoods

-- Post-Gazette/WPost: More Coal Plants Could Shut Down Under EPA’s New Water Pollution Rule

-- EPA: Proposes Stronger Limits On Water Pollution From Coal-Fired Power Plants

-- Utility Dive: EPA Proposes Stricter Wastewater Discharge Limits For Coal-Fired Power Plants

-- EPA: $16 Million In Pollution Prevention Grants Available In Environmental Justice Communities

-- DOE, EPA Partner On Increasing The Reliability Of The Nation’s Electrical Grid

Farming

-- CFA Now Accepting Applications For Act 13 Watershed Restoration, Mine Reclamation, Sewage, Flood Mitigation, Recreation Grants  [PaEN]

-- Bay Journal: Chesapeake Bay Foundation Leader Hillary Harp Falk Calls For Shifts In Bay Cleanup Strategies

-- Bay Journal Forum: Farms Need Federal Support Now, For Their Own Sake And For The Chesapeake Bay - Chesapeake Bay Foundation

-- NRCS-PA Announces Additional Application Deadline For Conservation Security Program [PaEN]

-- Lancaster Clean Water Partners March 20 Workshop: Prepare And Connect On National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Funding Applications, Farm & Home Center, Lancaster

-- Reminder: Penn State Extension Hosts 4-Part Educator Training Course: Carbon Incentives For Forest Owners Starting March 8 [PaEN]

-- PASA Sustainable Agriculture Workshop: March 28 - Urban Growers Leasing Land For Growing Projects, Garden Dreams Nursery, Pittsburgh

-- USDA NRCS-PA Seeking Nominees To Task Force On Agricultural Air Quality Research

-- Courier Times: Does Composting/Mulch Production Facility On Bucks County Farm Violate Its Preserved Status?

Flooding

-- WESA: Study Receives EPA Grant To Look At Flooding And Health Outcomes In Pittsburgh Neighborhoods

Forests

-- CFA Now Accepting Applications For Act 13 Watershed Restoration, Mine Reclamation, Sewage, Flood Mitigation, Recreation Grants  [PaEN]

-- DCNR Blog: Gov. Shapiro’s Budget Supports Outdoor Recreation Economy, Park And Forest Infrastructure

-- The Center Square: PA’s Outdoor Recreation Boom Persists, Data Shows

-- PA Director Of Outdoor Recreation Announces Statewide Stakeholder Meetings Starting March 29  [PaEN]

-- March 10 Take Five Fridays With Pam Now Available From PA Parks & Forests Foundation  [PaEN]

-- PA Wilds Accepting Nominations For PA Wilds Champion Awards; Awards Celebration July 27  [PaEN]

-- PA Environmental Council In Case You Missed It In February Now Available  [PaEN]

-- Forests For Chesapeake Bay: Forests Responding To Unseasonable Conditions; Volunteer Tree Plantings, Tree Talk - Black Cherry; More!

-- Reminder: Penn State Extension Hosts 4-Part Educator Training Course: Carbon Incentives For Forest Owners Starting March 8 [PaEN]

Game Commission

-- TribLive: Game Commission Seeking Genetic Info On ‘Tame’ Ruffed Grouses

-- Erie Times - Brian Whipkey: PA’s Black Bears Get Healthy Report During Winter Den Checks

Grants/Funding

-- CFA Now Accepting Applications For Act 13 Watershed Restoration, Mine Reclamation, Sewage, Flood Mitigation, Recreation Grants  [PaEN]

-- DEP Receives $29.35 Million In Federal Funding To Support Abandoned Mine Land Economy Revitalization  [PaEN]

-- NRCS-PA Announces Additional Application Deadline For Conservation Security Program [PaEN]

-- Lancaster Clean Water Partners March 20 Workshop: Prepare And Connect On National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Funding Applications, Farm & Home Center, Lancaster

-- WESA: Study Receives EPA Grant To Look At Flooding And Health Outcomes In Pittsburgh Neighborhoods

-- EPA: $16 Million In Pollution Prevention Grants Available In Environmental Justice Communities

-- DOE Now Accepting Proposals For $6 Billion In Funding To Decarbonize Energy-Intensive Industries

Green Infrastructure

-- CFA Now Accepting Applications For Act 13 Watershed Restoration, Mine Reclamation, Sewage, Flood Mitigation, Recreation Grants  [PaEN]

-- DEP Receives $29.35 Million In Federal Funding To Support Abandoned Mine Land Economy Revitalization  [PaEN]

-- DCNR Blog: Gov. Shapiro’s Budget Supports Outdoor Recreation Economy, Park And Forest Infrastructure

-- The Center Square: PA’s Outdoor Recreation Boom Persists, Data Shows

-- PA Environmental Council In Case You Missed It In February Now Available  [PaEN]

-- Bay Journal: Chesapeake Bay Foundation Leader Hillary Harp Falk Calls For Shifts In Bay Cleanup Strategies

-- NRCS-PA Announces Additional Application Deadline For Conservation Security Program [PaEN]

-- Lancaster Clean Water Partners March 20 Workshop: Prepare And Connect On National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Funding Applications, Farm & Home Center, Lancaster

-- Coalition For Delaware River Watershed: Bipartisan Bill Introduced In Congress To Expand Equity In Delaware River Conservation Program  [PaEN]

-- PennLive: Cumberland County Secures Nearly $4 Million For Farmland Preservation

-- Reminder: Penn State Extension Hosts 4-Part Educator Training Course: Carbon Incentives For Forest Owners Starting March 8 [PaEN]

-- Forests For Chesapeake Bay: Forests Responding To Unseasonable Conditions; Volunteer Tree Plantings, Tree Talk - Black Cherry; More!

-- Courier Times: Does Composting/Mulch Production Facility On Bucks County Farm Violate Its Preserved Status?

-- LancasterOnline: Fritz Schroeder Named President Of Lancaster Conservancy

Hazardous Substances

-- Republicans On Senate Committee Report Out Bill Allowing General Assembly To Kill Regulations By Doing Nothing  [PaEN]

-- The Guardian: One Of The Worst Global Methane Leaks In 2022 Was In PA - Equitrans In Cambria County; Routine Abandonment, Non-Compliance Of Conventional Gas Wells  [PaEN]

-- DEP Oil & Gas Advisory Board Meets March 13 To Hear Updates On Regulation Of Natural Gas Storage Areas, Chapter 78 Regs; Federal Well Plugging Program, Carbon Capture, Hydrogen Development  [PaEN]

-- DEP Methane Overflight Research Study Resulted In Voluntary Reductions In Oil & Gas, Landfill Facilities; Coal Industry Uncooperative [PaEN]

-- Scranton Times Editorial: Lower Boom On Natural Gas Leaks, Audit Abandoned Gas Well Capping  [PaEN]

-- PA-based Evangelical Environmental Network: Opposes Congressional Republican Attempts To Repeal Federal Oil & Gas Methane Emissions Reduction Program

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Final Piece Of Shell Petrochemical Plant Fence Line Air Monitoring System Now Online, But Don’t Expect Instant Data

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - March 4 to 10; Big Week For Spills  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - March 11 [PaEN]

-- Better Path Coalition Hosts March 24 Program: ‘In the Footsteps of Rachel Carson: Lessons for Our Time’ Discussion With Author Patricia DeMarco, Ph.D  [PaEN]

-- Sen. Yaw Proposes Independent Energy Office To Promote Development Of PA’s Diverse Energy Portfolio - Natural Gas, Nuclear Power, Coal [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Greene County House That Exploded In 2018 From Natural Gas Leak Stands As A Monument To Leaking Gas Pipelines, Leaking Gas Wells, Leaking Gas Storage Areas

-- Post-Gazette: Smoke Stacks From Closed Hatfield’s Ferry Coal-Fired Power Plant Demolished, Closing Chapter In PA Industrial History In Greene County: ‘I’m Ecstatic. It Was The Dirtiest, Dirtiest Place Ever.  It Put A Blight On Our Community’

-- WNEP: Columbia County Residents Concerned About Coal Mine Fire Near Mount Carmel - ‘Like Burning Tires’

-- U.S. Senate Hearing: Energy, Environmental Impacts Of Cryptocurrency Mining In Pennsylvania  [PaEN]

-- PA Capital-Star: U.S. Senate Panel Probes How Cryptocurrency Mining Increases Energy Consumption

-- Nebraska Examiner: U.S. Senate Panel Probes How Cryptocurrency Mining Increases Energy Consumption In Nebraska And PA

-- WESA: Mon Valley Clean Air Watchdogs Call On EPA To Challenge Clairton Coke (Coal) Plant’s Operating Permit From Allegheny County

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: EPA Region III Official To Meet With Pittsburgh Environmental Groups Over Air Pollution Standards

-- The Guardian: Among 10 Worst Places To Live In U.S. For Particulate Air Pollution - Harrisburg, York, Lancaster Region

-- Observer-Reporter: Fmr Hatfield Power Plant Smokestacks Demolished, Marking End Of Coal-Fired Era

-- TribLive: Fmr Cheswick Coal-fired Power Plant Property Could Be Rezoned Residential In Allegheny County

-- Lehigh Valley Live: Months After Tanker Crash In Bethlehem, Cleanup Continues Of 8,500 Gallons Of Spilled Gasoline, Diesel Fuel

-- Save Our Streams PA Hosting April 28-30 Abandoned Well Weekend Workshop In Bradford County  [PaEN]

-- Inquirer: Field Of Dread, 6 Former Phillies Died From Same Brain Cancer, We Tested The Vet’s AstroTurf And Found PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’

-- MCall: Lehigh Valley Is Among Worst Places For Lead Poisoning, Here’s Why

-- PA Capital-Star Guest Essay: This Is The Time For Pennsylvanians To Pipe Up On Lead Water Service Line Removal - By PA American Water

Land Conservation

-- DEP Receives $29.35 Million In Federal Funding To Support Abandoned Mine Land Economy Revitalization  [PaEN]

-- Bay Journal: Chesapeake Bay Foundation Leader Hillary Harp Falk Calls For Shifts In Bay Cleanup Strategies

-- NRCS-PA Announces Additional Application Deadline For Conservation Security Program [PaEN]

-- WNEP:  Jim Thorpe Borough Council Shoots Down Development Near Mauch Chunk Lake In Carbon County

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Montgomery County Residents Fight Plan To Build New Town Hall On What They Thought Was Permanent Open Space

-- PennLive: Cumberland County Secures Nearly $4 Million For Farmland Preservation

-- Courier Times: Does Composting/Mulch Production Facility On Bucks County Farm Violate Its Preserved Status?

-- LancasterOnline: Fritz Schroeder Named President Of Lancaster Conservancy 

Land Recycling

-- TribLive: Fmr Cheswick Coal-fired Power Plant Property Could Be Rezoned Residential In Allegheny County

Land Use

-- WNEP:  Jim Thorpe Borough Council Shoots Down Development Near Mauch Chunk Lake In Carbon County

Littering/Illegal Dumping

-- Keep PA Beautiful Invites Teachers, Students To Participate In Litter Free School Zone Program  [PaEN]

-- Keep Chester County Beautiful Volunteer Beth Intoccia Encourages Others To Make Their Communities Stronger, Cleaner And Better Places To Live  [PaEN]

Mine Reclamation

-- CFA Now Accepting Applications For Act 13 Watershed Restoration, Mine Reclamation, Sewage, Flood Mitigation, Recreation Grants  [PaEN]

-- DEP Receives $29.35 Million In Federal Funding To Support Abandoned Mine Land Economy Revitalization  [PaEN]

-- Appalachian Voices Urge Congress To Pass Proposed FY 2024 Investments In Appalachian Coalfields

-- WNEP: Columbia County Residents Concerned About Coal Mine Fire Near Mount Carmel - ‘Like Burning Tires’

Oil & Gas

-- Republicans On Senate Committee Report Out Bill Allowing General Assembly To Kill Regulations By Doing Nothing  [PaEN]

-- The Guardian: One Of The Worst Global Methane Leaks In 2022 Was In PA - Equitrans In Cambria County; Routine Abandonment, Non-Compliance Of Conventional Gas Wells  [PaEN]

-- DEP Oil & Gas Advisory Board Meets March 13 To Hear Updates On Regulation Of Natural Gas Storage Areas, Chapter 78 Regs; Federal Well Plugging Program, Carbon Capture, Hydrogen Development  [PaEN]

-- DEP Methane Overflight Research Study Resulted In Voluntary Reductions In Oil & Gas, Landfill Facilities; Coal Industry Uncooperative [PaEN]

-- Scranton Times Editorial: Lower Boom On Natural Gas Leaks, Audit Abandoned Gas Well Capping  [PaEN]

-- PA-based Evangelical Environmental Network: Opposes Congressional Republican Attempts To Repeal Federal Oil & Gas Methane Emissions Reduction Program

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Final Piece Of Shell Petrochemical Plant Fence Line Air Monitoring System Now Online, But Don’t Expect Instant Data

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - March 4 to 10; Big Week For Spills  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - March 11 [PaEN]

-- Delaware Currents: Future Of Rail Shipment Of PA LNG-Natural Gas To Gibbstown LNG  Export Project Remains Far From Certain In Philadelphia Area

-- Senate Passes Bill Blocking Local Elected Officials From Moving To Cleaner Energy Sources To Combat Climate Change [PaEN]

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Meets March 16 On 6 Natural Gas Drilling Water Uses; 4.5 MGD Out-Of-Basin Transfer  [PaEN]

-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: PA Annual Natural Gas Production Falls For First Time In 10 Years

-- Rep. Fiedler, Labor Leaders, Educational, Environmental Leaders Announce Bill To Create Grant Program To Invest In Solar Energy Facilities At Schools  [PaEN]

-- Bill Setting Decommissioning Rules For Utility-Scale Solar Energy Facilities Passes The Senate  [PaEN]

-- Sen. Yaw Proposes Independent Energy Office To Promote Development Of PA’s Diverse Energy Portfolio - Natural Gas, Nuclear Power, Coal [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Greene County House That Exploded In 2018 From Natural Gas Leak Stands As A Monument To Leaking Gas Pipelines, Leaking Gas Wells, Leaking Gas Storage Areas

-- WESA: CMU Researchers Find High Levels Of A Hazardous Chemical Acrolein Weeks After Ohio/PA Train Derailment [Acrolein Also Used In Shale Gas Fracking Fluid ,To Treat Shale Gas Drilling Impoundments]

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Pittsburgh Hydrogen Advocates Say Permitting Reform Needed Before Hub Becomes Reality

-- Save Our Streams PA Hosting April 28-30 Abandoned Well Weekend Workshop In Bradford County  [PaEN]

-- U.S. Senate Hearing: Energy, Environmental Impacts Of Cryptocurrency Mining In Pennsylvania  [PaEN]

-- PA Capital-Star: U.S. Senate Panel Probes How Cryptocurrency Mining Increases Energy Consumption

-- Nebraska Examiner: U.S. Senate Panel Probes How Cryptocurrency Mining Increases Energy Consumption In Nebraska And PA

-- Inquirer: Solar Panels Can Cost $20,000 But Some Philly-Area Homeowners Say They’re Worth The Investment As Energy Prices Go Up [Driven By Natural Gas Price Spikes] 

-- LancasterOnline: New Energy Co-Op Helps Make Switch To Solar Power Easier, More Affordable In Lancaster

-- U.S. EIA: 'Increasing Electricity Generation From Renewable Sources Contributes To Lower Power Prices' In 2023  [PaEN]

-- Reuters: Chesapeake Energy Strikes 15-Year U.S. LNG Natural Gas Supply Deal With Swiss Commodity Trader Gunvor

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Business, Natural Gas, Oil Groups Urge Shapiro, General Assembly To Promote State’s Energy Industry

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: What A Top Analyst Sees For Shale Gas Industry In Near-Term: Surplus Of Natural Gas Will Continue, Prices Remain Lower Sending A Chill Thru The Industry  

-- Bloomberg: EU To Propose Extending Cuts In Natural Gas Demand Until Next Year

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Well Done Foundation Says Taxpayers Shouldn’t Be Stuck With Paying To Plug Oil & Gas Wells, Private Finance Or Corporate Funding Needed

-- Bradford Era Guest Essay: Natural Gas Keeps PA Open For Business - Marcellus Shale Coalition

-- LancasterOnline Guest Essay: Help Europe Replace Russian Natural Gas With U.S. [PA] Natural Gas - PA Chamber Of Business & Industry

-- Erie Times Guest Essay: Support Reliable, Affordable PA Natural Gas, Coal, Petroleum And Grow Renewable Energy - Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie)

-- Lehigh Valley Live: Months After Tanker Crash In Bethlehem, Cleanup Continues Of 8,500 Gallons Of Spilled Gasoline, Diesel Fuel

-- TribLive: Gasoline Prices Trending Upward As Annual Change To Summer Blends Is Underway

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: PA Average- $3.61, National Average- $3.40

-- TribLive: City Of Pittsburgh To Continue Leasing Natural Gas Fueling Equipment

-- Marcellus Drilling News: U.S. Shale Companies Break Bread With OPEC Dictators At CERAWeek

-- Bloomberg: Oil Investors Get $128 Billion Payout As Doubts Grow About Fossil Fuels; Long-Term Projects Like Refineries, Natural Gas Power Plants Could Become Stranded Assets

-- WSJ: U.S. Shale Boom Shows Signs Of Peaking As Big Oil Wells Disappear

-- Reuters: Europe Should Stop Relying On Luck For Energy Security And Build LNG Natural Gas Import Facilities, Shell CEO

-- Reuters: EU Agrees To Push For Fossil Fuel Phase Out Ahead Of COP28

Pipelines

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - March 4 to 10; Big Week For Spills  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - March 11 [PaEN]

-- Sen. Yaw Proposes Independent Energy Office To Promote Development Of PA’s Diverse Energy Portfolio - Natural Gas, Nuclear Power, Coal [PaEN]

-- PUC PA One Call Damage Prevention Committee Assesses $229,625 In Penalties Against Utility Owners, Excavators, Project Owners

-- Reuters: Keystone Pipeline Ordered To Cut Oil Pressure After Kansas Leak

Permitting

-- Republicans On Senate Committee Report Out Bill Allowing General Assembly To Kill Regulations By Doing Nothing  [PaEN]

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Meets March 16 On 6 Natural Gas Drilling Water Uses; 4.5 MGD Out-Of-Basin Transfer  [PaEN]

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - March 4 to 10; Big Week For Spills  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - March 11 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posts 84 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In March 11 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]

-- DEP Took Action On 749 Permits, 95% Within Permit Decision Guarantee Deadlines; Conducted 1,726 Inspections; Responded To 7 Environmental Emergencies Last Week

Public Participation

-- DEP Hosting 6 Regional Engagement Sessions On Climate Action For Environmental Justice Communities Starting April 5  [PaEN]

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - March 4 to 10; Big Week For Spills  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - March 11 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posts 84 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In March 11 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]

-- DEP Oil & Gas Advisory Board Meets March 13 To Hear Updates On Regulation Of Natural Gas Storage Areas, Chapter 78 Regs; Federal Well Plugging Program, Carbon Capture, Hydrogen Development  [PaEN]

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Meets March 16 On 6 Natural Gas Drilling Water Uses; 4.5 MGD Out-Of-Basin Transfer  [PaEN]

-- DEP Posts Updated List Of Technical Guidance In Development To Promote Public Involvement  [PaEN]

-- Governor’s Advisory Council For Hunting, Fishing And Conservation Meets March 13

-- PUC Sets March 21 Telephonic Hearing On Aqua PA’s Proposed Acquisition Of Shenandoah Water System In Schuylkill County

PUC

-- PUC’s #CallUtilitiesNow Campaign Receives International, PA Recognition

-- PUC PA One Call Damage Prevention Committee Assesses $229,625 In Penalties Against Utility Owners, Excavators, Project Owners

-- WHYY: Don’t Let Philadelphia Natural Gas Works Charge Customers For Warmer Winters, Residents Tell PUC

-- PUC Sets March 21 Telephonic Hearing On Aqua PA’s Proposed Acquisition Of Shenandoah Water System In Schuylkill County

Radiation Protection

-- Sen. Yaw Proposes Independent Energy Office To Promote Development Of PA’s Diverse Energy Portfolio - Natural Gas, Nuclear Power, Coal [PaEN]

-- AP: Vistra To Buy Energy Harbor For $3.4 Billion That Owns Nuclear Plants In PA

-- Post-Gazette: Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Plant Part Of $3.4 Billion Acquisition By Vistra

Recreation

-- TribLive Editorial: 9-Year Old Lobbies Vandergrift Elected Officials To Open Playgrounds Early, Council Put Off A Decision

-- DEP Receives $29.35 Million In Federal Funding To Support Abandoned Mine Land Economy Revitalization  [PaEN]

-- DCNR Blog: Gov. Shapiro’s Budget Supports Outdoor Recreation Economy, Park And Forest Infrastructure

-- PA Director Of Outdoor Recreation Announces Statewide Stakeholder Meetings Starting March 29  [PaEN]

-- The Center Square: PA’s Outdoor Recreation Boom Persists, Data Shows

-- Scranton Times Editorial: State Outdoor Recreation Industry Green, Growing

-- March 10 Take Five Fridays With Pam Now Available From PA Parks & Forests Foundation  [PaEN]

-- Dept. Of Health Now Accepting Entries To How To Prevent A Tick Bite/Lyme Disease  Student Art Video, Poster Contest 

-- PA Wilds Accepting Nominations For PA Wilds Champion Awards; Awards Celebration July 27  [PaEN]

-- DCNR State Parks Environmental Education Update - Vernal Equinox Edition  [PaEN]

-- PA Environmental Council In Case You Missed It In February Now Available  [PaEN]

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: New Guide To 29 Best Nature Hikes In And Around Philly

-- LebTown.com: Lebanon Valley Trail Trail Breaks Ground On Phase 6; City Trail And Park Underway

-- Observer-Reporter: ADA-Accessible Trail Coming To Washington Park

-- York Daily Record: Closed Since 2020, Heritage Rail Trail Will Soon Reopen At Blackbridge With New Structure

-- TribLive: Pittsburgh Looks To Expand Allegheny River Greenway To Include Landslide-Prone Properties

-- WeConservePA: Pymatuning State Park Trail Extension Honored

-- Scranton Times: Dickson City Continues Progress On Upcoming Riverfront Park

Recycling/Waste

-- Keep PA Beautiful Invites Teachers, Students To Participate In Litter Free School Zone Program  [PaEN]

-- Keep Chester County Beautiful Volunteer Beth Intoccia Encourages Others To Make Their Communities Stronger, Cleaner And Better Places To Live  [PaEN]

-- TribLive: Permanent Glass Recycling To Open Soon In Oakmont Area Of Pittsburgh

-- Daily Item: Point Twp. Denied Zoning Approval For Encina Plastics Recycling Facility In Northumberland County

-- WKOK: Encina Plastics Recycling Point Township Plant Radio Discussion

-- NextPittsburgh: Where You Can Recycle Glass In Allegheny County Parks

-- MCall: Bethlehem Won’t Join Lawsuit Against Landfill Expansion, Officials Say

-- MCall: Hearing Testimony: Projecting Emissions From Bethlehem Landfill Expansion Would Be Speculating Without Formal Plans

-- Courier Times: Does Composting/Mulch Production Facility On Bucks County Farm Violate Its Preserved Status?

-- TribLive: Goodwill To End Use Of Plastic Bags In Southwestern PA

Regulations

-- Republicans On Senate Committee Report Out Bill Allowing General Assembly To Kill Regulations By Doing Nothing  [PaEN]

Renewable Energy

-- Rep. Greg Vitali Named Majority Chair Of House Environmental Committee; House Appoints Committee Members  [PaEN]

-- Senate Passes Bill Blocking Local Elected Officials From Moving To Cleaner Energy Sources To Combat Climate Change [PaEN]

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Pittsburgh Poised To Become Hub For Energy Storage, Battery Production

-- Penn State PA Technical Assistance Program Hosts March 23 TEC Talk On Trends On Industry Decarbonization At Hazleton Campus  [PaEN]

-- PA Solar Center Hosts March 17 Webinar On Opportunities For PA In Solar Supply Chain, Solar Recycling And Reuse [PaEN]

-- Rep. Fiedler, Labor Leaders, Educational, Environmental Leaders Announce Bill To Create Grant Program To Invest In Solar Energy Facilities At Schools  [PaEN]

-- Bill Setting Decommissioning Rules For Utility-Scale Solar Energy Facilities Passes The Senate  [PaEN]

-- Sen. Yaw Proposes Independent Energy Office To Promote Development Of PA’s Diverse Energy Portfolio - Natural Gas, Nuclear Power, Coal [PaEN]

-- Inquirer: Solar Panels Can Cost $20,000 But Some Philly-Area Homeowners Say They’re Worth The Investment As Energy Prices Go Up [Driven By Natural Gas Price Spikes] 

-- LancasterOnline: New Energy Co-Op Helps Make Switch To Solar Power Easier, More Affordable In Lancaster

-- U.S. EIA: 'Increasing Electricity Generation From Renewable Sources Contributes To Lower Power Prices' In 2023  [PaEN]

-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: PA Ranks Near Bottom Of States In Renewable Energy Generation

-- PA Interfaith Power & Light/Jewish Earth Alliance March 15 Webinar On Why PA Needs Both RGGI And Expanded Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards

-- Reuters: U.S. Officials Warn - Don’t Let China Control Clean Energy Supply Chain

-- Financial Times: U.S. Solar Power Installations Slow In Setback For Climate Goals

SRBC

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Meets March 16 On 6 Natural Gas Drilling Water Uses; 4.5 MGD Out-Of-Basin Transfer  [PaEN]

Susquehanna River

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Meets March 16 On 6 Natural Gas Drilling Water Uses; 4.5 MGD Out-Of-Basin Transfer  [PaEN]

Sustainability

-- Reminder: Penn State Extension Hosts 4-Part Educator Training Course: Carbon Incentives For Forest Owners Starting March 8 [PaEN]

-- PASA Sustainable Agriculture Workshop: March 28 - Urban Growers Leasing Land For Growing Projects, Garden Dreams Nursery, Pittsburgh

Technical Guidance

-- DEP Posts Updated List Of Technical Guidance In Development To Promote Public Involvement  [PaEN]

Wastewater Facilities

-- Citizens Voice: Dallas Municipal Authority Pleads Not Guilty To Criminal Charges Of Illegally Dumping Sewage

Watershed Protection

-- CFA Now Accepting Applications For Act 13 Watershed Restoration, Mine Reclamation, Sewage, Flood Mitigation, Recreation Grants  [PaEN]

-- DEP Receives $29.35 Million In Federal Funding To Support Abandoned Mine Land Economy Revitalization  [PaEN]

-- Bay Journal: Chesapeake Bay Foundation Leader Hillary Harp Falk Calls For Shifts In Bay Cleanup Strategies

-- Interstate Chesapeake Bay Commission Issues 2022 Annual Report

-- Lancaster Clean Water Partners March 20 Workshop: Prepare And Connect On National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Funding Applications, Farm & Home Center, Lancaster

-- NRCS-PA Announces Additional Application Deadline For Conservation Security Program [PaEN]

-- Bay Journal: 2022 Was Another Hot Year In The Chesapeake Bay Watershed

-- WNEP:  Jim Thorpe Borough Council Shoots Down Development Near Mauch Chunk Lake In Carbon County

-- Susquehanna University Freshwater Research Institute, Chesapeake Conservancy Formalize Relationship On Watershed Restoration Projects  [PaEN]

-- Chesapeake Bay Foundation Now Accepting Entries To 2023 Save The Bay Photo Contest  [PaEN]

-- Coalition For Delaware River Watershed: Bipartisan Bill Introduced In Congress To Expand Equity In Delaware River Conservation Program  [PaEN]

-- Delaware RiverKeeper March 10 RiverWatch Video Report

-- TribLive Editorial: Air And Water Testing Is Not Just For Disasters

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Wildlife

-- Governor’s Advisory Council For Hunting, Fishing And Conservation Meets March 13

-- Brodhead Chapter Trout Unlimited Hosting March 11 Conservation Advocacy 101 Workshop In Monroe County  [PaEN]

-- Lancaster Clean Water Partners March 20 Workshop: Prepare And Connect On National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Funding Applications, Farm & Home Center, Lancaster

-- Game Commission Hosts 10 Regional Public Information Sessions On Reintroduction Of The American Marten

-- TribLive: Game Commission Seeking Genetic Info On ‘Tame’ Ruffed Grouses

-- Erie Times - Brian Whipkey: PA’s Black Bears Get Healthy Report During Winter Den Checks

-- ABC27: Two PA Freshwater Mussels Listed As Threatened Under Federal Endangered Species Act

-- AP: Longsolid, Round Hickorynut Freshwater Mussels Granted Federal Protection

-- York Daily Record - Brian Whipkey: Students Across PA Are Raising Catfish In Classrooms

-- Warren Times: Tamarack Wildlife Center Returns Eagle To Wild After 5-Month Rehab

-- 2023 PA Firefly Festival, Glow & Know Campout Details Now Available, Registration Deadline March 31

-- Warren Times: Audubon Nature Center Accepting Summer Day Camp Registrations

-- TribLive: Wildlife Livestream Helps ‘Bring The Outdoors In’ For Saint Vincent Students

-- Williamsport Sun - Bill Bower: Reflections In Nature - March Brings Mud 

West Nile/Zika Virus

-- Dept. Of Health Now Accepting Entries To How To Prevent A Tick Bite/Lyme Disease  Student Art Video, Poster Contest 

Opportunities

-- Future Scientists Wanted: Land Health Institute Accepting Applications For Future Environmental Scientists, Stewards Program  [PaEN]

-- NextPittsburgh: Communitopia’s Raina Rippel Believes Pittsburgh Students Can Be Environmental Action Leaders

-- LancasterOnline: Fritz Schroeder Named President Of Lancaster Conservancy

Other

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Rage Is Not Part Of Life In Rural Pennsylvania - By Stacy Garrity, State Treasurer

CLICK HERE to View or Print the March 13 PA Environment Digest.

[Posted: March 12, 2023]

3/13/2023