Opportunities to learn more about environmental and energy issues affecting Pennsylvania for students and adults--

Awards/Recognition

-- Centre County Master Watershed Steward Art Gover Earns Natural Resource Education Award  [PaEN]

-- Hazleton Standard Speaker: Almost 50,000 Students Participating In PA Trout In The Classroom Program

-- Erie Times: 17-Year-Old Millcreek Teen Hero Zachary Coverdale Nominated For Carnegie Medal For Rescuing Woman Trapped In Her Car In A Pond

Grants

-- Penn State College Of Engineering: Scholarship Fund Endowed By Mitchell Family For Engineering Students From Schuylkill, Carbon, Columbia, Northumberland Counties

-- Lebanon Valley Conservancy Accepting Applications For Richard H. And Karen R. Light College Scholarship

-- TribLive: Citizen Science Lab Receives Champions In Action Award From Citizens Bank, Trib Total Media

Help Wanted

-- Interns Wanted: US Forest Service Hiring Summer College Interns In Allegheny National Forest, Other Locations

Upcoming Events

-- Sen. Yaw: Senate Environmental Committee To Join Ohio Legislators For Feb. 1 Hearing On Energy Reliability, Sustainability, Affordability  [Will They Address Natural Gas Infrastructure Vulnerabilities? ]

-- PA Assn. Of Environmental Professionals Host Feb. 15 Webinar On Evaluating Ecological Risk Under PA's Land Recycling Program  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Extension Hosts Feb. 20 Webinar On DCNR Community Conservation Partnership Grants And Community Forest Projects  [PaEN]

-- Save The Dates: Forest Health In-Person Briefing, March 12; Virtual Forest Health Briefing, March 14; Forest Snapshot; More! [PaEN]

-- Registration Now Open!  PA Recreation & Park Society Conference & Expo March 12-15 In Seven Springs  [PaEN]

-- Registration Now Open For PA Brownfields Conference March 25-27 In State College  [PaEN]

-- DCNR: 2024 April Total Solar Eclipse In Pennsylvania

Programs/Information

-- Republican Herald Blog: DCNR State Parks Environmental Ed Newsletter Has Winter Teaching Ideas

-- LancasterOnline: Middle Creek Wildlife Area Awaits Warmer Temps, Rising Snow Geese Numbers

-- Click Here For Middle Creek Live Webcam

-- Williamsport Sun - Lycoming Audubon: On Cold Winter Says, There’s Plenty Of Songbirds To Spot and See In Lycoming, Clinton Counties

-- StateCollege.com: ClearWater Conservancy Planning Community Conservation Center In Houserville

-- Williamsport Sun - Bill Bowers: Reflections In Nature - Trees Can Yield Many Unusual Markings, Burls

Public Participation

-- Delaware River Basin Commission Feb. 7 Hearing On Water Withdrawals, Other Proposals; March 6 Business Meeting  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - January 27  [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 84 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In January 27 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]

-- If Requested, DEP Will Hold Feb. 28 Hearing On Air Quality Permit For Keystone Station Coal-Fired Power Plant In Armstrong County  [PaEN]

-- DEP, If Requested, Will Hold Feb. 28 Hearing On Air Quality Permit For Homer City Generation Station In Indiana County  [PaEN]

-- DEP Will Hold A Hearing Feb. 28, If Requested, On Air Quality Permit For Conemaugh Coal-Fired Power Plant In Indiana County  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Have An Idea Or Project To Reduce Climate-Changing Pollution?  Pennsylvania Wants To Know About It

Background On Issues

-- Senators Santarsiero, Comitta Introduce SB 581 Increasing Setback Safety Zones From Natural Gas Drilling Sites, Other Infrastructure, Based On Latest Science  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Rocky First Year For Shell Petrochemical Plant Commercial Operations In Beaver County

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Jan. 20 to 26 - 15 More Abandoned Conventional Wells; Plugging Abandoned Shale Gas Wells; Revolution Pipeline Land Slip; Brief Compressor Fire; Crypto Mining?  What's That Pink Stuff?  [PaEN]

-- 66 Months Later, DEP Worked With Conventional Well Owner, But Multiple Spills At A Well  Site Have Still Not Been Cleaned Up; No Protections In Place For Operators Or Taxpayers  [PaEN]

-- 5 Months Later, Roulette Oil & Gas Still Has Not Resolved Violations For Abandoning A Shale Gas Well Without Plugging It In Potter County  [PaEN]

-- XTO Energy Begins Plugging First Of 4 Abandoned Shale Gas Wells At Butler County Well Pad [PaEN]

-- Marcellus Drilling News: DEP Approves Catalyst Energy Oil & Gas Wastewater Injection Well In McKean County  [Jan. 26 Inspection Found Gas Bubbling From Well]  [PaEN]

-- The Energy Age Blog: The Story Of Bryan & Ryan Latkanich In Washington County

-- DEP To Require Unconventional Shale Gas Operators To Disclose Chemicals Used In Drilling, Fracking Operations Earlier In Well Drilling Process Thru PPC Emergency Plan Changes  [PaEN]

-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: PA Tells Frackers To Disclose Chemicals, But It’s Not  Clear Exactly What Changes The Public Will See

-- PennEnvironment, Clean Air Council Win Record $42 Million Air Pollution Settlement Covering 3 US Steel Facilities In The Mon Valley, Pittsburgh  [PaEN]

-- TribLive: US Steel Settles Lawsuit Over 2018 Fire, Power Outages In 2019, 2022 That Caused Air Pollution Episodes At 3 Facilities In Mon Valley

-- The Allegheny Front - Reid Frazier: US Steel Reaches Landmark Deal With Allegheny County, Environmental Groups Over Air Pollution From 3 Pittsburgh Facilities

-- Post-Gazette: US Steel Settles Environmental Lawsuit, Pledging Millions In Mon Valley Improvements

-- PennVEST Invests $194.3 Million In 28 Water, Wastewater, Stormwater, Water Quality Improvement Projects In 20 Counties  [PaEN]

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: PA To Spend Nearly $200 Million On Lead Pipe Replacement, Water Upgrades  [Mostly Federal Funds]

-- DEP Awards Susquehanna River Basin Commission $68.2 Million To Restore Severely Impaired Tioga River Watershed  [PaEN]

-- Bay Journal: Abandoned Mine Land Getting Makeover In Northeastern PA - By Ad Crable, Chesapeake Bay Journal [PaEN]

-- Agriculture Invests In Research Critical To Growing Ag Industry, Reducing Environmental Impacts, Controlling Invasive Species; Promoting Regenerative Agriculture  [PaEN]

-- Chesapeake Bay Program Shares Latest Progress On Watershed Restoration: Stream Health; Protected Lands; Forest Buffers; Wetlands; Blue Crabs; Aquatic Vegetation

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Karl Blankenship: Scientists Ponder How Well Are Farm Conservation Practices Helping The Chesapeake Bay?

-- Penn State Extension - Farm Conservation Success Story Series: First Stop Westmoreland County - John Kitz's Mount Pleasant Farm  [PaEN]

-- Mountain Watershed Assn. Files Petition To Designate Parts Of Donegal Township Unsuitable For Coal Mining In Westmoreland County  [PaEN]

-- DEP Awards $573,000 To 10 Projects To Protect Delaware Estuary Coastal Zone; $268,000 To 5 Projects To Protect Lake Erie Coastal Zone  [PaEN]

-- WHYY: UPenn Researchers Look At Fecal Bacteria Levels In Lower Delaware River, Recommend Ways To Make Swimming Safter

-- DEP Drought Update: Clinton & Franklin Counties Remain In Drought Warning; 6 Counties In Drought Watch; 8 Counties Return To Normal Status  [PaEN]

-- York Dispatch: State Task Force Changes York County’s Status To Drought Watch

-- Chester County Commissioners Approve New Integrated Water Resources Plan, Watersheds 2045  [PaEN] 

-- Altoona Mirror: Floodplain Restoration Project For Beaverdam Branch Of Juniata River Could Cost $5.9 Million

-- WITF - The Spark - Scott LaMar: PA Is A Leading Fossil Energy Producer, Will It Transition To Renewable Energies?

-- USDA Rural Development Invests $5.8 Million In 37 Clean Energy Projects In Pennsylvania  [PaEN]

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: USDA Sends PA $5.2 Million For Solar, Energy Efficiency Projects

-- LancasterOnline: Lancaster County Receives $2.1 Million In USDA Grants For Solar Energy Projects On Farms, Schools, Businesses

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Ad Crable: Largest Solar Energy Facility In PA Begins Producing Power In Franklin, Fulton Counties

-- Altoona Mirror: Solar Energy Facility In Greenfield Twp. Gets Favorable Review By Blair County Planning Commission

-- Citizens Voice: Plains Twp. Zoning Board Approves Solar Energy Facility In Luzerne County

-- Financial Times: Hurdles In Turning Soil Into A Carbon Sink By Adopting Regenerative Agriculture

-- PA Business Report: Appalachian Regional Commission Funds Penn State Research Into Sustainable Power Grids

-- PJM Interconnection Begins Review Of 46,000 MW Of New, Mostly Renewable Electric Generation Projects Under New Evaluation Process  [PaEN]

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Natural Gas Industry Pushing For More Low-Income Assistance To Pay Energy Bills

-- National Assn. Of Counties Announces Participants In Building Resilient Economies In Coal Communities Action Challenge; Somerset And Forest Counties Included In PA  [PaEN]

-- Republican Herald: Mining Engineer Marks Anthracite Heritage Month With History Of Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Co

-- Republican Herald: Author Discusses Bootleg Coal Industry In Book “The Bootleg Coal Rebellion’

-- Scranton Times: Coal Artifacts Mined For McDade Park Display

-- DCNR: Shapiro Administration Creates Action Plan To Grow PA’s Outdoor Recreation Sector In New Report

-- Erie Times - Brian Whipkey: New Office Of Outdoor Recreation Director Wants To Improve Bond of Government And Industry

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: State Wants To Bet Big On Outdoor Recreation Economy

-- Nature By The Numbers: The Economic Impact Of Land Preservation - By Carol Hillestad For Pocono Heritage Land Trust  [PaEN]

-- DCNR: Forest Land Manager Should Begin Treatment Operations Now For Spongy [Gypsy] Moth Caterpillars  [PaEN]

-- Friends Of Allegheny Wilderness Urge Public Comments Opposing Permanent, Fixed Anchor Bolts, Pitons On Wilderness Climbing Rock Faces  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Washington’s Trail 1753 Deserves Official Historial Recognition

-- TribLive: Carnegie Science Center Receives $65 Million Gift, Will Change Name To The Daniel G. Kamin and Carole L. Kamin Science Center

-- WITF/WPSU: Volunteers Rescue Birds Making Emergency Snow Landings In Central PA

-- LancasterOnline: Injured Hawk To Be Released After Rehab In Lancaster County Animal Sanctuary

-- PennLive: Tiny, ‘Secretive’ Black Rail Added To PA’s Threatened Species List

-- Inquirer: A Rare Painted Bunting Bird Stirs Awe In Bartram’s Garden, Philadelphia

-- Reading Eagle: Berks Christmas Bird Counts Record New Highs And Lows

-- TribLive: Animal Rights Group Wants To Replace Punxsutawney Phil With Giant Gold Coin Toss

-- The Guardian: Bumblebee Among Species US Wildlife Officials Consider Listing As Endangered

Visit the PA Parks & Forests Foundation’s Events webpage and DCNR’s Calendar of Events for activities happening near you.

Visit DEP’s Teaching Green webpage to learn about more environmental education resources.

Visit the PA Environment Digest Calendar Of Events for more opportunities.

[Posted: January 28, 2024]

1/29/2024