Members of the DEP Citizens Advisory Council voted unanimously Tuesday to invite the public and members of other DEP advisory committees to submit ideas on how to improve the public participation process for developing regulations and technical guidance at the agency.

Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Krancer told the House Appropriations Committee Wednesday he thought DEP’s budget was adequate to accomplish its mission and in-fact in some areas his agency’s budget was trending in an upward direction.

Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Krancer told the Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday  his agency reduced the backlog of permit applications from a high of 11,000 permits to just over 6,000 as a result of using uniform permit processing procedures and getting rid of the inactive or unwanted permits in the backlog.

Here are the Senate and House Calendars and Committee meetings showing bills of interest as well as a list of new environmental bills introduced--

Sen, Gene Yaw (R-Bradford), Majority Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, Thursday questioned Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Krancer on current department policies, including the status quo of statewide recycling initiatives. 

Fish and Boat Commission Executive Director John Arway formally presented the agency’s 2012 Annual Report to the House Game and Fisheries Committee Tuesday. In his remarks, Arway reiterated that one of the agency’s top goals is to identify alternative funding sources in order to sustain the agency.

The Department of Environmental Protection Tuesday announced it will invest more than $18.7 million in watershed protection projects intended to improve watersheds, stormwater runoff, acid mine drainage and educational programs, among other environmental efforts.

Pennsylvania’s first Master Watershed Steward Program will be piloted in the Lehigh Valley in 2013 as a collaborative effort between Penn State Extension, the Watershed Coalition of the Lehigh Valley, the Nurture Nature Center, the Northampton County Conservation District, the PA Environmental Council and the Appalachian Mountain Club.

Trout Unlimited is pleased to announce the PA Trout Unlimited Coldwater Conservation Corps will hold a Water Quality Monitoring Workshop on March 16 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m at the Trinity Lutheran Church, 2221 N. Oak Lane in State College.

If you have an interest in helping children learn more about the health and ecology of streams - even if you don't have any experience - the Carlisle Area School District and Audubon PA would like to hear from you.

The PA Trout Unlimited is now accepting applications for its 2013 Trout in the Classroom Grants  for the 2013-2014 school year  Applications are due March 30.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is now accepting entries for the 2013 Save The Bay Photo Contest.  Submissions are due between March 11 and April 12.

Harry Campbell, the new Director of the PA Office of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, this week outlined priorities for the next year or so in the Winter issue of the Bay Bound newsletter distributed Thursday.  Here’s a copy of his column--

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation PA Office this week made available the latest issue of its Bay Bound electronic newsletter updating Pennsylvania’s on efforts to restore the Bay and how they can help.  Click Here to read a copy of the Winter 2013 issue.

The Department of Environmental Protection invites comments on the Mud Run Watershed Total Maximum Daily Loads Plan in Columbia County (PA Bulletin page 1152)  A copy of the proposed plan is available on DEP’s TMDL webpage.

On February 21 the federal Office of Surface Mining announced it has released more than $305 million in federal abandoned mine reclamation funds to states to beat the Congressionally mandated sequester (cuts) of federal funds on March 1.

When we talk about poor water quality in Pennsylvania, abandoned mine drainage almost always takes center stage.  However, an increasingly larger problem, , namely sediment pollution of our streams, is often left out of this conversation.

Water resource managers can now estimate daily baseline streamflows in a matter of minutes for any location along Pennsylvania's waterways. The Baseline Streamflow Estimator, called "BaSE," provides users with estimated daily mean streamflow, minimally altered by human activities, for locations on Pennsylvania streams that don’t have streamgages. Pennsylvania is one of the first states in the nation to have such a tool.

Secretary of Education Ron Tomalis Thursday sent to the U.S. Department of Education the nomination of four Pennsylvania schools to compete for the Green Schools Award and one school district for the District Sustainability Award.

Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe Friday announced the agency again will be helping Commonwealth school students learn about the vital role of trees in the environment through its "Seedlings for Schools" program, through which students plant a variety of tree seedlings at home, on school grounds or in their communities.

The National Nursing Centers Consortium will provide five Philadelphia-area organizations with an estimated $25,000 in funding to support community-based environmental education projects aimed at empowering people to take better care of their local environment, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful received a Keep America Beautiful Gold State Recognition Award during KAB’s recent 60th anniversary National Conference in Washington, D.C., distinguishing itself as an exemplary statewide affiliate organization. 

Gov. Tom Corbett announced Tuesday PGA, Inc., a processor of recycled plastics, will relocate its operations to an existing facility in White Haven, Luzerne County, and create 28 jobs.

The PA Economic Development Association will be hold a series of upcoming webinars and workshops as well as its 2013 Annual Conference will be held on April 29.  The workshops include--

The PA Small Business Development Centers announced Thursday it will be delivering statewide outreach and assistance to small manufacturers involved in the natural gas drilling industry. 

On February 27 FirstEnergy will hold a webinar on Energy Management for Educational Facilities starting at noon.

The Department of Environmental Protection invites code enforcement officials, builders, contractors and designers to a March 7 training workshop in Glen Mills, Delaware County, on the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code.

The PA Parks and Forests Foundation announces its 2013 award winners.  The Foundation established the awards program in 2007 to recognize outstanding service, programs and exemplary work in state parks and forests. 

With the approach of spring and the increased risk of forest and brush fires across the state, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced federal grants again are available to help Pennsylvania’s rural communities better guard against the threat of fires in forested, undeveloped and unprotected areas through the Volunteer Fire Assistance Grants.

The Friends of the Wissahickon in Montgomery County are offering free nature walks in Wissahickon Valley Park in March led by FOW Trail Ambassadors.          

The next wilderness stewardship project of the Friends of the Allegheny Wilderness will sponsor the clean-up of the 13-mile Hickory Creek Wilderness trail April 19 to 21.

The Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Commission is inviting public input on a proposal by the National Audubon Society, an international non-profit conservation organization, and Outward Bound Philadelphia, an affiliate of the national Outward Bound organization, to build an educational center for conservation and leadership development on the banks of the East Park Reservoir next to the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood.

During the peak of the annual golden eagle northern migration, spend an event filled weekend in central Pennsylvania viewing these majestic birds soaring overhead from atop Tussey Mountain as part of a package offered by the Nature Inn at Bald Eagle.

By Joe Kosack, Wildlife Conservation Education Specialist, Game Commission

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources published an opportunity to bid on repairs to the Delaware Canal in Bucks and Northampton counties.

The Capital Area Resource Conservation and Development Area Council is seeking candidates for 4 or 5 intern positions to help with its 2013 Conservation Tillage Survey.  The application deadline is April 15.  Click Here for details.

This section gives you a continuously updated thumbnail sketch of issues to be considered in upcoming advisory committee meetings where the agendas have been released

This section gives you a heads up on upcoming deadlines for awards and grants and other recognition programs.  NEW means new from last week.

Here's a selection of NewClips on environmental topics from around the state--

Here are NewsClips on topics related to Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling---

Here are NewsClips on watershed topics from around the state--

No new regulations were published this week. Pennsylvania Bulletin - February 23, 2013

Upcoming legislative meetings, conferences, workshops, plus links to other online calendars.  Meetings are in Harrisburg unless otherwise noted.  NEW means new from last week.  Go to the online Calendar webpage.

Send your stories, photos and links to videos about your project, environmental issues or programs for publication in the PA Environment Digest to:  DHess@CrisciAssociates.com.

PA Environment Digest is a supporting member of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association, Pennsylvania Council Trout Unlimited and the Doc Fritchey Chapter Trout Unlimited.