Gov. Tom Corbett Friday announced Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Mike Krancer will step down April 15 to return home to Montgomery County to practice law.

John Hanger, former Secretary of DEP under Gov. Rendell and announced Democratic candidate for Governor, released a statement Friday on the resignation of DEP Secretary Mike Krancer overflowing with irony.

A group of leading environmental organizations, philanthropic foundations, and energy companies have collaborated to form a unique center to provide producers with certification of performance standards for shale development. 

Keystone Fund partners from across Pennsylvania along with Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Richard Allan and the original 1993 legislative champions Monday celebrated the 20th Anniversary of the Keystone Recreation, Park & Conservation Fund at a special event in the Capitol Rotunda. 

The PA Recreation and Park Society Monday presented Sen. Joseph Scarnati  (R-Jefferson) with its Governmental Award in recognition of his leadership and contributions in protecting and enhancing the Commonwealth’s parks and natural resources.

The PA Association of Environmental Educators presented its annual award during its Climbing the Summit of Environmental Education Conference last week.  The award winners include:

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

The following bills of interest saw action this week in the House and Senate--

On Monday the Environmental Issues Forum hosted by the Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee heard a presentation on the responsibilities and challenges of county conservation districts.

The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee Tuesday held a hearing on Senate Bill 258 (Yaw-R-Bradford) which would provide for action to quiet property titles involving subsurface mineral rights.

The March issue of Environmental Synopsis newsletter published by the Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee this month highlights the Committee’s Environmental issues Forums.

The Department of Environmental Protection Tuesday released a work plan outlining intensive efforts to continue studying and sampling dozens of locations in the Susquehanna River basin throughout 2013.

Harry Campbell, Pennsylvania Executive Director for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation issued this statement following the public release of the Department of Environmental Protection’s work plan to study the Susquehanna River. Portions of the study will focus on areas of the River or its tributaries where smallmouth bass reproduce.

On Thursday the Susquehanna River Basin Commission presented the 9th Maurice K. Goddard Award for Excellence by a Water Management Professional to James Brozena, P.E., of West Pittston, Luzerne County.

By: Jeff Satterly, HistoricNaturalDisaster.com

The Corbett Administration announced Thursday the Commonwealth Financing Authority will begin accepting applications for a program established by the Act 13 Marcellus Legacy Fund to support flood mitigation throughout the state. 

Winter ice and snow increases the chance of spring flooding, so the Insurance Department is encouraging homeowners to consider buying flood insurance now.

You can now learn how the Susquehanna River Basin Commission assesses the impacts of water withdrawals by Marcellus Shale drilling operators and other major water users through a new online video.

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission will host the first-ever Susquehanna Water Science Forum on October 7-8 at the Radisson Hotel in Harrisburg.

The Department of Environmental Protection has scheduled a series of three workshops to train those involved in the oil and gas industry on erosion and sedimentation control and post-construction stormwater management under General Permit ESCGP-2.

The Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation at the University of Pittsburgh and the Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research at Carnegie Mellon University will host Engineering Sustainability 2013: Innovation and the Triple Bottom Line, to be held April 7-9 in Pittsburgh.

Jeff Logan, DEP Deputy Secretary for Administration and Management, told the DEP Citizens Advisory Council on Tuesday, the level funding in next year’s proposed budget is really a cut of about $10.9 million because of mandated increases in personnel costs the agency must make up internally.

The Wildlands Conservancy will host cleanups in three locations in and around Allentown on April 20 from 9:00 a.m to noon: Canal Park and Trout Creek Park in Allentown and Jordan Creek Greenway in Whitehall Township.

To help eliminate illegal dumping of tires and educate the public about proper tire management, the York County Solid Waste Authority is offering free tire disposal at the York County Resource Recovery Center.   Pre-registration is required and will be accepted during business hours between March 22 and April 23.

The PA Waste Industries Association is pursuing an appeal in state Commonwealth Court in a continuing attempt to stop the Monroe County Municipal Waste Management Authority from imposing a fee on private waste companies as a condition of contracting to dispose of waste generated in the county.

The Allegheny and Westmoreland county conservation districts have partnered with the 3 Rivers Wet Weather Program to sponsor two stormwater management workshops for local officials on March 26 and 27.

Join the Delaware Highlands Conservancy and the Pike-Monroe Woodland Owners Group for a forest restoration workshop on April 20 at the Milford Experimental Forest, a privately owned research forest in Pike County, Pa.

The Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority has approved two agreements with Perdue AgriBusiness for the sale of renewable, waste-to-energy steam for use at Perdue’s planned soybean processing plant in Conoy Township.

The Department of Environmental Protection’s next “DEP at Home” webinar, Watch your Waste, will be on April 3, at 7 p.m., to educate participants about proper disposal of common household items.

By: Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware), Minority Chair of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee

Gov. Tom Corbett announced Friday Pennsylvanians who need assistance paying home heating bills now have additional time, through April 26, to apply for financial help through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, commonly referred to as LIHEAP. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Monday launched the TRI University Challenge, a new initiative designed to use academic partnerships to find innovative uses for Toxics Release Inventory data.

It’s the first days of Spring!  As many Pennsylvania consumers tackle spring cleaning chores around the house, the Public Utility Commission offers several conservation tips to help reduce energy use and cut costs this season.

West Penn Power host a series of six workshops where the company will accept applications for Act 129 energy conservation assistance for eligible projects completed by businesses between October 28, 2009 and May 31, 2013.

The Department of Environmental Protection has announced plans for a formal hearing on the proposed Hickory Run Energy (HRE), LLC plan to construct a natural gas-fired electric generation plant to be located in North Beaver Township, Lawrence County.

Join the PA Environmental Council for the annual Pennsylvania Environment Ride May 17-19 from Elizabethtown on the Susquehanna River to Philadelphia on the Delaware River. Click Here for more information on registration and to be a sponsor of this special event.

Anglers from 18 southeastern counties are gearing up for the March 30 opening of trout, which marks the unofficial start of the 2013 fishing season.

Shining a light on the work they've been doing on Pennsylvania's trail network, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Trails Advisory Committee report highlights major accomplishments on over 50 trails throughout Pennsylvania.

Check the calendar of events from the Friends of the Wissahickon website for upcoming trail walks and other programs during April and May in Montgomery County.

Erie County has the highest number of rare, threatened, and endangered species of any county in Pennsylvania, with nearly 900 distinct populations present.  Many of these are associated with unique habitats that can be found at Presque Isle and French Creek and are found nowhere else in the state.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources published an invitation to bid on projects in Bucks, Delaware, Franklin, Lycoming and Sullivan counties.

The Western PA Conservancy is seeking candidates for a Community Outreach Assistant for the TreeVitalize Program.  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 - March 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.