The Department of Environmental Protection Tuesday posted the final version of proposed changes to Chapter 78 and 78A conventional and unconventional and drilling regulation changes on the Oil and Gas Technical Advisory Board and the Conventional Oil and Gas Advisory Committee webpages.

Five of the 18 positions on DEP’s Citizens Advisory Council are now vacant and a sixth position is held by an individual whose term expired in January.  Appointments to the CAC are made by the Senate, House and the Governor.  The DEP Secretary is a 19th member of Council by virtue of his position.

There are three vacancies on DEP’s Climate Change Advisory Committee whose members are appointed by the Majority and Minority Leaders in the Senate and House and by the Governor.

At meetings this week between Gov. Wolf and Republicans Leaders, participants said they had a “good conversation” about pensions and education funding to the point of saying the issues would be addressed in the final budget agreement, according to House Majority Leader David Reed (R-Indiana).

PA Environment Digest now has a Google+ Circle called Green Works In PA.  Let us join your Circle.

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 Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay Friday announced it will recognize Kelly Gutshall, landscape architect and owner/president of LandStudies, Inc. in Lititz, Lancaster County, as one of its Watershed Champion award winners.

On August 6, the PA Environmental Council and the Upstream Suburban Philadelphia Cluster partners organized a watersheds tour for William Penn Foundation staff focusing on the Foundation’s Delaware River Watershed Initiative.

Penn State Extension and the Stroud Water Research Center will hold a Riparian Stream Buffer Workshop on September 24 starting at 9:00 a.m. at the Stroud Center, 970 Spencer Road, Avondale, Chester County.

The Natural Resource Conservation Service and Headwaters RC&D Council are sponsoring an Adaptive Grazing Farm Tour September 4-5 at the Wilson Land and Cattle Company, 1532 Stitzinger Road, Tionesta, Forest County.

Chad Pregracke of Living Lands & Waters is bringing crews all the way from Illinois to help the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary clean up the Delaware River. This will be the nonprofit’s only East Coast stop in its quest to remove 1 million pounds of litter from waterways.

Capital Region Water is sponsoring a cleanup August 18 at Woodbine and 4th Streets in Harrisburg starting at 5:30 p.m.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful invites schools in Pennsylvania to participate in the Litter Free School Zone Program, a comprehensive program that can complement lessons designed around recycling, litter awareness, and community stewardship.

The first issue of Keep PA Beautiful’s online toolbox called Beautiful Resources is now available.  Here are some excerpt from the introductory message by Shannon Reiter, President, Keep PA Beautiful--

After more than two years and litigation before two separate courts, the Clearfield County Solid Waste Management Plan is officially final.  Waste Management Inc. dropped its pending appeal of the Department of Environmental Protection’s approval of Clearfield County’s Solid Waste Management Plan. 

Department of Environmental Protection will host a public hearing August 20 on a proposal from MAX Environmental Technologies  for a permit modification allowing the company to increase the elevation by approximately 40 feet, of a portion of the Yukon facility. 

The West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund is coordinating a celebration of the 15th anniversary of the sustainable energy funds in Pennsylvania with special events on October 7-8 in State College.

The Department of Environmental Protection will host a public hearing about a proposed natural gas power plant in the Borough of Jessup, Lackawanna County, from 6-9 p.m. on September 2 at Valley View High School, 1 Columbus Drive, Archbald, PA.

A new study funded by the Delaware Riverkeeper, an opponent of drilling in the Delaware River Basin, shows lifting an active moratorium on fracking in the Delaware River Basin would have devastating impacts on water and air quality; would cause irreversible damage to agricultural lands and forests that are critical to communities, wildlife, and local economies; and would threaten the health of residents in the Delaware River watershed if drilling were permitted there.

The Invisible River Festival will be held on August 29 from 2 to 8 p.m. in East Fairmount Park in Philadelphia to bring together the community with aerial arts performance and dance on and above the Schuylkill River.

The Department of Environmental Protection and West Nile Programs across the state announced mosquito spray dates in the coming week.  They include--

By taking a few minutes to inspect trees for unusual insect damage this month, Pennsylvanians can help safeguard the state from a non-native, invasive threat to the state's forests.

During the August meeting of the PA Agricultural Land Preservation Board, an additional 29 farms in 16 counties were added to the state’s nation-leading farmland preservation program – totaling 2,857 acres of additional farmland.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative is pleased to announce the opening of the Request For Proposals for the SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Programs. The deadline for proposals for this nationwide program is October 2.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Tuesday renamed Lackawanna State Forest District in honor of Gifford Pinchot in a move marking the 150th anniversary of the conservation pioneer's birth and saluting his creation of forestry practices that continue to shape and benefit Pennsylvania's forests to this day.

By Char Miller and Kevin C. Brown

The August 12 edition of the Resource newsletter is now available from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources featuring articles on--

The PA Wilds Artisan Trail will be holding free “Make the Brand Work for You” workshops in Clarion County on August 19 and Lycoming County on August 21 for small batch producers, independent retailers, artisans and other creative entrepreneurs looking to learn more about joining the Artisan Trail and using the “Proudly Made in the Pennsylvania Wilds” brand and networks to grow their operations.

The Friends of the Wissahickon in Philadelphia and Montgomery counties invites neighbors and friends to enjoy free ice cream at its 9th annual ice cream social on August 19, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. outside of its offices at 8708 Germantown Avenue in Chestnut Hill.

The Game Commission and Fish and Boat Commission are seeking public input through September 11 on the draft 2015-2025 Pennsylvania Wildlife Action Plan.

The Stroud Water Research Center in Avondale, Chester County, is looking for qualified candidates to fill the position of Director of Environmental Education.  August 31 is the deadline for applications.  Click Here for all the details.

This section lists House and Senate Committee meetings, DEP and other public hearings and meetings and other interesting environmental events.

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 are NewsClips from around the state on all environmental topics, including General Environment, Budget, Marcellus Shale, Watershed Protection and much more--

No new regulations were published this week.   Pennsylvania Bulletin - August 15, 2015

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