The House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee announced late Friday it will meet on May 3 to consider a response to the Independent Regulatory Review Commission approval of  DEP’s final Chapter 78 (conventional) and 78a (unconventional, Marcellus Shale) drilling regulations.

News media in Western PA reported Friday morning there was a natural gas explosion from a pipeline in Salem Township, Westmoreland County, near Murrysville along Route 22.  One person was reported injured.

A delay on a critical decision about the health of the Susquehanna River has prompted the Board of Fish and Boat Commissioners to send a letter to DEP Secretary John Quigley reiterating their call that the river is sick and urging him to issue the agency’s decision.

The election provided an interesting diversion the last couple weeks, but the outcome was, by and large, anticipated-- Trump and Clinton for President and Shapiro for Attorney General, although that was a close call.  McGinty for U.S. Senate was a bit of a surprise, but late polls showed that race tightening.

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--

A budget amendment filed by Rep. Cris Dush (R-Indiana) would allocate $600,000 in taxpayer money to DEP’s Marcellus Shale oil and gas advisory committee to pay for legal and consulting experts to review drilling regulation changes proposed by the Department of Environmental Protection.

Rep. Stan Saylor (R-York) and 40 House members from both parties introduced House Resolution 825 designating the month of May as Clean Water Counts Month in Pennsylvania (sponsor summary).  The text of the resolution follows--

The April edition of the Environmental Synopsis newsletter is now available from the Joint Legislative Air & Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee featuring stories on--

The PA Association of Environmental Professionals Thursday announced Carol Collier is the winner of the 2016 Karl Mason Award and the Natural Lands Trust is the winner of the Walter Lyon Award.

The Northeast Environmental Partners are seeking nominations for the 26th annual Northeast Environmental Partnership Awards.  Nominations are due June 25

A new publication by the American Water Resources Association highlights the Rock Lititz Floodplain Restoration Project in Lancaster County that uses an innovative private-public partnership to reduce sediment and nutrient loads going to the Chesapeake Bay without taxpayer money.

Close your eyes and listen for a babbling brook. In your mind’s eye, does it have trees along it, making the picture cool and green?

The Schuylkill Action Network will recognize students from Perkiomen High School, Montgomery County on May 3 for their efforts to protect the Schuylkill River and its drinking water; one of three schools recognized under the SAN’s Schuylkill Scholastic Drinking Water Awards. 

The Schuylkill Action Network Monday announced the winners of its 2016 Schuylkill Street Art Contest by posting the winning works of art on its Flickr webpage.  Click On each entry to find out the winner.

Learn how to establish and maintain the trees planted along your stream installed through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) by joining the Berks County Conservation District for a field walk on June 18 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The PA Environmental Council was presented with the Friend of French Creek Award at the French Creek Valley Conservancy’s  2016 awards dinner held at the Iroqouis Boating and Fishing Club in Conneaut Lake, Crawford County on April 22.

The April 25 edition of the Watershed Winds newsletter is now available from Penn State Extension featuring articles on--

The Department of Environmental Protection Monday issued an order to the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority requiring testing for lead at 100 sites in Pittsburgh’s water system because the Authority made changes to its water treatment process without approval by DEP that could have resulted in an increase in lead in drinking water.

Capital Region Water in Harrisburg is now accepting entries to its CBH20 Art Contest which asks artists to celebrate the value of water through art.  Entries are due May 13.

With more attention being given to water management, Duquesne University’s Center for Green Industries and Sustainable Business Growth will host a program June 28-29 preparing leaders for certification in the field.

The Delaware River Basin Commission is scheduled to hold a hearing May 11 on water withdrawal requests and on adopting guidelines for certain determinations made under the Commission’s water quality regulations.   (formal notice)

Staff from the Department of Environmental Protection’s  Northeast Regional Office recently got a look at the progress of work to build a levee system in the borough of Duryea, Luzerne County.

Insurance Commissioner Teresa Miller Friday lauded the U.S. House of Representatives for its unanimous passage of the federal Flood Insurance Market Parity and Modernization Act, H.R. 2901, as a major step toward helping homeowners facing rising flood insurance premiums.

Department of Environmental Protection Dam Safety staff recently met with owners of private dams in Bradford and Wyoming counties to discuss the updates to regulations regarding dams. 

Southmoreland High School Team One took first place Monday in the Envirothon organized by the Westmoreland County Conservation District.

More than 300 students and teacher-coaches from Pennsylvania’s 67 counties are converging on the Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove and Camp Mount Luther in Mifflinburg May 24-25 to use their year-long Envirothon experience to vie for the championship title at the Pennsylvania Envirothon.

A paper written by Penn State University student Michael Cavazza, a Schreyer Scholar majoring in petroleum and natural gas engineering, won first place in the Eastern North America regional Society of Petroleum Engineers student paper contest, held April 9 at Louisiana State University.

Teens attending deer, trout, grouse, bear and bass focused summer courses offered by the Wildlife Leadership Academy to earn college credit at Cedar Crest College in Allentown.

The April 28 EE Resources newsletter is now available from the PA Association of Environmental Educators featuring articles on--

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Wednesday announced the addition of two new members to its staff, Fred Siekkinen and Dana Rockwell, to help bolster its fight against illegal dumping across the state.

The Sewickley Creek Watershed Association along with Boy Scout Troop 465, Youngwood Borough, Firestone Building Products, and other volunteers joined forces on April 23 to spruce up their neighborhood. 

Employees of the Department of Environmental Protection’s  Southcentral Regional Office in Harrisburg participated in the annual cleanup of Asylum Run in Harrisburg April 20.

The following article was submitted by the Brodhead Watershed Association--

Here's your once a year chance to rid your home of old or unwanted hazardous chemicals and be sure they are properly disposed of.

The PA Resources Council will hold the first of 6 Household Chemical Collection events in Western PA on May 7 at the swimming pool area of North Park in Allegheny County.

The Professional Recyclers of PA will hold their annual Recycling and Organics Conference July 27-29 at the Best Western Premier in Harrisburg.  The early bird registration deadline is May 15.

Presentation proposals for the 2016 Pennsylvania Brownfields Conference are due April 30.  The Conference will be held October 26-28 at the Lancaster County Convention Center.

The Harrisburg International Airport Tuesday unveiled a new Direct Current Fast Charging Station, located in the Cell Phone parking lot that allows passengers and visitors to charge their electric vehicles.

Gov. Tom Wolf Monday announced the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is the highest-ranking state government user of green power on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Top 100 list of the largest green power users from the Green Power Partnership.  

Staff from the Department of Environmental Protection’s  Oil and Gas and Air Quality programs this week kicked off a study to evaluate the integrity of plugged, abandoned, and orphan oil and gas wells across Pennsylvania, as well as provide insight into potential greenhouse gas implications associated with methane emissions from these wells.

Constitution Pipeline Company announced Monday it remains “steadfastly” committed to pursuing the federally-approved energy infrastructure project, despite the recent decision by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation to deny the Section 401 Water Quality Certification for the Constitution Pipeline Project.

The Delaware River Basin Commission Monday announced it has withdrawn its request to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for joint hearings on the proposed PennEast Pipeline Project and will conduct separate hearings on its own.

Penn State Professor of Geosciences Dr. Andrew Nyblade will hold a webinar May 19 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. on “Seismicity in Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania State Seismic Network.” 

The Department of Environmental Protection Wednesday announced it has launched an unprecedented expansion of the state’s fine particulate matter (PM2.5) ambient air monitoring network to ensure human health is protected in rural Pennsylvania.

At the request of the Conventional Oil and Gas Advisory Committee and the Oil and Gas Technical Advisory Board, the Department of Environmental Protection has rescheduled the May and August meetings of the two oil and gas advisory committees to a joint June 23 meeting.  (formal notice)

The April 28 DEP News is now available from the Department of Environmental Protection featuring articles on--

The Public Utility Commission published notice in the April 30 PA Bulletin of requests by UGI Central Penn Gas, UGI Penn Natural Gas and UGI Utilities to increase the Distribution System Improvement Charge cap from 5 percent to 10 percent.

The PA Horticultural Society  celebrates the accomplishments of gardeners in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware with the PHS Gardening and Greening Contest.   Entries are due June 15.

The Wildlands Conservancy offers a wide variety of education and recreation programs for students and adults in May, including registration for the upcoming Lehigh River Sojourn, a bicycle tour on the Lehigh River Water Trails, summer camps and much more.  Click Here for more details.

If the situation does not change, a fire that impacted more than 8,000 acres in the Poconos— referred to as the Sixteen Mile Fire—is contained and crews will begin the process of going after hot spots, eliminating fuels and cleaning up.

Seventeen individuals and organizations are the recipients of a 2016 Arbor Day Award in honor of their outstanding contribution to tree planting, conservation and stewardship from the Arbor Day Foundation Wednesday.

The PA Horticultural Society is highlighting the impact of trees on individual lives and communities in a new Tree of the Year Contest that begins April 30, the national celebration of Arbor Day.  Entries are due June 1.

DCNR Bureau of Forestry staff are preparing for an aerial spraying effort to combat gypsy moth populations poised for spring outbreaks in the eastern and central portions of Pennsylvania, DCNR officials are announcing.

The Game Commission Monday announced it will spray for gypsy moths on more than 32,000 acres of state game lands this spring, the largest spraying effort to protect wildlife habitat since 2008.

Officials from the state departments of Transportation, Conservation and Natural Resources and Community and Economic Development Thursday discussed the state’s transportation and economic development, as well as outdoor recreation, heritage and tourism opportunities at the annual PA Wilds dinner and awards banquet in St. Marys, Elk County.

Fairmount Park in Philadelphia is one of the parks highlighted in the new PBS series 10 Parks That Changed America.

The Brodhead Watershed Association is hosting a May 21 Thunder Swamp Hike in the Delaware State Forest in Pike County as part of its Get Outdoors Poconos series.

On June 4, bicycling enthusiasts will converge on Confluence, Somerset County to take part in the 15th Annual "River and Wind Challenge" on the Great Allegheny Passage Trail.

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn Thursday encouraged people to dust off their bikes and find a trail as a way to get outdoors during May, which is National Bike Month and includes Bike to Work Week starting May 16.

The April 27 edition of the Resource newsletter is now available from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources featuring articles on--

Pinchot’s Grey Towers Heritage Association is hosting a walking tour of Milford in Pike County on May 14 to highlight the buildings and places in the community with a connection to the Pinchot family.

Exelon Generation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Monday announced an agreement to restore American shad and river herring to the East Coast’s largest river over the next 50 years.

All roads lead to local artists and their wares during the 11th annual Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Arts Tour and Sale in Berks County on June 4 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Selective browsing by white-tailed deer likely is promoting the spread of some invasive plant species in northeastern U.S. forests, as deer avoid eating vegetation they find unpalatable.

The Brodhead Watershed Association will again host its popular Annual Native Plant Sale, where every plant is a non-invasive species. Responsible gardeners seek out these plants that do not harm the local environment.

The Department of Environmental Protection Friday announced new Regional Directors for its Meadville and Harrisburg Regional Offices

Independence Conservancy’s Chairman, Albert F. Moran, passed away on April 2 after a long struggle with heart failure.  He was 80 years old.

The Chester County Conservation District is seeking qualified candidates to fill an Agricultural Resource Conservationist provides technical and financial assistance to local landowners in order to conserve soil, and to protect and enhance Chester County's natural resources.

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 - April 30, 2016

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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.

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