The Senate Wednesday voted 43 to 7 to soundly reject a House Republican revenue plan to deal with the state’s $2.2 billion deficit using money Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R-Centre) said he was not entirely sure actually existed.

Since the Senate and House are likely to be busy trying to reconcile the differences between the budget proposals passed by both chambers, it might be helpful to have in one place what each proposal contains.

Over the last 2 weeks the Senate and House were in voting session one of those weeks each, but neither one took any action on other important environmental bills still unfinished in the General Assembly.  Those issues include--

Walter N. Heine attended his last Citizens Advisory Council meeting at DEP on Tuesday after serving on the Council for 34 years.

Here are the Senate and House Calendars for the next voting session day and Committees scheduling action on bills of interest as well as a list of new environmental bills introduced--

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

The House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee is scheduled to again consider House Bill 113 (Harper-R-Montgomery) at a meeting on September 25.

Rep. Donna Bullock (D-Philadelphia) introduced House Bill 1799 to establish a PA Solar For All program to make solar energy more accessible to low-income and disadvantaged Pennsylvanians.

The Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee will hold an Environmental Issues Forum on October 16 featuring a presentation from representatives of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources who will discuss their new initiative, “Penn’s Parks for All—Planning for the State Parks of Tomorrow.”

The Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee will hold an Environmental Issues Forum November 13 on the issue of pumped storage hydroelectric facilities in Pennsylvania.

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

10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania will honor Smart Growth Projects Revitalizing York with the Commonwealth Award and Royal Square Development and Construction, Inc. with the inaugural Louis J. Appel, Jr. Leadership Award at a special awards program December 7 at The Bond, 134 E. King Street in York.

Written By Sgt. Zane Craig, Fort Indiantown Gap*

The Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund Tuesday awarded over $12.6 million in grant funding to support 44 watershed restoration projects in the Chesapeake Bay region, including $3.79 million for 11 projects only in Pennsylvania and another $1.78 million for 4 more projects that will benefit the state along with others.

Penn State University researchers are inviting stormwater practitioners to participate in a survey on current practices and implementation of green infrastructure in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed as well as attend an October 27 Chesapeake Stormwater Summit - Overcoming Barriers To Green Infrastructure Solutions in Harrisburg.

The Schuylkill River Heritage Area Restoration Fund Wednesday awarded $364,193 in grants to 11 projects in Berks, Chester, Lehigh, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.

The Green Valleys Watershed Association is now accepting applications for its Fall class for the Schuylkill Water Stewards Water Quality Monitoring Program.

The organizing committee for the Schuylkill Watershed Congress has issued a call for presenters for the 2018 Congress to be held on March 10 at the Montgomery County Community College in Pottstown. The deadline for submissions is October 31.

At its September 13 meeting, the Delaware River Basin Commission approved a resolution recognizing the significant water quality improvements in the Delaware River Estuary and providing for a formal review of the designated aquatic life uses and water quality criteria necessary to support these uses.

The Delaware River Basin Commission Monday announced it is now accepting entries for its Fall 2017 Photo Contest, highlighting amateur and professional photography representing the water resources of the 13,539-square-mile Delaware River Basin. 

By Pat Lupo, Benedictine Sisters, Erie

The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the September 23 PA Bulletin inviting public comments on the Fiscal Year Report for the Reclamation Fee O&M Trust Account.  Comments are due October 17.

The West Nile Virus Program Wednesday reported two more probable human cases of West Nile Virus in Lackawanna and Lehigh counties bringing the total number of human cases to 12 this year. 

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful invites schools in Pennsylvania to participate in the Litter Free School Zone Program, a comprehensive program that encourages young people to play an active role in protecting and improving our environment through recycling, litter awareness, and community stewardship.

Gov. Tom Wolf Tuesday announced his administration is expanding its effort to provide Pennsylvanians with another successful means to combat the heroin and opioid epidemic by expanding the availability of drug take-back boxes.

The Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling has rescheduled its Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event for November 11 at the Westmoreland Cleanways Recycling Center, 113 Innovative Lane in Latrobe from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell Friday toured the former Jeannette Glass site to see first-hand the importance of Pennsylvania’s brownfields program at work.

The National Brownfields 2017 Conference is now accepting nominations for its Phoenix Awards to recognize exemplary brownfields redevelopment and revitalization.  The deadline for entries is October 4.

The Manada Conservancy is hosting a presentation October 19 on Building Climate Resiliency: Community-Based Solutions to A Global Challenge at the Derry Presbyterian Church, 248 E. Derry Road, Hershey, Dauphin County starting at 7:00 p.m.

The ambitious goal of achieving net zero energy status and LEED Platinum certification is becoming a reality for Tree Pittsburgh’s new campus thanks in large part to a $134,800 solar and sustainability grant from the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Thursday issued its first Fall Foliage Report showing the Northern Tier area of the state is about 25-30 percent of the way toward peak foliage color.

Department of Agriculture officials published notice in the September 23 PA Bulletin announcing the Spotted Lanternfly quarantine has been expanded into 26 more municipalities in  Berks, Bucks, Chester, Lehigh, Montgomery and Northampton counties. (formal notice)

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn Thursday joined Sen. Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland), Department of Labor & Industry officials and Bureau of State Parks representatives in saluting contributions and successes of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps at Laurel Hill State Park in Somerset County.

Walkable, bike-friendly neighborhoods, and social justice are among the topics on deck for the 2017 PA Greenways and Trails Summit, set for September 24-26 at the DoubleTree in Reading.

Five Fridays in one month only occurs a few times a year. HeritagePA has decided to use those days to encourage Pennsylvanians to take in the history and heritage of their region.

The PA Forest Heritage Association’s Fall edition of the Burning Issues newsletter is now available featuring stories on--

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, through the contractor Larson Design Group, is conducting a study to examine the feasibility of constructing a motorized ATV trail in Centre and Clinton counties.

The September 20 edition of the Resource newsletter is now available from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources featuring articles on--

Grab your camera and get to Hawk Mountain in Berks County, because November 26 marks the final day for local photographers to submit entries for the Hawk Mountain Digital Photo Contest.

The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the September 23 PA Bulletin of an opportunity to bid on a mine reclamation project in Fayette County.

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 published this week.   Pennsylvania Bulletin - September 23, 2017

CLICK HERE to Print The Entire PA Environment Digest.  This Digest is 67 pages long.

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.

2018 Keystone Coldwater Conference February 23-24 in State College. Join PA Environment Digest in sponsoring this worthwhile Conference.

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