Gov. Wolf Monday signed the bills needed to generate or borrow the revenue to fund the $31.9 billion General Fund budget.  The bills include--

The PA Environmental Council Thursday posted this after-action review of how the final FY 2017-18 state revenue and budget bills ended up in Harrisburg--

The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee Tuesday held a hearing on lead exposure and mitigation in Pittston, Luzerne County to hear a regional perspective on lead policy in Northeast Pennsylvania.

The Joint State Government Commission Monday released the names of individuals serving on the Senate Task Force On Lead Exposure and the Lead Exposure Advisory Committee created pursuant to Senate Resolution 33 (Yudichak-D-Luzerne).

The Wolf Administration invites all Pennsylvanians who have recently worked on successful environmental projects to apply for the state’s top environmental recognition: the 2018 Governor’s Awards for Environmental Excellence, honoring individuals and organizations whose dedicated efforts have improved air, land, and water quality in Pennsylvania.

The PA Parks and Forests Foundation Tuesday announced it is now accepting nominations for its 2018 Awards which recognize exemplary work being done in parks and forests by both staff and volunteers to improve Pennsylvania’s quality of life and protect our natural resources.

The following bills were given final approval by the Senate and House and are now on the Governor's desk for action--

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--

Attorney General Josh Shapiro and DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell Tuesday formally wrote to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to request a public hearing on the proposed repeal of EPA’s Clean Power Climate Plan.  The text of the letter follows--

The House Republican Policy Committee Tuesday held a hearing in Waymart, Wayne County to hear testimony from residents of Northeast Pennsylvania on the proposed Delaware Watershed drilling ban.

Gov. Tom Wolf Monday signed into law Senate Bill 242 sponsored by Sen. Lisa Baker (R-Luzerne) adding unconventional and larger conventional natural gas gathering lines to the PA One Call utility safety program.

Legislation originally drafted as Senate Bill 404 and sponsored by Sen. Mario Scavello (R-Monroe) to require solar energy credits generated as part of the state’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard to be purchased only in Pennsylvania became law this week when Gov. Wolf signed the Administrative Code bill-- House Bill 118 (Kaufer-R-Luzerne).

In order to ensure the continued coverage of existing National Pollutant Discharge Elimination (NPDES) permitted activities, the Department of Environmental Protection Thursday announced it is taking a number of steps related to its PAG-02 General Permit for stormwater discharges associated with construction activities.

Streams across Monroe County are cleaner and healthier thanks to countless volunteers with Brodhead Chapter Trout Unlimited who contributed more than 2,100 hours of service to the mission of this national conservation organization from October 2016 to September 2017.

The Brodhead Chapter of Trout Unlimited, a local, volunteer-led nonprofit dedicated to improving and restoring local rivers and streams in Monroe County, has been entered in the Embrace A Stream Challenge, a new online contest sponsored by Orvis and Trout Unlimited.

The Philadelphia Water Department’s Green City, Clean Water Program recently celebrated the greening of its 1,000th acre.  So far, the program has prevented nearly 28 million gallons of polluted runoff from entering Philadelphia waterways.

The Brubaker Run-Lime Spring Square development project in East Hempfield Township, Lancaster County is a 98-acre development site that includes an 11.5 acre floodplain restoration project.

So you want to plant a riparian buffer on your property, but are wondering how to fund it?  There are several state and federal sources of funds that you may be eligible for and which LandStudies details here.

PA Sea Grant and the Benedictine Sisters of Erie are hosting a public tour November 6 to view the restoration of approximately 500 feet of Sevenmile Creek starting at 4:00 p.m. at the Glinodo Center located at 6270 East Lake Road in Harborcreek Township.

Green Valleys Watershed Association will host a workshop about protecting and preserving community freshwater resources for up to 50 participants at The Washington at Historic Yellow Springs, 1685 Art School Road, Chester Springs in Chester County on December 2, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

The Center for Watershed Protection and Ecosystem Planning and Restoration will host an Integrating Stream Restoration Into PA’s Chesapeake Bay Pollution Reduction Plans Workshop on December 11 at the Upper Allen Township Office, 100 Gettysburg Pike in Mechanicsburg, Cumberland County from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The November issue of the green infrastructure newsletter from LandStudies is now available featuring stories on--

The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay’s 12th Annual Chesapeake Watershed Forum takes place Nov. 3–5, at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, WV.

Auditor General Eugene DePasquale Wednesday said his recent performance audit of the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, Allegheny County, shows PWSA’s deteriorating infrastructure and financial distress has been caused by years of mismanagement, lack of leadership, and impaired decision making due, in part, to influence by Pittsburgh city officials.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Monday announced an Environmental Justice Small Grant award of $30,000 to Women for a Healthy Environment, a community group based in Pittsburgh, to provide education and outreach on lead exposure risks.

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission Thursday announced it is now accepting registrations of grandfathered water withdrawals and consumptive water uses that could amount to 1 billion gallons a day, an amount of water about equal to the total daily water use currently accounted for in the basin.

The Delaware River Basin Commission will hold a public hearing on water withdrawal requests on November 15 and a business meeting on December 13 to considers those requests and other agenda items.

The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the November 4 PA Bulletin it has rescheduled the December 11 exam for the certification of Sewage Enforcement Officers to November 17.

Did you know when you recycle one aluminum can enough energy is saved to power a laptop for 5.2 hours? Celebrate America Recycles Day on November 15 and learn about the power of recycling.

Applications are now being accepted for the Coca-Cola Public Space Recycling Bin Grant Program.  The deadline for applications is November 17.

State and local officials from Carlisle Borough and Cumberland County Wednesday kicked off the shovel-ready phase of a private-public collaborative project to transform a 48-acre industrial brownfield into a residential/retail/office complex and public park.

The Department of Environmental Protection Friday announced it will hold a public meeting November 16 on a remediation plan for the former Anzon lead smelter site in the Kensington/ Port Richmond area of Philadelphia.

Rep. Pam Snyder (D-Greene) Friday announced the Department of Environment Protection today cleared Consol Energy to mine new sections at the Bailey Mine in Greene County.

The Department of Community and Economic Development PA Grade Crude Development Advisory Council is scheduled to meet on November 16 to continue its discussion of issues related to abandoned and legacy wells and production reporting.

The League of Women Voters of PA and University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health will host the 2017 Shale and Public Health Conference on November 13 at the Pitt University Club, 123 University Place in Pittsburgh from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Clean Air Council Tuesday announced it is joining litigation filed this month against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency by a coalition of public health, conservation, and environmental groups over the problem of smog (ground-level ozone) in the northeast. 

The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the November 4 PA Bulletin the Renovo Energy Center LLC has submitted an air quality permit application to construct a natural gas/ultra-low sulfur diesel-fired combined cycle power plant to produce 1,000 MW of electricity in the Borough Of Renovo, Clinton County.  (PA Bulletin page 6837)

The PA Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program begins accepting applications November 1 for cash grants sent directly to the utility company or a crisis grant for households in immediate danger of being without heat.

As part of its 15th year of “Prepare Now” education efforts, the Public Utility Commission Thursday urged utilities to help Pennsylvania consumers who may struggle with the cost of cold-weather energy bills.

Public Utility Commission Friday released 2017 Winter Reliability Overview Reports from the state’s major natural gas distribution companies, along with a related Readiness Report from the Energy Association of Pennsylvania.

On October 26 the City of Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley Green Building Council announced the launch of the Philadelphia 2030 District, a voluntary private initiative to reduce building energy and water use and transportation emissions by 50 percent by the year 2030.

Mark your calendars! Registration opens soon for the 2018 Green Workplace Challenge under a new name: Sustainable Pittsburgh Challenge!

Tennessee, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, The Climate Registry and the National Association of State Energy Officials Tuesday released the National Energy Efficiency Registry Principles and Operating Rules.

As Sunbury-based Weis Markets expanded its customer base and footprint by more than 25 percent in 2016, the company also grew its sustainability efforts across the company and continued to reduce its environmental footprint, according to the company’s new report Weis Sustainability 2016: Growing Greener and Investing in Our Future.

Penn State’s Sustainability Institute Wednesday announced the release of a curriculum guide and an upcoming speaker, both aimed at getting people to talk about climate change. Both events were spurred by the release on the Institute’s short film “Climate Stories,” which invites viewers into a conversation on climate change.

The October In Case You Missed It from the PA Environmental Council is now available featuring stories on--

By Matt Carroll, Penn State News

Department of Agriculture officials published notice in the November 4 PA Bulletin announcing the Spotted Lanternfly quarantine has been expanded to include 13 whole counties-- Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia and Schuylkill.  (formal notice)

DCNR’s PA Outdoor Corps 10-month employment program for young adults ages 18 to 25 is now accepting applications for the 2018 program to run from February through November.

DCNR Bureau of Forestry Director Dan Devlin and state officials Thursday gathered at a state forest tract outside Wilkes-Barre to salute the contributions and successes of the PA Outdoor Corps at the Seven Tubs Recreation Area in Pinchot State Forest, Luzerne County.

The October issue of PA Township News has a feature article on the tools available to townships to help design a community landscape  that residents want and invest in.

State and local officials Monday marked the restoration and rededication of the George B. Stevenson Dam at Sinnemahoning State Park in Cameron County.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources published notice in the November 4 PA Bulletin it has approved the Delaware River Watershed Conservation Plan for the Delaware River Corridor and Naamans, Marcus Hook and Stoney Creek Watersheds and is placing these watersheds on the PA Rivers Conservation Registry.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Thursday issued its latest Fall Foliage Report showing Pennsylvania’s Fall foliage is waning in the Commonwealth, but some regions in the southeastern quarter of the state still boast great fall color.

The November 1 Resource newsletter is now available from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources featuring articles on--

Grey Towers National Historic Site, Milford, Pike County, will offer a fee-free Open House for veterans, active military personnel and their families on November 11 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

With less than one month remaining before the start of Pennsylvania’s traditional deer hunting season, Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn Tuesday reminded hunters Deer Management Assistance Program permits remain available for state forest tracts across the state.

The Delaware Highlands Conservancy Monday announced an Eagle Watch Volunteer Training Day on December 2, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Lackawaxen, Pike County.

The Fall PA Trout newsletter is now available from the PA Council of Trout Unlimited featuring articles on--

Friends of Allegheny Wilderness Friday announced the passing of Jim DeLong, 71, of Titusville, a long-time supporter of the Friends and an advocate for wilderness protection.

The Berks County Conservation District is seeking qualified and highly motivated applicants for a full-time position focusing on working with landowners in Berks County to gain and maintain voluntary compliance with Federal, State and Local Agricultural laws.

The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary is seeking qualified candidates to fill a full-time Marketing and Communications Coordinator position.  The deadline for applications is November 30.  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 - November 4, 2017

CLICK HERE to Print The Entire PA Environment Digest.  This Digest is 86 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:  PaEnviroDigest@gmail.com.

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

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