On March 4, Senators on the Appropriations Committee from both parties expressed concerns about the proposed transfer of monies used to fund local projects from the Environmental Stewardship (Growing Greener) and Keystone Recreation, Parks and Conservation funds to pay operating expenses for the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and DEP.

On March 4 DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell returned before the House Appropriations Committee to review the answers DEP provided to questions asked, but not answered, during the first House budget hearing on February 14.

Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding appeared before the House and Senate Appropriations Committee this week and submitted this written testimony as part of his budget presentation.

With budget hearings now out of the way, one of the Senate’s next tasks is to consider Gov. Wolf’s nominations of Patrick McDonnell as DEP Secretary, Cindy Adams Dunn as DCNR Secretary and Russell Redding as Agriculture Secretary.

On March 7, PennFuture announced the winners of the Celebrating Women In Conservation Awards who will be recognized at a special awards dinner in April 25.  The winners include--

On March 4, Department of Environmental Protection assessed a $1.5 million penalty against Rice Midstream Holdings, LLC for violations that occurred on Rice’s Beta Trunk Pipeline located in Aleppo and Richhill townships, Greene County.

On March 7, the PA Supreme Court issued an order turning down the request of the PA Independent Oil and Gas Association to reconsider its December 28 decision in favor of the Public Utility Commission in a case involving the definition of a stripper well for the purposes of paying the Act 13 unconventional well impact fee.

Christina Simone, Director Of Policy and External Affairs at the University Of Pennsylvania Kleinman Center For Energy Policy updated her estimate of the cost of a bill to support nuclear power plant operations in the Commonwealth, putting the cost at an estimated $500 million a year to ratepayers.

On March 7, Andrew Place, a Commissioner on the Public Utility Commission, circulated a paper address policy alternatives for Pennsylvania's nuclear power plants.

On March 8, the PA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Plan Steering Committee adopted a phased approach to implement the county-level clean water planning process to develop plans to meet Pennsylvania Bay pollution reduction goals.

By: Felicia Dell, Pam Shellenberger, and John Seitz, York County Planning Commission; Mark Flaharty, York County Conservation District

The Great American Cleanup of PA is now officially underway and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is encouraging anyone who is planning a local event, large or small, to register with the Great American Cleanup of PA. 

The Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee recently celebrated its 50th anniversary by putting out a special report highlighting its history, the issues it was involved with and accomplishments.

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--

Sen. Scott Martin (R-Lancaster) has been appointed to serve on Pennsylvania’s delegation to the Chesapeake Bay Commission for the 2019-20 Legislative Session.

The House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee and the House Consumer Affairs Committee will hold information meetings on March 11 to hear from the PJM Interconnection, the multi-state electricity grid operator.

On March 11, Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware), Minority Chair of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, will hold a briefing on legislative proposals to recognize the contributions nuclear energy makes to Pennsylvania's zero-carbon energy production.

The House Tourism and Recreational Development Committee is scheduled to hold an informational meeting on March 19 to hear a presentation from the PA Parks and Forests Foundation on their 2018 infrastructure repair needs report.

Sen. Andy Dinniman (D-Chester) and Rep. Danielle Friel Otten (D-Chester), other lawmakers, community groups, residents, and families from across Pennsylvania will hold a Rally for Pipeline Safety and Environmental Protection on March 19 at 10:00 a.m. in the Main Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg.

The March newsletter is now available from the Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee featuring articles on--

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation-PA is urging Pennsylvanians to show their support for restoring waterways across the state by calling your House and Senate member and telling them to support House Bill 374 (Everett-R-Lycoming) and Senate Bill 108 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) establishing the Keystone Tree Fund.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation-PA seeks 2 Keystone 10 Million Trees Restoration [paid]  Interns to be based at its Harrisburg Office.  The interns will be coordinating tree plantings, collecting data from planting sites, restoration research, and literature reviews.  Click Here for all the details.  Deadline for applications March 22.

Penn State Extension will hold a Livestaking For Minor Streambank Repairs Workshop March 30 at the Southeast Agricultural Research & Extension Center, 1446 Auction Road in Manheim, Lancaster County from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m.

Sign up now with the Western PA Conservancy to help plant trees along streets and trails and in parks and restoration areas throughout Western Pennsylvania or to become a Community Garden Steward.

The Conodoguinet Creek Watershed Association updated its members this week on upcoming volunteer events, including an April 27 riparian buffer tree planting and the 2019 schedule of creek cleanups in Cumberland County.

The Capital Resource Conservation and Development Area Council and the Natural Resource Conservation Service-PA are hosting a Farming & Conservation Opportunities For Hispanic, African American, Other Underserved Farmers Workshop on April 9 in Berks County.

To help residents keep local lakes and ponds clean, Pike County Conservation District is hosting a free three-part workshop series titled “How your Backyard Activities Affect your Lake.”

The Southwestern PA Commission's Water Resource Center is hosting 2 workshops on grant writing in March and 2 workshops on Stormwater Pollution Control Measures Implementation and Reporting in May.

The Penn State Environment and Natural Resources Institute will host a Water Insights Seminar on March 12 on Implementation and Function of Green Infrastructure: Insight From The Site To The City.

On March 5, Pennsylvania American Water announced an exclusive partnership with the soon-to-be-released iMax film, “Expedition Chesapeake, A Journey of Discovery.”

On March 20 the Expedition Chesapeake iMax film will premiere at the Whitaker Center For Science & The Arts in Harrisburg. The original 5:30 show was sold out, so an 8:00 p.m. show has been added.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation 2019 Save The Bay Photo Contest will be accepting entries from March 11 to April 5.

The Schuylkill Action Network and the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary are now accepting entries for the Schuylkill Student Street Art Contest through March 29. (Extension Notice)

On March 5, the Delaware River Basin Commission announced that Bridget Davis’ photograph, titled Polar Vortex Beauty, was chosen as the winner of the Commission’s Winter 2018-2019 Photo Contest.  Forty photographs were submitted by 14 individuals for the contest.

This year’s Philadelphia Flower Show, which runs through March 10, showcases the Power of Flowers, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s exhibit “E=mc2: Eco-Power” hits the mark.

The West Branch Susquehanna River Restoration Coalition will hold its next meeting on March 12 at the Clinton County Conservation District Environmental Learning Center, 45 Cooperation Lane in Mill Hall starting at 6:30.

The March issue of The Catalyst newsletter is now available from the Butler County-based Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition featuring articles on--

The latest issue of Connect With Your Environment in the Erie Times-News is now available.   This edition focuses on Great Lakes water diversions and how they are evaluated by the Great Lakes Compact.

The Keystone Elk Country Alliance will host an Environmental Career Day & Job Fair on March 29 at the Elk Country Visitor Center, 134 Homestead Drive in Benezette from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The Jacobs Creek Watershed Association’s Tired Of Tires campaign is now underway to pay a reward for collecting illegally dumped tires in Westmoreland County and dropping them at a special collection event on March 23.

The Department of Environmental Protection is now accepting applications for the calendar year 2018 Recycling Performance Grants.  The deadline for applications is September 30.  (formal notice)

On March 5, the Department of Environmental Protection issued its environmental assessment review letter to Chrin Landfill regarding the facility’s permit application for expansion in Williams Township, Northampton County.

On March 5, the Independent Fiscal Office released its latest update on natural gas production in Pennsylvania reporting a 14.2 percent increase in 2018 over 2017, the largest year-over-year increase in production since 2014.

What’s the difference between weather and climate? And if the planet is warming, why is it so cold?  Get the answers to these and many more questions during “Reflections on a Changing Climate,” a free event rescheduled for March 31, hosted by Brodhead Watershed Association in Monroe County.

By Ed Perry, National Wildlife Federation Global Warming Campaign

By: Lehigh University's Dept. Of Earth And Environmental Sciences Staff

Join Penn State Extension’s Everybody Walk Across PA in a virtual walking program and virtually tour of some of Pennsylvania’s Most Spectacular Natural Wonders! Each week we will feature an exciting location to virtually explore.

On March 5, the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc. and Wilds Cooperative of Pennsylvania announced the Creative Makers of the Pennsylvania Wilds – A Traveling Public Art Show will be at the Capitol Building East Wing Gallery in Harrisburg through March 28.

On March 4, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn called upon Pennsylvania residents to exercise wildfire prevention vigilance throughout a three-month period when major fires are most likely across the state’s forests and brush lands.

Matt Keefer, an Assistant State Forester for DCNR’s Bureau of Forestry, who oversees community and private forest stewardship, recently was named a Chesapeake Forest Champion for 2018 by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and the U.S. Forest Service for his outstanding efforts to conserve and restore forests within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

You can become a certified Pennsylvania Master Naturalist volunteer in Westmoreland County and join the growing team of volunteers working locally for nature conservation by attending upcoming training workshops. 

The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania will hold an Earth Day Of Service To The Planet at 3 locations on April 20 from 9:00 a.m. to Noon.

Penn State Extension will host a Rights-Of-Way And Integrated Vegetation Management Workshop on March 22 at the Extension Office in Mercer County at 463 N. Perry Highway in Mercer from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The March 6 issue of the Resource newsletter is now available from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources featuring articles on--

The South Mountain Partnership, the Center for Land Use and Sustainability at Shippensburg University, and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources are launching new South Mountain Research Corps initiative that supports student research on land management projects within the South Mountain Landscape in portions of Adams, Franklin, Cumberland, and York counties.

Manada Conservancy has protected a 44-acre, fully wooded property along Blue Mountain in Lower Paxton Township in Dauphin County that will be open to the public for hiking and passive enjoyment.

Join land trust staff, board members, and volunteers on April 3 at the Brandywine Conservancy for a roundtable discussion about farmland preservation and other farm-related work by land trusts in Chester County.  Discussion topics include--

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

The Egg Watch is on for the Peregrine Falcons nesting on the Rachel Carson Building in Harrisburg and you can watch everything happen live online.

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Berks County invites visitors to look for returning raptors and other migrants during its annual Spring Hawk Watch, held daily April 1 through May 15 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sanctuary’s famous North Lookout.

As the ice fishing season winds down across many parts of the Commonwealth, the Fish and Boat Commission reminds anglers to use caution when venturing out onto frozen lakes and ponds.

On March 5, the Game Commission launched its third livestream of the season – video and audio captured at a Monroe County black-bear den and streamed in real time to viewers.

Representatives of waterfowl organizations, interested hunters and the public are invited by the Game Commission to attend a briefing on March 15 on the status of Atlantic Flyway waterfowl populations and proposed federal frameworks for the 2019-20 waterfowl hunting seasons.

The Botstiber Institute for Wildlife Fertility Control will host the Pennsylvania Deer Conflict Management Seminar on March 25 at the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg

DEP Deputy Secretary for Waste, Air, Radiation and Remediation George Hartenstein will retire at the end of March after 37 years of public service at the Department of Environmental Protection.

PennFuture is seeking qualified candidates to fill the position of Director of Communications to oversee and manage all public communications, media relations, and communication campaigns.  Click Here for all the details.

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

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 highlights of actions taken by agencies on environmental regulations, technical guidance and permits.

CLICK HERE to View or Print the entire PA Environment Digest.  This Digest is 116 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.

PA Environment Digest is a proud sponsor of these award and educational programs--

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