On May 22, the PA Environmental Council posted a new podcast interview with former Gov. Tom Ridge discussing his recent op-ed in The Atlantic magazine-- My Fellow Conservatives Are Out Of Touch On The Environment.

On May 28, the Senate and House passed a General Fund budget bill-- House Bill 2387 (Saylor-R-York)-- and a Fiscal Code bill--  House Bill 1083 (Sankey-R- Clearfield)-- to fund state government through November that includes cuts of between 50 and 85 percent to line items. 

Conservation Voters of PA and PennFuture will host a June 4 webinar on the state budget and how legislators haven't stopped their attack on environmental programs from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.

On May 27, House Republicans passed Senate Bill 790 (Scarnati-R-Jefferson) that would significantly reduce requirements for protecting the environment from conventional oil and gas drilling.

On May 27, Republicans on the Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee reported out legislation-- Senate Bill 5 (DiSanto-R-Cumberland)-- that authorizes the General Assembly to kill any final regulation by doing nothing.

While all sorts of state boards and commissions have held virtual and conference call meetings to conduct their business, the Independent Regulatory Review Commission has rescheduled its meeting for the fourth time since March 19.  It will now meet June 18.

From March 16 to May 27, Department of Environmental Protection employees have been teleworking and using COVID-19 mitigation measures to continue to fulfill its mission.  DEP staff have--

On May 28, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn announced a phased opening of all state park swimming beaches and some pools in keeping with Gov. Wolf’s direction to ensure Pennsylvanians have opportunities to safely enjoy outdoor recreation and help maintain positive physical and mental health.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has released a draft Land and Water Trail Network Strategic Plan 2020-2024 Recommendations for comments.

On May 26, the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration, in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association, announced the finalists for the 2020 National Gold Medal Awards for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management.

Bill and Mary Marcum are a husband and wife team whose passion for history has helped establish a lasting legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps in Pennsylvania.

On May 28, the Group Against Smog and Pollution in Pittsburgh posted this special report on how the COVID-19 shutdowns impacted air quality in Allegheny County--

Nominations are now being accepted by 10,000 Friends Of Pennsylvania for the 2020 Commonwealth Awards to recognize smart growth development leadership and projects in the state.  The deadline for nominations is July 31.

[ Because Everything Is Connected To Everything Else ] The Senate and House passed and Gov. Wolf signed into law a $25.75 billion FY 2020-21 budget last week on one of the earliest dates for enacting a budget since Tom Ridge was Governor. 

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

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--

Legislation-- Senate Bill 1030-- to allow for the expanded use of alternate on-lot sewage systems for planning purposes is now on the Governor desk for action.

On May 27, the Senate passed  Senate Bill 915 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) which sets standards for the application of fertilizer to turf, provides for the certification of professional fertilizer applicators and for labeling and an education program.

On May 26, the Independent Fiscal Office released its latest revenue projections showing the FY 2019-20 General Fund revenue estimate is now $31.8 billion or $3.7 billion below the IFO's estimate in June of last year of $35.518 billion.

By Karl Blankenship, Chesapeake Bay Journal

On May 27, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and 11 partner organizations and a separate coalition, including five of the six watershed states-- Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia and the District of Columbia-- filed parallel lawsuits against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for rolling back clean car fuel economy standards.

On May 26, the  Susquehanna  River  Basin  Commission  announced  it  has adopted Resolution No. 2020‐02, enhancing its consumptive water use mitigation practices and providing flexibility for facilities paying its water usage fee. 

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission is scheduled to hold its next business meeting on June 19 starting at 9:00 a.m.  (formal notice)

The Delaware River Basin Commission is scheduled to hold a virtual business meeting on June 10 starting at 10:30 a.m.

On May 29, the Fish and Boat Commission announced they are accepting applications for funding to address habitat improvement and sediment reduction projects in York and Lancaster counties.  The deadline for applications is July 31.

The Wildlands Conservancy will host a special online presentation June 5 on the State Of The Lehigh River Watershed starting at Noon.

On May 27, the PA Association of Environmental Professionals announced the award of college scholarships to brothers Peter Livengood and Calvin Livengood attending California University of Pennsylvania who will each receive a $1,000 scholarship.

The Alliance for Watershed Education of the Delaware River Watershed has put together links to a wide variety of online and virtual educational programming students-- from Pre-K to High School-- and adults can enjoy from anywhere.

Since launching in April, Outdoors Online has attracted hundreds of participants for a real-time exploration of Natural Lands’ nature preserves and public garden.

The Hawk Mountain Sanctuary has added new programs to its series of virtual environmental education programs.  Previous programs are also now available on demand on the Sanctuary’s YouTube Channel.

On May 28, Rodale Institute in Berks County and The Plantrician Project released a new white paper recommending  ways regenerative organic agriculture and lifestyle medicine can come together to improve quality of life.

The seed for Penn State’s Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Science was planted well before the COVID-19 outbreak. The concept had been growing in the College of Agricultural Sciences for about two years when the pandemic emerged.

Keep PA Beautiful has a variety of litter cleanup tools and resources available to help groups and communities deal with litter and illegal dumping.

FirstEnergy Corp.'s Pennsylvania utilities Metropolitan Edison (Met-Ed), Pennsylvania Electric Company (Penelec) and West Penn Power can receive $50 by recycling an old, working refrigerator or freezer when the utilities' appliance recycling program resumes on June 1.

The Northeast Recycling Council is now accepting applications for its 2020 Environmental Sustainability Leadership Award program.   The deadline for applications is August 14.

On May 29, State Fire Commissioner Bruce Trego announced today the application period for 2020 Act 13 Unconventional Gas Well Fund Grants will open June 1.  The deadline for applications is July 31.

On May 27, the Public Utility Commission reminded consumers that most electric distribution companies (EDCs) across the state will be adjusting electric generation prices on June 1 for non-shopping customers.

On May 28, Advanced Energy Economy, a national business association, released a new report concluding more than 350 Pennsylvania firms, many of them in industries and geographies that have seen declines in recent years, could easily transition to serving the supply chain for electric vehicles, which is expected to grow at a rapid rate in the coming years.

On May 26, Pennsylvania Wilds announced entrepreneurs representing 10 different businesses from across the Pennsylvania Wilds have completed the inaugural PA Wilds PACE Program, a 10-week professional development course to help scale rural businesses.

On May 26, the Delaware Highlands Conservancy announced the Van Scott family has donated a 140-acre property in Berlin Township, Beach Lake, Wayne County to the Delaware Highlands Conservancy to develop as an environmental learning center, Conservancy headquarters, and for use as a nature reserve.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is reminding the public comments are due on the draft Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan through June 25.

PennDOT and the departments of Environmental Protection, Health and Conservation and Natural Resources have come together to share biking resources and encourage you to ride responsibly:

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

The May 29 Take Five Fridays With Pam is now available from the PA Parks and Forests Foundation featuring articles on--

With Gov. Wolf easing some COVID-19 restrictions and moving Pike County into the Yellow Phase of reopening on Friday, May 29, Grey Towers National Historic Site will begin to adjust and align its activities.

On May 26, the Fish and Boat Commission invited the public to comment on a new Strategic Plan for Management of Trout Fisheries in Pennsylvania.

On May 28, the Fish and Boat Commission announced applications are now being accepted for a new educational grant program to increase the number of anglers and boaters in Pennsylvania.  The deadline to apply is June 30.

On June 11, the Endangered Species Coalition in Pennsylvania will host an online panel discussion-- Connecting Wildlife, Connecting Communities: Wildlife Corridors In PA-- from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.

The Hawk Mountain Sanctuary's annual fundraiser-- the Benefit for the Birds Gala-- has been transformed into a month-long, online-only silent auction with a live-streamed event.

George J. Miller, former Chairman and Chief Judge of the Environmental Hearing Board, passed away on May 26 at the age of 89.

Click Here: Week’s Worth Of PA Environment & Energy NewsClips

Click Here for a list of public participation opportunities and a calendar of events.

Click Here for grants, awards, recognition programs and contest deadlines.

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

CLICK HERE to View or Print the 77 page PA Environment Digest.

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.

The PA Environment Digest is a proud sponsor of the 2020 PA Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference will now be held on October 28-29 in State College.

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