The 2009 Schyulkill Watershed Congress attracted a record attendance of 218 this past Saturday at the Montgomery County Community College West Campus In Pottstown.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will provide up to $145 million to eligible landowners nationwide through the floodplain easement component of its Emergency Watershed Protection Program.

The PA Infrastructure Investment Authority will hold a public meeting on April 1 on the intended use plans for the additional water infrastructure funding made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The House Intergovernmental Affairs Committee held a hearing this week on federal stimulus funds coming to Pennsylvania and state legislation needed to accept the funds. Highlighted in the discussion was the possible need to amend House Bill 2200 (George-D-Clearfield) passed last year to require utilities to reduce electric demand by 10 percent.

In February, the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and the Capital Resource Conservation and Development Area Council jointly hosted two one-day seminars on nutrient credit and carbon trading in State College and Lancaster.

The following legislation was considered this week--

The House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee heard a presentation on Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling this week by representatives of Penn State Cooperative Extension.

In an effort to help counties, municipalities and school districts with their budgets, House Majority Whip Rep. Bill DeWeese (D-Greene) is introducing House Bill 10 to allow counties to assess value to natural gas, oil and coal-bed methane.

Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee meets Tuesday to consider bills related to brownfield liability, flood control projects, coal bed methane disputes and transferring $174 million from the Oil and Gas Fund to the General Fund as proposed by Gov. Rendell.

House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee meets Tuesday to consider several bills setting incentives and requirements for green buildings and establishing a State Energy Office. They include:

The Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. this week announced $35,750 in grants for Meaningful Watershed Education Experience Projects.

The Department of Environmental Protection this week highlighted a $361,000 Growing Greener grant to the Somerset County Conservation District to design and construct two mine drainage treatment facilities to abate historic mine discharges on Lamberts Run in Stoneycreek Township.

Got cabin fever? Want to get the kids and spouse out of the house? Help cleanup trash and floating debris in the woodland and wetlands of the Susquehanna River and learn what you can do to help protect our Earth. Fun for the whole family!

Organizers of the Working Together To Protect Our Land, Water and Communities Conference May 7-9 in State College issued a call for posters to be displayed at the conference.

The Department of Environmental Protection this week invited comments on a proposed Total Maximum Daily Load Plan for the West Branch Susquehanna River Watershed at a public meeting on March 26.

Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future will hold its 6th Annual Watershed Workshop on April 25 at the Brandywine River Museum from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Chadds Ford, Pa.

Delaware River Basin Commission Executive Director Carol R. Collier announced this week it will phase in a program requiring water suppliers to follow a revised water audit approach for identifying and controlling water loss in the Delaware River Basin.

The Department of Environmental Protection this week announced flood protection grants totaling $1.1 million for 28 projects in 21 counties.

The Department of Environmental Protection will hold its 11th annual Flood Protection Workshop March 17-19 at The Woodlands in Wilkes-Barre, this year with the theme- Success Through Cooperative Efforts.

The Western Pennsylvania Environmental Awards, sponsored by Dominion and the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, will be presented in Pittsburgh on May 27.

The Department of Health this week launched the Pennsylvania Environmental Public Health Tracking Network, or PA EPHTN, which will track key environmental hazards, exposures, and health problems statewide.

EPA’s SunWise Program is sponsoring a K-8 children’s poster contest to promote sun safety during the upcoming warm weather season.

Representatives of companies that generate hazardous or residual waste can learn more about waste handling regulations during a March 26 seminar conducted by the Department of Environmental Protection.

The mid-Atlantic office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencydeveloped a user-friendly online map to facilitate searches on the status of regional hazardous waste RCRA Corrective Action facilities.

The Department of Environmental Protection this week awarded grants to three regional air quality organizations to help the trucking industry comply with Pennsylvania’s anti-idling law, which took effect on February 6.

Want to learn about the latest in green, sustainable and energy saving products and practices for home and business? Then attend the Lehigh Valley Green Building Expo being held March 20-22 in Iacocca Hall at the Mountaintop Campus of Lehigh University in Bethlehem.

PECO has finalized a plan that will result in the lowest electricity prices for customers when rate caps expire on January 2011. The plan also provides $7 million in additional energy efficiency assistance for low-income customers.

The Public Utility Commission this week approved an Allegheny Power Co. plan to accelerate the purchase of some electricity supply, while wholesale energy costs are lower today, for use in 2011.

Pittsburgh-based Highmark Inc. announced this week its energy conservation efforts in 2008, such as the installation of energy-efficient lighting and the reduction of lighting and heating and air conditioning usage, resulted in an average 5.6 percent decrease in energy consumption for the company and a savings of some $329,000 in energy costs.

Conservation Consultants, Inc. will host Solar-PV training workshops for contractors April 13-17. The workshops aremade possible by a grant from the Penelec Sustainable Energy Fund of the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies and the Pennsylvania Green Business Initiative of the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies.

Exelon Energy this week unveiled a product designed to help customers demonstrate their commitment to limit air pollutants associated with the electricity they use.

Department of Environmental Protection Southcentral Regional Director Rachel Diamond announced this week the agency has approved a new technology for use by Lehigh Cement Co. that will reduce the company’s ozone-contributing emissions.

Platinum is highly desired in jewelry and as a catalyst, but in both cases it is expensive. Now, Penn State researchers have found a way to replace the platinum catalyst in their hydrogen generating microbial electrolysis cells with stainless steel brushes without losing efficiency.

On April 16 the Roach-Baurer Forestry Forum will host a presentation entitled,Climate Change, Forestry, and Carbon Markets, Opportunities and Challenges for the Futureat the Kane Country Club on U.S. 6, east of Kane in McKean County.

Anyone whose work deals with landscaping or recreation, agriculture or environmental issues may learn how sustainable landscapes can help the environment and save money during a conference on April 1.

Keystone WILD! Notes, the official publication of the Wild Resource Conservation Program will now only publish an online edition individuals can subscribe to by email.

Qualified candidates interested in serving as the at-large boating commissioner and District One representative on the Fish and Boat Commission board now have until April 10 to submit their resume and cover letter after the Governor's Advisory Council for Hunting, Fishing and Conservation.

The Department of Environmental Protection published notice of several bid opportunities:

The Fish and Boat Commission published notice of the 2009 classification of wild trout stream additions, deletions and adjustments. The Department of Environmental Protection notice of certification list for radon-related activities (Pa Bulletin page 1356)