Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger told the House Appropriations Committee this week said his agency's budget has had a series of budget cuts over the past few years and "now we are down to the bone or close to the bone" in terms of having the resources needed to accomplish its mission to protect the environment.

Acting Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary John Quigley told Senate and House Appropriations Committees this week only a sharp reduction in services and the timely transfer of $1.7 million from the Oil and Gas Fund kept all 117 State Parks open for business this passed year.

Here are the Senate and House Calendars and Committee meetings showing bills of interest as well as a list of new environmental bills introduced--

In July the Chesapeake Bay Foundation received $14.9 million in federal stimulus funding from the PA Infrastructure Investment Authority to install farm conservation practices that will reduce nutrient pollution going into Pennsylvania's rivers and streams.  This is one of the project made possible by that funding.

Gov. Rendell, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson and members of the Council of Great Lakes Governors this week unveiled an action plan designed to address the most serious environmental challenges facing the Great Lakes ecosystem.

Owners of unique wetlands called vernal pools can get hands-on management help from the PA Natural Heritage Program.  Sign-ups for this service ends on May 15.

On February 16, the Environmental Quality Board voted to move forward with a proposal to downgrade the water quality protection for Hammer Creek in Lancaster County. By proposing to strip the creek of its "high quality" status, the Board and the Department of Environmental Protection is opening the door for all kinds of future pollution.

The Philadelphia Water Department has joined forces with the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary to recruit volunteers for the 40th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22.   Good Samaritans are needed to protect Philadelphia’s urban rivers by gluing signs onto storm drains that warn, “Yo!  No Dumping!  Drains to River.”

The Centre County Solid Waste Authority is sponsoring a  “GreenSylvania”  recycling competition between Bald Eagle, Bellefonte, Penns Valley, Philipsburg-Osceola & State College High Schools as well as Bellefonte Elementary, Park Forest Elementary and The State College Friends School during the month of March.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Solid Waste Program has awarded a grant to promote the use of composting of food/ organic waste to small farm and small operators at various farming conferences in Allentown, Lehigh County, Franconia, Montgomery County and Wyomissing, Berks County, Pa.           

The Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania is sponsoring municipal recycling roundtables on April 8 in Bloomsburg and April 12 in Slippery Rock.

Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation announced continued success in all of its initiatives this week. "We have spent much of the last three-plus months with our heads down, focused on moving our Marcellus and East Texas operations forward," said Dan O. Dinges, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. "The results highlighted below are a culmination of that effort."

CONSOL Energy Inc.'s headquarters, located in Southpointe near Canonsburg, Pa., has become the first building in the business complex to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified.  

The Rendell Administration has selected The Reinvestment Fund to manage the state's Green Energy Revolving Loan Fund.
            The new revolving loan fund will supply capital for developing cost effective, energy-saving and renewable energy projects in existing, non-residential buildings throughout Pennsylvania. The projects create and retain jobs, and must cut an entire facility's energy consumption by at least 25 percent or develop and install technologies on-site that produce electricity from renewable resources.

Several retirements were announced this week from the Department of Environmental Protection, including: Michael Sherman, Deputy Secretary for Field Operations and Gary Niland, Director of the Bureau of Regional Coordination and Program Evaluation.

The PA Association of Sustainable Agriculture, the PA Certified Organic Program and Blazosky Associates have a number of positions and an internship available.

By Rep. John Siptroth

By PA Chamber of Business and Industry

This section gives you a heads up on upcoming deadlines for awards and grants and other recognition programs. NEW means new from last week.

The Department of Environmental Protection published notice of the final 2009 ozone season nitrogen oxide limits for nonelectric generating units and notice of trading activity and trading proposals from Lycoming County under the Nutrient Credit Trading Program

Upcoming legislative meetings, conferences, workshops, plus links to other online calendars. Meetings are in Harrisburg unless otherwise noted.  NEW means new from last week.  Go to the online Calendar webpage.
 

Send your stories, photos and videos about your project, environmental issues or programs for publication in the PA Environment Digest to:  DHess@CrisciAssociates.com.

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