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Weekly PA Environment Digest Newsletter
Oct. 8, 2012
(10/8/2012)
CLICK HERE To Print Entire Digest
* Member Of DCNR’s Conservation Advisory Council Resigns

The Patriot-News reported Thursday Paulette Viola, a member of DCNR’s Conservation and Natural Resources Advisory Council since the mid-1990s, resigned from her position saying the Corbett Administration made it impossible for the Council to “effectively and efficiently meet the spirit of the law or its responsibility to the public.”

* Senate/House Agenda/Session Schedule(New)/Bills Introduced

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

* Bills On Governor's Desk

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

* Senate/House Bills Moving

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

* Bucknell To Host 7th Annual Susquehanna River Symposium Oct. 12-13

Bucknell University in Lewisburg will host the 7th Annual Susquehanna River Symposium, "Wasn't That A Mighty Storm! Flooding in the Susquehanna watershed," October 12 and 13 in the Terrace Room (Room 256) of the Elaine Langone Center.

* Chesapeake Bay Program Offers 2 New Stormwater Videos

The Chesapeake Bay Program is now promoting two new videos on stormwater management and solutions.

* Friends Of Wissahicken, Partners Hold Planting Day October 24

The Friends of the Wissahickon is partnering with REI Conshohocken and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation for a Planting Day at Cresheim Creek on October 28 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

* Penn State Extension: How To Spot Wet Basements

Suppose you are thinking about buying a house with a basement, how can you tell if it might have water problems?

* New Well Owners Booklet Answers Many Questions

Brian Oram, a professional geologist and soil scientist and founder of B.F. Environmental Consultants, announced Monday the firm is making available “The Pennsylvania Guide for Groundwater for Private Well Owners: What Do the Numbers Mean?” through the Water Research Center Portal.

* Register Now For PA Section-American Water Resources Assn. Conference October 11

The PA Section of the American Water Resources Association will hold its annual Water Quality in Pennsylvania Conference on October 11 at Harrisburg Area Community College in Harrisburg starting at 8:00 a.m.

* Attorney General Files Charges Against Elk County Treatment Plant Worker

Agents from the Attorney General’s Environmental Crimes Section have filed criminal charges against an Elk County man in connection with alleged falsified environmental reports submitted to the Department of Environmental Protection for the James City Sewage Treatment Plant.

* Federation Of Sportsmen's Clubs Held Keystone Energy Forum

Monday, the Keystone Energy Forum, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, held its 2nd Annual “Outdoors Forum” focusing on natural gas development and its interaction with Pennsylvania’s countryside.

* PPL: October Is National Energy Awareness Month, Special Events Planned

From farms to factories, hospitals to homes and everything in between, life as we know it would not be possible without energy.

* Philadelphia Housing Authority Recognized For Green Housing Project

Paschall Village, the Philadelphia Housing Authority’s high-performance, green development in southwest Philadelphia, has received top honors from the Pennsylvania Association of Housing and Redevelopment Authorities.

* PA Ranked Most Improved State In New Energy Efficiency Rankings

Wednesday the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy released their annual scorecard, ranking Pennsylvania 20th in the nation for energy efficiency policy and performance. The state improved by five spots from last year tying it for 4th most improved state in the country.

* Petroleum Distributors Honor Corbett For Keeping PA Refineries

The PA Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association, Empire State Petroleum Association of New York and the Petroleum Marketers Association of America honored Gov. Tom Corbett for his efforts to keep a strong refinery presence in Southeast Pennsylvania as part of their annual convention and trade show at the Hershey Lodge & Convention Center Tuesday.

* DEP Calls Clean Air Council Refinery Lawsuit Stab In The Back To Workers

The Clean Air Council is challenging a decision by environmental regulators to allow the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery to claim credit for a reduction in emissions caused by the closure of Sunoco's Marcus Hook refinery.

* Still Time To Register For 2012 PA Brownfields Conference October 29-31

Register now for the 2012 PA Brownfields Conference on October 29-31 in Monroeville near Pittsburgh. This special event will focus on the technical, and economic aspects of brownfields reclamation and development and the opportunities for community redevelopment.

* Lt. Gov. Cawley Sees Potential For Jobs On Brownfields From Cracker Plant

Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley toured brownfields along the Ohio River Thursday that once were home to a closed steel mill. They are now ready to serve new companies looking to do business with the proposed Shell ethane cracker.

* DEP Releases Final Oil And Gas Air Aggregation Guidance For Drilling Activities

Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Mike Krancer announced Friday the agency has finalized guidance on air quality permitting decisions for oil and gas operations. The guidance applies to permitting sources of emissions from the exploration, extraction and production of oil and gas.

* Chatham University Hosts Pathway To Sustainability Lecture Series

Chatham University’s Office of Career Development and the Rachel Carson Institute are sponsoring a series of sustainability leadership lectures to illustrate the pathways environmental leaders have followed to success.

* Dr. Priscilla Sands To Speak On Sustainability At Springside Chestnut Hill Academy

The Friends of the Wissahickon will host a Community Forum on Sustainability in the Wissahickon Watershed with Dr. Priscilla Sands on October 23 at Valley Green Inn. The lecture will begin at 6:00 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

* Penn State Receives $11.9 Million Climate Risk Management Program Grant

An interdisciplinary team of scholars has received an $11.9 million award from the National Science Foundation to support the establishment of a multi-institution research network on Sustainable Climate Risk Management strategies.

* Sen. Smucker Honored With Historic Preservation Award

The state’s largest nonprofit historical preservation group Monday honored Sen. Lloyd Smucker (R-Lancaster) for his efforts to protect and rehabilitate historically significant buildings in Pennsylvania.

* Tom Ridge Center To Present John C. Oliver Leadership Award October 26

The Friends of Tom Ridge Environmental Center will present the 2012 John C. Oliver Environmental Leadership Award at a special celebration on October 26 at the Center in Erie.

* PHMC Honors PennDOT Employee For Preservation Efforts

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission recently presented the 2012 Visionary in Preservation Award to Ira Beckerman at the annual Historic Preservation Awards Ceremony hosted by Preservation Pennsylvania.

* Nov. 8 South Mountain Lecture Focuses On Water Quality, Quantity

The final lecture of the year in the South Mountain Speaker Series will focus on the challenges of conserving water quality and quantity in the region on November 8, in Memorial Auditorium at Shippensburg University.

* New Field Notes Podcast Available From Western PA Conservancy

Episode 6 of the Field Notes podcast,a spoken word podcast that details anecdotal stories by Charles Bier, the senior director of conservation science, is available from the Western PA Conservancy.  The title of this podcast is Seek Natures Truth and Fear Not!  Click Here for a list of all the podcasts available in this series.

* iConservePA.org Shares Walking Through Penn’s Woods Video

Join DCNR Bureau of Forest Botanist Ed Dix on a hike through the early fall forests of Pennsylvania in this new iConservePA.org video.  Click Here to watch the video.  Click Here for more information about the best times to see Pennsylvania’s fall forest colors.

* Fall eConserve Magazine Now Available From Western PA Conservancy

The Western PA Conservancy Fall issue of eConserve Magazine is now available.  Read about WPC’s work in the Allegheny National Forest, a sustainable forestry project on preserved land, WPC urban forestry work and much more.

* Fish & Boat Commission To Launch New Mentored Youth Fishing Program

At its quarterly business meeting today, the Fish and Boat Commission previewed a mentored youth pilot program it will launch next spring on the Saturday preceding the southeast regional opening day of trout season.

* Game Commission Proposes No Further Action To List Bats

Following significant public comment, Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe Thursday announced the agency will not be moving forward to draft regulatory changes to place three species of bats on the Commonwealth's endangered species list.

* Opportunity To Bid On DEP Projects

The Department of Environmental Protection published notice of the opportunity to bid on a mine reclamation projects in Cambria County, Clarion County and Schuylkill County.

* Your 2 Cents: Issues On Advisory Committee Agendas

This section gives you a continuously updated thumbnail sketch of issues to be considered in upcoming advisory committee meetings where the agendas have been released

* Grants & Awards

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

* Budget/Quick NewsClips

Here's a selection of NewClips on environmental topics from around the state--

* Marcellus Shale NewsClips

Here are NewsClips on topics related to Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling---

* Flooding/Watershed NewsClips

Here are NewsClips on watershed topics from around the state--

* Regulations, Technical Guidance & Permits

The Environmental Quality Board meets October 16 to consider Final Chapter 105 Dam Safety, Waterway Management Fees, Final ultra low sulfur limits for fuel oil and the withdrawal of Drinking Water Program fees.

* Calendar Of Events

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.

* Stories Invited

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

* Supporting Member PA Outdoor Writers Assn./PA Trout Unlimited

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

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