Gov. Tom Corbett Friday nominated Ellen M. Ferretti as Secretary of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and E. Christopher Abruzzo as Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection.

Acting Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Chris Abruzzo told DEP’s Citizens Advisory Council Tuesday changes are underway at DEP to improve public participation in agency decision making as a result of recommendations made by the Council and others inside and outside the department.

The September issue of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council’s Forum newsletter features an interview with DEP Acting Secretary Chris Abruzzo who shares his thoughts on a wide variety of environmental issues facing the Commonwealth.

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

The House Game and Fisheries and Environmental Resources and Energy Committees held a  second hearing Tuesday in Indiana, Pa on House Bill 1576 (Pyle-R-Armstrong) which fundamentally changes the way threatened and endangered species are listed and changes the designation process for wild trout streams.

Following a joint public hearing of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee and the House Game and Fisheries Committee Tuesday, Rep. Steve McCarter (D-Montgomery) called House Bill 1576 (Pyle-R-Armstrong) an industry motivated and championed effort to prolong and politicize the process for listing animals on the endangered species list in Pennsylvania.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation-PA sent a letter to the Chairs of the House Game and Fisheries and Environmental Resources and Energy Committee this week saying House Bill 1576 (Pyle-R-Armstrong) would dilute the scientific basis of designating wild trout streams and encouraged the Committees to look at the full ramifications of the language in the bill.

The Pennsylvania Environmental Council Monday provided members of the House Democratic Policy Committee Monday with a comprehensive update on Marcellus Shale drilling issues as part of the Committee’s hearing on energy issues in Greene County.

The September edition of the Environmental Synopsis newsletter is now available from the Joint Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee.

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission Thursday held its quarterly business meeting in Binghamton, N.Y. Among its actions, SRBC:

The Coldwater Heritage Partnership announces the opening of the 2014 Coldwater Conservation Grants Program.  Applications are due December 13.

The Pennsylvania Office of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation this week issued the first of what will be a series of fact sheets on the Chesapeake Bay Watershed cleanup and Pennsylvania’s commitments to that initiative.

The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau expressed its disappointment Friday with a federal district court decision that upholds the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to implement a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. 

The Department of Environmental Protection published final guidance in the September 21 PA Bulletin establishing procedures for Addressing Spills and Releases At Oil and Gas Well Sites or Access Roads.

The Jennings Environmental Education Center, Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition and Stream Restoration, Inc. would like to invite you to attend a celebration of the rehabilitation of the Jennings Passive Treatment System on October 7 at 11:30 in Butler County.

The Delaware Riverkeeper Network and its partners has issued a call for presentations for the 2014 Schuylkill Watershed Congress.  Proposals are due October 31.

The Parties to the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court Decree entered in the Delaware River Case are interested in, and invite you to share your comments on the Flexible Flow Management Program, an adaptive framework for managing diversions and reservoir releases in the Delaware River Basin.

The Bucknell Environmental Center will host the 8th Annual Susquehanna River Symposium on October 18-19 with the theme, A Fragmented System: Dams on the Susquehanna River. The event will take place at the Elaine Langone Center, Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa.

Gov. Tom Corbett Tuesday announced the Commonwealth Financing Authority has approved nearly $2.6 million through the H2O PA Program to fund the construction and repair of flood control projects that will impact more than 244 businesses and 1,675 residents in Bradford, Chester and Potter counties.

As we enter into the first few days and weeks of the 2013-2014 school year and the last few days and weeks of summer, don’t forget to include water as part of a complete educational experience for youth. There are many excellent resources that may be helpful as you engage youth in water-related educational experiences throughout the year.

The Friends of the Wissahickon and AIM Academy of Conshohocken, Montgomery County, invite volunteers to work with them in cleaning the Wissahickon Creek as part of National Public Lands Day on September 28.

The Carbon County Environmental Education Center is hosting a teacher workshop on Making the Dead Come Alive on November 13 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Summit Hill, Pa.

The Pittsburgh-based The Outdoor Classroom is sponsoring several environmental education programs in October and November, including using Earth Caches In Your Classroom, Project WET 2.0, Team Tadpole Leadership Academy and more.  Click Here for all the details.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful and the Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania are teaming up for a two day enforcement session on October 16 and 17 at the Double Tree Hotel in Monroeville.

The Department of Environmental Protection has denied a municipal waste landfill permit application sought by Tri-County Landfill Inc. for the reopening of the Tri-County Landfill in Pine and Liberty townships, Mercer County.

The Department of Environmental Protection will join representatives of Millcreek Township, the Millcreek Youth Athletic Association and Rick Griffith of Moxie Nein LLC to celebrate the end of remedial construction at the Currie Landfill site at 2:00 p.m. on September 26.

The Department of Environmental Protection will conduct an environmental cleanup at the former Pottstown Plating facility in Pottstown Borough, Montgomery County, to remove hazardous materials left on-site.

The Department of Environmental Protection this week announced the schedule for the Keystone Energy Education Program Workshops to teach and track energy efficiency in school buildings and homes.  The workshops will be held--

As part of its continuing partnership with the communities it serves, PPL Corporation is once again offering grants to teachers to help their students learn more about energy, the environment and resource conservation.  The deadline for applications is November 8.

Gov. Tom Corbett announced Tuesday Pennsylvania is expanding its commitment to advance clean, alternative and renewable energy sources with the investment of more than $13.5 million in loans and grants through the Commonwealth Financing Authority.

Auditor General Eugene DePasquale Tuesday released a performance audit of Kutztown University, Berks County, showing that recently implemented campus energy conservation measures have saved more than $1.4 million over a two-year period through the use of a guaranteed energy savings contract.

Chatham University will host a behind-the-scenes construction site tour: The Eden Hall Campus Impact Tour: A Stronger Pittsburgh, A Healthier World on October 10 prior to its official opening this fall.

Pittsburgh-based BNY Mellon has reached a new environmental sustainability milestone by earning U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star awards for 100 percent of its commercial real estate portfolio in downtown Pittsburgh.

The majority of electric and natural gas customers were satisfied with the way customer service representatives handled their calls in 2012, according to an annual report released Wednesday by the Public Utility Commission.

The federal government's regulatory policies regarding carbon emissions will have a detrimental impact on Pennsylvania in terms of lost jobs and higher electricity prices, the Pennsylvania Coal Alliance told the House Democratic Policy Committee Monday.

The Environmental Quality Board Tuesday approved a final regulation increasing Air Quality Title V emission fees from $57.50 per ton of emissions to $85 per ton.  The change is estimated to initially generate about $5.1 million more in revenue to the Department of Environmental Protection to administer the Title V program.

The Allegheny Mountain Section of Air & Waste Management Association will hold a regional air permitting seminar on October 17 at the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania. 

The PA Association of Environmental Professionals has issued a call for presentations for its 2014 Annual Conference to be held May 7-9 in Seven Springs, Pa.  The deadline for proposals is September 27.  Click Here to submit an online proposal.

The Western PA Chapter of the Society for Conservation biology will host the first annual Western PA Conservation Conference November 2 at Clarion University with the theme of Connecting Conservation Stakeholders Across Western PA.

The PA Land Trust Association has issued a call for presenters for its 2014 Pennsylvania Land Conservation Conference to be held May 1-3 at the Reading Crowne Plaza.  Proposals are due October 31.  Click Here for all the details.

A volunteer-led project to raise awareness about the patriarch of Pennsylvania’s State Parks, Maurice K. Goddard, has won a major national award from the National Association of State Park Directors, the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation announced Tuesday.

Pennsylvania’s state forests are working forests, meaning DCNR’s Bureau of Forestry manages them for many uses including sustained yields of quality timber.

As part of the Game Commission’s efforts to highlight its ongoing habitat improvement initiatives, the public is invited to take part in upcoming tours of several state game lands.   The tours are free and will be held between September 29 and October 20.

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

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

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

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

The Environmental Quality Board Tuesday approved a final regulation increasing Air Quality Title V emission fees from $57.50 per ton of emissions to $85 per ton.  The change is estimated to initially generate about $5.1 million more in revenue to the Department of Environmental Protection to administer the Title V 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 links to 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.