The PA Environmental Council Tuesday sent a letter to every member of the House expressing its opposition to House Bill 1576 (Pyle-R-Armstrong) that is expected to be up for a final vote before the full House Tuesday.  The text of the letter follows—

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation-PA sent an action alert out to its members urging them to oppose House Bill 1576 (Pyle-R-Armstrong) saying it would significantly reduce protection for endangered species.  Click Here to take action.

Gov. Corbett’s proposal for additional non-surface impact leasing of additional natural gas rights under State Forests and Parks this week generated an exchange of views in the Harrisburg Patriot-News between Rick Carlson, former Director of DCNR’s Office of Policy under Governors Ridge and Rendell and the Gov. Corbett’s Energy Executive Patrick Henderson.

PA Environment Digest now has a Google+ Circle called Green Works In PA.  Just go to your Google+ page and search for DHess@CrisciAssociates.com, the email for the Digest Editor David Hess,  and let us join your Circle.

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

Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware), Minority Chair of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, filed a Right-to-Know request, seeking additional details on the Corbett Administration's plan to raise $75 million through additional so called "non-impact surface drilling" in state parks and forests. This plan was contained in the budget proposal unveiled by the Governor on February 4.

Sen. Lisa Boscola (D-Lehigh), Minority Chair of the Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee, Friday announced she is introducing legislation that would benefit consumers who switch electric suppliers or choose a variable rate payment plan.

The House Consumer Affairs Committee will hold a hearing March 20 on variable rate electric plan in response to thousands of complaints by individuals who entered into variable rate contracts with their electric generation supplier and experienced skyrocketing electric rates during recent periods of cold winter weather.

The House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee is scheduled to meet on March 11 to consider legislation to address recent issues with calculating royalties from oil and gas well and legislation on designees to the Potomac River Basin Commission.  The bills include--

The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee is scheduled to consider a three bill package on the issue of calculating oil and gas well royalties and other legislation at a meeting on March 11.  The bills include--

The March 18 DEP Citizens Advisory Council meeting will feature a discussion of the FY 2014-15 budget request for DEP by Jeff Logan, Executive Deputy Secretary for Administration.

The Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Radiation Protection Friday announced data collected in response to the recent Chevron well fire in Greene County showed no radiation levels above normal “background” levels.

The Delaware Riverkeeper Network will be hosting a forum to bring together the lead litigators and litigants of the landmark Act 13 drilling law court decision on March 13 starting at 6:30 p.m. at the WHYY studio in Philadelphia.

The Coldwater Heritage Partnership recently announced over $40,000 in grants that have been awarded to local organizations to protect and conserve Pennsylvania’s coldwater streams.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Tuesday released a report that found green infrastructure can be a cost effective solution to controlling stormwater while providing numerous economic benefits.

Wildlife For Everyone Endowment Foundation recently received a $148,404 grant from the Department of Environmental Protection's 2013 Growing Greener Grant Program to continue restoration of fish habitat and improvement of water quality in Halfmoon Creek.

The Environmental Quality Board meets March 18 with one item on the agenda-- DEP’s recommendations on the petition to upgrade the Upper Perkiomen Creek Watershed in Berks, Montgomery and Lehigh counties to Exceptional Value waters.  DEP is recommending no change in the Upper Perkiomen, but is recommending the Macoby Creek basin be designated Trout Stocking and Migratory Fishes.

The Department of Environmental Protection Tuesday announced work is expected to begin the week of March 17 on the second phase of a project to treat water discharge from the Indianola mine pool and improve the water quality of Little Deer Creek in Indiana Township, Allegheny County.

The Department of Environmental Protection Friday announced a $2,472,770 contract award for an abandoned mine reclamation project in Decatur Township, Clearfield County, that will stabilize the ground under 60 homes threatened by historic mine subsidence.

Alpha Natural Resources, Inc., Alpha Appalachian Holdings and 66 subsidiaries have agreed to spend an estimated $200 million to install and operate wastewater treatment systems and to implement comprehensive, system-wide upgrades to reduce discharges of pollution from coal mines in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, the Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday.

The Department of Environmental Protection is establishing a new in-lieu fee program called the Pennsylvania Integrated Ecological Services, Capacity Enhancement and Support Program to allow applicants that are required to offset their aquatic resource impacts for both state and federal permit requirements to contribute monies to a program that meets the federal requirements for such activities instead of trying to restore or enhance aquatic resources through costly and ineffective independent efforts.

On October 28 and 29, 2013, more than 200 people attended Accelerating Action – The Delaware River Watershed Forum at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia to discuss key issues affecting conservation and restoration efforts in the Basin.

In celebration of National Drinking Water Week, Penn State Extension’s Master Well Owner Network, the Department of Environmental Protection and the PA Ground Water Association along with numerous other sponsors are organizing the 2014 Pennsylvania Groundwater Symposium at the Ramada Inn Conference Center in State College, PA on May 7, 2014.

The February Water Policy News is now available from the PA League of Women Voters Water Resources Education Network.

The Department of Environmental Protection Wednesday announced it has approved a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) permit application submitted by Joel Knoebel for his existing hog operation in Cleveland Township, Columbia County.

The PA Section of the American Water Works Association announced a special discount program offering attendees to the Section’s Annual Conference in Bethlehem a 20 percent discount off registration to the group’s national conference June 8-12 in Boston.

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission Thursday held its quarterly business meeting in Harrisburg, Pa. Among its actions, SRBC--

The PA Land Trust Association will host the 2014 Environmental Advisory Committee Networking Conference on May 3 at the Crowne Plaza in Reading, Berks County.

The PA Association of Environmental Professionals is seeking nominations for two award programs: the Karl Mason Award and the Walter Lyon Award.  Nominations are due March 28.

The PA Resources Council announced this week Cathy Bittinger won first place in the adult category for the 2013 Lens on Litter Photo Contest and Kelsey Schreck won first place in the student category.

PennDOT and the Department of Environmental Protection are seeking volunteers for this year’s Great American Cleanup of Pennsylvania effort that runs through May 31.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Thursday announced Weis Markets, Inc. as their newest sponsor of the Great American Cleanup of PA, their annual signature event.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful reports an average 48 percent reduction of cigarette litter nationwide in the communities implementing Keep America Beautiful’s Cigarette Litter Prevention Program during 2013.

The Professional Recyclers of PA has released its Spring schedule of courses leading to certification as a recycling professional.  Click Here for the schedule.

The March issue of e-PRC is now available from the PA Resources Council. PRC is celebrating its 75th Anniversary this year.  Click Here to read a copy.

The March 6 edition of DEP News is now available from the Department of Environmental Protection.  Click Here to read a copy and to sign up to receive future editions by email.

The March 6 edition of DEP News is now available from the Department of Environmental Protection.  Click Here to read a copy and to sign up to receive future editions by email.

The PA Small Business Development Centers will host a Shale 101-Small Business Supply Chain Opportunities Workshop on April 2 at Widener University SBDC, 1350 Edgmont Ave., Suite 1300 in Chester, Delaware County starting at 9:00 a.m.

The PA Economic Development Association has scheduled a number of workshops for economic development professionals in March and April, including--

Transportation invite stakeholders, including public and private fleet managers, local municipalities, schools, universities, non-profit entities, government agencies and other interested parties, to an alternative fuels, vehicles and technology workshop on March 26.

The Public Utility Commission Thursday finalized a proposed policy statement on service outage response recovery and public notification guidelines and established a Critical Infrastructure Interdependency Working Group.

iConservePA.org has a new video online called Do The Bumpout.  No, it’s not the latest dance craze, bumpout is a stormwater management technique that is starting to be deployed in cities and towns to reduce the intensity of water flowing into sewer and stormwater systems.  Click Here to watch the video and learn more.

The 2014 PA Land Conservation Conference organized by the PA Land Trust Association will be held May 1-3 in the Crowne Plaza, Reading, Berks County.

The Trails Advisory Committee to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources recently released its 2013 Accomplishments Report.

The Susquehanna Greenway Partnership will hold a 30-hour, online Raise the Region fundraiser on March 12-13 to help grow local parks, trails and river access along the Susquehanna.  For added impact, all donations received will be matched for more impact.

The Central PA Conservancy will hold its annual Ironmaster’s Challenge 50K, 25K and 15K challenge races on April 27 in Cumberland County.  Click Here for all the details and to register.

The Spring issue of Penn’s Stewards newsletter from the PA Parks and Forests Foundation is now available.  Click Here to read a copy.

The March 5 issue of the Resource newsletter is now available from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.  Click Here to read a copy.

Celebrate our unique Upper Delaware River region and twenty years of conservation and education with the Delaware Highlands Conservancy at the 7th annual Foods of the Delaware Highlands Gala on April 26 starting at 5 p.m.

The World War II Stuart Tank, Father of the American Navy John Barry, world-renowned Philadelphia Orchestra Conductor Leopold Stokowski and Fred McFeely Rogers, creator and host of long-running PBS program “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood,” are among the subjects of the 21 new state historical markers approved by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

The Mid-Atlantic Panel on Aquatic Invasive Species is now accepting applications for a limited number of small grants to increase public understanding of and compliance with the prevention and control of aquatic invasive species.  Proposals are due April 4.  Click Here to download details and priorities for funding.

The March issue of the Fish and Boat Commission’s Currents newsletter is now available. Click Here to read a copy.

Dennis Guise, former Chief Counsel and Executive Director of the Fish and Boat Commission retired from his most recent position as Chief Counsel for the Department of Military Affairs on February 28.

Trout Unlimited’s Eastern Abandoned Mine Program is seeking candidates for a biological field technician intern to assist with efforts to restore coldwater ecosystems from abandoned mine drainage.  The position would be based in Lock Haven, Clinton County.  Click Here for details.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources published notice of an opportunity to bid on projects in Pike and Potter counties (PA Bulletin page 1330).

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 meets March 18 with one item on the agenda-- DEP’s recommendations on the petition to upgrade the Upper Perkiomen Creek Watershed to Exceptional Value waters.  DEP is recommending no change in the Upper Perkiomen, but is recommending the Macoby Creek basin be designated Trout Stocking and Migratory Fishes.

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.