The public has a right to meaningful participation in permit reviews and policy making within the Department of Environmental Protection.  It sounds simple, but it’s not.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s biennial State of the Bay Report is a mix of good and bad news. The good news is that the overall pollution score improved, but that improvement was offset by declines in fisheries.

Commonwealth Court Wednesday issued an opinion in a lawsuit brought by the PA Environmental Defense Fund and other groups upholding the right of the General Assembly and the Governor to transfer monies from DCNR’s Oil and Gas Fund to the General Fund and to support DCNR State Park and State Forest operations.

StateImpact reported Thursday the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is looking into whether some Marcellus Shale gas companies are shortchanging the state on royalty money.

Gov.-Elect Tom Wolf this week named his first four cabinet members: Eileen McNulty as Acting Secretary for the Department of Revenue, his old post, Dennis Davin as Acting Secretary for the Department of Community and Economic Development, Pedro Cortes as his nominee for Secretary of State and Denise Smyler as General Counsel. All but Denise Smyler as General Counsel will need to be confirmed by the Senate.  Click Here for more information.

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--

The Republican-held Legislature opened for business Tuesday with the newly sworn-in members of the House and Senate voting as expected to unanimously elect Rep. Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) as Speaker of the House and re-elect Sen. Joe Scarnati (R-Jefferson) as Senate President Pro Tempore.

House Speaker Rep. Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny County) Monday announced the appointments of both Republican and Democratic committee chairmen for the 2015-16 Legislative Session.

Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) Tuesday outlined his priorities for the year as the Minority Chair of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.  Rep. Vitali has served as Minority Chair of the Committee for the last two years.

Senate Republicans and Democrats Friday appointed the Chairs of each of the Senate’s standing committees—

Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming) Friday announced he was reappointed by Senate President Pro Tempore Joseph Scarnati (R-Jefferson) to serve as Majority Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee for the 2015-16 legislative session.

The DEP Citizens Advisory Council will meet January 21 to continue drafting its transition report to the incoming Wolf Administration and hear a presentation on the implementation of Act 162 changing stream buffer requirements.

Sponsors of the Western Pennsylvania Environmental Awards are seeking nominations from people and organizations who are working to improve the community.  Nominations are due February 18.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation-PA Friday applauded the Washington County Commissioners for adopting a Clean Water Counts resolution, calling on state officials to make clean water a top priority for the Keystone State.

The Department of Environmental Protection invites municipal managers, other public officials and engineers to attend free training sessions designed to help local governments comply with water pollution control requirements associated with municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4).

The January issue of Chesapeake Bay Currents is now available from the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program featuring articles on--

The 2015 Schuylkill Watershed Congress will be held on March 14 at the Montgomery County Community College in Pottstown.

The January 5 Watershed Winds newsletter is now available from Penn State Extension featuring articles on--

Walk “Into The Wintry Woods” with Brodhead Watershed Association and Pocono Heritage Land Trust members on January 11 on Game Lands #38 near Camelback, hikers will explore the headwaters area of Pocono Creek known as Deep Lake and Wolf Swamp in Monroe County.

Covanta’s Delaware Valley energy-from-waste facility in Chester, Delaware County has saved 1.3 million gallons a day from local water supplies by installing GE’s advanced RePAK water reuse technology in the power plant’s cooling tower.

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission will hold a hearing on proposed water withdrawal requests in Room 8E-B East Wing, Capitol Building, Harrisburg starting at 2:30.  (formal notice)  For more information, visit SRBC’s Public Participation Center webpage.

Experts predict that by the year 2030 nearly all of the world’s population growth will be concentrated in urban areas.  At the same time, the Earth’s arable land may no longer be sufficient to produce enough food for the planet’s growing population. 

The Wildlands Conservancy in the Lehigh Valley offers a variety of programs for students of all ages as well as adults.  Register before May 1 and receive a 10 percent discount on summer camp registration.  Click Here for a schedule of upcoming events.

By John Walliser, PA Environmental Council

The Department of Environmental Protection Monday announced it has fined Leighow Oil Co. Inc. of Danville $63,351 for Clean Streams Law and storage tank violations that were first discovered in December 2013 at two of its facilities in Mahoning and Valley townships.

The January 8 issue of DEP News is now available from the Department of Environmental Protection featuring articles on--

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s affiliate network provided Pennsylvania residents with disposal options for hard-to-dispose items that consisted of one-day events and permanent drop-off locations.

The January issue of e-PRC newsletter is now available from the PA Resources Council featuring articles on--

The Commonwealth Court affirmed an Order of the Environmental Hearing Board denying Waste Management of Pennsylvania Inc.’s motion for summary judgment as to whether Clearfield County’s Municipal Waste Plan Revision violates Act 101, the state’s Municipal Waste Planning and Recycling Act. 

Leading Pennsylvania and national environmental organizations Wednesday encouraged Gov.-Elect Tom Wolf to improve the protection of environmental and public health by tackling methane pollution early in his tenure as Governor.

The Department of Environmental Protection has scheduled a January 21 open house and a February 11 public hearing on plans by Tenaska Pennsylvania Partners, LLC for a natural gas fired power station in South Huntington Township, Westmoreland County.

A free, web-based seminar focusing on the recycling and disposal of fluids from oil and gas drilling will be offered by Penn State Extension's Marcellus Education Team.

The Department of Environmental Protection’s exhibit for the 99th annual Pennsylvania Farm Show will focus on Pennsylvania’s energy resources, featuring a van fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG), an electric vehicle (EV), an all-new animated unconventional drilling video and the garage from its award-winning DEP at Home exhibit.

A sculpture made from nearly 1,000 pounds of butter and showcasing a fundraising campaign for an innovative food bank milk program was unveiled Thursday at the Pennsylvania Farm Show.

The Westmoreland Conservation District, an organization that promotes the wise use of our natural resources, has recently purchased two clean-burning natural gas vehicles and installed a “slow-fill” station on its campus to fuel them, thanks to major financial support from Peoples Natural Gas and the Department of Environmental Resources.

If you are a small business, researcher, or entrepreneur, in Pennsylvania or West Virginia focused on developing a new product or service for the shale energy space, you should be gearing up to submit your application soon to the Ben Franklin Shale Gas Innovation and Commercialization Center’s 4th Annual Shale Gas Innovation Contest.

With frigid temperatures forecasted for many areas of the state this week, the Public Utility Commission Tuesday reminded consumers to prepare for the cold weather by reviewing conservation and safe heating tips.

FirstEnergy’s West Penn Power and Penn Power announced Tuesday they are launching Facebook pages to enhance their communication with their customers.

Richard B. Alley, Evan Pugh Professor of Geosciences is today the recipient of the 2015 BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the category of Climate Change.

January is National Radon Action Month, marking a time of increased public awareness for this serious health hazard.

The Associated Press and Tribune Review reported Monday the cost for cleaning up a nuclear waste site in Western Pennsylvania known as the Parks Township Shallow Land Disposal Area has jumped from $44 million to more than $350 million.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) Tuesday announced he has sent a letter to Craig Fugate, Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), urging the agency to adopt a new policy that would reimburse municipalities in Pennsylvania and across the country for the cost of sinkhole damage.

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Ellen Ferretti Tuesday announced the department will add more than 8,000 acres, most of which surrounds and is to the east and south of Montage Mountain, to Lackawanna State Forest with the acquisition of property in Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wayne counties.

State woodland managers again are preparing to combat the potential damage from a statewide gypsy moth population poised for spring outbreaks across the state, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources officials said Thursday.

The Pinchot Chapter of the Allegheny Society of American Foresters would like to invite you to the Allegheny Society of American Foresters - 2015 Winter Meeting on February 18–20 at the Holiday Inn Wilkes Barre - East Mountain in Wilkes-Barre.

A new Pennsylvania WoodMobile packed with more information than ever is ready to educate today's tech-savvy youth and other 99th Pennsylvania Farm Show visitors about the state's nation-leading hardwoods industry.

In the Spring of 2015, the volunteer training program of PA Master Naturalist is partnering with Friends of the Wissahickon to prepare citizens to become volunteer leaders in their communities through natural resource conservation education, citizen science, and stewardship.

Enjoy January in the Wissahickon, when Friends of the Wissahickon Trail Ambassadors are offering free hikes in Wissahickon Valley Park and free talks at the Cedars House, located at 200 Northwestern Avenue in Philadelphia.  Click Here for details on these and other events.

The January/February newsletter from the Lacawac Sanctuary & Biological Field Station near Lake Wallenpaupack in Wayne County is now available featuring articles on--

The January issue of PA Wilds News is now available from the Pennsylvania Wilds Program featuring articles on--

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission is seeking a Legislative and Public Affairs professional in SRBC’s office in Harrisburg who reports to the Executive Director.

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.  It also gives you a heads-up on House and Senate Committee meetings, conferences and other interesting events.  Meetings are in Harrisburg unless otherwise noted.

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--

No new regulations were published this week.  Pennsylvania Bulletin - January 10, 2015

CLICK HERE to Print The Entire PA Environment Digest.

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.