Commonwealth Court Thursday turned back a challenge to DEP Oil and Gas Regulatory Program from conventional oil and gas drillers saying in a ruling DEP does have authority to protect public resources, like drinking water supplies in its program.

PJM Thursday released its analysis of the impacts on wholesale electricity costs and grid reliability of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Final Clean Power Plan rule. PJM conducted the analysis at the request of the Organization of PJM States, Inc.

Registration is now open and the agenda posted for the 2016 Pennsylvania Brownfields Conference to be held October 26-28, at the Lancaster County Convention Center.

Did you know you can search the PA Environment Digest by your home county, by subject, by any keyword or look up previous editions all the way back to May 28, 2004?

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

Bruce Beemer Tuesday was sworn in as Pennsylvania’s Attorney General by Chief Justice Thomas Saylor literally minutes after the Senate unanimously confirmed his nomination by Gov. Wolf.

The Independent Fiscal Office Thursday reported the Commonwealth collected $2.02 billion in General Fund revenues for August, an increase of $147.7 million (7.9 percent) compared to August 2015.

House Democratic Policy Committee held a public hearing on the land application and management of biosolids in Milesburg, Centre County, Monday, to hear testimony on encompassed environmental concerns and the potential negative impacts on ground source water and human health.

The Senate Democratic Policy Committee will hold a hearing September 7 on Senate Bill 1301 (Dinniman-D-Chester) which would toughen restrictions on digital and electronic billboards (sponsor summary).

Gov. Tom Wolf Tuesday thanked state workers helping Fayette County responders and residents meet the challenges that resulted from serious flooding primarily in Connellsville City, Connellsville Township, and Bullskin Township.

The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary will hold the 2016 Pennsylvania Coast Day on September 10 at the Walnut Plaza on Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia.

Volunteers are needed for this year’s PA Lake Erie International Coastal Cleanup to be held on September 17 from 9:00 a.m. to noon at a variety of locations along the Lake.

The Brodhead Watershed Association will honor Craig Todd, retiring Executive Director of the Monroe County Conservation District, and the Monroe County Planning Commission at its annual Members & Friends Celebration on September 30.

The Brodhead Watershed Association is seeking volunteers to be part of its StreamWatchers Program for the Bushkill Creek Watershed in Monroe County.

The Brodhead Watershed Association in Monroe County Tuesday announced it has received a $3,000 donation from PPL Electric Utilities to support its StreamWatchers Project, part of the Adopt-A-Stream Program.

The Brodhead Watershed Association will host a series of green infrastructure workshops in Stroudsburg, East Stroudsburg and Stroud Township, Monroe County, to teach landowners how they can create places and practices to protect your environment and drinking water.

During the past 10 years, fish habitat structures consisting of root wads, log vanes, mudsills and other constructed materials have been placed along streams and creeks in Lycoming County.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Thursday launched its 5th Annual Campus RainWorks Challenge, a competition for college and university students to design innovative solutions for our nation’s water infrastructure.

Educators from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation-PA will involve 20 groups of students grades 6 through 12 and one college group from 12 Pennsylvania counties this Fall in exploring local waterways through the Susquehanna Watershed Education Program.

The interstate Chesapeake Bay Commission will hold its quarterly meeting in Lancaster on September 8 and 9 at the Lancaster Marriott Penn Square.

The Stroud Water Research Center will hold a webinar on October 12 to introduce its Wiki Watershed Toolkit to promote freshwater stewardship.  It will start at 3:30 p.m.

The August 29 Watershed Winds newsletter is now available from Penn State Extension featuring stories on--

The Department of Environmental Protection said Thursday a $371,000 abandoned mine reclamation project outside the village of Boswell in Somerset County is almost complete. 

Acting Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell will welcome media on a tour of the Powderly Mine Fire in Lackawanna County September 7 to announce federal funding for the project.

The August issue of The Catalyst newsletter is now available from the Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition in Butler County featuring articles on--

Headwaters Charitable Trust Monday announced the conclusion of the Summer Works Living Greener Life Skills Class. Participants worked around Elk County doing a variety of work sponsored by the North Central Workforce Investment Board and CareerLink of St. Marys.

The Department of Environmental Protection invites operators of unconventional natural gas well sites and other interested parties to attend in-person training later this month on implementation of the final Chapter 78a unconventional oil and gas drilling regulations. 

Wayne Pike Workforce Alliance and Lacawac Sanctuary and Field Station are pleased to announce the 2016 Women in Science Symposium at The Heritage Nightclub at Woodloch Resort in Hawley, Pike County on September 20.

The PA Assn. of Environmental Professionals will hold its 32nd Annual Conference April 5-7 in. State College. Stay tuned for more information.

The PA Recycling Markets Center is now accepting nominations for the 2016 Heenan Recycling Markets Award through September 30.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful invites all elementary and secondary schools in Pennsylvania to participate in the Litter Free School Zone Program, a comprehensive program designed to teach lessons around recycling, litter awareness, and community stewardship.

The Department of Environmental Protection will be accepting Section 904 Recycling Performance Grant applications for materials recycled and marketed in 2015 until September 30.

The PA Recycling Markets Center will hold a webinar on September 20 on The Impact of Glass Recycling In the Glass Container Industry from 1:30 to 2:45 p.m.

The DEP Climate Change Advisory Committee meets on September 13 to discuss the recently released 2015 Update to the PA Climate Change Action Plan and a timeline for considering the next Plan Update due in 2018.

The PA Association of Environmental Professionals P2E2 Roundtable held its quarterly meeting August 18 at the Emerging Technology Applications Center (ETAC) at Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, Northampton County.

The PA Environmental Council Monday published a primer on the state’s Uniform Construction Code and how important the state’s uniform building code in particular is to an effective strategy for saving energy.

The nonprofit Energy Coordinating Agency in Philadelphia will hold 3 Breakfast Briefings on The First Fuel: Energy Efficiency September 14, October 18 and November 10.

The nonprofit Energy Coordinating Agency in Philadelphia will hold its annual Sustainable Energy Conference on November 17 at the Temple University Student Faculty Center, 3340 North Broad Street in Philadelphia.

The Department of Environmental Protection announced the schedule for West Nile Virus mosquito spraying in Bucks, Lancaster and York counties for the week of September 5.

The September 1 edition of DEP News is now available from the Department of Environmental Protection featuring articles on--

The PA Association of Environmental Educators and similar groups from Delaware and New Jersey are supporting a one day symposium called Fast Forward: The Future Of Environmental Education October 7 at the Dupont Environmental Education Center,1400 Delmarva lane, Wilmington Delaware from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The new “Share the Road” special fund registration plate designed to help fund bicycle safety is now in stock and being shipped to interested vehicle owners, PennDOT announced Wednesday.

The Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor is hosting the Eastern PA Greenways & Trails Summit on September 14-15 at the ArtsQuest Center at Steelstacks, 101 Founders Way in Bethlehem.

The Brodhead Watershed Association invites the public to enjoy another in its series of Get Outdoors Poconos hikes, this time on the Sherwood Forest Road in Jackson Township, Monroe County on September 24 starting at 10:00 a.m.

The email newsletter Take 5 Fridays With Pam from the PA Parks & Forests Foundation is filled with lots of good stories every week about activities that have happened or will happen in Pennsylvania’s State Parks and Forests.

Wildlife For Everyone Endowment Foundation and Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. will welcome anglers and military veterans to a pair of Pennsylvania’s nationally-renowned trout streams on September 12 for the inaugural Wildlife For Warriors Spruce Creek Classic.

The Summer edition of the Pennsylvania Women Of Trout Unlimited newsletter is now available from the PA Council of Trout Unlimited featuring articles on--

You might say Jillian Katchko was born to hunt.

The PA Resources Council and the Allegheny CleanWays will host the Wild & Scenic Film Festival in Pittsburgh on September 22 and 24 as part of Pittsburgh’s month long Re:NEW Sustainability Festival.

Whether you hike miles along a mountain ridge for a get-away-from-it-all hunt, or you have disabilities that limit how far away or where you can pursue whitetails or other game, the Game Commission wants to hear from you.

The Game Commission Friday activated its live video feed from elk country in the PA Wilds so anyone with an Internet connection can watch and listen to at least some of the 1,000 elk now roaming Pennsylvania’s forests.

he Western Section of the PA Association of Environmental Professionals in hosting a  Lunch-N-Learn education program on DCNR’s new endangered species permit review tool-- PA Conservation Explorer on September 9 in Pittsburgh.

The Manada Conservancy will host an evening with naturalist and author Scott Weidensaul as he explores the expanded edition of his Mountains of the Heart: A Natural History of the Appalachians on October 12 in Hershey, Dauphin County.

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Berks County will host its annual Autumn Native Plant Sale on September 17-18 outside of the Visitor Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring a wide variety of native trees, grasses, vines, shrubs, and flowering plants.

The Department of Environmental Protection Monday announced the appointment of  Jim Miller as Regional Director to oversee the Northwest Regional Office located in Meadville, Crawford County.

The Delaware Highlands Conservancy Thursday welcomed Diane Rosencrance as its new Executive Director, effective September 1.

The Brandywine Conservancy, based in Delaware County, is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Assistant Easement Manager to assist with the administration, monitoring and enforcement of conservation easements.  The deadline for applications is September 23.  Click Here for all the details.

This section lists House and Senate Committee meetings, DEP and other public hearings and meetings and other interesting environmental events.

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 are NewsClips from around the state on all environmental topics, including General Environment, Budget, Marcellus Shale, Watershed Protection and much more.

The Fish and Boat Commission published notice in the September 3 PA Bulletin of final regulations making changes to the Commission’s lists of endangered, threatened and candidate species.

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.