When the Senate and House came back into session after Labor Day in September, there was hope they would take action on a variety of environmental issues.  With, at most, 21 voting days scheduled in the House and 15 in the Senate until the end of the year, time is short to act.

By Tim Herd, CEO PA Recreation & Park Society

Gov. Tom Wolf this week took a series of actions to implement his default state budget-- default because things were left hanging when the House left town October 4 without voting on a revenue package.  Here’s a quick rundown.

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

Here are the Senate and House Calendars for the next voting session day and Committees scheduling action on bills of interest as well as a list of new environmental bills introduced--

Here are some reactions from groups in Pennsylvania to the proposal to repeal the EPA Clean Power Climate Plan--

Rep. John Maher (R-Allegheny), Majority Chair of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, Tuesday circulated a memo to all House members inviting them to co-sponsor a bill he plans to introduce creating a Pennsylvania Clean Power Plan.

The Nuclear Energy and Coal Caucus members from the House Friday circulated a co-sponsor memo asking members to co-sponsor a concurrent resolution supporting the federal Department of Energy’s proposal on grid resiliency and higher compensation for electricity generated by coal and nuclear power plants.

By John A. Arway, Executive Director, Fish & Boat Commission

The House Finance Committee Friday canceled a meeting scheduled for October 16 to consider House Bill 1401 (DiGirolamo-R-Bucks) imposing a 3.2 percent natural gas severance tax in addition to the Act 13 drilling impact fee.

The House Commerce Committee is scheduled to meet October 16 to consider House Bill 1237 (Keefer-R-York) which amends the Regulatory Review Act requiring the General Assembly to specifically approve “economically significant” final regulations approved by the Independent Regulatory Review Commission.

The Senate Community, Economic and Recreational Development Committee is scheduled to meet on October 17 to consider Senate Bill 234 (Blake-D-Lackawanna) would authorize local governments to create energy improvement districts to help fund energy efficiency, renewable energy and water conservation projects by commercial and industrial buildings to reduce their operating costs (sponsor summary).

The Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee will host its first Environmental Issues Forum of the fall legislative session on October 16 at noon in Hearing Room 8E-A of the Capitol East Wing in Harrisburg.  Click Here to watch live online.

The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the October 14 PA Bulletin of proposed changes to several technical guidance documents guiding public participation efforts within the agency--

The Department of Environmental Protection Friday announced it will reimburse farmers in Pennsylvania’s part of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed for the cost of preparing hundreds of agricultural plans for clean water.

The Brodhead Creek Watershed Association Tuesday announced a portion of a vacant lot in Stroudsburg in Monroe County will become an urban nature space – a pocket park--  green oasis amid a busy downtown.

Stroud Water Research Center and the Brandywine Conservancy hosted a joint tree planting Friday on a farm in Coatesville, Chester County that was once the base of the northern operations of the historic King Ranch of Texas.

The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and its partners will host a Stormwater Program Communication Workshop on October 25 at the Londonderry Township Building, 783 S. Geyers Church Road in Middletown, Dauphin County from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

In 1997, the Ferris passive treatment system complex was installed to address four abandoned mine discharges emanating from an old deep mine in the coal mining ghost town of Ferris in the Slippery Rock Creek Watershed in Butler County.

The October edition of The Catalyst newsletter is now available from the Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition in Butler County featuring stories on--

Deanne Boyer and her parents, Linford and Florence Weber, jointly operate Willow Run Farm in Berks County, Pennsylvania.

The latest edition of the UpStream newsletter is now available from the Stroud Water Research Center in Chester County featuring articles on--

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities and University of Pittsburgh invite you to attend the Pittsburgh Green Roof and Wall Symposium on November 6 at the University of Pittsburgh, 4200 Fifth Avenue in Pittsburgh from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The City of Pittsburgh will soon be the home to the largest urban farm in the United States-- Hilltop Farm & Homes--  on the site of a former public housing development.

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission will hold a hearing on November 2 to take public comments on a series of water withdrawal projects.  (formal notice with project list)

The Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition in Butler County is again partnering with Westminster College to host the annual Student Symposium on the Environment on December 7 at the Witherspoon Rooms and Mueller Theater on the Westminster campus in Lawrence County.

The Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration is challenging teams of K-12 students to answer this question in a 3-minute video, “Why is mining important in our lives?” in the Move Mining Next Gen Contest to win cash prizes of up to $1,000.

The Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration Environmental Division is inviting undergraduate and graduate students in geology, geological engineering, environmental engineering and environmental scientists to submit entries to its 2018 student poster contest.

The PA Association of Environmental Educators have issued a call for presentation and workshop proposals for its 2018 Conference to be held on March 12-13 in State College.  The deadline for proposals is December 17.

The PA Association of Environmental Educators is now accepting nominations for the 2018 PAEE Awards For Excellence In Environmental Education.  The deadline for nominations is December 29.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Thursday reminded residents there is still time to volunteer or to organize your own litter cleanup event as part of the International Coastal Cleanup, the world’s largest volunteer effort aimed at improving the health of our oceans.

The PA Environmental Council is seeking volunteers to assist in the cleanup of three illegal dumpsites this fall in Potter County--

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission Thursday released its 2016 report monitoring water quality in the watershed for impacts from unconventional natural gas drilling and found none.

The Department of Environmental Protection Thursday announced it will hold a public hearing November 2 on an Air Quality Plan Approval application for the proposed Hill Top Energy Center located in Cumberland Township, Greene County.

The Department of Environmental Protection Thursday announced it collected a $220,000 penalty from Summit Labs in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, for violations related to testing drinking water samples and failure to notify DEP and public water suppliers in cases of Maximum Contaminate Level exceedances, among others.

The Public Utility Commission Wednesday acted on Universal Service and Energy Conservation Plans for PPL Electric Utilities Corporation and Philadelphia Gas Works. 

The PA Environmental Council Monday wrote to members of the House Local Government Committee supporting House Bill 1722 (Harper-R-Montgomery) to authorize local governments to create energy improvement districts to help fund energy efficiency, renewable energy and water conservation projects by commercial and industrial buildings to reduce their operating costs is pending in the House Local Government Committee (sponsor summary).

PennFuture will mark October as Energy Awareness Month with its 7th Annual Pittsburgh Solar Tour on October 14, featuring residents and business owners who have made the switch to clean energy.

Recognizing the executive’s critical role in driving transformational sustainability strategies, CEOs For Sustainability, an executive council of CEOs from throughout the Pittsburgh region, are hosting a morning program: “How C-Suites are Responding to Increasing Stakeholder Demand” on October 25 at the Energy Innovation Center, 1435 Bedford Avenue in Pittsburgh from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m.

The “Harvey Grey Team” from Consol’s Harvey longwall coal mine in Sycamore, in Greene County wins second place in the 2017 National Coal Mine Rescue Contest hosted by the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn today joined State Forester Dan Devlin and other officials in marking the opening of the new Buchanan State Forest headquarters in Fulton County.

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn Friday joined state park and other DCNR officials in a visit to a solar array recently installed at Caledonia State Park in Franklin County.

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn Tuesday joined State Forester Dan Devlin and other officials in marking the opening of the new Weiser State Forest headquarters in Columbia County.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Thursday issued its fourth Fall Foliage Report showing the next week will see fall foliage in many areas of the state at its peak.

Wild Excellence Films Monday announced their film-- Cathedral: The Fight to Save the Ancient Hemlocks of Cook Forest-- will play on WQED Pittsburgh’s Filmmakers Corner program on October 14 at 10 p.m.

TD Bank has selected the PA Horticultural Society to participate in TD Tree Days, a community-based program that expands urban forests and green spaces in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods.

The Allegheny Land Trust Wednesday announced the Pennsylvania Master Naturalist Program is coming to Southwest Pennsylvania for the first time.

the “Creative Makers of the Pennsylvania Wilds – A Traveling Art Show,” from 6 to 9 p.m. on November 3 at the Winkler Gallery of Fine Art, 36 N. Brady St., DuBois, Clearfield County.

An increasing number of bald eagles have been admitted to wildlife-rehabilitation centers across Pennsylvania exhibiting signs of illness such as weakness, lethargy, emaciation, labored respiration and drooping wings.

The Spring Creek Chapter of Trout Unlimited in Centre County Friday announced Jim Lanning, Chair of their Veterans Service Program, was awarded  the National Trout Unlimited 2017 Distinguished Service Award – Veterans Service Program at the Trout Unlimited Annual Meeting held in Roanoke, VA in September.

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.

No new regulations were published this week.  Pennsylvania Bulletin - October 14, 2017

CLICK HERE to Print The Entire PA Environment Digest.  This Digest is 72 pages long.

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

2018 Keystone Coldwater Conference February 23-24 in State College.  Join PA Environment Digest in sponsoring this worthwhile Conference.

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