On September 29, Department of Environmental Protection announced it has recently finalized the last of three settlements and assessed civil penalties against EQM Gathering OPCO, LLC (EQM) totaling $427,650 for slips, stabilization, and erosion and sedimentation violations at pipeline sites in Greene, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

From March 16 to September 29, Department of Environmental Protection employees have been teleworking and using COVID-19 mitigation measures to continue to fulfill its mission.  DEP staff have--

The Governor’s Office published an updated agency by agency Regulatory Agenda showing regulations in development and an approximate timeline for action in the October 3 PA Bulletin.

On September 30, after a meeting of the Commonwealth Drought Task Force, the Department of Environmental Protection moved Clinton and McKean counties to drought warning and added 13 counties to drought watch.

On October 1, PA American Water announced it has expanded the counties in which it is urging customers to voluntarily reduce their water consumption in support of the Department of Environmental Protection’s expanded Drought Warning and Drought Watch.

On October 1, Gov. Tom Wolf announced his administration is joining with six other states – Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, Oklahoma and Wyoming – in signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) expressing a commitment to establish and implement a regional CO2 transport infrastructure plan by collaborating and leveraging resources across the participating states.

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh announced the Exhibit Staging Center has been awarded a WELL Health-Safety Rating from the International WELL Building Institute™ (IWBI™).

Keep PA Beautiful is encouraging the public to vote for local Cox Conserves Hero Nicole Chandler-Harper to help win $50,000.

Lydia Martin is the Vice Chair of the Pennsylvania Trails Advisory Committee whose passion for the natural world empowers her to engage diverse audiences to improve land and water resources.

Work by a team of eight Game Commission employees to give the state bird, the ruffed grouse, a better chance to recover from dramatic population declines caused by West Nile Virus is being recognized by Gov. Tom Wolf with Governor’s Awards for Excellence.

On September 30, the Pennsylvania Envirothon announced the 2021 Pennsylvania Envirothon will hold a virtual State Competition that will include station testing and an oral presentation component.

On September 24, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources issued its second weekly Fall Foliage Report for October 1 to 7 showing 15 counties now are at their best color.  New reports will be issued every Thursday.

[ Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else ] The House had a shortened legislative week when Rep. Paul Schemel (R-Franklin) announced he tested positive for COVID.  They canceled Thursday's voting session while they tried to do contact tracing to see who he might have had contact with recently.

The following bills of interest saw action last week in the House and Senate—

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--

On September 30, Republicans on the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee voted to report out legislation to exempt some water supplies used by the public from clean drinking water standards and slow down solar energy installations by requiring the recycling of solar panels through the state’s broken electronic waste recycling program.

Nine sportsmen's, watershed, environmental, mine reclamation and conservation groups submitted comments supporting the proposed Environmental Quality Board regulation setting a more protective water quality standard for manganese and not changing the point of compliance for discharges into rivers and streams.

On September 29, the PA Council Of Trout Unlimited and the national Trout Unlimited organizations submitted a letter to the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee saying they oppose  Senate Bill 619 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) because it will harm aquatic life and human health in Pennsylvania.

On September 29, the PA Environmental Council and the Environmental Defense Foundation wrote to members of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee urging them to oppose the “sweeping and unwarranted” changes made in the state’s Clean Streams Law by Senate Bill 619 (Yaw-R-Lycoming).

The Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee is scheduled to meet October 6 on two bills that would block the adoption of any regulations during a declared emergency that are unrelated to that emergency and authorizing the General Assembly to repeal any existing regulation by resolution and not law.

On October 5, the Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to meet on Senate Bill 1173 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) eliminating appointments on DEP’s Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee members by the Governor and changing it to appointments made by the House, Senate and the Governor.

The September newsletter of the Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee highlights the efforts of Noble Environmental to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its landfill in Westmoreland County.

On October 1, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Choose Clean Water Coalition applauded the passage of legislation in Congress to reauthorize the federal Chesapeake Bay and other clean water programs in the America's Conservation Enhancement Act [H.R. 1161].

On September 30, Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Northeast Regional Administrator Cosmo Servidio signed a five-year Letter of Understanding formalizing the agencies’ joint commitment to supporting measures to sustain healthy farms, clean water and food security for the region’s future.

On October 1, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it has selected 12 recipients to receive approximately $3 million in funding to help reduce food loss and waste and to divert food waste from landfills by expanding anaerobic digester capacity in the United States.

The U.S.G.S. Pennsylvania Water Science Center has upgraded StreamStats with the latest National Hydrography Dataset flowlines and Watershed Boundary Dataset drainage basins.

On September 30, Lancaster Clean Water Partners announced the award of $128,000 in grants to support four local projects implementing the Lancaster Countywide Clean Water Plan.

On October 1, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced $2.85 million in grants for 22 rivers conservation, access and streamside buffer projects across the state from the Environmental Stewardship and Keystone Funds and federal EPA Chesapeake Bay Grants.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is hosting six live, online classes for Pennsylvania residents interested in learning more about water quality issues and what they can do to help protect and restore local rivers and streams.

This month the Chesapeake Bay Foundation launched CBF Online Watershed Learning (CBF OWL)--a new education program designed to bring CBF’s expert environmental educators live into online classrooms.

Join Paul Tukey, the Glenstone Museum’s Chief Sustainability Officer, and Beth McGee, Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Director of Science and Agricultural Policy, for a free live webinar at noon on October 7 about how your lawn care choices affect the environment. Online registration in advance is required to join. 

On October 21, the PA Organization for Watersheds and Rivers will host a webinar on Geology of Pennsylvania Streams starting at Noon.

The Bucknell University Center for Sustainability and the Environment will host its 15th Annual River Symposium on November 6-7 presented in a virtual online format.

The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary has issued a call for presentation proposals for the virtual 2021 Delaware Estuary Science and Environmental Summit to be held March 1-3.  The deadline for submissions is November 15.

The Pike County Conservation District will hold a virtual Road Maintenance Workshop for municipal and community staff responsible for maintaining local roadways, including gravel and dirt roads.

The Audubon Society of Western PA is hosting a series of three online workshops in the Buffalo Creek Watershed in Butler and Armstrong counties to help landowners protect and enhance habitat and water quality on their property.

By Jeff Mulhollem, Penn State News

This month, the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority will add a new private lead service line reimbursement program to its list of Community Lead Response Programs. 

Dickinson College in Cumberland County will host a panel of experts to discuss environmental racism and justice in Pennsylvania.

The Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia is launching a new virtual program series Rebuilding With Equity and Climate Resilience with the first event set for October 7 starting at 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. featuring Gov. Tom Wolf

As cooler fall weather arrives in Pennsylvania, the Public Utility Commission is reminding consumers of the many resources available to help keep utility service affordable, as well as educational programs available from the PUC.

On September 29, the Public Utility Commission reminded electric customers enhanced disclosure rules geared to provide additional consumer protections and ensure greater transparency with product offerings from electric generation suppliers (EGSs) take effect on Sept. 30, 2020.

The Department of Environmental Protection invites comments on two Air Quality permits related to the Shell Ethane Plant in Beaver County in the October 3 PA Bulletin.

The Department of Environmental Protection is now accepting applications for the Driving PA Forward Cleaner Truck and Bus Fleet [formal notice] and replace diesel rebates [formal notice] Programs.

The Western PA Conservancy will host a free webinar on Conservation In A Changing Climate on October 22 from Noon to 1:00 p.m.

Pennsylvania’s newest outdoor recreation plan was finalized in January, but its name, vision, recommendations, and actions were a premonition of things to come.

On September 29, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn announced the investment of $500,000 toward the improvement of Trail Park in the Fairhill neighborhood in Philadelphia.

Love trails? Consider serving on the DCNR’s Pennsylvania Trails Advisory Committee!

The Western PA Conservancy is now accepting applications for Canoe Access Development Grants until November 13.

The Brodhead Watershed Association’s Get Outdoors Poconos series offers a glimpse into the Snow Hill area for those who might want to try it for themselves in Monroe County.

On October 4, the Independence Conservancy hosted a “Walk in Penn’s Woods – at a Social Distance” at the Rocky Bend Nature Preserve, 247 Raccoon Creek Road, Potter Township, Beaver County.

Voting is now open for the 2020 State Park and State Forests Through the Seasons Photo Contest by the PA Parks and Forests Foundation.

The October 2 Take Five Fridays With Pam from the PA Parks and Forests Foundation is now available featuring articles on--

Through summer 2020, the Delaware Highlands Conservancy held its third annual juried photo contest, "Nature Heals: Restore, Renew, Reconnect."

On September 28, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced hunters and other outdoors enthusiasts heading into Pennsylvania’s state-owned woodlands this autumn will find additional roads open in 18 of the 20 state forest districts.

The Board of the Wildlife for Everyone Foundation recently awarded Glenn O. Hawbaker, Inc., State College, the contract to develop the Julian Wetland in Centre County into a user-friendly natural area.

For the month of October, Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania is offering an extra 10 percent discount on native plants. That’s 20 percent off for ASWP members and 10 percent for non-members.

On September 29, the Monroe County-based  Brodhead Watershed Association announced the appointment of Kelly Gallo as its new Executive Director

On October 1, the Appalachian Regional Commission named Abbi Peters, Executive Vice President of Operations for the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, as a 2020-2021 Appalachian Leadership Institute Fellow.  

Click Here: Week’s Worth Of PA Environment & Energy NewsClips

Click Here for a list of public participation opportunities and a calendar of events.

Click Here for grants, awards, recognition programs and contest deadlines.

Here are highlights of actions taken by agencies on environmental regulations, technical guidance and permits 

CLICK HERE to View or Print the 100 page 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: PaEnviroDigest@gmail.com.

The PA Environment Digest is a proud sponsor of the PA Forestry Association’s 2020 Exploring Change in Penn's Woods Symposium October 26-30.  Click Here to register.

The PA Environment Digest is a proud sponsor of the virtual 2020 PA Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference to be held on October 28-29.   Click Here to register.

PA Environment Digest is a supporting member of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association, Pennsylvania Council Trout Unlimited and the Doc Fritchey Chapter Trout Unlimited.