Here are 73 new stories in the PA Environment Digest about individuals, groups, local governments, farmers, businesses, watershed groups and many more working all across Pennsylvania to restore and protect the environment and show others the beauty that surrounds us.

While PA Environment Digest’s priority is to highlight positive examples of environmental and energy leadership, 2022 is an election year which demands accountability to voters.

PA Environment Digest Is Putting The Best Links To Environment & Energy Articles and NewsClips Here.   Are You Telling Your Story?

On October 14, Gov. Tom Wolf and First Lady Frances Wolf recognized 11 women as this year’s Distinguished Daughters of Pennsylvania, highlighting their extraordinary achievements and contributions to the Commonwealth at an event at the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg on Wednesday.

By James M. Seif, Former EPA Region III Administrator, Secretary of DEP

By B.J. Small, Chesapeake Bay Foundation-PA

On October 12, the Environmental Quality Board  voted 15 to 3 to approve Part II of the regulation limiting volatile organic compounds and methane emissions from oil and gas facilities, this one from conventional oil and gas facilities.

On October 13, the Department of Environmental Protection announced it has executed a $670,000 consent assessment of civil penalty with Shell Pipeline Company LP and its contractor, Minnesota Limited LLC, for violations of its permit and Pennsylvania laws and regulations that occurred in 2019 and 2020 during construction of the company’s Falcon pipeline project.

On October 13, local, regional, and state environmental groups submitted 28 pages of comments to the Department of Environmental Protection urging the agency to deny Erosion and Sedimentation and Water Encroachment permits through Exceptional Value and High Quality watersheds for the Transco Regional Energy Access Natural Gas Pipeline.

The following DEP notices were published in the October 15 PA Bulletin related to oil and gas industry facilities.  Many of the notices offer the opportunity for public comments.

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing November 3 on proposed water withdrawals, including the renewal of three natural gas development water withdrawal permits.  (formal notice)

If you’re like most people, you want to be healthy. You want pure drinking water and clean air. You want rivers, streams, and oceans that are not polluted.  You want healthy families and children.

On October 11, the Independent Regulatory Review Commission formally sent DEP its order laying out the reasons for its September 15 disapproval of the final Environmental Quality Board regulation setting a water quality standard for manganese DEP said would protect public health and aquatic life.

The Department of Environmental Protection will begin accepting applications for abandoned mine reclamation and mine drainage treatment project grants on October 24.  The deadline for applications is January 13.

On October 11, members of the Chesapeake Executive Council met for their annual meeting and elected EPA Administrator Michael Regan chair and began the discussion of the steps needed for states to get closer to meeting the 2025 pollution reduction milestones.

On October 12, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service-PA announced nearly $300,000 has been awarded to four Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) projects in Pennsylvania.

By Cindy Adams Dunn, Secretary of DCNR

The Watershed Coalition of the Lehigh Valley, in partnership with the Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward Program has received funding from Pennsylvania American Water to install a live stake nursery at the Pennsylvania American Water property on Heritage Drive in Lake Heritage, Adams County.

By Chris Mele For Delaware Currents

On October 12, the U.S. Energy Information Administration released its Winter Fuels Outlook forecasting heating costs for homes that heat with natural gas will rise by 28%, heating oil by 27%, electricity by 10%, and propane 5% from October–March.

A total of 63 “reportable outage events” during 2021 disrupted electric service to residents and businesses across Pennsylvania – all related to the impact of weather on the state’s power grid – marking a substantial increase over previous years and marking the highest number of incidents since the Public Utility Commission began collecting this type of reliability data in 1993.

On October 14, the Department of Environmental Protection kicked off its 2022-23 Local Climate Action Program (LCAP) with a visit to Wormleysburg Borough in Cumberland County.

On October 12, the Department of Transportation announced resources are now available to help businesses and organizations to prepare in advance of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Notice of Funding Opportunity announcement, which is anticipated for late December/early January.

By Adrienne Berard, Penn State News

There is still time to register for the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful 2022 Litter Summit on November 1 and 2 at the Holiday Inn in Lancaster.

The Pike County Commissioners in partnership with the Pike County Conservation District, Pocono Source Water Protection Collaborative, and Pike County Office of Community Planning are bringing a Household Hazardous Waste Collection event to Pike County!

On October 13, the Department of Agriculture announced 2,046 acres on 24 farms in 10 counties are being protected from future development by the investment of nearly $7.5 million in state, county, local and nonprofit dollars.

On October 11, Natural Lands announced the addition of 158 acres of land to Pennsylvania State Game Lands in Lebanon and Lancaster Counties. The property is a forested refuge for wildlife and is now forever protected from development.

A short drive from the hustle and bustle of our state’s capital, a mama black bear and her two cubs are spotted by landowner Rob Fritchey as they roam freely through his woodland property in West Hanover Township.

Lancaster Farmland Trust celebrated farmland preservation and Lancaster County agriculture at its Together for the Land event on September 27th.

On October 10, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn invited Pennsylvanians to nominate their favorite trail for the 2023 Trail of the Year.

On October 13, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources issued its third Weekly Fall Foliage Report showing nearly half the state at best color.

The October 14 Take Five Fridays With Pam is now available from the PA Parks & Forests Foundation--

By Larry D. Myers, President, Forbes Trail Trout Unlimited

Opportunities to learn more about environmental and energy issues affecting Pennsylvania for students and adults--

The Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake Bay will host a Susquehanna Summit - A Day Of Creation Care Collaboration on October 22 at the Columbia Crossing River Trails Center in Columbia, Lancaster County from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Penn State Extension is hosting a nine-part Woods In Your Backyard webinar series starting January 11 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. each day.

The Pennsylvania Forestry Association will hold its 136th Annual Symposium November 5 at the Toftrees Conference Center in State College.  The theme of the Symposium is - Penn's Forest Carbon - Growing Green.

Penn State's next EarthTalk webinar on October 17 will discuss Utility Scale Solar And PA - Trends, Impacts And Implications starting at 4:00 p.m.

PA Interfaith Power & Light is making available the Faithful Voter Climate Justice Reflection Guide to help promote discussion of Climate Justice issues from a moral and ethical perspective ahead of the November 8 election.

By Dr. Phil Covert, Evangelical Environmental Network

The Center for Coalfield Justice, the Environmental Health Project, Physicians for Social Responsibility, FracTracker, and Mountain Watershed Association will host a webinar on October 25 on Creating A Healthy Home And Community With Shale Gas Development In Your Neighborhood from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

The information you need to follow legislation in the House and Senate- starting with articles and NewsClips from last week--

Articles and NewsClips about federal actions impacting Pennsylvania--

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

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

Highlights of the environmental and energy notices in the October 15 PA Bulletin--

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.

PA Environment Digest is a supporting member of the PA Organization for Watersheds & Rivers, PA Outdoor Writers Association, PA Council Trout Unlimited and the Doc Fritchey Chapter Trout Unlimited.