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Weekly PA Environment Digest Newsletter
February 1, 2010
(2/1/2010)
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* Governor: DEP Hire 68 More Staff To Deal With Marcellus Shale, Pass Severance Tax

* Senate Committee Told Drilling Wastewater Recycling Becoming More Effective

* EPA Announces Eyes On Drilling Tipline For Citizens

* Long-Time Democratic Chair Of Senate Environmental Committee Ray Musto To Retire

Sen. Ray Musto (D-Luzerne), long-time Democratic Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, this week announced he will retire from the Senate at the end of his current term.

* Did You Know You Can Search Nearly 6 Years Of Digests On Any Topic?

* On the Senate/House Agenda/Session Schedule/Bills Introduced

Here's the latest session schedule, Senate and House Calendars and Committee schedules--

* Bills On Governor's Desk

The following bill saw final action this week and is now on the Governor's desk for his action-- 

* Senate/House Bills Moving

The following bills of interest saw action this week in the House and Senate-- 

* Coal Bed Methane Dispute Measure Given Final Approval

House Bill 1847 (Harhai-D-Westmoreland)establishing a special review board to arbitrate coal bed methane well-location disputes between land owners and gas companies received final legislative approval this week and is headed to the Governor for his action.

* Senate Resolution To Itemize Farm Costs Of Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Moves

The Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee this week unanimously reported out Senate Resolution 215 (Brubaker-R-Lancaster) directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to study the costs to achieve nutrient reductions from agricultural sources.

* Sen. Erickson Announces Bill Requiring Heating Oil To Be Part Of Biofuel Mandate

Sen. Ted Erickson (R-Delaware) announced this week he will be introducing legislation to make heating oil and off-road diesel part of the state's biofuel mandate that will requiring these products to contain 5 percent biodiesel by May 1, 2011.

* Rep. Vitali Introduces Bill To Halt Leasing Of State Forests For Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling

Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) introduced House Bill 2235 this week to put a five-year moratorium on leasing additional state forest land for Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling.

* Governor's Race

This is the first of a series of articles in PA Environment Digest to highlight the positions of candidates for Governor on environmental, infrastructure and energy issues.

* Fish & Boat Commission Urges Action On Susquehanna River Water Quality Issues
Calling the Susquehanna River “increasingly impaired,” the board of commissioners of the Fish and Boat Commission this week called on state and federal environmental agencies to expand efforts to determine the sources of pollution contributing to the demise of the river’s smallmouth bass fishery.

* West Branch Susquehanna Symposium Set For May 6-7, Abstracts, Student Posters Invited
Trout Unlimited and the West Branch Susquehanna Restoration Coalition will hold the 5th West Branch Susquehanna Restoration Symposium on May 6 & 7 at the Genetti Hotel in Williamsport.

* Save The Date: 2010 Watershed Summit May 1 In State College
The Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds is hosting a 2010 Watershed Summit on May 1 for watershed associations and their allies. The theme of the conference is, "What's Next? Building A Stronger Organization, Technical Advice for Improving Your Watershed." The conference will be held at the Ramada Inn Conference Center in State College. Stay tuned for more!

* Farmers Eligible For BMP Funding In Columbia, Montour Counties

* Growing Greener Anniversary- Montour Run Watershed Associaton
Stan Sattinger, Vice-President of the Montour Run Watershed Association, submitted this article to help celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Growing Greener Watershed Program. Learn how the Association has just completed its fifth mine drainage treatment project. See more success stories on the Growing Greener Anniversary website.

* Montour Run Watershed Association Dedicates McCaslin Road Treatment System
The folks at BioMost, Inc. and participants in the Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition have long admired the efforts of the Montour Run Watershed Association and enjoyed working with them on various remediation projects.

* Westmoreland: Citizens Invited To Learn About Stormwater, Meeting February 25

* EPA Grant Helps Volunteer Program At Wissahickon Valley Park
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a $17,449 environmental education grant to the Wissahickon Restoration Volunteers, an ecology-orientated non-profit organization dedicated to restoring the natural environment in Wissahickon Valley Park in Philadelphia.

* PA Lake Management Conference March 3-4, Photo Contest, Awards Program
The PA Lake Management Association will hold their 20th Annual Conference March 3-4 at the Days Inn Penn State in State College. PALMS is also accepting nominations for its awards program and photo contest.

* GreenLifePA Video- Pittsburgh's RiverQuest Provides On-Water Environmental Education Experiences
RiverQuest is a non-profit educational organization that operates a river learning center for students, teachers and the community of Southwestern Pennsylvania.

* GreenLifePA Video- Trout In The Classroom Offers Hands-On Education
Trout in the Classroom is an environmental education program in which students learn about coldwater conservation while raising brook trout from eggs to fingerlings in a classroom aquarium.

* Middleburg Municipal Authority Joins Partnership For Safe Water
The Middleburg Water Treatment Plant, in Snyder County, recently became the newest member of the Partnership for Safe Water Program, a voluntary effort to provide safe drinking water.

* PA Sewage Enforcement Officers 2010 Conference Set For March 7-9
The PA Sewage Enforcement Officers Association will hold its 2010 Conference and Annual Meeting at the Grantville Holiday Inn near Harrisburg on March 7-9.

* DCNR Sponsors South Mountain Regional Conservation Landscape Initiative Summit Feb. 19
Community leaders from throughout the South Mountain region are invited to a summit on February 19 to discuss ways to enhance its sense of place and expand the region's economy by capitalizing on its natural and cultural resources.

* DCNR Posts Community Conservation Partnership Grant Awards
The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources recently posted the list of 143 grants it awarded totaling $18.9 million under the Community Conservation Partnership Grant Program. DCNR received 624 applications totaling $101.3 million.

* PEC Receives DCNR Funding To Support Recreation, Stewardship Activities

* Carnegie Science Center Announces 2010 Carnegie Science Award Winners

* Applications Due For Sue Wiseman Student Scholarship, Litter Hawk Youth Awards
PA CleanWays is now accepting applications for the $1,000 Sue Wiseman Student Scholarship and the Litter Hawk Youth Award Program.

* Hempfield Home School Co-Op Wins Regional Future City Competition

* Teachers Invited To 2010 Classroom Earth National High School Challenge

* DEP Soliciting Applications For Coal Plant Pollution Control Technology Projects
The Department of Environmental Protection published notice it is accepting proposals for $25 million in pollution control technology projects at coal burning power plants and co-generation facilities.

* Green Power Usage Edged Higher In 2009 Among EPA Partners
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s top 10 Green Power Partners increased their voluntary green power commitments by more than 1.5 billion kilowatt-hours in 2009, while 300 new organizations joined the Green Power Partnership.

* Updated Estimates On Capped, Market Electric Prices Released By PUC
The Public Utility Commission this week released its quarterly comparison between current market prices for electric generation and capped rates currently paid by consumers. The PUC said that the numbers validate the importance of current and future steps to mitigate potentially significant electricity rate increases.

* PPL Electric Utilities Giving Customers Discounts On Energy-Saving CFL Bulbs
Saving energy and money with compact fluorescent light bulbs just got a lot easier thanks to a new E-power program from PPL Electric Utilities.

* PUC Approves Voluntary Time-of-Use Rate For PPL Customers

* Guidelines On Transmission Electric Line Siting To Be Proposed By PUC

* PUC To Weigh Comments On Updates To Act 129 Energy Savings Evaluation Manual

* Penn State Implements New Sustainability Tracking System
As national and global attention to environmental sustainability increases, many in higher education, industry and government are unsure of how to actually quantify and measure progress in this new area.

* Call For Nominations For EPA Montreal Protocol Climate Change Awards
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is soliciting award nominations for individuals, teams and organizations that have made significant contributions to ozone layer protection.

* Mid-Atlantic Aquatic Invasive Species Panel Invites Grant Proposals
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Panel on Aquatic Invasive Species this week opened its limited Small Grants Competition to encourage groups and individuals to submit proposals for eradication, monitoring and education projects.

* Delaney Elected President Of Game Commission Board
Game Commissioner James "Jay" Delaney Jr., of Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, was elected president.

* Split Rifle Deer Season Given Preliminary Approval By Game Commission

* Game Commission Launches 4th Round Of Deer Management Open Houses
For the fourth consecutive year, the Pennsylvania Game Commission is hitting the road to bring six deer management open houses to communities throughout the Commonwealth beginning on February. 20 and ending on April 10.

* Game Commission Takes Action On Land Purchases, Leases On Game Land
The Game Commission board this week took action on a number of actions related to streamlining game lands management procedures and approved a series of land exchanges, natural gas and coal mining leases.

* PA Breeding Bird Atlas Receives Additional Support From Game Commission

* 4 Former PA Governors Will Headline PA Bookstore Events
Former Pennsylvania Governors-- Dick Thornburgh, Tom Ridge, Mark Schweiker, and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, the son of late Gov. Robert P. Casey-- will be featured as part of the State Bookstore's 2010 lecture stories at the State Museum in Harrisburg.

* Chief Oil & Gas Names Terry Bossert As Vice President of Government Affairs
Chief Oil & Gas LLC this week named Terry Bossert as Vice President of Government Affairs. In his role, Mr. Bossert will provide counsel to executive management on all legislative and regulatory matters related Chief's business in the Marcellus Shale. He will be based in Harrisburg, Pa.

* New Appointments To DEP Citizens Advisory Council, 2009 Annual Report Available
Gov. Rendell this week announced two re-appointments to the DEP Citizens Advisory Council-- Sister Pat Lupo, Erie, and John J. Walliser, from Sewickley.

* DCNR Seeks Architectural, Landscape, Engineering Firm
The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources published notice it is seeking an architectural, landscape architectural and engineering design services firm to support the agency's Bureau of Facility Design and Construction.

* Opinion- Rationale For Natural Gas Production Severance Tax Flawed
Recently, Sen. Mary Jo White (R-Venango), Majority Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, responded to a letter by the Governor's Advisory Council on Hunting, Fishing and Conservation supporting a severance tax on natural gas production. Her response outlines the position she has taken on this important issue to be debated in the General Assembly this year. Her letter follows--
* Feature- College Students Make Significant Contributions To Water Quality Understanding

* Grants & Awards

This section gives you a heads up on upcoming deadlines for grants and financial assistance as well as nominations for awards and other recognition programs.  NEW means from last week— 

* Quick Clips
Here’s a selection of NewsClips on environmental topics from around the state--

* Marcellus Shale NewsClips
Here's a selection of NewsClips on topics related to Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling--

* Watershed NewsClips
Read a sampling of NewsClips on watershed topics from around Pennsylvania--

* Regulations, Technical Guidance & Permits

* Calendar Of Events

Upcoming conferences, meetings, workshops, plus links to other online calendars.  Meetings are in Harrisburg unless otherwise noted. NEW indicates new from last week.   Go To: PA Environment Digest Calendar Page 

* Stories Invited

Send your stories about environmental issues, programs and positive actions to PA Environment Digest - DHess@CrisciAssociates.com. 

* Supporting Member PA Outdoor Writers Assn./PA Trout Unlimited

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