Members of the House, environmental and sportsmen's groups this week urged Gov. Rendell to drop his plan to lease more State Forest land for Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling to help balance the budget. Instead, the groups urged adoption of a natural gas production severance tax.

Did you know you can search nearly 6 years of back issues of the PA Environment Digest on dozens of topics, by county and on any key word you choose. Just click on the search page.

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

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

The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee reported out bills covering oil and gas well drilling, mineral leasing by the state, how mining permit fees are adopted and the disposition of air quality penalties.  The bills include--

The House Democratic Policy Committee this week held a hearing on the value of forested stream buffers in protecting and improving water quality and reducing water treatment costs.

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

The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency is reminding residents to monitor local weather conditions as warmer temperatures and rain could cause creeks, streams and rivers to flood.

The 2010 Keystone Coldwater Conference, hosted by the PA Council of Trout Unlimited, attracted nearly 300 people concerned about protecting and restoring watersheds throughout the state.          

The Coldwater Heritage Partnership recently announced the award of more than $42,000 in grants to seven organizations to develop conservation plans to provide a better understanding of coldwater streams, identify challenges and form strategies that engage local communities in addressing these issues.

Registration for the May 3-4 Conference organized by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and Duquesne University on issues surrounding Marcellus Shale natural gas development in Pennsylvania is now open.

Got cabin fever? Want to get the kids and spouse out of the house? Help cleanup trash and floating debris in the woodland and wetlands of the Susquehanna River and learn what you can do to help protect our Earth. Fun for the whole family!

PA CleanWays of Butler-Lawrence Counties is now accepting submissions for its litter and recycling Placemat Art Contest illustrating the impacts of improper waste disposal and illegal dumping on drinking water.  Entries are due by April 30.

The 13th Annual Southeast Environmental Advisory Council Conference will be held at the Abington Friends School in Jenkintown on April 10 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
            The Conference will feature presentations by Delaware Valley  Regional Planning Commission, Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers, Greentreks, and of course, presentations by EACs from across the Southeast who showcase their innovative solutions to stormwater management, energy efficiency and land use practices.

As spring nears and woodlands begin to dry out, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced nearly $667,000 in grants is available to help Pennsylvania’s rural communities better guard against the threat of fires in forested, undeveloped and unprotected areas.

Nearly $100,000 was awarded to 16 organizations in Northeast Pennsylvania by the Pocono Forest and Waters Conservation Landscape Program.

The peregrine falcons nesting at the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning have again brought in the first egg of the season, typically one week ahead of the falcons nesting on the Rachel Carson Building in Harrisburg.

The Department of Environmental Protection published notice of opportunities to bid on a debris boom replacement project in Huntingdon County, a flood project fence replacementin Wyoming and Luzerne counties and a flood project fence replacement project in Wayne County.

Protection of Western Pennsylvania’s rivers, streams and lakes begins at the local level, with residents who care deeply about the future of their water resources.

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's a selection of NewClips on environmental topics from around the state--

The Fish and Boat Commission published notice of proposed additions to the Class A Wild Trout Waters list and notice of changes to the classification of other Wild Trout Streams.

Upcoming legislative meetings, conferences, workshops, plus links to other online calendars. Meetings are in Harrisburg unless otherwise noted.  NEW means new from last week.  Go to the online Calendar webpage.

Send your stories, photos and 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.