Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley Friday released the final report of the Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission, taking the first step toward developing a comprehensive and strategic plan for responsible natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania.

Sen. Joe Scarnati (R-Jefferson), President Pro Tempore of the Senate, outlined his priorities for the Fall legislation session Thursday-- reapportionment, Marcellus Shale legislation and transportation funding.

Rep. Camille “Bud” George (D-Clearfield), Minority Chair of the House Environmental Resources & Energy Committee, Thursday pushed for ProtectPA legislation that features responsible environmental regulations that exceed those recommended by Gov. Tom Corbett’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission.

Sen. John Yudickak (D-Luzerne), Minority Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, said the General Assembly would put a responsible severance tax or impact fee on the Governor's desk in the Fall.

There were a variety of other groups, legislators and industry reactions to the Governor's Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission final report released Friday. Here's a sampling--

The State Conservation Commission recently recognized two individuals and four county conservation districts for their work to improve Pennsylvania’s environment through sound and innovative conservation practices.

Pennsylvania farmers looking to meet the state's regulatory requirements for erosion and sediment control and nutrient-management planning can find help at PaOneStop, an online service from Penn State Extension that enables farmers to produce required maps of their farms.

The Friends of the Wissahickon have launched a pilot project to explore the possibility of using goats to control the growth of invasive plants in Wissahickon Valley Park.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful this week announced they are now accepting applications until August 15 for a new Greenways Mini-Grant Program.  

It takes a lot of work to clean up a watershed area and keep it clean. If your watershed is facing a lot of illegal dumps, or abandoned tire piles you will want to learn about an organization called “Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.”

The PA Resources Council and Zero Waste Pittsburgh will sponsor a household hazardous waste collection event on July 30 at the Cranberry Mall, Route 322, Cranberry Township, Venango County.  For more information, download the event flyer.

PJM Interconnection, the grid operator that manages the high voltage transmission system in all or parts of 13 states and Washington, D.C., set a new record for peak power use Thursday at 5 p.m. by meeting the demand for 158,450 megawatts (MW) of power. One megawatt of power is enough to power about 1,000 homes.

The Department of Environmental Protection published notices offering an opportunity to bid on five projects: abandoned well plugging in Allegheny County, a second abandoned well plugging in Allegheny County, a dam breach project in Columbia County, a landfill remediation project in Erie County and an abandoned mine reclamation project in Lawrence County.

On July 23 the Quecreek Mine Rescue Foundation will host the 9th Anniversary of the July 2002 Quecreek Mine Rescue at the rescue site on the Arnold Farm in Somerset County beginning at 10:00 a.m.

This section gives you a heads up on upcoming deadlines for awards and grants and other recognition programs. NEW means new from last week.

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission published notice of proposed changes in its regulations on reviewing Marcellus Shale water withdrawal approvals.  Two public hearings will be held on the proposal-- August 2 in Harrisburg and August 4 in Binghamton, NY.  Comments are due August 23.

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.

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