Pa Environment Digest July 13, 2015

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PA Environment Digest

An Update On Environmental Issues In PAEdited By: David E. Hess, Crisci Associates

Winner 2009 PAEE Business Partner Of The Year Award

Harrisburg, Pa July 13, 2015

Historic Win For Clean Water In Chesapeake Bay Watershed, Now Get It Done

A federal Third Circuit Court of Appeals opinion released

Monday upholds a lower court decision that affirmed the

legality of the multi-state Chesapeake Bay cleanup effort.

The historic ruling found in favor of EPA, theChesapeake Bay Foundation , and other interveners. It will

ensure that efforts to clean up local rivers, streams, and the

Chesapeake Bay will continue.

“This is a great day for everyone who cares about clean

water and the Chesapeake Bay,” said CBF President William C.

Baker. “In a case challenging EPA’s Clean Water Act authorities, the Third Circuit Court in

Philadelphia has spoken. The Court affirmed the same, reasoned decision offered by the lower

court.”

After decades of failed voluntary efforts, and as part of the settlement of a 2008 Clean

Water Act lawsuit by CBF in December of 2010, EPA established science-based limits on the

pollution fouling the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams (formally known as a TotalMaximum Daily Load, or TMDL).

In addition, the states developed individual plans on how to achieve those limits and

committed to two-year milestones that outline the actions they will take to achieve those limits,

and EPA promised consequences for failure. Together, the limits, plans, and milestones make up

the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint.

The opinion said: “The Chesapeake Bay TMDL will require sacrifice by many, but that is

a consequence of the tremendous effort it will take to restore health to the Bay—to make it once

again a part of our “land of living,” Robert Frost, The Gift Outright line 10—a goal our elected

representatives have repeatedly endorsed. Farm Bureau’s arguments to the contrary are

unpersuasive, and thus we affirm the careful and thorough opinion of the District Court.”

“It is now critical that the Governors of the Bay states and the Environmental ProtectionAgency Administrator exert leadership to fully implement the Blueprint,” Baker said. “The U.S.

Department of Agriculture must provide additional technical and financial assistance to

Pennsylvania in order to accelerate efforts to reduce pollution from agriculture.”

Within weeks of the announcement of pollution limits, the American Farm Bureau

Federation (including the PA Farm Bureau) and others challenged EPA’s action in federal court.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation joined the case as a defendant and argued in support of EPA’s

Clean Water Act authorities.

http://www.cbf.org/pahttp://www2.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/134079p.pdfhttp://www.paenvironmentdigest.com/newsletter/default.asp?NewsletterArticleID=11953http://www.cbf.org/how-we-save-the-bay/chesapeake-clean-water-blueprint/what-is-the-chesapeake-clean-water-blueprinthttp://www.cbf.org/pahttp://www2.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/134079p.pdfhttp://www.paenvironmentdigest.com/newsletter/default.asp?NewsletterArticleID=11953


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In that precedent-setting case, Judge Sylvia Rambo ruled decisively in favor of EPA. She

resoundingly rejected each of the plaintiffs’ complaints, affirmed the Blueprint’s sound legal

standing, and complimented the “cooperative federalism” the states and EPA exhibited in

developing the Blueprint.

“Instead of embracing the concept of ‘cooperative federalism’ and supporting the hard

work of the states and EPA to develop science-based pollution limits and individual state plansto achieve those limits, the Farm Bureau and its allies have fought EPA and the States every step

of the way,” said CBF Vice President for Litigation, Jon Mueller. “We can only imagine how

successful the Bay Blueprint would be if these groups supported rather than opposed efforts to

reduce pollution.”

Many eyes around the country are watching this case. The dead zones, harmful algal

blooms, and human health risks caused by nitrogen and phosphorus pollution occur in waters

across the country.

Attorneys General from 21 states, many in the mid-West, sided with the Farm Bureau.

Weighing in with EPA and CBF were cities from New York to San Francisco; Maryland,

Virginia, and the District of Columbia; environmental and conservation groups from Florida to

the Great Lakes; and a distinguished group of law professors.The American Farm Bureau Federation and its allies have 90 days to seek an appeal to

the U.S. Supreme Court.

“Instead, we urge them to put their energy and money into working with us to reduce

agricultural pollution - the largest source of pollution degrading the Bay - and to reach what we

hope is a common objective - clean water for everyone. If we work together, the goals of the

most basic clean water law of the land will be realized,” Baker added. “Our waters will be safer,

our health protected, and our economies stronger. And, we will have proven that restoration is

achievable.”

Click Here for a copy of the opinion.

NewsClips:

Federal Court Again Upholds Chesapeake Bay Restoration

Federal Court Upholds EPA Chesapeake Bay Plan

Appeals Court Upholds Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Plan

Federal Court Upholds Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Plan

Advocates For Chesapeake Bay Praise Court Ruling

PA Farms Crucial To Chesapeake Bay Health

Editorial: Water Rules: States vs. EPA

Wet Weather Sewer Overflows Dampen Pittsburgh Summer

Lancaster Looks To Update Stormwater Ordinance

Lehigh Valley Drought Never Thought Was There, Over

Three Rivers Regatta Visitors Could Top 500K Latest From The Chesapeake Bay Journal

Wolf Appoints Members To PA Pipeline Infrastructure Task Force, Work Groups

Gov. Tom Wolf Tuesday announced the appointment of 48 individuals to

participate on the Pennsylvania Pipeline Infrastructure Taskforce , which

will be chaired by Department of Environmental Protection Secretary

http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/pipeline_infrastructure_task_force/22066/http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/pipeline_infrastructure_task_force/22066/membership/2072883http://www.bayjournal.com/http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/8678981-74/regatta-races-despitehttp://www.mcall.com/news/weather/mc-drought-watch-over-20150710-1-story.html#navtype=outfithttp://lancasteronline.com/news/local/lancaster-city-looking-to-update-parking-lot-regs-to-address/article_95accfce-24d7-11e5-a567-23f677a8b24a.htmlhttp://triblive.com/news/allegheny/8691399-74/overflows-sewer-alcosanhttp://triblive.com/opinion/editorials/8654007-74/clean-epa-stateshttp://www.publicnewsservice.org/2015-07-09/water/pennsylvania-farms-crucial-to-chesapeake-bay-health/a47051-1http://www.witf.org/news/2015/07/advocates-for-chesapeake-bay-clean-up-praise-ruling.phphttp://timesleader.com/news/372342/federal-court-upholds-chesapeake-bay-clean-up-planhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/us-appeals-court-upholds-chesapeake-bay-clean-up-plan/2015/07/06/d5dfb3ea-2423-11e5-b72c-2b7d516e1e0e_story.htmlhttp://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2015/07/federal_appeals_court_upholds_1.html#incart_riverhttp://lancasteronline.com/news/local/federal-court-again-upholds-chesapeake-bay-restoration-regulations-here/article_856ee9d0-2405-11e5-aae2-8fb974818a35.htmlhttp://www2.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/134079p.pdf


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John Quigley, and 101 other individuals were appointed to 12 work groups.

The group of experts and stakeholders will recommend policies, guidelines and best

practices to guide the anticipated and unprecedented build-out of pipeline infrastructure expected

to take place across Pennsylvania during the next decade.

“Pipeline expansion is important to our economy and growing energy sector,” Gov. Wolf

said. “We will work together to make sure that this important infrastructure can be developedeffectively and responsibly with consideration for the environment, residents and local

communities.”

The task force is made up of representatives from state agencies, the legislature, federal

and local governments, the pipeline and natural gas industries and environmental groups. Experts

were drawn from across the state and country.

“Gov. Wolf has charged the task force with crafting an innovative, collaborative and

responsible approach to pipeline development that balances environmental protection with

economic opportunity,” said Quigley. “Through smart planning, Pennsylvania can experience

economic prosperity, achieve energy security, and protect the environment and communities.”

The members will define a set of recommendations and best practices for: planning,

siting and routing pipelines; amplifying and engaging in meaningful public participation;maximizing opportunities for predictable and efficient permitting; employing construction

methods that reduce environmental and community impacts; and developing long-term

operations and maintenance plans to ensure pipeline safety and integrity.

The task force will provide a report of recommendations to Gov. Tom Wolf by February

2016.

More than 200 people applied to participate on the task force.

The task force will be informed by an additional 101 individuals, serving on 12

workgroups, who will focus on such issues as pipeline safety and integrity, siting and routing,

environmental protection, conservation, agriculture, emergency preparedness, natural gas end

use, county government, local government, public participation, workforce and economic

development, and historical, cultural and tribal issues.

First Meeting July 22

The first meeting of the task force will be held on July 22 from 1-4 p.m. at DEP's

Southcentral Regional Office, 909 Elmerton Ave., Harrisburg. The meeting will be open to the

public and streamed live and will also available on DEP's website. Access information will be

posted here prior to the meeting.

Task Force Members

Following is the list of task force appointees:

State Government:

— John Quigley, Secretary, DEP (task force chair)

— Dennis Davin, Secretary, Department of Community and Economic Development — Karen Murphy, Secretary, Department of Health

— Leslie S. Richards, Secretary, Department of Transportation

— David Sweet, Special Assistant, Governor’s Office

— John Hanger, Secretary, Policy and Planning, Governor's Office

— Dan Devlin, State Forester, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

— Michael F. Smith, Executive Deputy Secretary, Department of Agriculture

— Richard D. Flinn, Jr., Director, PA Emergency Management Agency

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— Heather Smiles, Chief, Division of Environmental Services, Fish and Boat Commission

— Michael R. DiMatteo, Chief, Division of Environmental Planning and Habitat Protection,

Game Commission

— Sarah Bellew, Deputy State historic Preservation Officer, PA Historic Museum Commission

— Paul Metro, Manager, Gas Safety Division, Public Utility Commission

— David Smith, Property Management Administrator, Pennsylvania Turnpike CommissionFederal Government:

— David Hanobic, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Outreach Coordinator

— Colonel Ed Chamberlayne, Baltimore District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

— Steve Tambini, Delaware River Basin Commission

External Stakeholders:

Agriculture

— David Messersmith, Penn State Extension, of Honesdale, Wayne County

Conservation and Natural Resources

— Mark Gutshall, LandStudies , of Lititz, Lancaster County

Conventional Oil and Gas

— Nicholas Geanopulos, Geanopulos Representations, of Mount Lebanon, Allegheny CountyCounty Government

— Kathi Cozzone , Chester County Commissioner, of Exton, Chester County

Emergency Preparedness

— William Kiger, PA One Call System, of West Mifflin, Allegheny County

Environmental Protection

— Davitt Woodwell, PA Environmental Council , of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County

— Kenneth Klemow, Wilkes University, of Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County

— Michael Gross, Post & Schell, P.C., of Philadelphia, Philadelphia

— Michael Helbing, Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future, of Archbald, Lackawanna County

Historic/Cultural/Tribal

— Curtis Biondich, BL Companies, of Oakmont, Allegheny County

Local Government

— Marvin Meteer, Wyalusing Township, of Wyalusing, Bradford County

Natural Gas End User

— Cristina Jorge Schwarz, Apex Companies LLC, of Malvern, Chester County

— Wayne Gardner, W E Gardner Company, LLC, of Downingtown, Chester County

Pipeline Industry

— Duane Peters, American Council of Engineering Companies - PA Chapter, of Harrisburg,

Dauphin County

— Joe Fink, CONE Midstream Partners LP, of Canonsburg, Washington County

— Thomas Hutchins, Kinder Morgan, of Tomball, Texas — Dave Callahan, MarkWest, of Canonsburg, Washington County

— Joseph McGinn, Sunoco Logistics Partners LP, of Philadelphia

— Cindy Ivey, Williams, of Houston, Texas

Pipeline Safety and Integrity

— Keith Coyle, Van Ness Feldman, of Arlington, Virginia

Unconventional Oil and Gas

— Fredrick Dalena, EQT Corporation, of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County

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— Justin Trettel, Rice Energy, of Canonsburg, Washington County

— Mark Reeves, Shell, of Sewickley, Allegheny County

— Sarah Battisti, Southwestern, of Camp Hill, Cumberland County

— Walter Hufford, Talisman Energy/Repsol, of Warrendale, Allegheny County

Workforce/Economic Development

— Anthony Gallagher, Steamfitters LU420, of Philadelphia — Don Kiel, of SEDA-COG, of Lewisburg, Union County

Legislative Appointments:

President Pro Tempore of the Senate

— Terry Bossert, Range Resources, of Mechanicsburg, Cumberland County

Minority Leader of the Senate

— Andrew Dinniman, Pennsylvania Senate, of West Chester, Chester County

Speaker of the House

— Lauren Parker, Civil and Environmental Consultants, of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County

Minority Leader of the House

— William F. Keller, Pennsylvania House, of Philadelphia

For more information, visit DEP’s Pennsylvania Pipeline Infrastructure Taskforce webpage.

NewsClips:

Wolf Appoints 48 To Pipeline Task Force

Wolf Announces Members Of Pipeline Task Force

Northeast Residents Chosen For Wolf’s Pipeline Task Force

Fractivist Gets Uninvited From Wolf’s Pipeline Panel

Wyoming Drilling Watchdog Questions Decision To Keep Him Off Panel

Op-Ed: New Process Needed For Natural Gas Pipelines

PennEast Pipeline Poses Threat To Watershed, Bethlehem Authority

Feds Propose Safety Values For Natural Gas Lines

Editorial: Keystone XL Pipeline: No Surrender

DEP: Conventional Wells Had 3 Times The Violations Of Unconventional Wells In 2014

The Department of Environmental Protection Thursday

issued its 2014 Oil and Gas Annual Report which

reported conventional oil and gas wells had three times

the violations of unconventional wells and nearly three

times the number of enforcement actions during 2014.

The report is a summary of important policy and

regulatory developments, notable accomplishmentsachieved during 2014 and a glimpse of what to expect

from DEP during 2015.

DEP Secretary John Quigley said in the

introduction to the report, “This annual report delivers the Governor's goal of providing both

enhanced transparency and integrity in the way that the DEP operates.”

Among the highlights from 2014 are--

-- Number Of Violations: 412 violations resulting in 140 enforcement actions from 11,265

http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/annual_report/21786?utm_source=Listrak&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=http%3a%2f%2fwww.portal.state.pa.us%2fportal%2fserver.pt%2fcommunity%2fannual_report%2f21786&utm_campaign=DEP+News+for+July+9%2c+2015http://triblive.com/opinion/editorials/8696337-74/keystone-oil-pipelinehttp://www.mcall.com/news/local/allentown/mc-feds-want-gas-line-safety-valves-20150708-story.html#navtype=outfithttp://www.mcall.com/news/local/bethlehem/mc-bethlehem-authority-meeting-070915-20150709-story.html#navtype=outfithttp://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2015/07/10/Pa-s-pipelines/stories/201507080055http://timesleader.com/news/local/372740/wyoming-valley-gas-drilling-watchdog-questions-decision-to-keep-him-off-state-panelhttp://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2015/07/08/fractivist-gets-uninvited-from-wolfs-new-pipeline-panel/http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/locals-chosen-for-wolf-s-pipeline-task-force-1.1909362http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2015/07/07/wolf-administration-announces-members-of-new-pipeline-task-force/http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/20150708_Gov__Wolf_appoints_48_to_pipeline_taskforce.htmlhttp://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/pipeline_infrastructure_task_force/22066/


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inspections of unconventional wells; 1,449 violations resulting in 337 enforcement actions from

12,489 inspections of conventional wells;

-- Well Permits Issued: 3,203 unconventional wells, down from the peak of 3,630 in 2011;

1,269 conventional wells, down from 2,258 in 2011;

-- Wells Drilled: 1,372 unconventional wells (17 were Utica Shale wells), down from the peak

of 1,960 in 2011; 791 conventional wells, down from 1,272 in 2011;-- Radiation Study: Completion of the Comprehensive Oil and Gas Development Radiation

(TENORM) Study ;

-- Integrity Assessments: Quarterly mechanical integrity assessments of wells;

-- GIS Mapping: Finalized interactive oil and gas GIS map ;

-- E-Well Permitting: Full launch of e-well permitting for oil and gas wells;

What’s Next?

-- Pipeline Infrastructure Task Force ;

-- Proposed Changes to Subchapters D, E and H of Chapter 78 ;

-- Update Water Supply Complaint Tracking System;

-- Monthly Production Reporting ; and

-- Revised Methane Capture Standards.A copy of the report is available online.

Related Story:

Analysis: Myth-- Conventional Oil And Gas Drilling Is Benign

NewsClips:

Letter: GOP Lawmakers Give Drillers Gift By Stopping DEP Regs

Op-Ed: Setting Performance Standards For Fracking

Analysis: Wolf Vetoes Pension Bill, Republicans Express Dismay, Budget Jabs Continue

As threatened, Gov. Tom Wolf Thursday vetoed the Republican pension reform bill-- Senate Bill

1

(Corman-R-Centre). The Republican reaction? They were “dismayed.”

Now, we know a lot of people aren’t paying that close attention to the shots Gov. Wolf

and Senate and House Republicans are taking at each other over the budget, but really,

dismayed? Everyone saw the veto coming didn’t they?

Of course Wolf also said this week the GOP budget made him “sad” for public education.

The Senate announced this week they will return to voting session July 13, 14 and 15.

The House will return July 21 and 22. For what, given events, no one is sure.

Gov. Wolf said of his veto: “I understand the need for pension reform, but this legislation

provides no immediate cost savings to taxpayers and does not maximize long-term savings for

taxpayers. We need pension reform that works. There are provisions within this legislation,

which as part of a comprehensive pension proposal I could support; however, Senate Bill 1 doesnot address the problems facing our pension system comprehensively and fairly.

“The plan I delivered to the General Assembly would save at least $10 billion, while at

the same time ensuring that the commonwealth will make all actuarially required contributions to

fund our future pension obligations and reducing the burden placed on the commonwealth and

school districts in the short term. Since my budget proposal I have found and shared an added $7

billion in savings, a total of $17 billion in savings to our retirement systems, which I have

communicated to the General Assembly. Furthermore, the plan I proposed would reduce the over

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=0001http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=0001http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2015/07/here_is_where_we_go_next_for_s.html#incart_riverhttp://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/letters/2015/07/10/GOP-lawmakers-would-give-gas-drillers-a-gift-by-stopping-new-DEP-rules/stories/201507100202http://www.paenvironmentdigest.com/newsletter/default.asp?NewsletterArticleID=31809http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/annual_report/21786?utm_source=Listrak&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=http%3a%2f%2fwww.portal.state.pa.us%2fportal%2fserver.pt%2fcommunity%2fannual_report%2f21786&utm_campaign=DEP+News+for+July+9%2c+2015https://www.paoilandgasreporting.state.pa.us/publicreports/Modules/Welcome/Agreement.aspxhttp://files.dep.state.pa.us/OilGas/BOGM/BOGMPortalFiles/OilGasReports/Determination_Letters/Regional_Determination_Letters.pdfhttp://files.dep.state.pa.us/OilGas/BOGM/BOGMPortalFiles/OilGasReports/2014/TABMEETINGS/ConceptualChanges-SubchaptersDandHTAB(2014-06-26).pdfhttp://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/pipeline_infrastructure_task_force/22066/http://www.depgis.state.pa.us/PaOilAndGasMapping/http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/oil___gas_related_topics/20349/radiation_protection/986697http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/oil___gas_related_topics/20349/radiation_protection/986697


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$700 million in fees paid annually to Wall Street firms to manage our investments, Senate Bill 1

does not address these excessive fees.

“This legislation was pushed through without negotiation by Republicans along with an

unbalanced budget, and this legislation produces no savings to our deficit in the next fiscal year.

We need a comprehensive agreement on the issues facing Pennsylvania including education

funding, the need for a commonsense severance tax on natural gas, balancing our budget for thelong term, and pension reform.

“Furthermore, during my consideration of this legislation, it became clear that this

legislation violates federal tax law as it would be considered an impermissible cash or deferred

arrangement (CODA). In addition, the bill forces newly-hired employees to pay down the

unfunded liability of existing pension plans, caused by years of government failure to make

necessary payments, while denying those new employees the full benefit of their contributions.

“I urge the General Assembly to resume negotiations and work to enact a comprehensive

plan that will balance our budget, invest in our schools, make oil and gas companies pay their

fair share, and solve Pennsylvania’s pension problem.”

Republican Reaction

Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-Jefferson), Senate Majority Leader JakeCorman (R-Centre), Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Pat Browne (R-Lehigh),

Speaker of the House Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny), House Majority Leader Dave Reed

(R-Indiana) and House Appropriations Committee Chairman Bill Adolph (R-Delaware) said of

Wolf’s veto:

“We are dismayed by Gov. Wolf’s comments on KQV radio today stating that he will

veto the pension reform package because ‘it’s still not good for employees moving

forward…we’re not going to attract good employees to our system with that part of the pension

bill.’ Further, the notion that we are close to a compromise on a pension reform plan, when we

only learned this morning of the veto via the press, is a bit disingenuous.

“It is remarkable that Gov. Wolf would oppose a proposal to move new public employees

into a 401k-style retirement plan which he, himself, adopted for his employees at Wolf

Organization. Apparently, the Governor believes this type of plan, which is common in the

private sector, is adequate for most hard working Pennsylvanians, but not for legislators or

members of public employee unions.

“With this planned veto, he is rejecting tangible, systematic changes to reform the public

employee pension systems, which are currently the number one reason for property tax increases.

Gov. Wolf’s plan to borrow to pay pensions does not fix the problem. We have clearly seen that

Gov. Wolf’s actions speak louder than his words on wanting to provide property tax relief.

“We are unsettled by his continued willingness to bow to the desires of special interests

while disregarding what the people of Pennsylvania recognize as needed reform. The reality is

that with this veto, Gov. Wolf will be taking another step to ensure Pennsylvanians paysignificantly higher taxes, in order to fund an outdated retirement system which is out of step

with what average Pennsylvanians receive.

“In the last 10 days the Governor has vetoed a balanced, no-tax-increase budget; an

historic liquor privatization plan to finally give consumers convenience and choice when

purchasing alcohol; and now today has said he will veto a pension reform bill that would save

taxpayers over $10 billion. Instead of working with the General Assembly to move Pennsylvania

forward, Gov. Wolf continues to be fixated on massive income and sales tax increases. For


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someone who has pledged to create a ‘government that works,’ he’s certainly doing everything

he can to make sure it doesn’t.”

When Will Budget Pain Start?

Both Gov. Wolf and Republicans were largely talking passed each other for the second

week in a row on budget issues, as you can tell from the NewsClips. The quips and jabs could

go on forever, but soon real pain will set in for groups and local governments that depend onstate funding to provide services.

Vendors the state owes money, including for basic things like rents on buildings,

telephone and other services, non-profit groups that provide a variety of social services, drug and

alcohol treatment and rehab, mental health-related services, nursing homes, payments for

environmental grants and many others are feeling the immediate impact because no payments

were made after June 30.

The first payments to school districts are due in August through October.

While state worker pay (including the Governor), welfare payments and legislative

member and staff pay (at least for a while), will not be affected, it could become difficult to

explain why legislators and the Governor continue to get paid, while the budget crisis continues.

One of the longest periods without a state budget was in 2003 when Gov. Rendellselectively vetoed school district and other funding, to force Senate and House Republicans to

deal on the budget. A complete budget was not passed that year until December 23 .

The budget was late each year thereafter in the Rendell Administration because of

disagreements with the Republican Senate and House.

With respect to the public’s reaction to all this, perhaps the public will at some point

“dismayed” at this whole “sad” budget situation, but it may take a while.

NewsClips:

IFO: Shale Impact Fee Revenue Smallest Since 2012

Drilling Impact Fees Generate 15% Less For PA

Op-Ed: Severance Tax Would Hurt Natural Gas Industry

Letter: Don’t Ignore Marcellus Shale’s Contribution

Wolf, Republicans Offer Hints Of Budget Compromise

Wolf Willing To Explore Tax Alternatives

Wolf, GOP Remain At Odds

9 Ideas On How To Resolve Budget Stalemate

Wolf Vetoes GOP Pension Bill, Republicans Dismayed

Another Day, Another Setback For Budget Talks

Quiet Day In PA Budget Siege

Politics Of PA’s Budget Impasse Heating Up

Air War Over PA Budget Standoff To Hit TV Screens

GOP: Broad-Based Tax Increases Off Limits Wolf Attacks GOP Budget While Senator Blames Him

PA Budget Negotiations Remain Deadlocked

GOP Leader: Budget Impasse Could Last A While

GOP Leaders' Letter To Wolf: Politics Over Governing

GOP Tells Wolf Ball Is In His Court On Budget

Talks But No Progress On Budget For Wolf, GOP

Act II In Budget Theatre Opens Quietly

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2015/07/act_ii_in_pennsylvania_budget.html#incart_riverhttp://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/20150707_Talks_but_no_progress_for_Wolf__GOP.htmlhttp://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/880100/On-budget--GOP-leaders-tell-Wolf-the-ball-is-in-his-court.html?isap=1&nav=5020http://www.theplsreporter.com/Home/TabId/56/ArtMID/472/ArticleID/817/GOP-leaders%E2%80%99-letter-to-Wolf-Budget-veto-%E2%80%9Cputs-politics-over-governing%E2%80%9D.aspxhttp://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150708_GOP_leader__Pa__budget_impasse_could_last__a_while_.htmlhttp://www.post-gazette.com/news/state/2015/07/08/Negotiations-over-Pennsylvania-taxes-budget-remain-deadlocked/stories/201507080075http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/pennsylvania/mc-pennsylvania-budget-stalemate-20150707-story.htmlhttp://triblive.com/news/adminpage/8696980-74/wolf-tax-budgethttp://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2015/07/08/Air-war-over-Pennsylvania-budget-standoff-to-hit-TV-screens-2/stories/201507080200http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/pennsylvania/capitol-ideas/mc-politics-heating-up-in-pennsylvania-s-budget-impasse-20150708-story.html#navtype=outfithttp://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2015/07/quiet_day_in_the_pennsylvania.html#incart_riverhttp://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2015/07/another_day_another_setback_fo.html#incart_riverhttp://www.witf.org/news/2015/07/wolf-confirms-that-he-will-veto-public-pension-bill.phphttp://www.pennlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/07/path_to_a_budget_agreement.html#incart_riverhttp://www.yorkdispatch.com/breaking/ci_28465836/wolf-gop-remain-at-oddshttp://www.witf.org/news/2015/07/wolf-willing-to-explore-tax-alternatives.phphttp://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-pa-tom-wolf-allentown-school-20150710-story.htmlhttp://www.mcall.com/opinion/letters/mc-budget-taxes-gas-industry-henderson-20150708-story.htmlhttp://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20150708_Severance_tax_would_hurt_Pa__s_natural-gas_industry.htmlhttp://triblive.com/business/headlines/8697924-74/gas-fee-impact#axzz3fHWonm3Ghttp://powersource.post-gazette.com/powersource/policy-powersource/2015/07/07/IFO-Marcellus-Shale-impact-fee-could-bring-in-the-smallest-amount-of-revenue-since-2012-Pennsylvania/stories/201507070009http://articles.philly.com/2003-12-23/news/25469805_1_school-funding-bill-reduction-in-property-taxes-property-tax-relief


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PA Environment Digest Google+ Circle, Blogs, Twitter Feeds

PA Environment Digest now has a Google+ Circle called Green Works In PA . Let us join your

Circle.

Google+ now combines all the news you now get through the PA Environment Digest,Weekly, Blog, Twitter and Video sites into one resource.

You’ll receive as-it-happens postings on Pennsylvania environmental news, daily

NewsClips and links to the weekly Digest and videos.

Also take advantage of these related services from Crisci Associates --

PA Environment Digest Twitter Feed: On Twitter, sign up to receive instant updates from:

PAEnviroDigest.

PA Environment Daily Blog: provides daily environmental NewsClips and significant stories

and announcements on environmental topics in Pennsylvania of immediate value. Sign up andreceive as they are posted updates through your favorite RSS reader. You can also sign up for a

once daily email alerting you to new items posted on this blog. NEW! Add your constructive

comment to any blog posting.

PA Capitol Digest Daily Blog to get updates every day on Pennsylvania State Government,

including NewsClips, coverage of key press conferences and more. Sign up and receive as they

are posted updates through your favorite RSS reader. You can also sign up for a once daily

email alerting you to new items posted on this blog.

PA Capitol Digest Twitter Feed: Don't forget to sign up to receive the PA Capitol Digest

Twitter

feed to get instant updates on other news from in and around the Pennsylvania State

Capitol.

Senate/House Agenda/Session Schedule[Updated]Gov’s Schedule/ BillsIntroduced

Here are the Senate and House Calendars and Committee meetings showing bills of interest as

well as a list of new environmental bills introduced--

Bill Calendars

House (July 21 ): Senate Bill 307 (Yudichak-D-Luzerne) providing for an independent counsel

for the Environmental Quality Board; Senate Bill 513 (McGarrigle-R-Delaware) authorizing the

transportation of landfill leachate by truck; Senate Bill 875 (Bartolotta-R- Fayette) providing for

the reuse of treated mine water for fracking gas wells (sponsor summary ). Click Here for

full House Bill Calendar.

Senate (July 13): Click Here for full Senate Bill Calendar.

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/SC/SC/0/RC/CAL.HTMhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/SC/HC/0/RC/SCHC.HTMhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us//cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=S&SPick=20150&cosponId=18364http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=0875http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=0513http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=0307http://www.twitter.com/PaCapitolDigesthttp://www.crisciassociates.com/category/capitol-blog/http://www.crisciassociates.com/category/environment-blog/http://www.twitter.com/http://www.crisciassociates.com/https://plus.google.com/+DavidHessGreenWorksInPA/posts


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Committee Meeting Agendas This Week

House: Click Here for full House Committee Schedule.

Senate:

the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee

meeting to consider SenateResolution 54 (Argall-R-Schuylkill) urging Congress to impose tariffs on imported anthracite

coal ( sponsor summary ), Senate Resolution 55 (Hutchinson-R-Venango) a concurrent resolution

establishing a Forestry Task Force associated with the Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution

Control and Conservation Committee (sponsor summary). Click Here for full Senate

Committee Schedule.

Bills Pending In Key Committees

Here are links to key Standing Committees in the House and Senate and the bills pending in

each--

House

Appropriations

Education

Environmental Resources and Energy

Consumer Affairs

Gaming Oversight

Human Services

Judiciary

Liquor Control

Transportation

Links for all other Standing House Committees

Senate

Appropriations

Environmental Resources and Energy

Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure

Community, Economic and Recreational Development

Education

Judiciary

Law and Justice

Public Health and WelfareTransportation

Links for all other Standing Senate Committees

Bills Introduced

The following bills of interest were introduced this week--

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/CteeInfo/StandingCommittees.cfm?CteeBody=Shttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/CteeInfo/index.cfm?Code=19&CteeBody=Shttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/CteeInfo/index.cfm?Code=33&CteeBody=Shttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/CteeInfo/index.cfm?Code=29&CteeBody=Shttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/CteeInfo/index.cfm?Code=39&CteeBody=Shttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/CteeInfo/index.cfm?Code=23&CteeBody=Shttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/CteeInfo/index.cfm?Code=31&CteeBody=Shttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/CteeInfo/index.cfm?Code=7&CteeBody=Shttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/CteeInfo/index.cfm?Code=9&CteeBody=Shttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/CteeInfo/index.cfm?Code=3&CteeBody=Shttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/CteeInfo/StandingCommittees.cfm?CteeBody=Hhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/CteeInfo/StandingCommittees.cfm?CteeBody=Hhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/CteeInfo/index.cfm?Code=38&CteeBody=Hhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/CteeInfo/index.cfm?Code=28&CteeBody=Hhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/CteeInfo/index.cfm?Code=24&CteeBody=Hhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/CteeInfo/index.cfm?Code=56&CteeBody=Hhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/CteeInfo/index.cfm?Code=54&CteeBody=Hhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/CteeInfo/index.cfm?Code=10&CteeBody=Hhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/CteeInfo/index.cfm?Code=8&CteeBody=Hhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/CteeInfo/index.cfm?Code=12&CteeBody=Hhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/CteeInfo/index.cfm?Code=4&CteeBody=Hhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/CO/SM/COSM.HTMhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us//cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=S&SPick=20150&cosponId=17546http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/billinfo.cfm?syear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=R&bn=55http://www.legis.state.pa.us//cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=S&SPick=20150&cosponId=16954http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/billinfo.cfm?syear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=R&bn=54http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/billinfo.cfm?syear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=R&bn=54http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/CO/HM/COHM.HTM


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Stream Cleaning: House Bill 1433 (Causer-R-Cameron) providing for the removal of stream

debris through a Small Stream Maintenance Permit issued by county conservation districts

(sponsor summary ).

Plastic Bag Fee: House Bill 1431 (Sims-D-Philadelphia) imposing a 2 cent per plastic bag fee to

be used to improve recycling practices (sponsor summary

).

Requiring Preserved Farms To Meet Existing Environmental Regulations: House Bill 1447

(Sturla-D-Lancaster) requiring farms preserved under the state’s preferential assessment program

to have required manure management, erosion and sedimentation and meet other existing

environmental standards for farming operations.

Affordable Energy Development Zones: Senate Bill 886 (Hutchinson-R-Venango) authorizing

Affordable Energy Development Zones to promote commercial development near

unconventional gas wells (sponsor summary ).

Session Schedule [Updated]

Here is the latest voting session schedule for the Senate and House--

Senate

July 13, 14, 15

September 21 (unless sooner recalled)

House

July 21, 22

August 25 (unless sooner recalled)

Governor’s Schedule

Gov. Tom Wolf's work calendar will be posted each Friday and his public schedule for the day

will be posted each morning. Click Here to view Gov. Wolf’s Weekly Calendar and Public

Appearances.

Bills On Governor's Desk

The following bills were given final approval by the Senate and House and are now on the

Governor's desk for action--

Pension Reform: Senate Bill 1 (Corman-R-Centre) Senate/House Republican pension reform

bill. A House Fiscal Note and summary are available. An Actuarial Note and summary of the

bill is available online . The Governor vetoed this legislation as Veto #5.

News From The Capitol

https://goo.gl/kVbvmGhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/BI/FN/2015/0/SB0001P1132.pdfhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=0001http://www.governor.pa.gov/Schedule/Pages/schedule.aspx#.VNVGE0K4lBxhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us//cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=S&SPick=20150&cosponId=17325http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=0886http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=1447http://www.legis.state.pa.us//cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20150&cosponId=17919http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/billinfo.cfm?syear=2015&sind=0&body=H&type=B&bn=1431http://www.legis.state.pa.us//cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20150&cosponId=18482http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=1433


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Senate Committee Meets July 13 On Anthracite, Forestry Task Force Resolutions

The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee is scheduled to meet on July 13 to

consider resolutions relating to anthracite coal and creating a Forestry Task Force. The bills

include--

-- Senate Resolution 54 (Argall-R-Schuylkill) urging Congress to impose tariffs on importedanthracite coal (sponsor summary ); and

-- Senate Resolution 55 (Hutchinson-R-Venango) a concurrent resolution establishing a Forestry

Task Force associated with the Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and

Conservation Committee (sponsor summary ).

The meeting will be held in the Rules Committee Room at the call of the Senate President

off the floor.

Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming) serves as the Majority Chair of the Committee, email:

[email protected] , and Sen. John Yudichak (D-Luzerne) serves as Minority Chair, email:

[email protected].

NewsClips:

Coal Industry Faces Multiple Battles Call For Funds To Shore Up Coal Miners’ Pension Fund

Coal Miners’ Settlement Being Razed In Mocanaqua

Gypsy Moth Program Needs Homeowner Input

PA Firefighters Return From Battling Alaska Wildfires

News From Around The State

DEP Lifts Drought Watch For All Counties In Pennsylvania

The Department of Environmental Protection Friday lifted the drought watch declaration for allcounties throughout Pennsylvania, based on recommendations from the Pennsylvania Drought

Task Force.

“We have seen an increase in rainfall in many parts of the state that has restored

groundwater levels and streamflow,” DEP Secretary John Quigley said. “While conditions have

improved, I would encourage all Pennsylvanians to continue to consider their water use and

conserve whenever possible.”

The drought watch was issued on March 24 for Berks, Bradford, Cambria, Carbon,

Clinton, Columbia, Indiana, Lackawanna, Lawrence, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer,

Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Pike, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna,

Tioga, Union, Wayne, Westmoreland, and Wyoming counties. It was expanded on June 17 for

Bedford, Blair, Centre, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lehigh, Mifflin, and Northamptoncounties.

The drought watch was declared because of below-average precipitation in the fall,

winter and spring months which led to lower than normal groundwater levels. However,

precipitation during the month of June was above average and a review of county monitoring

gauges shows that the 30-day average stream flows and groundwater levels have risen to normal

or above normal conditions across the state.

The Pennsylvania Drought Task Force uses reports and forecasts from the National

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2015/07/firefighters_return_from_alask.html#incart_riverhttp://thetimes-tribune.com/news/gypsy-moth-suppression-program-needs-homeowner-input-1.1909334http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/coal-miners-settlement-being-razed-1.1910511http://powersource.post-gazette.com/powersource/policy-powersource/2015/07/07/U-S-Senators-call-for-retired-coal-miners-benefits-pension-protection-federal/stories/201507070173http://powersource.post-gazette.com/powersource/policy-powersource/2015/07/07/National-Mining-Association-president-Quinn-says-coal-industry-in-middle-of-war/stories/201507070004mailto:[email protected]://www.senatoryudichak.com/mailto:[email protected]://www.senatorgeneyaw.com/http://www.legis.state.pa.us//cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=S&SPick=20150&cosponId=17546http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/billinfo.cfm?syear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=R&bn=55http://www.legis.state.pa.us//cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=S&SPick=20150&cosponId=16954http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/billinfo.cfm?syear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=R&bn=54http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/cteeInfo/Index.cfm?CteeBody=S&Code=9


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Weather Service and U.S. Geological Survey, as well as analysis from DEP’s drought

monitoring program, to make its recommendations on issuing and lifting declarations. The task

force, led by DEP, will continue to monitor conditions across the state.

A drought watch declaration is the first and least-severe level of the state’s three drought

classifications. It calls for a voluntary five percent reduction in non-essential water use and puts

large water consumers on notice to begin planning for the possibility of reduced water supplies.Water conservation tips and additional drought information are available by visiting

DEP’s Drought Information webpage.

NewsClips:

Lehigh Valley Drought Never Thought Was There, Over

PA American Water Presents Environmental Grant For Camp

American Water Buys Drilling Supplier

SRBC Aug. 6 Hearing On Changes To Water Resources Plan For Susquehanna Basin

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing August 6 on

proposed changes to the Comprehensive Plan for the Water Resources of the Susquehanna RiverBasin and on individual water withdrawal projects. ( formal notice + agenda )

The hearing will be held at the East Hanover Township Municipal Building, 8848

Jonestown Rd., Grantville. 7:00 to 9:00.

For more information, visit the SRBC’s Public Participation Center webpage.

NRCS Announces New Funding Available In Certain Counties In PA

Denise Coleman, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service State Conservationist , Tuesday

announced Pennsylvania agricultural producers and non-industrial private forest landowners in

targeted areas can now apply for conservation assistance through five new approved Regional

Conservation Partnership Program projects.

RCPP focuses on public-private partnerships to enable private companies, local

communities and other non-government partners a way to invest in conservation efforts to help

keep our private land resilient and water clean.

NRCS funding to producers and landowners is made available through the Environmental

Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Awarded funds will be dedicated to installing conservation

practices and easements in selected areas to accomplish a wide diversity of agricultural and

natural resource goals such as improving water and soil quality, and restoring fish and wildlife

habitat.

In addition to USDA financial assistance funds, partners will expand upon conservation

efforts of the NRCS by contributing funds and in-kind services such as outreach and technicalassistance.

For FY 2015, funding for EQIP contracts is expected to be available through--

-- Stroud Water Research Center project in parts of Berks, Chester counties;

-- National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Delaware River Watershed project in parts of Berks,

Bucks, Chester, Lehigh, Montgomery counties within designated watersheds; and

-- American Bird Conservancy Cerulean Warbler habitat project (eastern PA area only/east of

Susquehanna River).

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/farmbill/rcpp/http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/farmbill/rcpp/http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/pa/home/http://www.srbc.net/pubinfo/publicparticipation.htmhttp://www.srbc.net/pubinfo/publicparticipation.htmhttp://www.srbc.net/http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150710_American_Water_acquires_Marcellus_Shale_water_supplier.htmlhttp://chescotimes.com/?p=11016http://www.mcall.com/news/weather/mc-drought-watch-over-20150710-1-story.html#navtype=outfithttp://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/drought_information/21263


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The deadline for applications in these areas is July 31.

Funding will also be available in the future for projects in these areas--

-- National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Project in Bradford, Juniata, Lancaster counties; and

-- Alliance for Chesapeake Bay in Franklin County.

Applicants should contact their local NRCS Service Center for additional information

and application procedures. Click Here

for the full announcement.NewsClips:

Federal Court Again Upholds Chesapeake Bay Restoration

Federal Court Upholds EPA Chesapeake Bay Plan

Appeals Court Upholds Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Plan

Advocates For Chesapeake Bay Praise Court Ruling

PA Farms Crucial To Chesapeake Bay Health

Avian Flu Creeps Toward PA

New Pittsburgh Ordinance Simplifies Urban Farming

DEP Interns Learn About Water Management, Public Service

Approximately 40 interns from DEP’s Office of Water Management

met with Water Management Deputy Secretary Kelly Heffner and

other staff on July 7 to discuss how DEP protects Pennsylvania’s water

resources as well as the rewards of working in public service.

The event was held at Fort Hunter Park in Dauphin County to provide

access to the Susquehanna River where DEP’s Josh Lookenbill (photo)

and staff from the Bureau of Point/Nonpoint Source Management,

Division of Water Quality Standards gave the students a tour of DEP

testing locations on the river as well as an on-land presentation on the

responsibilities of staff to ensure water quality to the citizens of the

Commonwealth.

Lookenbill leads DEP’s team who, along with the Fish and Boat

Commission, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission , and the U.S. Geological Survey, have

undertaken a multi-year study of the river to investigate a number of issues facing the

smallmouth bass population.

NewsClips:


Audubon Offers Citizen Scientist Program At Beechwood Farms

(Reprinted from the July 9 DEP News . Click Here to sign up for your own copy.)

CBF-PA: Teachers Get Their Feet Wet At Envirothon Workshop

Fourteen Envirothon teachers from Pennsylvania and Virginia

went paddling, turned over rocks, and studied forestry and soils

during a two-day workshop this week, co-sponsored by the

Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Lancaster County Conservation

District.

http://lancasterconservation.org/http://lancasterconservation.org/http://www.cbf.org/pahttp://www.envirothonpa.org/http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=21504&PageID=1714475&mode=2http://paenvironmentdaily.blogspot.com/2015/07/july-9-dep-news-now-available.htmlhttp://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yourfoxchapel/yourfoxchapelmore/8660197-74/audubon-beechwood-citizen#axzz3fNSAP89Ehttp://chescotimes.com/?p=11016http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/water_quality_standards/10556/Susquehanna_River_Study_Updates/1449797http://www.srbc.net/http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2015/07/08/New-Pittsburgh-ordinance-simplifies-urban-farming/stories/201507080083http://www.philly.com/philly/business/homepage/20150706_Egg_producers_buckle_down_as_avian_flu_creeps_toward_Pa_.htmlhttp://www.publicnewsservice.org/2015-07-09/water/pennsylvania-farms-crucial-to-chesapeake-bay-health/a47051-1http://www.witf.org/news/2015/07/advocates-for-chesapeake-bay-clean-up-praise-ruling.phphttp://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/us-appeals-court-upholds-chesapeake-bay-clean-up-plan/2015/07/06/d5dfb3ea-2423-11e5-b72c-2b7d516e1e0e_story.htmlhttp://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2015/07/federal_appeals_court_upholds_1.html#incart_riverhttp://lancasteronline.com/news/local/federal-court-again-upholds-chesapeake-bay-restoration-regulations-here/article_856ee9d0-2405-11e5-aae2-8fb974818a35.htmlhttp://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/pa/newsroom/releases/?cid=NRCSEPRD372406http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app?service=page/CountyMap&state=PA&stateName=Pennsylvania&stateCode=42


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Envirothon is a natural resource environmental education program that combines

classroom learning and outdoor activities. Teams of five high school students compete at the

county and state levels, testing their knowledge of soils and land use, aquatic ecology, forestry,

wildlife, and environmental issues.

Photo: Envirothon teachers from Pennsylvania and Virginia take to the water to paddle

the lake at the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in Lancaster County“Envirothon students are already into the outdoors and the environment,” said Tom

Parke, CBF educator in Pennsylvania and manager of CBF’s Susquehanna Watershed Education

Program. “Our focus is to provide professional development for teachers. With this training, we

work with teachers who are already passionate environmental educators, so they can work to

bring out the best in their students.”

Gina Mason is the Envirothon advisor at Palmyra High School, Lebanon County. The

school’s team placed second in the statewide Envirothon in May. Mason said the workshop was

“without a doubt” a good experience.

“If the teachers don’t learn, how do they teach the students?” Mason asked. “If you have

experts teaching the teachers, then the teachers become the experts teaching their students.”

Mason said the workshop also provided beneficial networking opportunities and exposedteachers to different ways of doing things.

Forestry and soils were subjects for the teachers on the first day of the workshop at the

Masonic Village Pavilion in Elizabethtown with presentations by Ed Dix of the Department of

Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry, and John Chibirka of the U.S.

Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.

On the second day, teachers paddled canoes on the lake at the Pennsylvania Game

Commission’s Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area and learned about factors that

contribute to the lake’s health, from LCCD watershed specialist Matt Kofroth.

The teachers then conducted water tests, and collected and surveyed macro-invertebrates

in nearby Elder Run, an exceptional value stream. In the afternoon, the group learned about

waterfowl and mammals of Pennsylvania, and heard from Theresa Alberici, who coordinates the

Envirothon on behalf of the Game Commission.

Brad McClain has been teaching Envirothon students at Warwick High School in

Lancaster County since 2003 and was inspired by the workshop.

“I got ideas that I can use to get more field experience with my team,” McClain said.

“Ideas on how to get more hands-on, like canoeing, that would be great for us to do. Our

problem is that our kids are busy after school, so we meet in morning. I need to take it to the next

level and start meeting after school.”

The Envirothon program is in its infancy at Mechanicsburg High School in Cumberland

County.

“Water quality is important and for me, environmental education is about understandingthe cause and benefits of what impacts we have and what expectations we have to clean things

up. We struggle with getting people interested,” Envirothon teacher Denise Uzupis said. “There

were good ideas on how to get kids involved and get resources we otherwise would not be able

to get our hands on.”

“I learned a ton,” said Amy Woods, Envirothon teacher at St. Francis Xavier in

Gettysburg. “Like how to get the kids to really work with the material and concepts in hands-on

ways so they are applicable to their lives now and in the future. I was really struggling with how

http://www.cbf.org/join-us/education-programs/one-day-field-programs/susquehanna-watershed-education-programhttp://www.cbf.org/join-us/education-programs/one-day-field-programs/susquehanna-watershed-education-program


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to focus so much information and to get the kids interested in the limited amount of time we

have. Just hearing the experts and their wealth of knowledge gave me more of a foundation.”

This is the second year for Envirothon at Hughesville High School near Williamsport in

Lycoming County.

“We were just looking at what we needed to do to win,” teacher Lisa Strouse said. “This

workshop has made it so much more different. It is going to ignite a passion in them in takingcare of the environment and finding career paths, and more than just winning.”

This the 25th year for CBF’s SWEP, which conducts summer training for adults, as well

as day-trips for students during the school year. The 2015 fall season goes until Thanksgiving

and Parke said the schedule is full with 45 student day-trips planned.

SWEP has conducted 2,000 programs and involved 43,000 participant with its spring and

fall Environmental Education Days. It serves students in grades 6 to 12 in more than 25 central

Pennsylvania counties.

For more information, visit CBF’s Susquehanna Watershed Education Program webpage.

NewsClips:



2015 Rivers Conservation Camp Concludes With Another Successful Run

The 21st annual PA Rivers Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp was held June 21 - 26 at

the Allenberry Resort in Boiling Springs. Thirty-two students, ages 14 to 17, from Pennsylvania,

Maryland and New York participated in the week –long resident experience.

Emma Butler of Centre Hall was the recipient of the Leon Chandler Memorial Award.

The award is presented each year to a student who displays leadership qualities both in the

classroom and on the stream. The award is in honor of the late Leon Chandler, former Vice

President of Cortland Line Company and an instructor and stalwart supporter of the camp.

The college-level classes include principles of ecology, hydrogeology, aquatic vertebrate

and invertebrate sampling, hydrology, trout behavior, trout stream entomology, the biology of

pollution, watersheds, riparian buffers, invasive species and streamside ethics and etiquette. New

this year was a wet lab where students performed water chemistry tests, identified aquatic

invertebrates, identified fish and the parts of a fish.

In addition, the camp provides hands-on classes such as fly tying, fly casting and fishing.

Fish were plentiful and hungry, and thanks to Don Albright’s efforts and Clark Hall’s

compliment of ghillies, all of the students caught fish. A few students had never fished before let

alone fly fished and this class opened up a whole new world to them.

The students also participated in a stream habitat repair project in the Yellow Breeches

Creek at Allenberry. This project is designed for the students to complete while they are at campin order that they can observe first -hand the effects of their efforts.

Instructors came from a wide variety of disciplines. There were professionals from the

Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Conservation and Natural

Resources, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, Gleim Environmental, Ecotone, Inc , PA

Council of Trout Unlimited and the Fish and Boat Commission who is a partner with the camp.

The keynote address this year was again provided by Dr. Thomas Sholseth, DVM,

MPVM from Vancouver, BC. He spoke on the same topic as his book, “How Fish Work.” Dr.

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Tom also included a lab with his presentation where the students examined fish for parasites.

Ken Reinard did a presentation as Ye Olde Colonial Angler, and provided information

about what fishing was like in the 18th century, including how rods, hooks and flies were made.

The students learned fly tying from Kieran Frye, an international award winning fly tyer

as well as many other unsung heroes of fly tying. Al Stansbury, a mechanical engineer presented

a program on rod building, not tying the guides and setting the cork but rather how carbon fiberis made and then wrapped around a mandrel to create a rod blank. The contrast between Ken's

18th century methods and the 21st century methods was striking.

Also on the list of speakers included Sen. Pat Vance (R-Cumberland), Secretary of the

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Cindy Adams Dunn, Meg Murphy, an

attorney for the Pennsylvania DEP who explained in clear concise terms how laws, regulations

and policies affect the students.

But perhaps the classes that got the students most attention was Reptiles and Amphibians

by Chris Urban from the Fish and Boat Commission along with his live specimens. Nothing will

keep a class awake in the afternoon like terrariums full of live snakes, turtles, salamanders and

lizards.

Phil Bietsch, Fire Forester in the Michaux State Forest in Fayetteville, Franklin Countyreceived the Dr. Robert Behnke Award. Phil, a 1999 graduate of the class went on to serve a tour

in U.S. Marine Corps, following which he graduated from Penn State. He worked tirelessly to

re-create brook trout habitat in the now drained Old Chambersburg Reservoir.

The award is named in honor of the late Dr. Behnke who was an internationally

acclaimed expert on salmonids and a longtime instructor at the camp.

The camp was founded in 1995 by the late Dr. Jack Beck and Fish and Boat

Commissioner Inky Moore, as a way to begin to educate tomorrow’s leaders about coldwater

conservation issues.

The Board of Directors of the camp has made a commitment that no potential student will

be turned away because of financial need. Sponsorships are available for qualified students. Gear

will be loaned to a student if they have never fly fished or tied flies before and do not have their

own.

The classes presented to the students, whether in the stream, on the bank or in the

classroom planted a seed of conservation knowledge that will last the students a lifetime no

matter what their chosen profession.

The success of the camp is not only apparent in its continuous operation for twenty one

years but also in its imitation by camps in twenty-two other states.

For further information, visit the PA Rivers Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp

website.

NewsClips:

PA American Water Presents Environmental Grant For Camp Audubon Offers Citizen Scientist Program At Beechwood Farms

Schools Asked To Complete Environmental Literacy Indicator Tool Survey

The Department of Education is asking each school district and charter school in Pennsylvania to

complete the Environmental Literacy Indicator Tool Survey by the end of August.

This tool will help local and state school systems collect important information that will

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work towards advancing the implementation of environmental education efforts in the

mid-Atlantic region.

The ELIT survey also directly supports the Environmental Literacy Goal and Outcomes

of the new Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.

Click Here to watch a webinar about the survey. Click Here to take the survey.

NewsClips:PA American Water Presents Environmental Grant For Camp


July Declared Lakes Awareness/Appreciation Month By Gov. Wolf

The PA Lakes Management Society this week announced Gov. Tom Wolf has declared July

Lakes Awareness/Appreciation Month to urge the public to take time to appreciate your local

lake, pond or reservoir and the benefits they provided.

As part of Lakes Awareness Month, the PA Lakes Management Society and similar

groups across the country are participating in the Secchi Dip In during July.

The concept of the Dip-In is simple: individuals in volunteer monitoring programs take atransparency measurement on one day during the weeks surrounding Canada Day and July

Fourth. Individuals may be monitoring lakes, reservoirs, estuaries, rivers, or streams.

These transparency values are used to assess the transparency of volunteer-monitored

lakes in the United States and Canada.

Find out how you can be involved in the Annual Secchi Dip-In !

Click Here to subscribe to the PALMS email newsletter to keep up on their activities.

July 6 Watershed Winds Newsletter Available From Penn State Extension

The July 6 edition of Watershed Winds newsletter is now available from Penn State Extension

featuring articles on--

-- Penn State Webinar Examined Irrigation Water Characteristics In PA

-- Small System Source Water Protection Program

-- Penn State Extension Teaches Water, Septic System Management

-- Penn State Webinar Discusses Water Quality Trading

-- Click Here to sign up for your own copy.

Seats Still Available For Water, Wastewater Operator Certification Testing This Fall

The PA Section of the American Water Works Association

announced this week seats are still

available for operator certification testing in Bedford on September 29 and in Johnstown on November 3. Click Here for all the details.

PA Resources Council Partners In Pittsburgh To Reduce Waste At 3 Big Events

The PA Resources Council partnered with a variety of local organizations at three high profile

events in the Pittsburgh Region to reduce waste or reusing unwanted products.

4th Annual ReuseFest

http://prc.org/http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?ca=1c8a2643-0466-4ac1-91e2-a58d8b885612&c=46db01d0-1ec7-11e3-abec-d4ae5292c426&ch=4743d5c0-1ec7-11e3-abf9-d4ae5292c426http://www.paawwa.org/http://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/water/news/subscribehttp://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/water/news/2015/penn-state-webinar-discusses-water-quality-tradinghttp://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/water/news/2015/penn-state-extension-teaches-water-and-septic-system-managemenhttp://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/water/news/2015/small-system-source-water-protection-programhttp://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/water/news/2015/penn-state-webinar-examines-irrigation-water-characteristics-in-pennsylvaniahttp://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/water/news?utm_campaign=Watershed+Winds+Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=newsletter_view_onlinehttp://www.palakes.org/information/e-newsletterhttp://www.secchidipin.org/http://www.palakes.org/http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yourfoxchapel/yourfoxchapelmore/8660197-74/audubon-beechwood-citizen#axzz3fNSAP89Ehttp://chescotimes.com/?p=11016https://bwet.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_ebd3tBZYrGyYpSthttp://www.greenschools-bluewaters.info/archived-webinars/


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On June 13 PRC held its 4th Annual ReuseFest event at UPMC Passavant. This event,

which aims to divert material from the landfill by connecting it with local nonprofits who focus

on reuse, was the largest in the event's history!

We had over 203 cars come through, dropping off a large variety of items. PRC would

like to thank UPMC for sponsoring the event, UPMC Passavant for hosting, and the UPMC

Passavant Green Team and the Passavant Foundation for all their assistance in preparation forthe event.

Combined, the nonprofits (Global Links, Goodwill, Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse,

Off the Floor , Construction Junction, #PghGivesBack , Animal Rescue League & Wildlife

Center , and Free Ride) took in over 10,950 pounds of material for reuse!

Three Rivers Arts Festival

In one of the most extensive collaborations to date, the 2015 Three Rivers Arts Festival

was a milestone in the greening of large-scale events in Pennsylvania.

In partnership with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, FlySpace Productions, Point State Park

DCNR, and Green Gears, PRC's Zero Waste team delivered a 75 percent waste diversion rate

with the lowest amount of landfill waste generated to date-- approximately 8 tons.

Organic waste and recycling totaled 22.83 tons and cooking oil recycling totaled at 1.41tons. PRC was involved in every step of the green planning process for this iconic festival. Some

major highlights of this year's initiatives include:

-- Extensive pre-event planning with organizers to maximize reduction and reuse of materials

-- 100 percent compostable serviceware from all vendors

-- Compostable waste stream collection

-- Recycling waste stream collection

-- Waste cooking oil collection

-- Pallet collection for reuse

-- Bike valet

-- Bulk water distribution

-- Zero-emission pedi-cabs for waste material transport

Three Rivers Marathon

Pittsburgh Three Rivers Marathon, Inc. (P3R) and Zero Waste Pennsylvania, a project of

PRC, announced this week, that the 2015 DICK's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh weekend of events

was the greenest to date, with 90 percent of the event's waste diverted from landfills, an increase

of 10 percent from last year.

For the past four years, ZWPA has worked with P3R to incorporate greening efforts at

every stage of race weekend, including composting cups, food, and more, as well as recycling

water bottles and donating clothes left behind by runners to Goodwill.

Since 2012 the event has diverted more than 39.3 tons of waste from landfills!

"PRC works hard to keep valuable materials from landfill and is proud to work with P3Ron their continued greening efforts,: said Teresa Bradley, ZWPA Manager.

"P3R is committed to making sure the City looks just as beautiful - or more beautiful -

after the race as it did before," said P3R CEO Patrice Matamoros. "With more than 3,000

volunteers, 40,000 runners, and up to 200,000 spectators each year, this is a challenge, but one

that P3R is tackling with a comprehensive approach to 'greening' the race and promoting

sustainability."

For more information on activities and programs around the state, visit the PA Resources

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Council website.

NewsClips:

529 Illegal Dump Sites In Pittsburgh, 250 More Than 2000

Harrisburg Rolls Out New Trash, Recycling Containers

Waste Sand Concern For Keystone Landfill Opponents

Editorial: Add Sand To Keystone Landfill Concerns Editorial: Dunmore’s Silence On Keystone Landfill

Keep PA Beautiful: REI Grant Funds Community Projects In Bedford County

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful has received a grant from Recreation Equipment Incorporated in

the amount of $4,000 for community improvement projects in Bedford County.

The scope of the grant will be carried out by Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s local

affiliate, Keep Bedford County Beautiful, and includes: trash and tire removal along

approximately 25 miles of the Raystown Branch Water Trail, riparian vegetation plantings and

invasive plant removal along the Huntingdon and Broad Top Rail Trail, which parallels the

Raystown Branch water trail, and initiating a Monarch Waystation program that will establishsites for monarch caterpillar food plants and nectar plants for monarch butterflies along trails in

Shawnee State Park and Tenley Park, a community park adjacent to the Mid-State Trail and the

Great Eastern Trail.

“REI’s commitment to community stewardship through its partnerships with local

nonprofit organizations should be a model for corporate engagement nationwide. Keep Bedford

County Beautiful and REI together continue working toward a better Bedford County in which to

live, work, and play,” said Guy Stottlemyer, Keep Bedford County Beautiful Affiliate

Coordinator.

“We are grateful for REI’s support of local initiatives in Bedford County and their

partnership with Keep Bedford County Beautiful,” said Shannon Reiter, President of Keep PA

Beautiful. “It is community partners, such as these, and countless local volunteers that are

willing to roll up their sleeves that allows community improvement initiatives to be successful.”

Contact Guy Stottlemyer at Keep Bedford County Beautiful Affiliate to learn how to get

involved with community improvement efforts by calling 814-623-7900 ext. 123 or send email

to: [email protected].

For a complete list of affiliate events, visit Keep PA Beautiful’s Calendar of Events .

NewsClips:

529 Illegal Dump Sites In Pittsburgh, 250 More Than 2000

Harrisburg Rolls Out New Trash, Recycling Containers

Waste Sand Concern For Keystone Landfill Opponents

Editorial: Add Sand To Keystone Landfill Concerns Editorial: Dunmore’s Silence On Keystone Landfill

Deadline Extended For PRC Anti-Litter Video Contest In Western PA

The PA Resources Council has extended the deadline for its Anti-Litter Video Contest for the

Pittsburgh Region until September 30. Click Here for all the details.

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July e-PRC Newsletter Now Available From PA Resources Council

The July issue of the e-PRC newsletter is now available from the PA Resources Council


-- 4th Annual Reuse Fest In Pittsburgh In June

-- Anti-Litter Commercial Contest Deadline Extended To Sept. 30-- Three Rivers Arts Festival Goes Zero Waste

-- PRC Helps Pittsburgh Marathon Divert Waste From Landfills

-- New Faces In PRC West

-- Click Here to sign up for your own copy (bottom of the page).

CFA Clean Energy Investment Of $500K In Clearfield County

Gov. Wolf Wednesday announced the Commonwealth Financing Authority approved funding to

support a new Alternative and Clean Energy project with an investment of $500,000 in

Clearfield County.

“The Commonwealth Financing Authority made a key investment today forPennsylvania’s environment and growth,” Gov. Wolf said. “The project approved today marks

advancement for clean energy technologies to once again make Pennsylvania a national energy

leader.”

The Commonwealth Financing Authority approved one Alternative Energy Production

project through the state’s Alternative and Clean Energy program that is projected to result in

more than $2.17 million in additional economic investments.

West Branch Area School District will receive a $500,000 grant for the installation of a

biomass boiler system in Morris Township. The system will be used to heat both the elementary

and secondary school buildings.

With the current boiler system, West Branch Area School District uses oil for 100 percent

of its heating demands. With the installation of the new biomass boiler system, the usage of oil

will decrease to 20 percent of the heating requirements for the school, saving approximately

53,832 gallons of oil per year.

The biomass system will burn approximately 738 tons of locally grown wood fuel per

year and provide annual savings of $137,214 for the school district.

The ACE Program provides financial assistance in the form of grants and loan funds that

will be used by eligible applicants for the utilization, development and construction of alternative

and clean energy projects in the state.

For more information about the Authority’s funding programs, visit the CFA website.

PUC Updates Act 129 Manual Used To Assess Energy Savings

The Public Utility Commission Wednesday approved updates to the Technical Reference

Manual, aimed at making the TRM a more effective and professional tool for validating energy

savings and providing support for Act 129 of 2008 goals.

The TRM is used to assess energy savings attributable to energy efficiency and demand

response measures for the implementation of the state’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards

Act and the energy efficiency and conservation provisions of Act 129.

http://www.puc.state.pa.us/filing_resources/issues_laws_regulations/act_129_information.aspxhttp://www.newpa.com/cfahttp://www.westbranch.org/http://www.newpa.com/find-and-apply-for-funding/funding-and-program-finder/alternative-and-clean-energy-program-acehttp://www.newpa.com/funding-programs-loans-tax-credits-and-grants/commonwealth-financing-authorityhttp://prc.org/http://prc.org/http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?ca=b6cb4d04-ee06-4241-b001-b7b6d9d81c58&c=4ad62f20-1fd6-11e3-afe4-d4ae527b8053&ch=4b1f9430-1fd6-11e3-b004-d4ae527b8053


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The Commission voted 5-0 to approve the proposed changes, which were released for

comment on March 26, 2015. Initially established in March 2005, the TRM is updated

periodically in order to keep pace and remain relevant and useful as experience and technology

related to energy efficiency increases.

The improvements to the TRM are based on more recent research, a review of TRMs

from other states and the needs and experiences of the electric distribution companies (EDCs).The updates focus on improving assumptions for key parameters, algorithms and deemed savings

values, as well as accounting for new codes and standards for residential, and commercial and

industrial energy efficiency and conservation measures.

The AEPS Act specifically required the Commission to develop standards for tracking

and verifying savings from energy efficiency, load management and demand-side management

measures.

Generally, AEPS requires that a certain percentage of all electric energy sold to retail

customers be derived from alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, hydropower,

geothermal, biomass and demand-side management resources.

The law applies to both EDCs and electric generation suppliers, which must demonstrate

their compliance on an annual basis.Act 129 expanded the PUC’s oversight responsibilities and imposed new energy

efficiency and conservation requirements on EDCs with at least 100,000 customers, with the

overall goal of reducing energy consumption and/or demand.

For more information, visit the PUC’s Act 129 webpage.

NewsClips:

FirstEnergy Rate Increase To Push More Shopping For Power

PUC Close To revoking Licenses For Electric Suppliers, Brokers

PA Environmental Council: June Issue Of In Case You Missed It

The June edition of In Case You Missed It is now available from the PA Environmental Council


-- $1.5M Trails Grant From William Penn Foundation

-- PEC Environmental Partnership Dinner In Philadelphia

-- Northeast Environmental Partners Awards Dinner Oct. 29

-- PEC Opposes SB 655, Gov. Wolf Vetoes

-- Click Here to sign up for your own copy.

PA ACLU Warns Butler County Developer Over SLAPP Suit Against Drilling Opponents

The ACLU of Pennsylvania has sent a letter to a Butler County developer and its co-plaintiffsdemanding that they drop their lawsuit against five Middlesex Township residents and two

nonprofit organizations, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network and Clean Air Council, who oppose

a local pro-drilling/fracking zoning ordinance.

The letter states that the ACLU will seek sanctions against the developer, Dewey Homes

& Investment Properties, and its co-plaintiffs, for filing a frivolous lawsuit intended to “harass

and inflict expense” on the defendants if they do not drop the complaint.

The ACLU considers the lawsuit a SLAPP suit (strategic lawsuit against public

http://www.aclupa.org/files/3714/3636/5412/Sanctions-notice_letter_6-29-15.pdfhttp://www.aclupa.org/http://pecpa.org/email-signup/?utm_source=June+In+Case+You+Missed+It&utm_campaign=In+Case+You+Missed+It%3A+June+2015&utm_medium=emailhttp://pecpa.org/policy/pec-presents-objections-to-senate-bill-655-p-n-1137/?utm_source=June+In+Case+You+Missed+It&utm_campaign=In+Case+You+Missed+It%3A+June+2015&utm_medium=emailhttp://pecpa.org/press-releases/25th-annual-evening-for-northeast-pennsylvanias-environment-to-be-held-oct-29/?utm_source=June+In+Case+You+Missed+It&utm_campaign=In+Case+You+Missed+It%3A+June+2015&utm_medium=emailhttp://pecpa.org/press-releases/pennsylvania-environmental-council-hosts-45th-annual-environmental-partnership-awards/?utm_source=June+In+Case+You+Missed+It&utm_campaign=In+Case+You+Missed+It%3A+June+2015&utm_medium=emailhttp://pecpa.org/press-releases/william-penn-foundation-presents-pec-with-1-5-million-grant/?utm_source=June+In+Case+You+Missed+It&utm_campaign=In+Case+You+Missed+It%3A+June+2015&utm_medium=emailhttp://pecpa.org/http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?ca=1f77e957-9b77-4c73-8a15-ef5dade59782&c=5a4f5e30-4ea8-11e3-a42a-d4ae5292c40b&ch=5b1ff4a0-4ea8-11e3-a494-d4ae5292c40bhttp://powersource.post-gazette.com/powersource/consumers-powersource/2015/07/10/Pennsylvania-regulators-may-revoke-licenses-electric-suppliers-and-brokers/stories/201507100246http://powersource.post-gazette.com/powersource/consumers-powersource/2015/07/07/FirstEnergy-rate-increases-expected-to-push-more-Pennsylvania-customers-to-shop-for-power-supply/stories/201507070005http://www.puc.state.pa.us/filing_resources/issues_laws_regulations/act_129_information.aspxhttp://www.puc.pa.gov/about_puc/press_releases.aspx?ShowPR=3516


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participation), which is a dangerous legal tactic designed to stifle dissent and punish core

First-Amendment-protected activities, such as speaking at public meetings and filing appropriate

legal challenges to the proposed commercial activity.

The controversial ordinance in question allows drilling, fracking and associated

infrastructure in over 90 percent of Middlesex Township, including in residential communities,

agricultural districts, and within a mile of the 3,200 elementary to high school students whoattend the Mars Area schools.

On October 10, 2014, four of the five Middlesex Township residents, who are

homeowners and have children in the school district, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, and

Clean Air Council challenged the zoning amendment for removing core protections to residential

neighborhoods from dangerous industrial activities; for violating the Environmental Rights

Amendment of the Pennsylvania Constitution; and for failing to protect public health, safety, and

welfare by allowing shale gas extraction, drilling, and gas infrastructu

Pa Environment Digest July 13, 2015

Documents

Transcript of Pa Environment Digest July 13, 2015