Pa Environment Digest Sept. 21, 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 September 21, 2015

DEP: Chesapeake Bay Reboot Not Ready Yet; DCNR: New PNDI Review Fee

DEP Secretary John Quigley told the Citizens Advisory Council

Tuesday his plan for rebooting the Chesapeake Bay cleanup

program is not done yet, but he hopes to be able to make an

announcement in the near future.Quigley said he continues to work with Agriculture

Secretary Russell Redding and DCNR Secretary Cindy Dunn on

the reboot. Lots of consultation is needed internally and with

stakeholders in the future, he said to make the program more

effective.

There are 467 days left (as of September 21) to put practices on the ground to meet the

state’s 2017 cleanup milestone-- eliminating 10 million pounds of nitrogen and 212 million

pounds of sediment from going into our rivers and streams.

Pennsylvania is even further behind because we did not meet the 2013 pollution

reduction milestones.

In June 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported Pennsylvania exceededits 2013 Chesapeake Bay cleanup milestone for phosphorus by 242,000 pounds, but fell short in

meeting the nitrogen goal by 2 million pounds and sediment reduction milestone by nearly 116

million pounds.

If Pennsylvania doesn’t meet the milestones, it leaves EPA free to come up with its own

plan on how the state can meet them, and as Rep. Garth Everett (R-Lycoming) said during DEP’s

budget hearing, “ It isn’t pretty .”

At his budget hearing in March , DEP Secretary John Quigley acknowledged, to his

credit, Pennsylvania is not meeting its commitments to clean up Pennsylvania watersheds

contributing water to the Bay and promised a plan to reboot the program to get it back on track.

Quigley and Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding reiterated their commitment to reboot

Pennsylvania’s plans to meet Bay cleanup milestones at the July Chesapeake Bay ExecutiveCouncil meeting.

Even by any rough measure, Pennsylvania will need to ramp up its watershed restoration

programs significantly to meet its commitments.

Using the Commonwealth’s reported average rate of Chesapeake Bay Program

implementation from 2009 to 2013, here’s an estimate of how much each of key measures would

have to increase to meet the 2017 milestones done in April of this year:

— Forested stream buffers on farms: from 6 acres per day to over 38 acres;

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— Farm conservation plan development: from 46 acres a day to over 589 acres;

— Rotational grazing practices: from 8.5 acres to roughly 135 acres a day;

— Urban stormwater infiltration practices: from 7 acres to 368 acres per day;

— Stormwater treatment wet ponds & wetlands: from 0.4 acres to 28 acres a day; and

— Dirt & gravel road repair: from 334 feet per day to over 1,411 feet per day.

DEP also provided its regular written Monthly Report To Council .

New PNDI Review Fee

Ellen Shultzbarger from DCNR’s Division of Conservation, Science and Ecological

Resources, gave Council a presentation on the changes coming to the PA Natural Diversity

Inventory online Environmental Review Tool, including a new $40 fee for permit-related review

receipts.

The new tool will be called PA Conservation Explorer and is divided into two parts-- a

Conservation Planning tool where anyone can get general information on threatened, endangered

and species of special concern in a project area; and the Environmental Review tool meant for

project developers who need to have formal reviews done related to DEP permit applications.

There is no fee for the Conservation Planning tool, since it gives out only general

information, but there will be a $40 fee for permit applicants using the Environmental Reviewtool for review receipts and registered to use the data.

The formal notice of the PNDI fee was published in the September 19 PA Bulletin with a

30 day comment period ending October 19.

About 16,600 DEP permit reviews are done on the PNDI Environmental Review Tool

each year.

One of many upgrades to the Environmental Review tool will be the ability to upload a

project to the review agencies for their further review and consultation.

DCNR expects to rollout the new tools in November with training sessions scheduled in

the following months.

Shultzbarger’s presentation will be posted on the CAC Meeting webpage.

The Council’s next meeting is October 20 in Room 105 Rachel Carson Building in

Harrisburg starting at 10:00.

For more information, visit DEP’s Citizens Advisory Council webpage.

NewsClips:

P&G Keeping An Eye On Susquehanna River Health

Editorial: Get Involved In Susquehanna River Health

Survey: Allegheny River Water Quality Holds Steady

Riverfest Celebrates Pittston Area’s History

Other State Regulators Question OSM Stream Protection Rule

Salem Twp Natural Gas Power Plant Gets Water Use Approval

Famed Trout Stream Targeted For Protection By CPC Latest From The Chesapeake Bay Journal

Click Here to subscribe to the Chesapeake Bay Journal

Anti-Invasive Species Army Wants You And More

Senate Republicans Pass Stopgap Budget They Know Will Be Vetoed By Wolf

Senate Republicans Friday passed their stopgap budget package by a party line 30 to 19 vote and

http://blog.pennlive.com/pa-sportsman/2015/09/anti-invasive_army_wants_you_a.html#incart_riverhttp://www.bayjournal.com/subscriptionhttp://www.bayjournal.com/http://blog.pennlive.com/pa-sportsman/2015/09/famed_trout_stream_targeted_fo.html#incart_riverhttp://citizensvoice.com/news/proposed-salem-twp-power-plant-gets-approval-for-water-use-1.1942684http://www.post-gazette.com/news/environment/2015/09/14/Regulators-question-cost-of-proposed-rules-change-on-water-pollution-from-mining/stories/201509140017http://timesleader.com/news/local/381473/riverfest-celebrates-pittston-areas-historyhttp://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yourallekiskivalley/yourallekiskivalleymore/8937723-74/allegheny-river-drinkinghttp://www.yorkdispatch.com/breaking/ci_28815656/editorial-seeking-clarity-get-involved-river-healthhttp://wcexaminer.com/news/p-g-keeping-an-eye-on-susquehanna-health-1.1942879http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/meetings/21513http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/meetings/21513http://www.pabulletin.com/secure/data/vol45/45-38/1691.htmlhttp://www.gis.dcnr.state.pa.us/hgis-er/PNDI_Introduction.aspxhttp://www.gis.dcnr.state.pa.us/hgis-er/PNDI_Introduction.aspxhttp://files.dep.state.pa.us/PublicParticipation/Citizens%20Advisory%20Council/CACPortalFiles/Meetings/2015_09/FINAL_September2015_DEP_Report_CAC_09022015.pdf


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moved it to the House where two of the three bills will be considered in the Appropriations

Committee on Monday.

Unfortunately, the package faces a certain veto by Gov. Wolf who said Republicans

should be focused on passing a real budget.

Senate action follows 14 failed attempts by House Republicans two weeks ago to

override Gov. Wolf’s veto of portions of the budget Republicans passed in June.The stopgap budget bills include Senate Bill 1000 (Browne-R-Lehigh) General Fund

Stopgap Budget Bill (summary and Senate Fiscal Note ); Senate Bill 1001 (Browne-R-Lehigh)

Fiscal Code Stopgap Bill (summary and Senate Fiscal Note); and amended House Bill 224

(Christiana-R -Beaver) with the Education Code Stopgap Bill ( summary and Senate Fiscal Note).

The stopgap budget is about $11.2 billion of the $30.2 billion General Fund budget

passed by Republicans in June and includes the so-called "agreed-to" budget provisions included

in the vetoed House Bill 1192 General Fund budget bill in June.

It also includes funding for the Senate and House and the Judiciary as well as the

pass-through of federal funding to state agencies and organizations reliant on that money.

Click Here for a Senate Republican spreadsheet on the General Fund stopgap budget.

The new Fiscal Code bill has project funding and other special provisions legislators putin the original Fiscal Code bill-- Senate Bill 655-- vetoed by Gov. Wolf in June.

It does not have the provisions included in the June bill to kill DEP regulations covering

conventional oil and gas drilling or language further hobbling Pennsylvania's efforts to comply

with EPA's Clean Power Climate Plan.

It does have language directing DCNR to use $750,000 in existing funds to finance the

operation of Washington Crossing State Park and for several water and sewer projects in DEP's

budget.

“I sympathize with the human service agencies at the county level and the nonprofits,”

said Wolf. “What they (Republicans) are doing is a very cynical, hypocritical attempt to make

people believe that they are actually trying to make human services agencies’ lives easier.

They’re not. This stopgap is not that. This stopgap is a poke in the eye and I am treating it as

such, and I am going to veto it.”

Gov. Wolf also floated two new proposals on pension reform and liquor privatization to

Senate and House Republicans on Wednesday saying they were “historic proposals.”

“My (pension) plan is about 80 percent, I think, of what they (Republicans) had in Senate

Bill 1,” said Wolf. “This plan, unlike my March 3rd plan, has a 401k provision in it, it has a

stacked hybrid. This plan is very different. This is not something the Democrats would do

normally. We did it because we understand that we have a divided government and in good faith

we put up on the table real pension reform, we put on the table real changes in the liquor

system.”

“(On liquor reform) I offered a contract that could be for any period from ten to 25years,” said Wolf. “There would have happened to be protections for workers, protections for

consumers, we would have protection for the citizens of Pennsylvania so we are not just giving

this away...and that we are actually getting something in return, and that we are actually going to

get services like wine and beer in the supermarket.”

What was the Republican reaction said Wolf?

“I got nothing. I got nothing on severance tax, nothing. I got nothing on education,

nothing. I got nothing on property taxes relief. I got nothing on how we are actually going to

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=0655http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2015/2015091889.PDFhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=1192http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=1192http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/BI/SFN/2015/0/HB0224P2180.pdfhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=0224http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/BI/SFN/2015/0/SB1001P1233.pdfhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=1001http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/BI/SFN/2015/0/SB1000P1232.pdfhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=1000http://www.paenvironmentdigest.com/newsletter/default.asp?NewsletterArticleID=33135


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balance this budget,” said Wolf.

“What we need is a budget,” said Wolf. “We actually need to have the pension and the

liquor, and all the things combined into one package and it’s called a budget.”

Click Here to watch a video of some of Gov. Wolf’s comments on the budget stalemate.

Senate Comments

Senate Republicans said they are negotiating in good faith, but they have core principlesthey are defending. The vote on the stopgap budget, is a vote to keep state government open,

said Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R-Centre), unlike in Congress where they are talking

about shutting down the federal government.

"I am pleased that today, we have advanced legislation to provide our schools and vital

services with needed funding," said Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-Jefferson).

"This stop-gap budget would provide financial stability for our Commonwealth while a final

budget agreement continues to be negotiated. As members of the General Assembly, it is our job

to ensure that taxpayers' money is not being held hostage during the current budget impasse."

"Tax dollars continue to flow to Harrisburg. The money is being collected from people's

paychecks and through the state sales tax. Voting to provide this funding is the right thing to do,"

said Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R-Centre). "Frustration with the budget negotiationscontinues to mount – both inside and outside the Capitol building. Understandably so. Adopting

stop-gap funding is our only option to help fund our schools and human services organizations,

who are being hit hard by the loss of state funds."

"We are and will continue to work with the Governor to come to an agreement on a final

appropriations bill, but the Governor's current approach and the levels of spending and taxes he

is requesting do not allow for that accommodation at this time," Senate Appropriations

Committee Majority Chair Pat Browne (R-Lehigh) said. "In the meantime, however, this

short-term budget is something we can and must do to meet the obligations we have to provide

necessary and critical funding to school districts, nonprofits and state agencies, while

simultaneously continuing those conversations."

"These are important local services that affect our most vulnerable citizens: seniors,

school children, at-risk youth, women in dangerous domestic situations," said Senate Majority

Whip John Gordner (R-Columbia). "It's past time to get funding to these critical programs."

Senate Democrats said Republicans should be at the negotiating table not the microphone

and start talking about enacting a real budget.

Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) said, “The Senate Republican

stopgap budget plan is a political ploy that drags down efforts to construct a long-term,

comprehensive budget agreement that includes real dollars for education, human services, deficit

reduction and property tax cuts. Stopgap budgets are only used when you are not up to the task

of negotiating a full budget.

“We keep wasting time on budget tricks and veto-override maneuvers instead of bargaining sessions that would ultimately result in a comprehensive spending plan.”

The Senate has canceled voting session for September 21, 22 and 23 and the House is

scheduled to be in voting session September 21, 24 and 25.

NewsClips:

Senate Passes Short-Term Spending Plan, Wolf Vows Veto

Senate Passes Stopgap Spending Plan

Senate Passes Short-Term Spending Plan

http://triblive.com/state/pennsylvania/9116199-74/wolf-services-budgethttp://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2015/09/18/Pennsylvania-Senate-passes-short-term-spending-plan-Wolf-vows-veto/stories/201509180288http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/pennsylvania/mc-pa-budget-senate-passes-short-term-spending-20150918-story.htmlhttps://youtu.be/UGRuNlojVm0


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Wolf’s Latest Budget Plan Gets Chilly Reception

GOP Moving Forward On Stopgap Budget Over Wolf Opposition

Wolf, GOP Spar Over Budget, Governor Vows Veto Of Stopgap

Full Speed Ahead In Senate For Stopgap Budget

Quiet Crisis As PA’s Budget Stalemate Grinds On

Budget Impasse Has Lawmakers Turning To Plan B Presque Isle Open As Budget Impasse Continues

Op-Ed: Land Conservation Boosts Poconos’ Environment, Economy

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Capitol.

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

Introduced

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

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House (September 21): House Bill 48 (Godshall-R-Montgomery) setting standards for drinking

water well construction; Senate Bill 307 (Yudichak-D-Luzerne) providing for an independent

counsel for the Environmental Quality Board. Click Here for full House Bill Calendar.

Senate (September 28): Click Here for full Senate Bill Calendar.

Committee Meeting Agendas This Week

House: the Appropriations Committee meets to consider Senate Bill 1000 (Browne-R-Lehigh)

General Fund Stopgap Budget Bill ( summary and Senate Fiscal Note); Senate Bill 1001

(Browne-R-Lehigh) Fiscal Code Stopgap Bill (summary and Senate Fiscal Note ); House Bill 471

(Marshall-R-Beaver) removing the ethanol blending requirement from the Biofuel Development

and Production Incentive Act (sponsor summary ); House Bill 1241 (R.Brown-R- Monroe)

excluding from the definition of public utility a resort providing water or sewer services to

homes ( sponsor summary); Senate Bill 513 (McGarrigle-R-Delaware) authorizing trucking of

landfill leachate (sponsor summary ). Senate Bill 875 (Bartolotta-R- Fayette) encouraging the

reusing of abandoned mine water for drilling operations (sponsor summary ). Click Here for

full House Committee Schedule.

Senate: Click Here for full Senate Committee Schedule.

Other: Environmental Issues Forum, Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and

Conservation Committee featuring a presentation on the Growing Greener Coalition project

funding guide.

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 ServicesJudiciary

Liquor Control

Transportation

Links for all other Standing House Committees

Senate

Appropriations

http://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://pagrowinggreener.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Finding-the-Green-LR.pdfhttp://pagrowinggreener.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Finding-the-Green-LR.pdfhttp://jcc.legis.state.pa.us/http://jcc.legis.state.pa.us/http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/CO/SM/COSM.HTMhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/CO/HM/COHM.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/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=S&SPick=20150&cosponId=16561http://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/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20150&cosponId=18155http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=1241http://www.legis.state.pa.us//cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20150&cosponId=17065http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=0471http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/BI/SFN/2015/0/SB1001P1233.pdfhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=1001http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/BI/SFN/2015/0/SB1000P1232.pdfhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=1000http://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/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=0307http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=0048


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Environmental Resources and Energy

Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure

Community, Economic and Recreational Development

Education

Judiciary

Law and JusticePublic Health and Welfare

Transportation

Links for all other Standing Senate Committees

Session Schedule ( Updated)

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

Senate ( Updated )

September Canceled: 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30

October 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28 November 16, 17, 18

December 7, 8, 9

House

September 21, 22 (Non-Voting), 24, 25, 28 (Non-Voting), 29, 30

October 5, 6, 7, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28

November 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25 (Non-Voting)

December 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16

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.

Senate/House Bills Moving

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

Senate

Nominations: Gov. Wolf recalled 17 nominations rather than have the Senate vote them down,

but Andrew Place, nominated to the Public Utility Commission, will move to a full Senate vote

in two weeks.

General Fund Stopgap: Senate Bill 1000 (Browne-R-Lehigh) General Fund Stopgap Budget

Bill (summary and Senate Fiscal Note) was reported out of the Senate Appropriations Committee

and passed on a party line vote of 30 to 19. The bill now goes to the House for consideration.

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/BI/SFN/2015/0/SB1000P1232.pdfhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=1000http://www.governor.pa.gov/Schedule/Pages/schedule.aspx#.VNVGE0K4lBxhttp://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=S


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Fiscal Code Stopgap: Senate Bill 1001 (Browne-R-Lehigh) Fiscal Code Stopgap Bill ( summary

and Senate Fiscal Note) was reported out of the Senate Appropriations Committee and passed on

a party line vote of 30 to 19. The bill now goes to the House for consideration.

Education Code Stopgap: House Bill 224 (Christiana-R -Beaver) with the Education CodeStopgap Bill ( summary and Senate Fiscal Note) was amended and reported out of the Senate

Appropriations Committee and passed on a party line vote of 30 to 19. The bill now goes to the

House for consideration.

Anthracite Coal: Senate Resolution 54 (Argall-R-Schuylkill) asking Congress to review unfair

government anthracite export policies (sponsor summary ) was adopted by the Senate.

Forestry Task Force: 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) was adopted by the Senate.

News From Around The State

Coldwater Heritage Partnership Now Accepting Applications For 2016 Grants

The Coldwater Heritage Partnership Tuesday announced the opening of the

2016 Coldwater Conservation Grants Program application period.

Applications are due December 18.

The Coldwater Heritage Partnership provides technical assistance and

funding support for the evaluation, conservation and protection of

Pennsylvania’s coldwater streams.Grants are awarded to organizations to outline strategies and complete

implementation projects that best conserve and protect our coldwater fisheries. Two types of

grants are awarded:

-- Planning Grant: Grants of approximately $5,000 will be awarded to create a coldwater

conservation plan that will ultimately conserve and protect the coldwater streams of

Pennsylvania.

This grant is to: Gather existing data about the coldwater ecosystem; Identify potential

impacts, threats, problems and opportunities to our coldwater streams; Formulate a plan of action

for proposed conservation and protection strategies; and Build community awareness and

support for the conservation of our coldwater streams.

-- Implementation Grant: Grants of approximately $7,000 will be awarded to implementrecommendations from a completed coldwater conservation plan or other report. Potential

projects should protect or enhance the coldwater stream for which the coldwater conservation

plan or similar document was originally completed.

The Coldwater Heritage Partnership urges watershed groups, conservation districts,

municipalities and local chapters of Trout Unlimited to apply.

Besides offering grants, CHP works to: foster a greater public understanding of

watershed characteristics and how they affect coldwater ecosystems; identify special areas of

http://www.coldwaterheritage.org/grant-application-and-guidelineshttp://www.coldwaterheritage.org/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=0054http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/BI/SFN/2015/0/HB0224P2180.pdfhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=0224http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/BI/SFN/2015/0/SB1001P1233.pdfhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/BI/SFN/2015/0/SB1001P1233.pdfhttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=1001


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concern, such as areas with exceptional water quality and high potential for impacts; and provide

technical assistance and financial opportunities to organizations dedicated to protecting our

coldwater ecosystems.

The CHP is a cooperative effort of Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited, the

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Fish and Boat Commission and the

Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds.Applications and instructions are available at the Coldwater Heritage Partnership website.

For more information, contact Samantha Ferguson, Program Director, at 814-359-5233.

NewsClips:

Murray Energy Agrees To $2.5M Fine For Dunkard Creek Fish Kill

Murray Energy To Pay $2.5M In Dunkard Creek Settlement

National Trout Unlimited Conference Underway In Scranton

Trout Unlimited Tour Highlights NE’s Environmental Issues

Famed Trout Stream Targeted For Protection By CPC



Survey: Allegheny River Water Quality Holds Steady Riverfest Celebrates Pittston Area’s History




Latest From The Chesapeake Bay Journal


Lehigh Valley Watershed Conference At Lehigh University On Oct. 13

The 6th Lehigh Valley Watershed Conference will be held from

8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on October 13 at Lehigh University’s

STEPS Building, 1 West Packer Avenue, Bethlehem,

Northampton County.

The Conference serves as a forum that brings together

community watershed organizations, municipal officials,

educators, students, scientists, technical experts, natural resource

agency staff, industry representatives and the public to discuss effective ways to improve and

protect the land and water resources throughout the greater Lehigh Valley.

This year’s conference is titled “Freshwater Ecology” and will provide a focus on

understanding and protecting our freshwater environments and the organisms that live in them.

As in past conferences, there will also be sessions on perennial and emerging issuesassociated with watershed conservation.

New to this year’s Conference is a landscaper’s track, with four sessions focused on

environmentally-sensitive landscaping practices for professional landscapers, with continuing

education credits available.

The Conference will also include two half-day workshops: one on aquatic insect

identification and the other on working with publicly available information to build effective

watershed GIS.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lehigh-valley-watershed-conferenceregistration-16189010767http://www.bayjournal.com/subscriptionhttp://www.bayjournal.com/http://blog.pennlive.com/pa-sportsman/2015/09/famed_trout_stream_targeted_fo.html#incart_riverhttp://citizensvoice.com/news/proposed-salem-twp-power-plant-gets-approval-for-water-use-1.1942684http://www.post-gazette.com/news/environment/2015/09/14/Regulators-question-cost-of-proposed-rules-change-on-water-pollution-from-mining/stories/201509140017http://timesleader.com/news/local/381473/riverfest-celebrates-pittston-areas-historyhttp://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yourallekiskivalley/yourallekiskivalleymore/8937723-74/allegheny-river-drinkinghttp://www.yorkdispatch.com/breaking/ci_28815656/editorial-seeking-clarity-get-involved-river-healthhttp://wcexaminer.com/news/p-g-keeping-an-eye-on-susquehanna-health-1.1942879http://blog.pennlive.com/pa-sportsman/2015/09/famed_trout_stream_targeted_fo.html#incart_riverhttp://thetimes-tribune.com/news/trout-unlimited-tour-highlights-region-s-environmental-issues-1.1944503http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/trout-unlimited-conference-underway-1.1943707http://triblive.com/business/headlines/9091873-74/creek-murray-fishhttp://powersource.post-gazette.com/powersource/companies/2015/09/14/Murray-Energy-PFBC-agree-2-5-million-settlement-related-to-2009-Dunkard-Creek-fish-kill/stories/201509140173http://www.coldwaterheritage.org/grant-application-and-guidelines


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The Conference will close with a networking reception from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Cost

for the full day conference is $45, which includes conference sessions, lunch, snack breaks and

the networking reception.

Students with college ID may attend free of charge; however, all students must register

before the conference and include their college affiliation in their registration.

The Lehigh Valley Watershed Conference is organized by the Watershed Coalition of theLehigh Valley and its many organizational partners.

For more information and to register, visit the Lehigh Valley Watershed Conference

webpage or send email to: [email protected].

NewsClips:



National Trout Unlimited Conference Underway In Scranton

Trout Unlimited Tour Highlights NE’s Environmental Issues



Editorial: Get Involved In Susquehanna River Health Survey: Allegheny River Water Quality Holds Steady

Riverfest Celebrates Pittston Area’s History




Latest From The Chesapeake Bay Journal


Fish Commission Reaches $2.5M Settlement Over Dunkard Creek Fish Kill

The Fish and Boat Commission Monday confirmed that it has reached a $2.5 million settlement

with Murray Energy for civil damages resulting from a devastating 2009 pollution incident in

which discharges from a coal mine entered Dunkard Creek in Greene County contributing to a

massive fish kill spanning nearly 30 miles of stream in West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Ohio-based Murray agreed to pay the settlement in lieu of civil damages for the lost

aquatic life and lost fishing opportunities for Pennsylvania anglers as a result of the pollution

incident.

“We’re pleased that we’ve reached a settlement and can close this chapter of the Dunkard

Creek case,” said PFBC Executive Director John Arway. “Thanks to the efforts of our outside

counsel, Sharon Z. Hall, Esquire of Zimmer Kunz, PLLC, and Robert P. Fitzsimmons, Esquire of

Fitzsimmons Law Firm, four long years of litigation have come to an end. But it will take manymore years to restore the creek to its prior condition. The devastation was astonishing. PFBC

biologists collected 40 species of fish and 14 species of mussels that were killed by the incident.

Among the dead mussels was the Pennsylvania endangered snuffbox mussel.”

The funds will be placed in a restricted revenue account within the Fish Fund to be

utilized for the primary purpose of developing and implementing projects that benefit

recreational fishing and boating and the aquatic resources of the Dunkard Creek watershed.

Once restoration is complete, the Commission may use the remaining funds for

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restoration projects in other southwestern Pennsylvania watersheds.

In early September 2009, a total fish and mussel kill occurred in the creek after high

concentrations of chloride and total dissolved solids in the discharge from Consol Energy's

Blacksville No. 2 mine in West Virginia created brackish water conditions favorable for a bloom

of toxic golden algae.

The Dunkard Creek main stem begins near the town of Brave, Greene County, Pa., andmeanders approximately 37 miles between Pa. and W.Va. until its confluence with the

Monongahela River near Dunkard Township, Greene County, Pa.

At the time of the incident, the mine was owned by Consol, which later sold it and

several other mines to Murray.

In March 2011, Consol reached settlements with the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency, and the West Virginia Department of Environmental

Protection.

The company agreed to pay a $5.5 million civil penalty to settle hundreds of federal

Clean Water Act violations at six of its mines in West Virginia, including the Blacksville No. 2

mine. Consol also agreed to compensate West Virginia for the natural resources lost in the West

Virginia portion of Dunkard Creek by paying $500,000 to the West Virginia Division of NaturalResources.

The PFBC was not included in the settlements and subsequently filed lawsuits in West

Virginia on September 2, 2011, and in Pennsylvania on September 7, 2011, seeking monetary

relief against Consol for damages to the natural resources of Pennsylvania and lost recreational

opportunities for Pennsylvania anglers.

NewsClips:



DEP Awards Mine Reclamation Grant In Luzerne To Reduce Flooding

Home and property owners near Reservoir Creek in Newport Township, Luzerne County, will

benefit from a new abandoned mine reclamation project, Sen. John Yudichak (D-Luzerne)

announced Monday.

Sen. Yudichak said the Department of Environmental Protection has awarded a $988,000

contract to Brdaric Excavating Inc., Luzerne, for the St. Vladimir Vicinity abandoned mine

reclamation project.

"Residents in the Reservoir Creek area have suffered damaged and lost property because

of past mining activities that re-routed the creek closer to their homes and businesses," Sen. Sen.

Yudichak said. "This much needed project, when completed will alleviate long standing flooding

issues for the property owners."Brdaric Excavating will move the South Branch of the creek from the north side of West

Kirmar Avenue to the south side, which is the creek's original bed. This will also lessen the

possibility of bridge damage should there be a flood, and it will help to keep West Kirmar

Avenue open when heavy rain falls.

"Approximately 60,000 yards of material will be moved, and much of that will be used to

re-contour existing mine pits that have also been a safety issue," said Earth Conservancy CEO

Michael Dziak. "I'm sure the residents near the creek will be extremely thankful for this

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improvement."

"The announcement of the grant for reclamation of land in the township is great news,"

said Newport Township Manager Richard Zika. "This will eliminate the possibility of flooding

of several homes and businesses that have been affected in the past by the flooding of the creek."

Brdaric's $987,967.50 contract is funded by the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Trust

Fund, which is subsidized by fees paid for each ton of coal that is mined. The excavationcompany is scheduled to begin work on the Reservoir Creek project October 3. Its expected

completion date is September 7, 2016.

Sen. Yudichak worked with Rep. Gerald Mullery (D-Luzerne) to secure the funding for

the project.

NewsClip:

Newport Twp Receives Funding For Mine Reclamation, Flooding

100-Year Old Coal Site To Be Reclaimed In Washington County At No Cost To Taxpayers

Rep. Peter J. Daley II (D-Washington) Friday announced a Monongahela firm will remove

abandoned coal waste from a 3-acre site in West Pike Run Township, Washington County, at nocost to taxpayers.

The Department of Environmental Protection's New Stanton District Office awarded the

contract to Rostosky Coal LLC, which will recover more than 15,000 tons of coal from the site

just west of Walkertown in return for the remediation work.

According to DEP, the project will entail stabilizing the old mine, revegetation and

removing subsidence hazards at the site, located between Pike Run Drive and Wood Run Road.

Blasting and reprocessing at the site is prohibited under terms of the government contract.

The site was last mined in 1915 by J & L Steel.

NewsClip:

Newport Twp Receives Funding For Mine Reclamation, Flooding

National Mining Hall Of Fame To Induct 3 New PA-Related Members

The National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum will be inducting five individuals, 3 related to

Pennsylvania, into the National Mining Hall of Fame and presenting the Prazen Award at its 28th

Annual Induction Banquet October 23 at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh.

The NMHFM in honoring Penn State Professor Frank F. Aplan , former CEO of Conoco

for whom the Bailey mine is named Ralph E. Bailey and the late Penn State Professor and former

head of CONSOL Edward Steidle from Pennsylvania.

Mike Korb from DEP’s Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation will be the master of

ceremonies.This prestigious gala event supports the efforts of the only federally chartered National

Mining Hall of Fame & Museum whose mission is to "tell the story of mining, its people, and its

importance to the American public."

Join your colleagues in celebrating the mineral and mining industry and those individuals

who have significantly advanced America's quality of life through their contributions in the areas

of education, workplace safety, technology, environmental stewardship, reclamation, policy, and

scientific discovery.

http://www.mininghalloffame.org/page/edward-steidlehttp://www.mininghalloffame.org/page/ralph-e-baileyhttp://www.mininghalloffame.org/page/frank-f-aplanhttp://www.mininghalloffame.org/http://timesleader.com/news/local/383310/newport-township-receives-funding-for-mine-reclamation-flood-protectionhttp://timesleader.com/news/local/383310/newport-township-receives-funding-for-mine-reclamation-flood-protection


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For more information on programs and activities, visit the National Mining Hall of Fame

& Museum website.

Results Of Susquehanna River Basin Commission Meeting On Sept. 10

On September 10 the Susquehanna River Basin Commission held its quarterly business meeting

in Binghamton, N.Y. Among its actions, SRBC:

— Adopted revisions to Resolution 2013-11;

— Authorized publication of proposed rulemaking to address shortcomings in the rules for

transfer of approvals, create a category for minor modifications, establish a procedure for issuing

general permits, and address other minor enhancements; a public hearing and comment period

will be scheduled to solicit input from interested members of the public;

— Adopted amendments to SRBC’s comprehensive plan;

— Accepted a settlement offer for a compliance matter from Downs Racing L.P. for $25,000 for

consumptively using water in excess of its regulatory threshold;

— Conditionally transferred ownership of Hummel Station LLC (Docket Nos. 20081222 and

20081222-2) to Panda Power Funds; — Extended the term of emergency certificates with Aqua Pennsylvania, Inc. to September 1,

2016, and with Furman Foods, Inc. to December 3, 2015; and

— Approved 20 applications and tabled 8 applications.

SRBC’s voting commissioners and alternates were : Kelly Heffner, SRBC Chair and

Deputy Secretary for Water Management, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental

Protection; Virginia Kearney, SRBC Vice Chair and Acting Director, Water Management

Administration, Maryland Department of the Environment; Col. Edward Chamberlayne,

Commander and District Engineer, Baltimore District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and

Kenneth Lynch, Director, Region 7, New York State Department of Environmental

Conservation.

SRBC staff also reported on delegated settlements with the following project sponsors,

pursuant to SRBC Resolution 2014-15:

-- Aqua Pennsylvania, Inc.—SCI Waymart, in the amount of $6,000;

-- Conyngham Borough Authority, in the amount of $5,000;

-- Keister Miller Investments, LLC, in the amount of $2,000;

-- Susquehanna Gas Field Services, LLC, in the amount of $2,500; and

-- Wynding Brook, Inc. d/b/a Wynding Brook Golf Club, in the amount of $5,000.

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

NewsClips:



NRCS Accepting Applications For Farm, Landowner Conservation Programs In PA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is accepting

applications to help producers improve water and air quality, build healthier soil, improve

grazing and forest lands, conserve energy, enhance organic operations, and achieve other

environmental benefits.

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NRCS will be able to provide funding assistance directly to Pennsylvania farmers and

landowners in Fiscal Year 2016 to help them implement conservation practices through the

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the agency’s largest Farm Bill conservation

program, the Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) program, and the Regional

Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).

“USDA conservation programs offer farmers and forestland managers a variety ofoptions to conserve natural resources while boosting production on their lands,” State

Conservationist Denise Coleman said. “This conservation investment helps improve

environmental health and the economy of Pennsylvania’s rural communities.”

EQIP, RCPP and AMA provide financial assistance for a variety of conservation

activities, such as nutrient management, reduced tillage, field buffers, rotational grazing systems

and much more.

RCPP focuses on public-private partnerships in designated geographic areas 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.

For FY 2016, funding for contracts through RCPP will be available for the following

projects:-- Delaware River Watershed Working Lands Conservation and Protection Partnership (Parts of

Berks, Bucks, Chester, Lehigh and Montgomery Counties within designated watershed clusters)

-- Comprehensive Watershed Conservation in Dairy and Livestock Landscapes of the

Chesapeake Bay (Bradford, Juniata and Lancaster Counties)

-- Mason-Dixon Working Lands Partnership (Franklin County and the Pretty Boy watershed in

York County)

-- Cerulean Warbler Appalachian Forestland Enhancement (Multiple Counties).

Deadline

The deadline to submit applications to be considered in the 2016 first ranking period for

funding consideration in Pennsylvania for EQIP, AMA and RCPP is October 16. Applications

received after that date will be accepted and considered for funding in the second ranking in

December, if funds remain.

Additionally, NRCS offers special initiatives through EQIP, including:

-- On-Farm Energy Initiative: helps producers conserve energy on their operations.

-- Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative: helps producers install high tunnels designed to extend the

growing season into the cold months, increase productivity, keep plants at a steady temperature

and conserve water and energy.

-- Organic Initiative: helps producers to install conservation practices on certified organic

operations or those working toward organic certification.

To participate in USDA conservation programs, applicants should be farmers or farm or

forest landowners and must meet eligibility criteria.To take advantage of NRCS technical assistance and expertise or federally funded

conservation on your farm or land, please contact your local USDA NRCS Field Office or visit

the NRCS Pennsylvania webpage.

Unique Partnership Called On For Greening Lower Susquehanna Program

Greening the Lower Susquehanna Conservation Corps

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volunteers had the opportunity to help maintain a rain garden on the base of the U.S. Air Force

193rd Special Operations Wing in Middletown, Dauphin County.

Middletown called on the Greening the Lower Susquehanna program of the Penn State

Agriculture & Environment Center and Penn State Extension for help in restoring a rain garden

on the base that was in need of help.

Weeds were out-competing the native grasses and dogwood trees originally planted there.Greening the Lower Susquehanna staff, Jennifer Fetter and Kristen Kyler, called on the

program’s volunteer conservation corps for help.

On August 12, eleven volunteers participated in removal of invasive weeds from the rain

garden and spreading mulch to help prevent their return. These efforts will allow the plants

intentionally planted in the rain garden to better establish themselves.

As a result, the rain garden will better be able to do its job of collecting and infiltrating

stormwater.

Routine rain garden maintenance also helps to enhance the aesthetic appearance of the

garden, which is important for preventing them from becoming unattractive to passersby, and

resulting in their removal.

This rain garden is especially important because of the high percentage of imperviousarea on the Air Force base. Best management practices, such as this rain garden, help reduce

flooding and infiltrate stormwater when there is little permeable area to do so.

The Greening the Lower Susquehanna Volunteer Conservation Corps has over 350 active

participants who respond to requests for help throughout the lower Susquehanna region.

To join the mailing list for future events, send email to: [email protected].

NewsClips:



(Reprinted from the Sept. 14 Watershed Winds newsletter from Penn State Extension. Click Here

to sign up for your own copy.)

PEC Partners With Facility Managers For Green Stormwater Project In Philadelphia

The PA Environmental Council and the Greater Philadelphia

Chapter of the International Facility Management Association

are partnering on a project that seeks to improve water quality

benefits, enhance habitat, and reduce pollutant loadings to

streams through the engagement of new commercial landowners

as adopters of green stormwater infrastructure in their existing

and new properties.Funded in part by a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife

Foundation , PEC will work closely with IFMA-GPC leadership

to understand education and training resources needed to help encourage investment in green

stormwater infrastructure at existing and/or proposed facilities.

As part of the project, PEC will jointly develop and implement four programming

activities aimed at promoting the use of GSI as part of facility management activities, provide

consultation and evaluation of six properties for potential GSI retrofitting or new construction,

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and provide technical assistance to advance two projects to preliminary design status.

PEC hopes to identify a new model to engage commercial property owners in the practice

of stormwater management as part of their routine property investments, building awareness

through education and outreach events, building capacity via targeted technical assistance, and

sharing through peer-to-peer learning and interaction.

Although initially focused within the Philadelphia metropolitan region, we hope to utilizeour experiences for potential expansion throughout the state.

Contact Susan Myerov, PEC Watersheds Program Director, by sending email to:

[email protected] for more information about this new initiative.

Villanova, PEC Municipal Stormwater Management Workshop, Webcast Oct. 13

Villanova University and the PA Environmental Council will host a Municipal Stormwater

Workshop on October 13 as part of Villanova’s 2015 Stormwater Symposium on October 14-15

in Philadelphia.

The VUSP and PEC have developed a program that emphasizes collaborative and

financial strategies to enable municipal officials to meet their water quality requirements.The workshop will also be webcast live from 8:15 to 4:00.

Click Here for all the details and to register.

Stroud Water Research Center: Microbial Masters Workshop For Teachers Oct. 17

The Stroud Water Research Center will host a Microbial Masters Workshop for middle and high

school teachers on October 17 at the Center in Avondale, Chester County.

During this event participants will receive an overview of majorly cool stream microbial

concepts along with side-by-side field time with Stroud expert scientists, seeing how they study

this amazing and invisible world.

You’ll also tour our labs, learn how to make watershed tea and be trained in a simple and

easy stream bacterial monitoring method that you can take back to your classrooms.

At the workshop you will receive: Hands-on field experience with the experts; Training

in E.coli monitoring; Supplies to monitor E.coli bacteria; Certificate of Participation to be used

for Act 48 credit courtesy upload; Tour of Stroud Center’s microbiology laboratory; and FUN

teaching techniques to bring to your classes!

The Stroud Center is partnering with the National Science Foundation on the workshop.

Click Here for all the details and to register.

NewsClips:


Editorial: Get Involved In Susquehanna River Health Survey: Allegheny River Water Quality Holds Steady

Now Online: PEC TV - Delaware River Restoration Program In Spotlight

The Delaware River Watershed Restoration Program is the

theme of the September episode of “Environmental Focus,”

the Pennsylvania Environmental Council’s monthly

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half-hour television talk show now available on PEC’s website.

The show features Andrew Johnson of the William Penn Foundation (photo), Kelly

Heffner, DEP Deputy Secretary for Water Resources and PEC Executive Vice President Patrick

Starr.

Johnson, Program Manager for Watershed Protection at William Penn, is leading a

three-year initiative to cleanup and conserve the 13,000 square mile watershed. The cost of thiseffort is expected to exceed $35 million and impact the drinking water of 15 million Americans.

Following Johnson’s interview, a roundtable discussion on the challenges that lay ahead

of the river will include Kelly Heffner and Patrick Starr.

Previous editions of “Environmental Focus” have featured topics such as outdoor

recreation on Pennsylvania’s waterways, Pennsylvania’s state budget, and the Pennsylvania

Pipeline Infrastructure Taskforce with guests such as Department of Conservation and Natural

Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn and DEP Secretary John Quigley.

Click Here to watch this month’s program. Click Here to view previous episodes.

September Upstream Newsletter Now Available From Stroud Water Research Center

The September issue of the Upstream newsletter is now available from the Stroud Water

Research Center in Avondale, Chester County, featuring stories on--

-- Studying How Massive Storms Impact Water Quality Downstream

-- Summer Research Program Boosts Confidence, Shapes Careers

-- Planting Streamside Forests May Boost Resiliency To Climate Change

-- Fall Events At The Stroud Center

-- Learn About The Educational Improvement Tax Credit

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

Sept. 14 Watershed Winds Newsletter Now Available From Penn State Extension

The September 14 edition of the Watershed Winds newsletter is now available from Penn state

Extension featuring articles on--

-- Increasingly Severe Disturbances Weaken World’s Temperate Forests

-- Sept. 8 Was Protect Your Groundwater Day

-- Volunteers Of Lower Susquehanna Called On For Unique Partnership

-- Chesapeake Bay Commission Gest Milestone Update Sept. 10. What Will PA Do?

-- Shade May Mitigate Invasive Plant Presence, Richness

-- Record Breaking Unwanted Medication Collection In McKean County

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

Williamsport Joins Partnership For Safe Water’s Optimization Program

Williamsport Municipal Water Authority in Lycoming County

recently became a member of a new program operated by the

Partnership for Safe Water .

The Distribution Optimization Program is specifically focused on

preserving distribution system integrity to include water quality

http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=21166&PageID=1259441&mode=2http://www.wmwa-wsa.org/http://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/water/news/subscribehttp://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/water/news/2015/record-breaking-unwanted-medication-collectionhttp://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/water/news/2015/shade-may-mitigate-invasive-plant-presence-richnesshttp://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/water/news/2015/chesapeake-bay-commission-gets-milestone-update-sept.-10-what-will-pa-dohttp://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/water/news/2015/volunteers-of-lower-susquehanna-called-on-for-a-unique-partnershiphttp://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/water/news/2015/protect-your-groundwater-dayhttp://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/water/news/2015/increasingly-severe-disturbances-weaken-worlds-temperate-forests-1http://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/water/news?utm_campaign=Watershed+Winds+Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=newsletter_view_onlinehttp://www.stroudcenter.org/subscribe/http://www.stroudcenter.org/eitc/http://www.stroudcenter.org/newsletters/2015/issue5/events.shtmhttp://www.stroudcenter.org/newsletters/2015/issue5/valerie-ouellet.shtmhttp://www.stroudcenter.org/newsletters/2015/issue5/czo-summer.shtmhttp://www.stroudcenter.org/newsletters/2015/issue5/storm-impacts-on-fresh-water.shtmhttp://www.stroudcenter.org/http://www.stroudcenter.org/http://www.stroudcenter.org/newsletters/2015/issue5/http://pecpa.org/press-releases/environmental-focus-media-center/http://pecpa.org/press-releases/delaware-river-conservation-program-spotlighted-in-september-edition-of-environmental-focus/http://pecpa.org/press-releases/delaware-river-conservation-program-spotlighted-in-september-edition-of-environmental-focus/


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preservation, hydraulic reliability and physical security.

Surface water, groundwater, and consecutive water systems are eligible to enroll in the

voluntary program that consists of four phases including a commitment to the program, annual

data collection and submittal, a self assessment phase, and a final phase of Excellence in

Distribution System Operation.

Williamsport’s water system provides drinking water service to approximately 51,000 people.

For more information, visit DEP’s Partnership for Safe Water webpage or contact Kevin

Anderson by sending email to: [email protected].

(Reprinted from the Sept. 17 DEP News. Click Here to sign up for your own copy.)

Keep PA Beautiful: Still Time To Participate In The International Coastal Cleanup

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful would like to remind Pennsylvania residents to that there is still

time to be a part of the 2015 International Coastal Cleanup .

The Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup is held from September 1through October 31 and is the largest volunteer effort aimed at improving the health of the ocean,

bringing out hundreds of thousands of volunteers from around the world to remove millions of

pounds of plastics and debris from beaches, lakes and waterways.

This event has grown to include participation by all 50 states and U.S. territories and 90

countries with the number growing each year. Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is proud to

coordinate this effort in Pennsylvania.

Any cleanup site is eligible since we all live in a watershed and all waterways flow into

our coastal waters. Gloves and bags are available for registered events while supplies last.

International Coastal Cleanup Day will be held on September 19, however, ICC events

can be held from September 1st through October 31st.

If you are interested in coordinating or volunteering for an ICC cleanup, please contact

Michelle Dunn at 1-877-772-3673 Ext. 113 or send email to: [email protected] .

NewsClips:

What’s New With Trash, Recycling In Harrisburg?

State Picks Law Firm To Go After HBG Incinerator Claims

Record Breaking Unwanted Medication Collection In McKean County

Sixty-eight McKean County Residents delivered

medications to the Drug Enforcement Agency’s National

Unwanted Medication Collection Program on September12 at the Penn State Extension Office in Smethport.

(Photo: Roger Sager and Bryan Goodrow, McKean

County Sheriff Deputies, show some of the unwanted

medications collected in Smethport this past Saturday.)

Over 11 garbage bags were collected and sent to an

approved medical waste incinerator for proper disposal.

Penn State Extension Water Resources Educator,

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2015/09/harrisburg_civil_lawsuits_inci.html#incart_riverhttp://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2015/09/5_updates_trash_recycling_harr.html#incart_rivermailto:[email protected]://www.keeppabeautiful.org/CleanIt/IntlCoastalCleanup.aspxhttp://www.keeppabeautiful.org/http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/News_and_Events/21504/DEP_Newsletter/1714475http://paenvironmentdaily.blogspot.com/2015/09/september-17-dep-news-now-available.htmlmailto:[email protected]://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=21166&PageID=1259441&mode=2


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Jim Clark, has assisted the McKean Sheriff’s Office organize during every DEA Take Back

Program offered in Pennsylvania. This collection was record breaking in McKean County for the

most participants and the most drugs collected.

The event was sponsored locally by the McKean County Sheriff’s Office, Penn State

Extension, and PA CleanWays of McKean , an affiliate of Keep PA Beautiful.

Unused prescription medications should not be flushed or washed down the drain. Theresidue from flushed pharmaceuticals affects fish and other aquatic species, and could find their

way into human drinking water supplies.

NewsClips:

What’s New With Trash, Recycling In Harrisburg?

State Picks Law Firm To Go After HBG Incinerator Claims

(Article and photo by James A. Clark , Extension Water Resources Educator, Renewable Natural

Resources Extension Team, Penn State Extension, McKean County, and reprinted from the Sept.

14 Watershed Winds newsletter from Penn State Extension. Click Here to sign up for your own

copy.)

Attorney General Charges Bucks County Man With Illegal Dumping

Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane Monday announced criminal charges have been filed against

a Bucks County man following an investigation by the Office of Attorney General’s

Environmental Crimes Unit.

David J. Gawronski, 26, 2341 Hill Road, Sellersville, Bucks County, is charged with

three counts of unlawful conduct in connection with alleged violations of the Solid Waste

Management Act.

Gawronski allegedly dumped five, five-gallon containers that reportedly held petroleum

contaminated waste. The dumping was reported in the area of 502 East Creamery Road,

Perkasie, Bucks County. One of the containers was reported to be damaged and leaking.

An oil-stained invoice was found taped to one of the containers, investigators allege. The

invoice was allegedly addressed to Gawronski Automotive, LLC, Gawronski’s business. The

invoice had a phone number written on the back, which investigators said belonged to

Gawronski.

Gawronski is tentatively scheduled to appear Oct. 16 for a preliminary hearing. The case

will be prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Brian Coffey of the Environmental

Crimes Unit.

A person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

EPA: Dunbar Asphalt To Clean Up 29-Acre Portion Of Sharon Steel Superfund Site

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Monday announced a proposed settlement the

government has reached with Dunbar Asphalt Products, Inc., to clean up a 29-acre portion of the

Sharon Steel Corporation Superfund Site in Hermitage, Mercer County.

The cleanup will better protect workers from exposure to contaminants on the site and

prevent airborne releases of the contaminants.

“This settlement advances the cleanup work at Sharon Steel, allows for two local

http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/npl/PAD001933175.htmhttp://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/water/news/subscribehttp://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/water/news?utm_campaign=Watershed+Winds+Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=newsletter_view_onlinehttp://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/water/news?utm_campaign=Watershed+Winds+Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=newsletter_view_onlinemailto:[email protected]://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2015/09/harrisburg_civil_lawsuits_inci.html#incart_riverhttp://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2015/09/5_updates_trash_recycling_harr.html#incart_riverhttp://www.keeppabeautiful.org/http://www.keeppabeautiful.org/AboutUsAffiliates/AffiliateNetwork/PACleanWaysofMcKeanCounty.aspx


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businesses to continue operating, and protects workers’ health and the local community,” said

EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “Getting this cleanup work underway builds on

the progress we’re steadily making in the overall cleanup and reuse of this property.”

Under this proposed settlement, Dunbar will pay the costs to cover exposed slag with

asphalt or clean fill to prevent releases of heavy metals and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs),

and ensure there is no exposed waste. Dunbar will also reimburse EPA for future costs related tothe cleanup of this 29-acre portion of the site.

EPA estimates that it would have cost the agency $1.7 million to clean up this portion of

the site if a settlement had not been reached with Dunbar.

Dunbar and Williams Brothers Trucking Company are each operating businesses at the

site. EPA selected a process that allows the businesses to continue operating while the protective

remedy is being installed.

The entire Sharon Steel Site covers about 325 acres in Mercer County. Sharon Steel

Corp. used this area to dispose of slag and other waste generated from the company’s

steelmaking operations at its nearby Farrell Works plant. The slag and other wastes

contaminated soil and groundwater.

In 1998, EPA added the site the National Priorities List of sites that have known, or arethreatened by, releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants.

The proposed settlement is subject to a 30-day public comment period which started

September 11, 2015, and requires court approval before becoming final.

EPA is paying to clean up other areas at this Superfund site.

A copy of the proposed settlement and instructions on how to comment are available

online .

For more information on the site, visit EPA’s Sharon Steel Corporation Farrell Works

Disposal Area webpage.

DEP Reaches Penalty Agreement With Research Laboratory REI Consultants

The Department of Environmental Protection Wednesday announced it has fined research

laboratory REI Consultants, Inc. $75,000 for violations at their Beaver, WV, lab.

REI Consultants will also need to fund a third party assessor to review the lab’s abilities

to meet accreditation standards as part of the consent order and agreement with DEP.

“We believe, with this agreement, REIC will become a lab that consistently generates

valid and accurate data,” said Dr. Martina McGarvey, director of the DEP Bureau of

Laboratories.

In March 2015, DEP’s Laboratory Accreditation Program conducted a regularly

scheduled on-site assessment of REIC and found that the laboratory’s management was not

providing adequate oversight and training of the laboratory personnel.In addition, there were numerous violations during the data review and on-site

assessment of REIC. Based upon the DEP’s assessment, REIC agreed to voluntarily relinquish

certain accreditations and the DEP then suspended other areas of accreditation for the fields

impacted by the violations.

Pennsylvania DEP is REIC’s primary accreditation authority, but the lab does not

perform compliance testing for DEP. REIC uses its primary National Environmental Laboratory

Accreditation Program accreditation from DEP to obtain secondary NELAP accreditation from

http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/npl/PAD001933175.htmhttp://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/npl/PAD001933175.htmhttp://www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decree/us-v-dunbar-asphalt-products-inchttp://www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decree/us-v-dunbar-asphalt-products-inc


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Virginia.

REIC is an environmental laboratory performing primarily commercial environmental

and industrial laboratory services to outside customers in microbiology, wet chemistry, trace

metals, and organics primarily in non-potable water, and Solid & Chemical Materials.

In addition to the $75,000 fine the lab has agreed to hire an independent third-party

auditor to review the lab’s operations abilities to meet the conditions of its accreditation. Anyissues the independent auditor’s report uncovers must be corrected within 30 days.

DEP Issues Air Permit For Natural Gas-Fired Power Plant In Luzerne County

The Department of Environmental Protection Thursday announced it has approved an air quality

plan approval for Moxie Freedom Energy, LLC of Virginia to construct and operate a

1050-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant in Salem Township, Luzerne County.

The approval was granted by DEP’s Air Quality Program on September 1, 2015.

“The application received a thorough review by the Department and we determined that

Moxie’s proposal satisfies applicable emissions control requirements, including use of Best

Available Control Technology and Lowest Achievable Emission Rate”, said Mike Bedrin,Director of DEP’s Northeast Regional Office in Wilkes-Barre. “This plant will also have

emissions testing, recordkeeping and continuous emission monitoring requirements to assist DEP

in monitoring emissions from the facility to help ensure compliance.”

Moxie Freedom submitted an air quality plan approval application to DEP on October 6,

2014. The company plans to utilize a combustion gas turbine and a steam turbine to produce

electricity. Each combined turbine and a duct burner will exclusively fire pipeline-quality natural

gas.

The burners will be equipped with selective catalytic reduction to minimize nitrogen

oxide (NOx) emissions and oxidation catalysts to minimize carbon monoxide and volatile

organic compound emissions.

The project will be capable of producing 1050 Megawatts (MW) of electricity, which will

then be distributed to the power grid for use.

DEP published a notice of receipt of the application in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on

January 24, 2015 and asked for public comment.

DEP then published a notice of the intent to issue a plan approval in the Pennsylvania

Bulletin on May 30, 2015, again asking for public comment on the project.

A public hearing on the air quality plan approval was held on July 7 at Berwick High

School and was attended by Representatives from DEP and Moxie Freedom, LLC.

During the hearing DEP took testimony from residents regarding the plan approval and

afterward it prepared a comment/response document to address the public comments it received

about Moxie’s proposal.Copies of the plan approval and comment/response document are available online.

NewsClips:

DEP OKs Permit For Luzerne Natural Gas Power Plant

How Will New Federal Ozone Limits Affect PA?

How Emission Credits Work

Op-Ed: Moving The Goal Line On Ozone Standards

Editorial: Power Outages No Excuse For Air Pollution

http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/editorials/2015/09/13/Dirty-Shenango-Power-outages-are-no-excuse-for-air-pollution/stories/201509300012http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/2015/09/15/lt-div-class-libPageBodyLinebreak-style-webkit-user-select-none-gt-Moving-the-goal-line-lt-div-gt/stories/201509100028http://powersource.post-gazette.com/powersource/companies/2015/09/15/How-Emission-Credits-Work-Using-Shell-Ethane-Cracker-as-example/stories/201509110338http://www.post-gazette.com/powersource/policy-powersource/2015/09/15/How-will-new-federal-ozone-limits-affect-Pennsylvania-businesses-EPA/stories/201509150017http://timesleader.com/news/394902/dep-approves-air-quality-permit-plan-for-natural-gas-power-planthttp://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/northeast_regional_office/13779/community_information/591285http://moxieenergy.com/Freedom_Power_Generation_Plant.htmlhttp://moxieenergy.com/


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IFO Releases New Natural Gas Production Report

The Independent Fiscal Office Tuesday released a report on Pennsylvania natural gas production,

which covers January to June of 2015, and summarizes raw data compiled by the Department of

Environmental Protection.The report displays the volume of gas produced and the number of producing and

non-producing wells. The report also stated that the volume of natural gas produced increased by

15.8 percent compared to the same period in 2014, the number of producing wells increased by

21.7 percent, and the number of non-producing wells increased by 13.5 percent.

Click Here to read a copy of the report. A glossary of natural gas terminology is also

available from IFO.

NewsClips:

Conventional Drilling Group Still Battling DEP

Conventional Oil, Gas Producers Band Together To Survive

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

Study: No Broad Changes In Groundwater Quality In Shale Drilling Areas Gas Well Emergency Training Prepares First Responders

Citing Pope, Foes Of Drilling Ban Press Wolf

Erie’s Pat Lupo Co-Authors Letter To Governor About Fracking

Op-Ed: Faith Leaders Call For Fracking Ban

Drillers Urged To Be Transparent With Municipalities

Stricter Drilling Rules Advance In Churchill

Fracking Raises Concerns In Wilkins, Churchill

Letter: Shale Drillers Voluntarily Comply With Setback Rules

DEP: Keystone Cement Fined $197,203 For Air Quality Violations In Northampton

The Department of Environmental Protection Friday announced it has reached an agreement with

Keystone Cement Company of East Allen Township, Northampton County for the payment of a

civil penalty in the amount of $197,203.00 for numerous air quality violations during a four-year

period.

Quarterly emissions reports submitted to the Department by Keystone showed that the

company exceeded permitted emission limits for certain pollutants and that it failed to satisfy

data availability requirements for their continuous emissions monitoring system (CEMs).

In addition, from September 2013 through June 2014, Department inspectors identified

pressure drop violations related to the operation of air pollution control equipment at the facility.

In 2009, the company replaced two of its cement kilns, which are large oven-like unitsused to heat a raw mixture of materials to produce clinker during the cement manufacturing

process. The clinker is then cooled in a clinker cooler.

Keystone’s two kilns were replaced with one larger and more efficient kiln. The company

also upgraded and replaced other parts of its system, including its clinker coolers and a baghouse

designed to control emissions from its operations.

Keystone’s cement kiln is equipped with a CEM to monitor emissions of sulfur oxides

(“SOx”), nitrogen oxides (“NOx”) and carbon monoxide (“CO”). The clinker cooler is equipped

http://www.keystone-cement.com/http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/letters/2015/09/14/Pa-drillers-are-voluntarily-adhering-to-more-stringent-setback-rules/stories/201509140057http://powersource.post-gazette.com/powersource/policy-powersource/2015/09/18/Fracking-raises-concerns-in-Wilkins-Churchill/stories/201509180102http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/9090187-74/churchill-drilling-councilhttps://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2015/09/17/gas-developers-urged-to-be-fully-transparent-in-their-applications-to-municipalities/http://www.pennlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/09/all_of_creation_is_a_gift_of_g.html#incart_riverhttp://www.goerie.com/erie-nun-co-authors-letter-to-governor-about-frackinghttp://www.philly.com/philly/business/homepage/20150917_Citing_pope__foes_of_drilling_press_Wolf.htmlhttp://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268748/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=Cmcz0pBMhttp://www.ohio.com/blogs/drilling/ohio-utica-shale-1.291290/new-study-looks-at-water-quality-in-marcellus-utica-areas-1.624115http://www.paenvironmentdigest.com/newsletter/default.asp?NewsletterArticleID=31809http://powersource.post-gazette.com/powersource/companies/2015/09/13/Conventional-oil-and-gas-producers-band-together-to-survive-against-large-players-in-Utica-and-Marcellus-shales/stories/201509060128http://powersource.post-gazette.com/powersource/policy-powersource/2015/09/15/Oil-and-gas-gr

Pa Environment Digest Sept. 21, 2015

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Transcript of Pa Environment Digest Sept. 21, 2015