Pa Environment Digest March 4, 2019

Issue #766 Harrisburg, PA March 4, 2019
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All Major PA Hunting, Angler, Wildlife Groups Oppose Using Environmental Fund
Project Money To Pay Agency Operating Expenses
On February 28, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers,

Ducks Unlimited, National Wild Turkey Federation,
Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited,
Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen and
Conservationists, Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever,
Quality Deer Management Association, Rocky
Mountain Elk Foundation, Theodore Roosevelt
Conservation Partnership, Trout Unlimited, and
United Bowhunters of Pennsylvania wrote to
members of the House and Senate opposing Gov.
Wolf’s proposal to use money from environmental
funds to pay the operating expenses of DEP and DCNR.
“We are dismayed that the Governor’s budget proposal would redirect much-needed
resources from the ESF [Environmental Stewardship (Growing Greener)] and the Keystone
[Recreation, Parks and Conservation] Fund in order to pay for state government operations in the
coming fiscal year.
“We appreciate the need for the Commonwealth to properly fund the Departments of
Environmental Protection (DEP) and Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). The work of
those agencies is critical to ensuring healthy fish and wildlife habitat and plentiful outdoor
recreational opportunities.
“However, these resources should come from the General Fund—not from dedicated
sources established to support local, on-the-ground projects that conserve and restore our waters,
set aside natural lands, and support state parks and recreation.
“In particular, the sportsmen and women represented by our organizations want to see
more resources—not less—for the ESF, which funds the highly successful Growing Greener
program.
“In 2018, a statewide poll conducted for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation
Partnership found that 80 percent of hunters and anglers support funding the Growing Greener
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program at $200 million annually. Under the Governor’s budget, expenditures for this critical
work would be cut to $65 million in the coming year.
“We urge you to work with your colleagues to craft a budget plan that leaves the ESF and
the Keystone Fund intact, and going forward, to identify new sources to support the important
and necessary work for which these funds were created.”
Together, members of these organizations have contributed tens of thousands of hours of
volunteer work to help restore Pennsylvania’s stream, woodland and lake habitats. They are
doing more than their share to restore Pennsylvania’s environment.
This unprecedented coming together of hunting, angler and wildlife groups
(Pennsylvania’s first environmentalists), joins Pennsylvania’s major environmental, recreation
and mine reclamation groups in opposing the use of Environmental Stewardship and Keystone
Fund project monies to pay the operating expenses of DEP and DCNR.
The text of the letter follows--
Dear Senators and Representatives:
On behalf of the undersigned groups representing thousands of Pennsylvania sportsmen
and women, we are writing today with major concerns about future funding for the
Environmental Stewardship Fund (ESF) and the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation
Fund.
We value the projects funded by these programs that restore fish and wildlife habitat,
improve sportsmen’s access to streams and forests, and enhance the conservation efforts of the
Commonwealth’s independent fish and game agencies.
We are dismayed that the Governor’s budget proposal would redirect much-needed
resources from the ESF and the Keystone Fund in order to pay for state government operations in
the coming fiscal year.
We appreciate the need for the Commonwealth to properly fund the Departments of
Environmental Protection (DEP) and Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). The work of
those agencies is critical to ensuring healthy fish and wildlife habitat and plentiful outdoor
recreational opportunities.
However, these resources should come from the General Fund—not from dedicated
sources established to support local, on-the-ground projects that conserve and restore our waters,
set aside natural lands, and support state parks and recreation.
In particular, the sportsmen and women represented by our organizations want to see
more resources—not less—for the ESF, which funds the highly successful Growing Greener
program.
In 2018, a statewide poll conducted for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
found that 80 percent of hunters and anglers support funding the Growing Greener program at
$200 million annually. Under the Governor’s budget, expenditures for this critical work would
be cut to $65 million in the coming year.
These ESF has provided critical seed money to conserve more than 80,000 acres of open
space, restore more than 1,600 acres of abandoned mine lands, and fund 400 projects to reduce
flooding and improve water quality.
The Keystone Fund has leveraged $1 billion to complete more than 5,000 projects.
Every dollar from the ESF is matched by at least another dollar in additional investment;
usually, the multiple is higher: Trout Unlimited, for example, raises another two dollars for every
dollar invested by Growing Greener into its abandoned mine drainage (AMD) cleanup projects.
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Since 1993, every dollar spent from the Keystone Fund has leveraged three additional
dollars.
These investments in our natural resources pay dividends. Healthy waterways are a
critical component of Pennsylvania’s $28 billion outdoor recreational economy, which supports
390,000 jobs.
Hunters and anglers alone contribute $1.3 billion to the Commonwealth’s bottom line.
The work funded by the Environmental Stewardship Fund and the Keystone Fund are a
boon to sportsmen and women in Pennsylvania:
-- Sportsmen’s access and headwaters protection: The Keystone Fund helped the Wildlands
Conservancy and its partners acquire the 500-acre Klondike property, which was turned over to
the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) to expand State Game Lands 312.
Local chapters of Trout Unlimited, the National Wild Turkey Federation, the Ruffed
Grouse Society, and the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen and Conservationists contributed
to the purchase.
This acquisition did not just provide public access to land where hunters can pursue deer,
turkey, and grouse, but it also protected the headwaters of the Lehigh River, a popular
destination for anglers and a source of drinking water for thousands of Pennsylvanians.
The ESF and the Keystone Fund also helped to preserve a 1,600-acre stretch of Blue
Mountain that is open to seasonal hunting, and the headwaters of the Letort Spring Run, a spring
creek in Cumberland County with Class A wild trout status and international renown.
-- AMD cleanup: Since 1999, Trout Unlimited has been at work in the Kettle Creek watershed
in Clinton, Potter, and Tioga counties, where coldwater streams were severely degraded by 19th
century coal mining and clearcutting.
Two decades of abandoned mine drainage (AMD) cleanup, habitat restoration, and
streambank stabilization projects have improved water quality and heralded a rebound in the
watershed’s native brook trout population.
TU is also providing technical assistance to dozens of groups working in their own
watersheds at hundreds of sites to clean up some of Pennsylvania’s 5,600 miles of
AMD-impaired streams.
In Centre County, Growing Greener helped the PGC and the Rocky Mountain Elk
Foundation reclaim 40 acres of abandoned mine lands on State Game Lands 100, providing
grasslands for elk, deer, turkey, and other species, and treating AMD pollution on Contrary Run.
-- Agricultural conservation: On Warrior’s Mark Run, a wild trout water in Huntingdon
County, the conservation district used ESF funding to help two local farmers protect the stream
from grazing cows and their nutrient-rich manure.
The project, which included streambank restoration and installation of 10,000 feet of
fencing and cattle crossings, provided multiple benefits: It ensured both a healthy fish population
and improved water quality for downstream drinking water supplies.
-- Stream restoration: In Lancaster County, the ESF provided portions of the funding for an
ambitious restoration of Lititz Run that featured streamside buffer plantings, wetlands
reconstruction, cattle fencing, streambank stabilization, in-stream restoration, and stormwater
management improvements.
The projects completed over the course of a decade led to improved water quality, lower
stream temperatures, and a rebounding trout population.
In Tioga County, the ESF helped finance restoration on Mill Run, eliminating
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downstream sediment buildup and enhancing the trout population. Construction of a fishing path
provided better access for anglers, including those with disabilities.
Much has been accomplished by projects funded by the Environmental Stewardship Fund
and the Keystone Fund, but much remains to be done.
Pennsylvania has 19,000 miles of impaired streams and rivers, more than 180,000 acres
of abandoned mines.
Thousands of acres of fish and wildlife habitat that sportsmen and women cherish are in
need of conservation.
We urge you to work with your colleagues to craft a budget plan that leaves the ESF and
the Keystone Fund intact, and going forward, to identify new sources to support the important
and necessary work for which these funds were created.
Signed,
Backcountry Hunters and Anglers
Ducks Unlimited
National Wild Turkey Federation
Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited
Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen and Conservationists
Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever
Quality Deer Management Association
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
Trout Unlimited
United Bowhunters of Pennsylvania
Click Here for a copy of the letter.
NewsClips:
Meyer: Lawmakers Keep Questioning Wolf’s Intricate Web Of Environmental Funding
House Appropriations Continues DEP Budget Hearing On March 5
Wolf: Restore PA Plan Could Help Bridgeville Families, Businesses Hurt By Flooding
Wolf Highlights How Restore PA Proposal Could Help Lycoming County With Flood Protection
Governor Presses For Severance Tax To Repair Levee In Lycoming
DCNR Secretary Tours Flood-Plagued Shikellamy State Park Promoting Restore PA
Letter: More Money Needed For State Parks, Forests
Wolf Promotes Infrastructure Plan As Funding Remains Uncertain
Caruso: Health Dept. Wants $1.4 Million For New Staff To Tackle PFAS Contamination
PA Health Dept. Seeks Scientists To Study PFAS Chemicals
Health Seeks $1.4M To Study Chemical Contaminants In Water
February State Revenues Only $2.5 Million Less Than Anticipated
Northeast Legislators Discuss Restore PA, Stormwater Fee At League Of Women Voters Event
Letter: Drilling Impact Fee Provides Many Benefits In PA
Multi-Municipal Group In Blair Gets Grant For Green Infrastructure
PaEN: U.S. House Votes To Permanently Reauthorize Federal Land & Water Conservation Fund
Related Stories:
Republican Chair Of Appropriations Committee: The Way We Fund Our Environmental
Protection Programs Is Not Sustainable
Growing Greener Coalition Opposes Using Community Environmental Project Funds For
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Agency Operating Costs; Issues Call To Action
WPCAMR Abandoned Mine Post: Growing Greener May Lose From Governor's Proposed
Budget
Eastern PA Coalition For Abandoned Mine Reclamation Opposes Transfer Of Environmental
Stewardship, Keystone Funds To Pay Agency Operating Costs
PA Recreation & Park Society Opposes Diversion Of Millions Dedicated To Local Recreation
Project Funding To Pay Agency Expenses; Issues Call To Action
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership Urges Support For INCREASED Funding For
Environmental Stewardship (Growing Greener) Fund
DEP’s Citizens Advisory Council Urges Gov. Wolf To Rebalance DEP’s Legal Mandates And
Fiscal Resources
Pennsylvanians Urged To Help Preserve The Legacy Of PA's State Parks & Forests
Gov. Wolf Proposes To Shift $75.7 Million From Environmental Funds To Pay Agency
Operating Expenses Instead Of Funding Community-Based Projects
Gov. Wolf Proposes A $4.5 Billion, 4-Year Restore Pennsylvania Community & Environmental
Infrastructure Investment Program
Related Stories This Week:
Pocono Environmental Ed Center Hosting Angling & Hunting For Conservation Program March
23
[Posted: Feb. 28, 2019]
Eastern PA Coalition For Abandoned Mine Reclamation Opposes Transfer Of

Environmental Stewardship, Keystone Funds To Pay Agency Operating Costs
On February 25, the Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned

Mine Reclamation sent a letter to Gov. Wolf opposing the
transfer of monies from the Environmental Stewardship
(Growing Greener) and Keystone Recreation, Parks and
Conservation funds to pay operating expenses for DEP and
DCNR.
EPCAMR joins all of Pennsylvania’s major hunting, angler
and wildlife groups (Pennsylvania’s first environmentalists),
major environmental, recreation and other mine reclamation
groups in opposing the use of Environmental Stewardship
and Keystone Fund project monies to pay the operating expenses of DEP and DCNR.
The text of the letter follows--
The Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (EPCAMR) opposes your budget
proposal to strip tens of millions of dollars away from tangible project investments in order to
fund general government operations.
It’s been suggested that money can be taken from the Keystone Recreation, Park and
Conservation Fund (Keystone) and the Environmental Stewardship Fund (ESF) because no harm
will be done to project investments, and the proposed budget action would only tap unneeded
money that’s just sitting around.
This imprudent notion misses fundamental issues:
Keystone and ESF were established to fund projects that make lasting improvements in
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communities; redirecting their funds to support government operations would seriously damage
the reliability of these workhorses for achieving community and environmental improvements
across the Commonwealth.
Keystone and ESF are starving for funds. Even without this budget proposal, they can’t
meet the demands for project investments or the needs driving the demands (as described in the
sections below)—not even close.
The Keystone and ESF monies in state accounts are committed to projects; capital
projects by their nature can take a few years to complete. If the state were to redirect any of these
committed monies into operations, the state would in fact be un-committing to the projects.
Under future budgets, the state could recommit funds to those projects, but, in the
meantime, communities would be placed in the difficult position of making major expenditures
with hopes but no guarantees that the state will come through with money in the end.
(Note: If Harrisburg decides communities must take on this risk, the monies to be freed of
commitment should at least be redirected to funding the large backlog of unfunded and
underfunded Keystone and ESF projects.)
Helping Communities Help Themselves; Leveraging Private and Local Resources
The Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund and Environmental Stewardship
Fund owe their success and longevity to their direct support of community-driven projects.
The dedicated funds empower local people and the private sector to address problems at
their source, not from afar in Harrisburg.
Every dollar in state grants typically leverages at least $1 in other investments and
usually the multiplier is much larger. The Keystone Fund alone has leveraged more than $1
billion in public/private partnerships to complete nearly 5,000 projects.
Unmet Demand
Keystone and ESF come nowhere near to meeting present demand. Roughly half of all
project investment proposals must be turned away.
In the case of DCNR Keystone investments, 46% of projects are rejected for lack of
sufficient state funds.
And these rejections only represent a portion of unmet demand because grant applicants
greatly self-limit their submissions knowing that competition for scarce dollars is fierce.
Further, even for those projects funded, DCNR is only able to fund 85% on average of
each request (and those requests already are generally limited to 50% of total project costs).
The Need
Pennsylvania’s environmental funding needs are huge. Pressing water issues—from
water quality investments needed for the Susquehanna and Chesapeake and Pennsylvania’s other
water basins to municipal stormwater management and flood reduction measures—hundreds of
millions if not billions of dollars are needed in the coming years.
The proposed budget diversion would worsen the needs as it would effectively take
money away from communities as they work to address stormwater, flooding, water treatment,
abandoned mine drainage remediation, abandoned mine land reclamation, and other
environmental issues.
The Keystone Fund delivers $7 in flood control and prevention, water treatment, and
other natural services for every dollar invested. (See Pennsylvania’s Return on Investment in the
Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund and other studies in the Economic Benefits
section of https://conservationtools.org.)
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Now is the time to strengthen Pennsylvania’s dedicated environmental funds, so that they
can deliver more, not less, in project investments.
Looking beyond water issues, our parks, trails, and other outdoor recreational spaces all
have pressing needs. A new report identifies a billion dollars in deferred maintenance in our state
parks and forests. (See https://paparksandforests.org/initiatives/infrastructurestudy/.)
Workhorses for Lasting Improvements
The Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund and Environmental Stewardship
Fund are the state’s workhorses for investing in projects that bring lasting benefits to
communities across the Commonwealth.
Among their many accomplishments, they've effectively and efficiently improved water
quality, conserved lands important to local communities, and created outdoor recreation
opportunities for visitors and tourists alike.
Their exemplary track records and the needs they address are described at length at
https://KeystoneFund.org and https://GrowingGreener.info.
Operations Should Be Funded Through General Fund
EPCAMR respects that PA DCNR and PA DEP need money to operate and that
environmental staffing has plummeted in the new millennium.
However, the answer to agency needs lays with the General Fund—the appropriate
source for general government operations—not in special funds dedicated to investing in projects
and to leveraging the incredible energy and resources existing in our communities.
Conclusion
A portion of the realty transfer tax was dedicated to the Keystone Recreation, Park and
Conservation Fund in 1993 and landfill tipping fees were enacted to fund the Environmental
Stewardship Fund in 1999 (and expanded in 2002) in order to reinvest in our communities,
redress the environmental damage of the past, and respect our generations yet to come.
Both funds were established with extraordinary bipartisan support in the General
Assembly as well as in public referenda.
The public’s enthusiasm continues to be overwhelming: 75% of Republican voters, 82%
of Democrats, and 87% of independents support taxing themselves more to expand conservation
funding. (See survey results at https://conservationtools.org/conservation-benefits/205.)
The Governor’s budget proposal threatens to upend decades of bipartisan consensus on
the need to maintain the dedication of the Keystone Fund and ESF so that they may consistently
invest in projects that deliver today and will continue delivering for future generations.
EPCAMR asks the Governor to rethink the Administration’s strategy and for the General
Assembly to reject this proposal. EPCAMR is a partner of the Growing Greener Coalition.
We are ready and willing to meet with your Team, and legislators to resolve the gaping
disconnect between the budget proposal. We understand the reality of the gross shortages in
available project funding.
Your RESTORE PA initiative is a positive step in the right direction. EPCAMR supports
your severance tax.
EPCAMR has been working in underserved communities on abandoned mine
reclamation, abandoned mine drainage (AMD) remediation, flooding prevention, stormwater
management, sediment reduction projects, watershed restoration, economic development of
blighted abandoned mine lands, infrastructure improvement projects, riparian corridor
restoration, trout stream restoration and protection, and innovative approaches to understanding
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underground mine pools throughout the coalfields of PA.
Respectfully submitted,
Robert E. Hughes
EPCAMR Executive Director
Click Here for a copy of the letter.
NewsClips:
Related Stories:
All Major PA Hunting, Angler, Wildlife Groups Oppose Using Environmental Fund Project
Money To Pay Agency Operating Expenses
Budget
Fiscal Resources
Gov. Wolf: Restore Pennsylvania Plan Can Help Families, Businesses Hurt By Flooding
[Posted: March 1, 2019]
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On February 28, Sen. Pat Browne (R-Lehigh), Majority

Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said at
the conclusion of the hearing on DEP’s budget that the
way the Commonwealth funds its environmental
protection programs is “not sustainable” and “not
having predictability in environmental protection is a
dangerous thing.”
“One comment is a concern in regards to the
investment of this Commonwealth towards
environmental protection is the financial model that is
part of this is not sustainable,” said Sen. Browne.
“If you look at the interrelationships among the funds being used to fund our
environmental operations... there’s a lot of correlation between them, each one of them exposing
the other,” explained Sen. Browne. “That needs to be factored into our conversation going
forward.
“I know this concerns you [Secretary Patrick McDonnell] as well. Not having
predictability in environmental protection is a dangerous thing,” said Sen. Browne. “It’s what
we have available now based on the revenue capacity of the Commonwealth, but going forward
there will need to be a serious conversation about how we fund these very important operations.”
Significant concerns were expressed by both Republican and Democratic members about
Gov. Wolf’s proposed transfers from the Environmental Stewardship (Growing Greener) Fund,
Keystone Recreation, Parks and Conservation Fund and Recycling Fund to pay agency operating
expenses.
Secretary Pat McDonnell repeated his goal of making sure the remaining monies coming
from these funds supported community projects at the same levels as before and if they did not
he said there was a commitment to review the status of the funds.
He also said the proposed Restore Pennsylvania initiative would provide project funding
for projects now funded by the Environmental Stewardship and Keystone funds.
There was also bipartisan concern over funding shortfalls being experienced in the
Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund that will be bankrupt by 2022 in the face of significant new
cleanup challenges like PFAS contamination.
McDonnell said he shared the concerns about future funding for the Hazardous Sites
Fund and said he looked forward to working with the General Assembly on a solution.
With respect to other questions, the Senate hearing covered much the same ground as the
House did. Questions on issues like-- concerns about DEP staffing levels, progress on
Chesapeake Bay Watershed cleanup obligation, timeliness of permit reviews and differences
between DEP Regions. C lick Here for a summary of the House hearing.
Here’s a quick summary of additional questions asked in the Senate hearing--
-- Status Of Drilling Ban In Susquehanna County: Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming), Majority
Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, asked about the allowing
drilling again in a 3 square mile box DEP drew in 2010 around Dimock in Susquehanna County
because of the severe natural gas migration issues contaminating drinking water wells from a
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Shale gas well drilled by Cabot Oil. He said property owners are anxious to allow gas well
development their properties. Adding, it is not fair to prohibit drilling when that’s one of the
most productive area of the state. McDonnell said DEP recently advised property owners and
Cabot Oil of their status with respect to drilling and where their properties stand and created a
pathway to potentially allow drilling. Testing has shown 6 properties have been cleared with
respect to methane levels in their water, 7 others will required additional ongoing testing and
DEP has been in touch with Cabot Oil on that, and 5 have not allowed DEP access to their
properties so they are considered resolved. He added in 2017 additional gas migration issues
came up in the area and Cabot Oil has been cooperative in helping to resolve them.
-- Stormwater Pollution Reduction: Sen. John Yudichak (D-Luzerne), Minority Chair of the
Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, said communities in his area have been
tackling the problem of reducing stormwater pollution. He pointed to the Wyoming Valley
Sanitary Authority which has taken on the responsibility for a regional stormwater plan covering
more than 30 municipalities. Using this approach will reduce costs by an estimated 50 percent,
but, he said, there is still a significant cost involved. He noted the Restore Pennsylvania proposal
that he and Sen. Tom Killion (R-Delaware) have sponsored will help meet some of those
obligations, but asked if there any other funding available now. McDonnell there are funds
available under Growing Greener to support a variety of projects with flood and stormwater
pollution reduction benefits. He said, however, the Restore Pennsylvania is the only proposal
that does address these problems on the scale they need to be addressed.
-- Environmental Stewardship Fund Transfer To Pay Operating Costs: Sen. John Blake
(D-Lackawanna) noted the $4 waste fee supporting the Environmental Stewardship Fund has not
been raised since it was adopted in 2002 and asked if the proposed fund transfer to pay DEP
operating costs is sustainable. McDonnell said he does not believe there will be a change in the
amount of project money going out the door. He said he would like to have the conversation on
future funding opportunities, but Restore Pennsylvania proposal could help address those project
funding needs.
Sen. Ryan Aument (R-Lancaster) later asked what the demand is these programs and will
there be enough money to fund all the applications. McDonnell said DEP gets twice as many
applications as they can fund in any given year.
-- Transferring Conservation District Funding To Environmental Stewardship Fund: Sen.
Elder Vogel (R-Butler), Majority Chair of the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee,
expressed a concerned about moving conservation district and State Conservation Commission
funding to the Environmental Stewardship (Growing Greener) Fund. McDonnell said it was
done to help ensure a no tax increase budget. Adding, the Governor’s Office has said they would
revisit the issue if it became a problem.
-- Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund Bankrupt: Sen. Stephen Santesario (D-Bucks) said the
figures he’s seen show the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund will be in the red by 2022. He
expressed a significant concern with the lack of funding, in particular when issues like PFAS
contamination and the need for water filtration are just developing.
Sen. Bob Mensch (R-Montgomery) noted funding for the Hazardous Sites Cleanup
Program went away with the phase out of the Capital Stock and Franchise Tax and asked how
we fund it now, because it has been a real benefit to his district. McDonnell said it was a $45
million program to fund our share of federal Superfund, state hazardous sites cleanups, cleaning
up brownfields, emergency response and other activities. DEP is now seeing about $23 million a
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year which does not fund all of DEP’s obligations. He said we need to be working on a new
funding source now because you can’t stop cleanup project halfway through.
-- PFAS Contamination: Sen. Maria Collett (D-Bucks) asked about the PFAS testing initiative
in DEP’s budget. McDonnell said the budget request is related to testing in DEP’s laboratory and
supporting an additional person. He said DEP should have a PFAS monitoring plan out in the
next month or so, that will expand beyond the 6 percent of water companies covered in the
existing plan. He said there are more than 3,000 PFAS and PFOA chemicals the plan will to
include those. He also said DEP will be issuing an RFP for a toxicology services to help develop
a Maximum Contaminant Level in drinking water for PFAS contaminants. The MCL would have
to be done by a regulation in addition it would need documentation on the extent of the problem
and other supporting data. In response to a follow up question, McDonnell said they are looking
at a standard for PFAS and PFOA.
Asked about DEP’s relationship with federal agencies on PFAS contamination issues,
McDonnell said there were problems early on with reporting and coordination, but that has
improved. EPA does have a lead on military-related contamination sites because it is a federal
site, but DEP’s Hazardous Sites Cleanup Program staff have been engaged.
-- Using Recycling Fund To Pay DEP Operating Costs: Sen. Elder Vogel (R-Butler)
expressed a concern about moving $10 million from the Recycling Fund to pay DEP operating
costs. McDonnell said they are committed to giving the same level support to recycling
programs as they have in the past. He added later in response to a similar question from Sen.
Ryan Aument (R-Lancaster) DEP typically does about $15 million in grants to support local
recycling programa, but they are looking to do $30 million because money has held back in the
Fund during the debate over whether the $2 Recycling Fee was going to be renewed in late 2017.
In response to a question from Sen. Browne (R-Lehigh) about whether changes need to
be made in the recycling law to allow the transfer to take place, McDonnell said yes. He raised
the same concern as the proposal was being discussed, adding it would need to be handled during
the budget adoption process.
-- Recycling Markets/E-Waste Recycling: Sen. John Blake (D-Lackawanna) said markets for
recycled materials have dropped since China has changed it policies and ask how DEP was
supporting communities adjusting to this change. McDonnell said DEP has tried to be
supportive of communities making changes in the kinds of materials they collect and looking at
whether there any improved separation technology to make a cleaner product.
Sen. Blake also raised the issue of problems with recycling electronic waste, noting Sen.
Gordner has introduced legislation on the issue [Senate Bill 52]. McDonnell said electronic
waste recycling is a critical issue and he was looking forward to having conversations about how
to solve it.
-- Nuclear Power/Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards: Sen. Ryan Aument (R-Lancaster)
said balancing state environmental goals with the clear benefits of competitive energy markets
related to the issue of saving nuclear power plants is difficult and asked how difficult will it be to
meet Gov. Wolf’s greenhouse gas reduction targets without nuclear plants. McDonnell said he
believes it comes down to what we pay for what value. It’s no secret, he said, that nuclear plants
are Pennsylvania’s biggest carbon free electric generation. In DEP’s modeling, he said they’ve
seen increases in greenhouse gas emissions in coming years.
Sen. Steve Santesario (D-Bucks) asked if Pennsylvania should update the Alternative
Energy Portfolio Standards since other states around us have done more? McDonnell said yes.
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DEP recently put out a Finding Pennsylvania’s Solar Future Plan which recommended
significantly increasing the solar goal in the AEPS. He said this is also an economic issue with
5,000 jobs in the state supported by solar and 3,000 jobs supported by wind energy.
-- Alternative Fuel Vehicles: Sen. Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia) asked what role the state plays
in promoting alternative fuel vehicles. McDonnell said the current Alternative Fuel Incentive
Grant Program is focused on supporting natural gas and electric vehicle purchases by fleets and
individuals. The new Driving PA Forward initiative is an $118 million opportunity for
promoting diesel engine replacements of all types with cleaner, alternative fuel vehicles. DEP
also recently released the Electric Vehicle Roadmap that looks at removing obstacles to
promoting electric vehicles.
-- Vehicle Emissions Testing: Sen. Wayne Langerholc (R-Bedford) said a recent report by the
Joint State Government Commission report says 7 counties, including Cambria County he
represents, could be removed from the enhanced vehicle testing program. He asked if DEP is
looking at revising the State Air Quality Implementation Plan to remove those counties.
McDonnell said DEP is preparing a response to the report and noted DEP disagrees with their
conclusion. He said the fact Pennsylvania is in the Northeast Ozone Transport Region which
also requires the program is another legal fact to consider. Sen. Langerholc said he disagreed
with DEP’s analysis.
[Note: The report itself says an advisory committee formed to assist in the development
of the report concluded, “The overwhelming consensus of the advisory committee was that
revisions to the SIP [State Air Quality Implementation Plan] suggested by Senate Resolution 168
that would remove certain counties from the vehicle emissions testing program are not
authorized under the CAA [federal Clean Air Act].
“The driving factor in this conclusion is the fact that Congress included Pennsylvania in
the Northeast Ozone Transport Region (OTR) under the CAA, and the CAA imposes expanded
geographical coverage for vehicle inspection and maintenance programs in OTR states.
“Additionally, a majority of the advisory committee was also of the opinion that
removing any counties from the SIP was inadvisable for adverse public health and environmental
reasons."]
-- Environmental Justice: Sen. Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia) asked about the status of the
environmental justice program in DEP. McDonnell said they are in the process of updating the
15-year old permit public participation policy. He also noted he completed a listening tour across
the state and several roundtables to gather public input on the program.
-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Funding: Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York) said
she was “alarmed” the budget gives another penny to the Susquehanna River Basin Commission
in light of the findings by the Auditor General about lack of an updated agreement with DEP to
avoid duplicating responsibilities, constantly increasing fees, entertainment expenses and the fact
the federal government and other states haven’t been paying their shares. McDonnell said she
was absolutely right the federal government has not paid, but the other states have been paying.
It is Pennsylvania that has not paid its obligation. He said DEP is working with SRBC on
updating the agreement and would provide a timetable to the Committee. He added he and the
other Commissioners immediately made changes on expense policies in response to the Auditor
General’s report.
[Note: The Susquehanna River Basin Commission meets March 15 to adopt further
changes based on recommendations related to the Auditor General’s report. On fees, the Auditor
12
General’s Report said, “SRBC management stated that in light of the current lack of funding
being provided by signatory parties, the SRBC may need to consider reducing/eliminating
discounts offered to municipal authorities."
[The performance audit done by the Auditor General concluded there was no duplication
of effort between SRBC and DEP.]
-- Use Of Alternative Onlot Sewage Systems: Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming) asked about the
status of implementing Act 26 of 2017 allowing the use of alternate technology for onlot sewage
systems. He said there is a concern DEP is discouraging the use of alternative technologies.
McDonnell said DEP has been working on a technology verification protocol and a policy on the
planning issue that received significant public comment. The guidance on the planning issue
DEP intends to revise and send out for a second round of public comment. He added Act 26 is
Act 26 and if there are things going on in the field he wanted to know about them.
Click Here to watch a video of the entire hearing. Click Here for DEP’s written budget
testimony.
DCNR has its Senate budget hearing on March 4 at 3:00. Watch Senate hearings live and
get copies of written testimony and past videos of all Senate Appropriations Committee budget
hearings at the Budget Hearings Summary webpage.
(Photo: Sen. Browne, Secretary McDonnell.)
NewsClips:
Related Stories:
DEP Secretary Promotes Restore PA Bond Proposal To Get More Funding For Environmental
Improvement Projects
Dept. Of Health Asks For $1.4 Million For PFAS Monitoring, Oversight; And Helps Assess
Climate Health Risk
13
Budget
Eastern PA Coalition For Abandoned Mine Reclamation Opposes Transfer Of Environmental
Stewardship, Keystone Funds To Pay Agency Operating Costs
Fiscal Resources
Gov. Wolf: Restore Pennsylvania Plan Can Help Families, Businesses Hurt By Flooding
Environmental Rights Amendment Challenge To Unconstitutional Use Of Oil & Gas Funds
Now Includes Recent Proposed Fund Transfers
A brief submitted by the PA Environmental Defense

Foundation February 15 to Commonwealth Court in
its Environmental Rights Amendment challenge to
the unconstitutional transfer of monies from
environmental funds now includes the most recent
transfers proposed from the Oil and Gas, Keystone,
Environmental Stewardship and Hazardous Sites
Cleanup funds by Gov. Wolf.
In June 2017, PEDF won its case in front of the PA
Supreme Court which declared transfers from the
DCNR Oil and Gas Lease Fund to the General Fund
and other programs unconstitutional because the
General Assembly and the Governor were not acting as trustees for Pennsylvania’s natural
resources under the state’s Environmental Rights Amendment (Article I, Section 27).
The case was then remanded to Commonwealth Court where it has been since then to sort
out a remedy consistent with the PA Supreme Court’s decision.
The new PEDF brief submitted to Commonwealth Court in support of summary
judgment summarizes the higher court’s findings saying, “They [the General Assembly and
Governor] failed to exercise their fiduciary duties of prudence, loyalty and impartiality in
appropriating and using the Oil and Gas Lease Fund for purposes other than remedying, restoring
and enhancing the public natural resources of our State Forests and Parks in Northcentral
Pennsylvania.”
The brief also recounts all the actions the General Assembly and the Governor have taken
since the June 2017 decision that are inconsistent with the PA Supreme Court decision--
“On July 11, 2017, less than a month after the Supreme Court issued its opinion in PEDF
14
II, Governor Wolf and the Commonwealth ignored the Court’s directives and enacted the
General Appropriations Act of 2017, which appropriated $61,291,000 from the Oil and Gas
Lease Fund to pay for DCNR operations for the 2017-18 fiscal year, including salaries and travel
expenses.
“On June 22, 2018, the Respondents approved the General Appropriations Act of 2018,
which appropriated another $48,798,000 in the Oil and Gas Lease Fund from the Oil and Gas
Lease Fund to pay for DCNR general government operations.”
Also included were transfers from the Oil and Gas Lease Fund going back to 2012 to the
Marcellus Legacy Fund for subsequent distribution to the Environmental Stewardship (Growing
Greener) and Hazardous Sites Cleanup funds.
“Just as the Section 27 [Environmental Rights Amendment] trust assets in the Oil and
Gas Lease Fund have been used in place of tax revenue in the General Fund, Section
1601.2-E(e)(1) authorizes Section 27 trust assets to be used [unconstitutionally] to replace
insufficient landfill fees in the Environmental Stewardship Fund.”
The brief points to the same “misuse” of trust assets from the Oil and Gas Lease Fund in
the transfers to the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund to replace tax revenue from the Capital Stock
and Franchise Tax as it was being phased out.
“Another example of the Respondents’ cavalier attitude toward their duties under Section
27 is found in Section 3 of the 2017 Fiscal Code Amendments. Section 1507.1 of the Fiscal Code
is amended to add a provision (b.1) that diverts $30,409,055 received from a settlement for
violations of the Air Pollution Control Act from the Clean Air Fund to the General Fund.
“On February 5, 2019, the Governor issued his Executive Budget for the next fiscal year
[FY 2019-20] and is recommending the appropriation of $69,774,000 to pay for DCNR general
government operations.”
The brief also points to the Governor’s FY 2018-19 transfer $10 million from the
Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund and the proposed FY 2019-20 transfer of $30
million from the same fund as examples of violations of the PA Supreme Court decision in using
those funds for which he has a fiduciary duty to replace insufficient tax revenue needed to pay
for government operations.
“The Respondents have given no indication that they contemplated, let alone reasonably
exercised their duties as the trustee of the environmental public trust created by Section 27 [the
Environmental Rights Amendments.] For the reasons more fully set forth in this brief, PEDF is
requesting that this Honorable Court declare the Respondents actions unconstitutional and a
violation of their Section 27 duties.
“The Respondents’ use of our public natural resources to pay for general government
operations, including salaries and routine daily expenses of DCNR, is based on the
misconception that the Commonwealth has some proprietary interest in the public natural
resources to make that decision.
“Respondents’ proprietary use of the public natural resources to pay for general
government operations is depleting the very public natural resources they are bound as trustees to
conserve and maintain.
“DCNR has started to document the degradation, diminution and depletion of the public
natural resources occurring on our State Forests from shale gas extraction.
“In the 2014 Monitoring Report, DCNR states that natural gas development on State
Forest land, “especially at the scale seen in the modern shale-gas era, affects a variety of forest
15
resources and values, such as recreational opportunities, the forest’s wild character, scenic
beauty, and plant and wildlife habitat.”
The brief also refers to the 2016 Monitoring Report as a continuation of this
documentation, saying, among other impacts, DCNR “reports that “noticeable changes to the
forest landscape are evident” with the largest increase overall resulting from “an additional 9,913
acres of forest edge (35 percent change in the Elk State Forest specifically).””
“DCNR needs to use the proceeds from the extraction and sale of oil and gas in the
northcentral State Forest to both prevent and remedy the degradation of those forests and to meet
its corollary obligation to sustain the forest through ecosystem management….”
Also noted was the action of the General Assembly in the FY 2017-18 budget to repeal
the original Oil and Gas Lease Fund Act and replace it with a new Oil and Gas Lease fund “with
no protections on the use of the funds that are part of the corpus of the trust, mingled the funds of
the corpus of the trust with non-trust funds; and generally eliminated DCNR from using the
funds that are the corpus of the trust to put the funds back into the corpus of the trust.”
PEDF asked the Court to declare all these itemized transfer actions “unconstitutional
because they “plainly ignore the Commonwealth’s constitutionally imposed fiduciary duty
[under Section 27] to manage the corpus of the environmental trust for the benefit of the people
to accomplish its purpose – conserving and maintaining the corpus by, inter alia, preventing and
remedying the degradation, diminution and depletion of our public natural resources” as the PA
Supreme Court said.
PEDF said, “Affirmative legislative action is needed to ensure that the new Oil and Gas
Lease Fund has protective limitations to replace the limitations of the now repealed Oil and Gas
Lease Fund Act to protect the proceeds that from the sale of its public natural resources that are a
part of the corpus of the public trust.”
Among the recommended provisions for legislation are--
-- “Ensure that the funds from the sale of the oil and gas in our State Forest are part of the corpus
of the Trust and can only be used within the corpus of the trust.”
-- Require that “prior to any further appropriations of the funds from oil and gas that are a part of
the corpus of the trust that the trustees insure that there are and will be trust funds for future
generations to ensure that the public natural resources are of at least the same quantity, quality
and diversity as they are for the present generation.”
-- Require that “all the proceeds from oil and gas extraction on State forest lands must be used to
prevent and remedy the degradation and diminution of the in the areas affected by the oil and gas
extracted and sold.”
-- Require that “DCNR administer the Oil and Gas Fund money that is a part of the corpus of the
public trust, and use the money consistent with its expertise to ensure the public natural resources
of our State forests and parks are managed sustainably consistent with the principles of
ecosystem management.”
-- Require “the Respondents to keep detailed accounts of the type, amount and use of the Section
27 trust funds in the Oil and Gas Lease Fund.”
Click Here for a copy of the brief.
For more information on the challenge, visit the PA Environmental Defense Foundation
website.
NewsClip:
16
Related Stories:
PA Supreme Court Declares Law Diverting Oil & Gas Lease Funds To General Fund
Unconstitutional
DEP Citizens Advisory Council Urges Senate, House To Adopt Funding Source For Hazardous
Sites Cleanup Program Before It Becomes Insolvent
PaEN: Republican Chair Of Appropriations Committee: The Way We Fund Our Environmental
[Posted: Feb. 26, 2019]
PennDOT Secretary: Over $110 Million In Emergency Costs From Flooding, Landslides,
Biggest In A Decade
On February 25, PennDOT Secretary Leslie

Richards told the Senate Appropriations Committee
her budget was severely stressed in the last year by
over $110 million in emergency repair costs to
roads, bridges and other transportation
infrastructure as a result of widespread flooding and
landslide events.
She said it was the highest number
PennDOT has seen in at least a decade.
The PA Emergency Management Agency
last week reported there was over $101.5 million in
flood damage to public infrastructure in Pennsylvania last year not covered by federal disaster
assistance.
In response to a question from Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming), Majority Chair of the
Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, about PennDOT doing stream cleaning
near roads to prevent flooding, Levine said that it would cost money adding her agency is
prohibited from cleaning streams with Motor License Fund moneys.
Levine suggested funding from Gov. Wolf’s proposed Restore Pennsylvania proposal
might help with that.
The State Transportation Commission recently released a report on cost pressures further
straining existing PennDOT funding resources that included the $110 million emergency repair
costs, the cost to comply with MS4 Stormwater Pollution Reduction Requirements, toll litigation
against the PA Turnpike Commission that might take away more than $2.2 billion in highway
and bridge funding, $1.8 billion in transfers out of Motor License Fund to support the State
Police, uncertainty over federal funding and the reduction of the buying power of existing
PennDOT funding of over $110 million a year.
Click Here for a summary of the hearing and to watch a video (when posted) by the
Senate Appropriations Committee.
NewsClips:
Meyer: Turnpike Could Be Headed For Catastrophic Reckoning
17
Report: PennDOT Funding Headed For Perfect Storm Of Emergency Repairs, Inflation,
Litigation
Related Story:
PaEN: Insurance: More Pennsylvanians Getting Private Flood Insurance To Protect Homes,
Property
PaEN: Dept. Of Health Asks For $1.4 Million For PFAS Monitoring, Oversight; And Helps
Assess Climate Health Risk
[Posted: Feb. 26, 2019]
Dept. Of Health Asks For $1.4 Million For PFAS Monitoring, Oversight; And Helps Assess
Climate Health Risk
On February 25, Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine told the

House Appropriations Committee her agency is requesting
$1.4 million for support monitoring and oversight of
environmental contaminants, including PFAS.
In response to a question from Rep. Carolyn Comitta
(D-Chester), Levine said more specifically the funding
would improve the Department’s epidemiology capacity in
the Bureau of Epidemiology.
“They [PFASs] are widely used in commercial and industrial
processes. There has been large-scale contamination of drinking water near military bases where
PFAS were used in firefighting exercises," said Levine. "We are working with Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Agency
for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to run pilot programs and assess
community risk to PFAS.”
DEP’s proposed budget includes a $132,000 item on PFAS testing. The proposed
Restore Pennsylvania proposal also includes project funding to help deal with cleaning up
contamination caused by PFAS and other pollutants.
Rep. Comitta also asked what the Health Department was doing to assess the potential
health risks associated with climate change.
Levin again pointed to the Bureau of Epidemiology which she says works with DEP on
the issue. She noted the increasing spread of tick and mosquito-borne illnesses could be the
result of climate change.
Click Here for a copy of written budget testimony and a video of the hearing (when
posted).
State Drinking Water Level
In response to the February 14 announcement of a PFAS Action Plan by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, DEP said it would begin the process of setting its own health
18
limits for 2 PFAS chemicals because it was unclear when the federal government would set a
standard.
Specifically, DEP said it will be moving forward with an RFP to hire a consulting
toxicologist to evaluate existing health studies with the goal of establishing a Maximum
Contaminant Level in drinking water.
The Environmental Quality Board, the body that adopts regulations for DEP, accepted a
rulemaking petition to set an MCL for PFOA chemicals from the Delaware RiverKeeper in
August of 2017 and the state has been trying to hire a toxicologist to support the effort of setting
an MCL since then.
For more information on interagency efforts to address PFAS contamination, visit the
PFAS Action Team webpage.
NewsClip:
Related Stories:
PaEN: PennDOT Secretary: Over $110 Million In Emergency Costs From Flooding, Landslides,
Biggest In A Decade
[Posted: Feb. 26, 2019]
Attend By Webinar: PA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Plan Steering

Committee Meets March 8
The PA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation

Plan Steering Committee is now scheduled to meet on
March 8 to hear presentations from Adams and Franklin
counties on the plans they developed to meet their
nutrient pollution reduction targets.
Click Here for the complete agenda. Click Here to
attend by webinar. Participants will also need to call in
1-650-479-3208, PASSCODE: 644 520 872.
Adams, Franklin, Lancaster and York counties were
selected to pilot the county clean water planning process
developed by the Steering Committee for the
development of county-level clean water plans.
Here are some of the handouts available for the Adams and Franklin county
presentations--
-- Handout A1 – Adams County Narrative (PDF)
-- Handout A2 – Adams County Snapshot (PDF)
-- Handout A3– Adams County Programmatic Recommendations Template (PDF)
-- Handout A4 – Adams County Planning and Progress Template (PDF)
-- Handout A5 – Adams County Technical Appendix (PDF)
-- Handout A6 – Adams County Presentation (PDF)
-- Handout F1 – Franklin County Narrative (PDF)
-- Handout F2 – Franklin County Snapshot (PDF)
19
-- Handout F3 – Franklin County Programmatic Recommendations (PDF)
-- Handout F4 – Franklin County WIP Template (PDF)
-- Handout F5 – Franklin County Template 2 Detailed BMPS (PDF)
Also on the agenda is a presentation by the Local Area Goals Workground on
recommended updates to the Countywide Action Planning Process. Here are some of the
handouts available--
-- Handout LAG1 – Local Area Goals Workgroup Powerpoint presentation (PDF)
-- Handout LAG2 -- Local Area Goals Workgroup Recommendations and Planning Templates
(PDF)
-- Handout LAG3 -- Local Area Goals Workgroup Planning and Progress Template: Watershed
Wide Approach(PDF)
-- Handout LAG4 -- Local Area Goals Workgroup Planning and Progress Template: Staged
Approach (PDF)
-- Handout LAG5 -- Local Area Goals Workgroup County Planning Process and Community
Clean Water Toolbox Updates and Recommendations (PDF)
-- Handout LAG6 – Revised Pennsylvania's Community Clean Water Planning Guide (PDF)
-- Handout LAG7 – Revised Pennsylvania's Community Clean Water Technical Toolbox (PDF)
Handouts for meetings are posted on the Steering Committee webpage.
The meeting will be held in Room 105 of the Rachel Carson Building in Harrisburg
starting at 9:00. Click Here to attend by webinar. Participants will also need to call in
1-650-479-3208, PASSCODE: 644 520 872.
The next meeting of the Steering Committee is on March 22.
For more information and copies of available handouts, visit the PA Chesapeake Bay
Watershed Implementation Plan Steering Committee webpage.
NewsClips:
York County Commissioners Will Have Array Of Options To Address Stormwater Issues
Sauro: More Towns Ask Property Owners To Pay For Stormwater Plans
Wilkes-Barre Mayor Seeks Federal Help For Stormwater Fee
WB Mayor Says Poorer Communities Bearing Burden Of Stormwater Fee, Asks For Federal
Help
Wyoming Valley Authority Asks Cong. Meuser For Help With Stormwater Fee
Antrim Twp. Wrestles With Stormwater Pollution Reduction Plan
Letter: This Is No Time To Cut Funding For PA Stormwater Management
Maryland Touts Holistic Approach To Combat Conowingo Dam Pollution
Maryland Says Pilot Project To Test Dredge Material From Conowingo Dam Will Be Completed
in 2019
Latest From The Chesapeake Bay Journal
Related Stories:
PaEN: Bay Journal: Land Trusts Lend A Helping Hand To Local Conservation Projects
PaEN: The Center For Dirt And Gravel Road Studies To Offer A Series Of Road Maintenance
Courses
PaEN: PA Assn. For Sustainable Agriculture: Soil Health: Real Farms, Real Problems, Real
Solutions March 13 In Lancaster
[Posted: March 2,2019]
20
State Govt. Already Achieved 40% Renewables Goal; Climate Impact Assessment Report
To Focus On Farm, Water Issues
On February 26, the Department of General

Services told DEP’s Climate Change Advisory
Committee state agencies have already achieved the
40 percent renewable electricity goal Gov. Wolf
established in an executive order issued on January
28.
To achieve the goal, DGS was able to
purchase 308,000 nationally certified renewable
energy credits, not Pennsylvania-specific credits,
costing $250,000 to meet the goal using about 9
percent of the money saved from earlier energy
conservation projects.
The purchase reduced the equivalent of 218,000 million metric tons of carbon dioxide
emissions which DGS said is like taking 26,000 vehicles off the road.
Climate Impact Assessment
DEP has begun work on an update to the state’s Climate Impact Assessment detailing
expected impacts on Pennsylvania as a result of climate change.
The last Climate Impact Assessment was put out for public comment in 2015, but never
finalized by DEP.
That Assessment said Pennsylvanians should prepare for dangerously high summer
temperatures and more severe storms, increased threat of certain diseases carried by insects, and
drastic changes to agriculture and water quality.
The report notes that by 2050, Philadelphia’s climate will be similar to current-day
Richmond, VA, and Pittsburgh will be similar to current-day Washington, DC or Baltimore, MD.
DEP told the Committee the expected impacts from climate change on Pennsylvania have
not changed, so instead of producing the same kind of report, the next assessment will focus on
three specific issues--
-- Livestock Production: Answering questions like-- will warmer weather in southern states
cause livestock production to move to Pennsylvania? What will the economic and water quality
impacts of that shift change in the state? How will the related farm economy in the state change,
such as production of forage crops?
-- Resilience Of Infrastructure: How will more frequent and extreme weather events impact
transportation, water and other infrastructure? What changes in infrastructure planning and
construction standards be needed to make infrastructure more resilient? The Assessment will
also use a large urban area-- Pittsburgh or Philadelphia-- to illustrate how policy changes can
make infrastructure more resilient. It was noted PennDOT has already completed an Extreme
Weather Vulnerability Study in 2017. The June 2018 update to Pennsylvania’s Federal Hazard
Mitigation Plan submitted by the PA Emergency Management Agency to FEMA for the first
time included a more “robust” evaluation of how climate change would affect the risk of
flooding and other natural disasters in the state.
-- Meeting Water Pollution Reduction Goals: How would a changing climate impact strategies
21
for reducing water pollution across the state? How would it affect Pennsylvania meeting its
Chesapeake Bay pollution reduction obligations? Are the best management practices used now
the most effective at reducing water pollution with changes in frequency, duration and severity
of precipitation events? Are existing stormwater management BMPs be adequate or not? A
Center for Rural Pennsylvania study has already found a 71 percent increase in very heavy
precipitation events has occurred over in the Northeast United States, including Pennsylvania,
over the last 54 years. DEP has also begun work with Villanova’s Urban Stormwater Partnership
and its Center for Resilient Water Systems evaluating the effectiveness of the best management
practices in DEP’s 13-year old Stormwater Management Manual.
The new Climate Impact Assessment is due to be completed by the end of the year.
2018 Climate Plan Update
DEP said at the meeting they hoped to finalize the 2018 Climate Action Plan Update in
March after Advisory Committee members get one more opportunity to submit comments to
DEP.
DEP hopes to have the next draft to members next week and they suggested providing
members with a 2 week window to submit comments that would be included in an appendix in
the Update. [The Committee doesn’t actually vote to recommend the Update.]
Committee members expressed concern about the tight 2-week comment deadline and
passed a motion urging DEP to give Committee members 4 weeks.
The next scheduled meeting of the Committee is on April 23.
For more information and available handouts, visit the DEP Climate Change Advisory
Committee webpage. Questions should be directed to Lindsay Byron by calling 717-772-8951
or sending email to: lbyron@pa.gov.
(Photo: From PennDOT’s 2017 Extreme Weather Vulnerability Study.)
NewsClips:
DEP Secretary Says Natural Gas Help PA Reach Original EPA Clean Power Plan Goals
Generators Protect Westmoreland Water Authority From Power Outages
PJM Power Plant Retirements Expected Near 4,200MW For 2019; Generation Additions
15,000MW
Evidence For Man-Made Global Warming Hist Gold Standard Scientists Report
High Carbon Dioxide Levels Could Suppress Cooling Clouds Climate Change Model Warns
Related Stories:
Gov. Wolf Sets Goal Of Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions By 80% By 2050 From 2005
Levels
PEMA: Over $101.5 Million In Flood Damage Not Covered By Feds In 2018; Intense Flooding
Events Increasing In PA
PennDOT Secretary: Over $110 Million In Emergency Costs From Flooding, Landslides,
Biggest In A Decade
Cap-And-Trade Climate Petitioners Resubmit Entire Petition To EQB With Updated List Of
Petitioners
U.S. EIA: Carbon Dioxide Emissions To Decline By 1.3% In 2019; After Increasing 2.8% In
2018 Driven By Natural Gas
Penn State Climate Scientist Michael Mann Awarded 2019 Tyler Prize For Environmental
Achievement
22
[Posted: Feb. 27, 2019]
Cap-And-Trade Climate Petitioners Resubmit Entire Petition To EQB With Updated List
Of Petitioners
On February 28, the individuals and organizations petitioning the

Environmental Quality Board to establish a cap-and-trade program
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions added over 100 groups and
individuals to the original list of 64 petitioners and resubmitted the
petition to the Board.
DEP notified the petitioners late Friday it was reviewing the
petition to see if it still meets the requirements to be considered by
the EQB for study.
In its letter, DEP said if the revised petition meets the criteria, it
will be presented to the EQB for consideration at its April 16
meeting.
Robert B. McKinstry, Jr., the Clean Air Council, Widener University Environmental Law
and Sustainability Center and eco(n)law LLC were the primary petitioners who originally
submitted the petition to the EQB last November.
The petitioners now include 33 religious and faith-based or affiliated organizations, 11
education institutions and organizations, 22 environmental and health advocacy groups, 8
municipalities or municipal organizations, 7 community organizations, 26 businesses and
business and investment organizations, and 97 individuals.
Among those added by the submission were the PA Council of Churches, the Chair of the
Ferguson Township supervisors in Centre County, the American Friends Service Committee,
Swarthmore College Office of Sustainability, University of Pennsylvania Environmental Law
Project, Climate Reality: Pittsburgh and Southwest PA and others.
The submission also provides 7 pages references to additional studies and other
information supporting the petition, including Gov. Wolf’s Executive Order establishing a
statewide goal for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The 407-page rulemaking petition asks the Environment Quality Board to establish a
market-based cap-and-trade greenhouse gas emission reduction program that eliminates those
emissions from major sources by 2052 in Pennsylvania.
The petitioners said these reductions would put Pennsylvania on track to meet the
greenhouse gas reduction goals established by the 2015, achieving the reductions that the most
recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change indicates are necessary to avoid
the worst impacts of climate disruption.
Click Here for a copy of the updated petition.
How We Got Here
OK, for those of you at home trying to follow along, here’s the timeline of how we got
here--
-- November 27: Petitioners submit original cap-and-trade petition to EQB
-- December 26: Petitioners notified by DEP the petition meets the criteria to be considered by
the EQB for acceptance for study;
-- February 15: DEP notifies EQB members it has determined the petition meets the criteria for
23
consideration and will be on the agenda of the next meeting;
-- February 19: Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler), Majority Chair of the House Environmental
Resources and Energy Committee, wrote to DEP saying the proper notification requirements
were not followed by DEP when the completeness determination was made and said the petition
should be resubmitted by the petitioners.
-- February 25: Petitioners submit supplemental information on the petition, including over 100
additional petitioners, and say if needs be, DEP should consider this a resubmittal per the issue
raised by Rep. Metcalfe.
-- February 27: DEP notified the petitioners the supplemental information needed to be added to
the original petition and the whole new form submitted to the EQB/DEP for a determination if it
still meets the criteria to be considered by the Board for study.
-- February 28: Petitioners submit the entire package, with the supplemental information, to the
EQB/DEP for its determination if it is complete.
-- March 1: DEP notifies petitioners it is reviewing the petition to see if it still meets the
requirements to be considered by the EQB for study. In its letter, DEP said if the revised petition
meets the criteria, it will be presented to the EQB for consideration at its April 16 meeting.
Everyone is now caught up.
By the way, anyone can submit a rulemaking petition to the Environmental Quality Board
proposing a new regulation or to change an existing one. For more on the petition process, visit
the EQB’s Rulemaking Petitions webpage.
NewsClips:
15,000MW
Related Stories:
Clean Air Council, Widener Law & Sustainability Center, 61 Others Petition EQB To Set Up A
Cap-And-Trade Program To Reduce PA Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Greenhouse Gas Cap-And-Trade Petition Complete, Will Be On Next EQB Meeting Agenda
Majority Chair Of House Environmental Committee Asks DEP To Make Climate Petitioners
Resubmit Cap-And-Trade Petition
State Govt. Already Achieved 40% Renewables Goal; Climate Impact Assessment Report To
Focus On Farm, Water Issues
Achievement
[Posted: Feb. 26, 2019]
Achievement
24
By: Patricia L. Craig, Penn State News
Michael Mann, distinguished professor of

atmospheric science, Penn State, has been
awarded the 2019 Tyler Prize for Environmental
Achievement. Founded in 1973, the Tyler Prize
— often referred to as the "Nobel Prize for the
Environment" — remains the premiere
international award for environmental science.
Mann shares this honor with fellow
climate scientist Warren Washington,
distinguished scholar at the National Center for
Atmospheric Research and Penn State alumnus.
"One of the things that makes this award
special for me is sharing it with a personal hero of mine, Warren Washington, an illustrious
graduate of our program here at Penn State who has contributed fundamentally to the field of
climate modeling," said Mann.
Mann is honored with this award not only for his research in reconstructing the Earth's
past climate and placing modern climate change in a long-term context, but also for his
communication and outreach efforts.
"This award means a lot to me because it recognizes the two things that are most near and
dear when it comes to my work and that's contributing both to the advancement of our science
and the effort to communicate that science to the public and policymakers," Mann said.
Mann is a recognized expert and is often called upon by the U.S. media to answer
questions about complicated climate science topics.
"Dr. Mann is an effective and courageous public leader in climate science and in the
response to this human-induced existential crisis. He is dedicated to education in all settings —
academic, political, scientific and for children. Dr. Mann sets an example for all scientists in the
climate field for clarity of communication and courage of conviction," said former California
Gov. Jerry Brown.
Mann has received many awards for science communication. In 2018, he received the
Climate Communication Prize from the American Geophysical Union and the Award for Public
Engagement with Science from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
In 2017, he received the Stephen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science
Communication from Climate One and the American Geophysical Union’s Climate
Communication Prize in 2018..
"Dr. Mann has constantly evolved his approach to climate communication as new
avenues for discourse emerged in our global digital public sphere," said former U.S. Vice
President Al Gore. "We are all indebted to Dr. Mann's work as a pioneering researcher and
climate communicator."
Mann says Penn State has been very supportive of both his climate science research and
communication efforts.
"If you are in the field of climate science, it's hard to think of a better place to be than
Penn State. We have this amazing community of academics and researchers who are focused on
every component of climate science — from the fundamental physical science to the projected
25
impacts to the ethical and national security dimensions to matters of policy and politics — we
have it all. It's great to be at a university that supports so many researchers who are committed to
advancing our understanding of what is arguably the greatest challenge we face as a civilization
— the challenge to avert, mitigate and adapt to human-caused climate change," said Mann.
The Tyler Prize consists of a $200,000 cash prize and a gold medallion. Previous Tyler
Prize recipients include American biologist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edward O.
Wilson, primatologist and animal conservationist Jane Goodall, and conservation biologist Paul
Ehrlich.
Penn State's Richard Alley, Evan Pugh University Professor of Geosciences, won the
Tyler Prize in 2009.
Mann and Washington will be officially presented with the Tyler Prize on May 3 during a
ceremony at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in San Francisco.
Mann, director of Penn State's Earth System Science Center, also is a faculty associate
with Penn State's Earth and Environmental Systems Institute and holds a joint appointment in the
Department of Geosciences.
He received his undergraduate degrees in physics and applied math from the University
of California at Berkeley, his master of degree in physics and his doctorate in geology and
geophysics, both from Yale University.
(Photo: Warren Washington and Michael Mann.)
NewsClips:
15,000MW
Related Stories:
Cap-And-Trade Climate Petitioners Resubmit Entire Petition To EQB With Updated List Of
Petitioners
State Govt. Already Achieved 40% Renewables Goal; Climate Impact Assessment Report To
Focus On Farm, Water Issues
Achievement
(Reprinted from Penn State News.)
Senate/House Agenda/Session Schedule/Gov’s Schedule/ Bills Introduced
Here are the Senate and House Calendars for the next voting session day and Committees
scheduling action on bills of interest as well as a list of new environmental bills introduced--
Bill Calendars
26
House (March 11): House Bill 60 (Cox-R-Berks) to prohibit new employees of the
Susquehanna River Basin Commission from being part of the PA State Employees Retirement
System (sponsor summary); House Bill 374 (Everett-R- Lycoming) establishing the Keystone
Tree Fund to support tree planting programs by the Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources (sponsor summary); Senate Bill 9 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) designating the Eastern
Hellbender as the state amphibian and clean water ambassador (sponsor summary). <> Click
Here for full House Bill Calendar.
Senate (March 19): Senate Bill 147 (Laughlin-R-Erie) authorizing the Game Commission to
allow Sunday hunting. Click Here for full Senate Bill Calendar.
Committee Meetings This Week
House: <> Click Here for full House Committee Schedule.
Senate: <> Click Here for full Senate Committee Schedule.
Bills Pending In Key Committees
Check the PA Environmental Council Bill Tracker for the status and updates on pending state
legislation and regulations that affect environmental and conservation efforts in Pennsylvania.
Bills Introduced
The following bills of interest were introduced last week--
Pipeline Safety Study: Senate Bill 280 (Killion-R-Delaware, Dinniman-D-Chester) require

studies and investigations of aquifers that may be affected by pipeline construction (sponsor
summary).
Pipeline Notification: Senate Bill 281 (Killion-R-Delaware, Dinniman-D-Chester) requiring

notification of residents affected by pipeline construction (sponsor summary).
Pipeline Impact Fee: Senate Bill 282 (Killion-R-Delaware, Dinniman-D-Chester) enacting a

pipeline impact fee based on the acreage of right-of-ways to be collected by the Public Utility
Commission and distributed to impacted areas (sponsor summary).
Pipeline Inspections: Senate Bill 283 (Killion-R-Delaware, Dinniman-D-Chester) transfer

pipeline safety inspections from the Public Utility Commission to PennDOT and require
PennDOT to become a designated federal agent to inspect interstate pipelines for safety (sponsor
summary).
House and Senate Co-Sponsorship Memos
House: Click Here for all new co-sponsorship memos
27
Senate: Click Here for all new co-sponsorship memos
Session Schedule
Here is the latest voting session schedule for the Senate and House--
Senate
Budget Hearings: Through March 8
March 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27
April 8, 9, 10, 29, 30
May 1, 6, 7, 8
June 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28
House
Budget Hearings: Through March 7
March 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27
April 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 29, 30
May 1, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 22, 23
June 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28
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.
News From The Capitol
Next Budget Hearings: Senate DCNR March 4; Agriculture House March 5, Senate March
6
The Senate Appropriations Committee will hold a

hearing on the Department of Conservation and
Natural Resources’ budget request is on March 4
starting at 3:00.
The House Appropriations Committee will hold a
hearing on the Department of Agriculture’s budget
request on March 5 at 10:30.
The Senate Appropriations Committee will hold a
hearing on the Department of Agriculture’s budget
request on March 6 at 1:00.
Click Here to watch House budget hearings. Click Here to watch Senate budget hearings.
(Photo: DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn, Agriculture Secretary Russell C. Redding.)
NewsClips:
28
Related Stories:
DCNR Touts Restore PA Bond Proposal As The Only Plan That Can Truly Address State’s
Infrastructure Needs
DCNR Budget Testimony Submitted To House, Senate Appropriations Committee
PaEN: All Major PA Hunting, Angler, Wildlife Groups Oppose Using Environmental Fund
PaEN: Eastern PA Coalition For Abandoned Mine Reclamation Opposes Transfer Of
PaEN: Environmental Rights Amendment Challenge To Unconstitutional Use Of Oil & Gas
Funds Now Includes Recent Proposed Fund Transfers
Biggest In A Decade
The House Appropriations Committee has scheduled a continuation of

the budget hearing for the Department of Environmental Protection on
March 5 starting at 10:00 a.m.
DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell appeared before the
Committee on February 14, but there were several issues Rep. Stan
Saylor (R-York), Majority Chair of the House Appropriation
Committee, said he and members of the Committee wanted more
information on.
Click Here for a copy of McDonnell’s written testimony.
Click Here for House hearing videos (bottom of page).
Click Here to watch the hearing online.
Related Stories:
DEP Secretary Promotes Restore PA Bond Proposal To Get More Funding For Environmental
Improvement Projects
29
Budget Testimony Submitted By The Department Of Environmental Protection
Related Story This Week:
Next Budget Hearings: Senate DCNR March 4; Agriculture House March 5, Senate March 6
[Posted: Feb. 26, 2019]
Game Commission: Without Effective Chronic Wasting Disease Controls, CWD Will
Spread And Threaten PA’s $1.6 Billion Hunting Industry
On February 27, Game Commission Executive

Director Bryan Burhans told the House Game and
Fisheries Committee “chronic wasting disease
threatens our hunting heritage, and the state’s $1.6
billion industry tied to hunting.”
He appeared before the Committee to present the
Commission’s latest annual report.
While acknowledge some control measures like
using sharpshooters to reduce herd size in certain areas
can be unpopular, “To ignore this disease will lead to
one certain result – CWD will increase in prevalence
and spread throughout the state. When CWD prevalence rates get too high, it is unlikely we can
ever turn the clock back. We are witnessing this in Wisconsin right now where prevalence rates
are over 50% in certain areas.”
In addition to public information sessions and other outreach efforts to educate hunters
about the disease, the Game Commission this year will be providing the agency’s hunter digest
to all hunters at no cost.
The digest will include information on CWD, information on how the agency is
managing this disease, and up-to-date information on the current understanding of CWD.
This and other steps are being taken, Burhan said, to “combat the misinformation
constantly being distributed to the public” about CWD.
He also spoke about other challenges faced by the agency including West Nile Virus
infections among the ruffed grouse and white-nose syndrome in some species of bates.
“Some of these threats continue to grow. The fact Pennsylvania has more than 100
designated species of greatest conservation need speaks volumes to the difficulties that wildlife
continues to face,” said Burhans.
Click Here for a copy of Burhan’s written testimony. Click Here for a copy of the Game
Commission’s latest annual report.
Click Here to watch a video of the hearing online.
Rep. Keith Gillespie (R-York) serves as Majority Chair of the House Game and Fisheries
Committee and can be contacted by calling 717-705-7167 or send email to:
kgillesp@pahousegop.com. Rep. William Kortz (D-Allegheny) serves as Minority Chair and
can be contacted by calling 717-780-4783 or send email to: bkortz@pahouse.net.
NewsClips:
Schneck: Chronic Wasting Disease Extends Into PA Elk Range For First Time
Hayes: Chronic Wasting Disease Reaches PA Elk, State Takes Action
New Chronic Wasting Disease Cases Prompt Steps To Prevent Its Spread
30
Chronic Wasting Disease Continues To Spread Among PA Deer, Elk
Game Commission: Game Warden Ranks Replenished
Game Commission: Bluebird Nest Boxes Help Connect With Wildlife
Related Stories:
Game Commission Expands Chronic Wasting Disease Management Area Into Elk Range
Game Commission Seeks To Reduce Risk Around New Chronic Wasting Disease Cases In
Clearfield, Franklin, Jefferson Counties
Agriculture: Fulton, Clearfield County Deer Test Positive For Chronic Wasting Disease
Fish & Boat Commission: Most Pressing Priority Is Securing The Long-Term Financial Future
Of The Agency
[Posted: Feb. 27, 2019]
Fish & Boat Commission: Most Pressing Priority Is Securing The Long-Term Financial
Future Of The Agency
On February 27, Fish and Boat Commission

Executive Director Timothy Schaeffer told the
House Game and Fisheries Committee the
most pressing legislative priority for the
Commission is “securing the long-term
financial future of the agency.”
He appeared before the Committee to
present the Commission’s latest annual report.
“While our revenue has remained stagnant,
costs continue to rise. Fish Fund expenditures
have increased by 27 percent or $8.2 million
since 2005, while Boat Fund expenditures have risen by 30 percent, or $3.3 million.
‘Inflation, increased personnel costs, and aging infrastructure have all placed
considerable pressure on the Commission’s long-term financial picture in the absence of new or
increased revenue.
“The Commission has taken aggressive steps to cut costs and secure new revenue where
possible. Since 2005, we have sold non-performing assets like real property, vehicles, and other
equipment; marketed oil, gas, water access, and timber resources; and secured revenues through
the Act 13 Impact Fee. We are also receiving the full amount of taxes paid on motorboat fuel
thanks to the Act 89 Transportation Bill.
“On the expenditure side, we have reduced full-time and seasonal staff positions. The
Commission has also deferred investments in $18 million of prioritized equipment, vehicles, and
maintenance needs for its hatcheries, public facilities, and other operations.”
He noted there was considerable momentum behind Senate Bill 30 last session that would
have allowed the Commission to establish registration and permit fees, but it did not get over the
finish line in the House.
In talking with legislators, Schaeffer said he was pleased there is considerable interest in
the legislation again this year and Rep. Thomas Mehaffie (R-Dauphin) has been circulating a
co-sponsor memo for the fee legislation since February 19.
“We truly believe that allowing the Commission to incrementally adjust its own pricing
31
will lessen the “sticker shock” for anglers and boaters that comes with a larger increase every
10-to-15 years,” said Schaeffer.
[Note: Last October the 4 Chairs of the Senate and House Game and Fisheries
Committees promised to seek additional funding for the Commission in 2019.]
Schaeffer also told the Committee he supported Gov. Wolf’s Restore Pennsylvania
infrastructure plan as a way to improve public safety and accessibility associated with other
hazardous dams and public access areas across Pennsylvania.”
He also praised members of the PA Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team for their efforts to
rescue 23 people stranded on rooftops as a result of flooding in Pennsylvania last year.
The same unit was deployed to South Carolina to assist with life-saving rescues in the
wake of Hurricane Florence.
Click Here for a copy of Schaeffer’s written testimony. Click Here for a copy of the Fish
and Boat Commission’s latest annual report.
Click Here to watch a video of the hearing online.
Rep. Keith Gillespie (R-York) serves as Majority Chair of the House Game and Fisheries
Committee and can be contacted by calling 717-705-7167 or send email to:
kgillesp@pahousegop.com. Rep. William Kortz (D-Allegheny) serves as Minority Chair and
can be contacted by calling 717-780-4783 or send email to: bkortz@pahouse.net.
NewsClips:
Trout Enthusiast Encourages Altoona Water Authority To Buy Watershed Lands
Study Looks At Ailing Bass In Susquehanna River
Whitehall Twp’s Mike Kaufmann Steps Down As Guardian Of Region’s Fisheries - Fish & Boat
Commission
Related Story:
Game Commission: Without Effective Chronic Wasting Disease Controls, CWD Will Spread
And Threaten PA’s $1.6 Billion Hunting Industry
[Posted: Feb. 27, 2019]
The Feds
U.S. House Votes To Permanently Reauthorize Federal Land & Water Conservation Fund
On February 26, The Nature Conservancy reported

the U.S. House of Representatives voted moved to
save the Land and Water Conservation Fund
(LWCF), approving a sweeping package of public
lands bills that includes a measure to permanently
reauthorize the program for the first time in its
54-year-history.
The package, approved by the U.S. Senate earlier
this month with near-unanimous support, puts an
end to the cycle of expiration and renewal LWCF
has suffered in recent years.
The package now goes to the president for his expected signature.
The Fund expired in September, prompting a bipartisan group of lawmakers to push for
32
permanent reauthorization. The package also includes provisions to protect thousands of acres of
wilderness and support endangered species recovery in the Colorado River.
The following is a statement by Mark R. Tercek, CEO of The Nature Conservancy:
“For too long, LWCF has been stuck in a cycle of uncertainty that limited its potential.
Today’s vote changes that. This is an extraordinary victory for conservation in the United States.
“As one of the country’s most effective conservation programs, LWCF has helped protect
national parks, expand trails and playing fields, and preserve important landscapes for over half a
century.
“By using the revenues from offshore oil and gas drilling, LWCF invests in lands and
waters at no cost to the American taxpayer, so it should be no surprise that a strong majority
wants to continue this win-win for people and conservation. Regardless of party, nature unites us
all.
“Ultimately, LWCF is about preserving the best of America by protecting our lands and
waters, our wildlife and ways of life. The overwhelmingly bipartisan votes in the House and
Senate to renew LWCF reflect our nation’s longstanding commitment to conservation, ensuring
future generations will benefit from LWCF.
“We are grateful for LWCF’s champions in the Congress, all whom have worked hard to
achieve permanent reauthorization, and we look forward to the President signing this measure
into law.”
The National Wildlife Federation provided this list of other provisions in the bill--
-- WILD Act to conserve endangered species, combat invasive species (including Asian carp)
and fight poaching;
-- Reauthorizes Neotropical Migratory Bird Act;
-- Allows the transport bows through national parks;
-- Adopts the policy that federal public lands will be open hunting, fishing, and recreational
shooting unless deemed otherwise closed for specific reasons;
-- Requires studying and identifying federal lands that could be opened to hunting, fishing and
recreation activities;
-- Facilitates the construction and expansion of public target ranges, including ranges on Federal
land managed by the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management; and
-- Designates new wilderness, wild and scenic river, steelhead management area, and desert
conservation areas.
Click Here for more information on the package from the National Wildlife Federation.
For more on the impact of the Land and Water Conservation Fund in Pennsylvania, visit
the PA Environmental Council website.
Visit The Nature Conservancy-PA webpage to learn more about programs, initiatives and
events in Pennsylvania.
[Posted: Feb. 26, 2019]
News From Around The State
DEP: Money Still Available To Reimburse Farmers For Doing Farm Conservation Plans
Until April 1 In 43 Counties
On February 27, the Department of Environmental Protection

33
said over $620,000 is still available to reimburse Pennsylvania farmers in the 43 counties that
make up the Pennsylvania portion of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed for developing plans to
help improve local water quality.
But you need to act soon: the deadline to register for reimbursement is April 1. You'll be
re-paid the cost of hiring a technical expert to develop plans after January 1, 2017, for manure
management, nutrient management, or erosion and sediment control.
You can submit more than one plan for reimbursement, up to a max of $6,000. Small
farmers are especially encouraged to participate. So far, farmers have registered over 600 plans
for almost $530,000 in reimbursement.
Click Here for all the details. Click Here for a map of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
NewsClips:
Wolf Wants PA To Lead In Organic Farming, What Would It Take?
NE PA Chefs For Sustainability To Raise Money For Four Seasons Farm
Loyalhanna Watershed Assn. Farm Preserved By State Preservation Board
Related Stories:
PA Assn. For Sustainable Agriculture: Soil Health: Real Farms, Real Problems, Real Solutions
March 13 In Lancaster
PaEN: Penn State Extension Hosts 8 Public Meetings On Spotted Lanternfly
[Posted: Feb. 27, 2019]
PA Assn. For Sustainable Agriculture: Soil Health: Real Farms, Real Problems, Real
The PA Association for Sustainable

Agriculture will host a Soil Health: Real
Farms, Real Problems, Real Solutions
Workshop on March 13 at the Lancaster Farm
and Home Center, 1382 Arcadia Road in
Lancaster from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
In this workshop, PASA will explore the
kinds of soil health challenges revealed by the
Soil Health Benchmark Study that are not
only preventing farmers from implementing
sustainable soil management techniques, but also preventing them from maximizing yields and
profits.
PASA will explain how they use Cornell’s Comprehensive Assessment of Soil Health—a
soil test developed to provide a more holistic picture of soil attributes than standard
nutrient-focused tests—to quantify soil’s physical, biological, and chemical features.
The Workshop will highlight some of the ways farmers participating in our study have
used this data to build organic matter, increase living cover, reduce inputs, and manage tillage on
their farms.
The Workshop will also break into discussion groups to troubleshoot case studies
demonstrating real soil health challenges occurring on three different types of farms—pastured
livestock, row crop, and vegetable farms. Participants will be able to choose which of the three
case study discussion groups to participate in.
34
Are you currently contributing to the Soil Health Benchmark Study? This workshop will
help you draw new insights from your benchmark reports, and help you develop new strategies
for tackling your soil health challenges.
Are you interested in joining the Soil Health Benchmark Study? You’ll be able to enroll
in the project at this workshop!
Click Here to register or for more information.
For more information on programs, initiatives, other educational opportunities and
upcoming events, visit the PA Association for Sustainable Agriculture website.
NewsClips:
Related Stories:
DEP: Money Still Available To Reimburse Farmers For Doing Farm Conservation Plans Until
April 1 In 43 Counties
[Posed: Feb. 25, 2019]
Bay Journal: Land Trusts Lend A Helping Hand To Local Conservation Projects
By Donna Morelli, Chesapeake Bay Journal
Balancing land conservation with the needs of a

growing community is no easy task. Some
communities have tackled the problem by
partnering with nonprofit land trusts — and
Silver Springs Township, (PA), is one of them.
Silver Springs is similar to many bedroom
communities in the area: Residents enjoy ample
employment, suburban homes with mountains as
a backdrop and an 11-mile commute to
Harrisburg, the state’s capital.
It also has important agricultural soils that were largely covered by big box stores and
housing developments in the 1990s and 2000s. Today, with few exceptions, Silver Spring is
mostly built out.
“We have been the fastest-growing community in the state for several years,” said
Theresa Eberly, township manager.
To save some of the remaining farmland, concerned citizens pushed for a solution. They
decided that the county Agricultural Land Preservation Board wasn’t able to preserve enough of
the farms and forests that are part of the community’s identity.
While the program relies on a tough ranking system that preserves only farms in an
Agricultural Security Area and with the best soils, it leaves out many parcels that still have local
value.
So, in 2015, voters approved a ballot measure to raise their Earned Income Tax to put
money toward land conservation.
35
“This really was a grassroots, boots-on-the-ground, knocking-on-doors effort,” Eberly
said. “Without it, I don’t think it would have ever gone through.”
Three years later, the township had conserved eight properties totaling about 315 acres.
Six more properties are in the works, which will add another 403 acres to the township’s tally.
So far, they’ve spent $1.9 million.
The township didn’t purchase the land, but worked with the owners on voluntary legal
agreements — called conservation easements — that generally protect the land from further
development. Each owner retains the title to his or her property, but the easement stays with the
land if it is sold. Landowners may be paid for an easement, or they may donate it.
Setting up and enforcing these easements can be complicated and expensive. Silver
Spring Township, though, found a partner that made the process manageable: Natural Lands, a
private land trust based in Media, PA.
A Range Of Options
Some land trusts are state-affiliated, like the Maryland Environmental Trust and Virginia
Outdoors Foundation, but many are private nonprofit organizations funded by grants and
donations. Some specialize in particular types of land — such as farms, forests, property with
rare or threatened species, or even small abandoned city lots where residents have created
gardens.
Others have expanded their scope by providing services that help municipalities manage
growth and as well as land and rivers.
Private land trusts usually have more flexibility than state programs in accepting different
types of easements and ownership arrangements.
Some, like The Nature Conservancy-PA, will buy land and hold the title, but most use a
combination of strategies to help meet the landowner’s conservation goals.
An entity other than the landowner holds the easement, and it’s a hefty commitment.
Easement holders are responsible for annual inspections to ensure compliance with the easement
and must be prepared to defend it in court if there is a violation.
“Municipalities need to think very seriously about whether they are comfortable with the
task of having to monitor and enforce easements,” said Andrew Loza, executive director of the
Pennsylvania Land Trust Association. “Co-holding an easement with a land trust is probably
preferable.”
Silver Springs was already working with Natural Lands to rewrite their ordinances to
protect natural resources.
With a volunteer conservation committee and just one staff person working on
conservation issues, the municipality needed help to make the goals feasible. Now, the
agreement with Natural Lands has township staff and volunteers working with interested
landowners and Natural Lands negotiating the easements and holding them with the township.
“We’re happy to do as much or as little that makes sense,” said Jack Stefferud, senior
director of land protection for Natural Lands. “There are municipalities in southeastern
Montgomery County [PA] who do almost everything themselves.”
Even with a land trust partnership, saving land isn’t cheap. Some programs operate by
purchasing the development rights to the land, an amount equal to the difference between the
current value minus the value once the rights are removed.
In some cases, the owner donates the value of the development rights, but it can still cost
from $30,000 to $40,000 for surveyors, lawyers and filing fees.
36
The expenses don’t evaporate once the deal is done — the costs for the annual
inspections and potential enforcement actions must be considered, too. Land trusts can help
suggest strategies.
At Work In Other Bay States
Richmond City Council member Parker Agelasto is the executive director of the Capital
Region Land Conservancy, a nonprofit land trust serving the greater Richmond area.
A resident of the city and enthusiastic spokesperson, Agelasto talks fast and proud about
what the conservancy has been able to accomplish in partnership with city, state and federal
governments.
The conservancy was formed in 2005 to fill the need for a local land trust. Around the
same time there was a big public push to protect wild portions of the James River, which runs
through the heart of Richmond.
Even though the city owns James River Park, citizens wanted assurance that it would
always be open public space, regardless of the economy or who was in office. The city council
and then-mayor Tim Kaine passed a resolution to pursue a conservation easement on the park in
2000 and again in 2005.
The council approached the land trust to place a conservation easement on the park and
11 riverside parcels encompassing the park, totaling 280 acres of riverside land. By 2009, the
land was protected.
The city is working with the conservancy to add roughly 113 additional acres to the
James River Park system, including several private islands that are being donated to the city.
“We have this river running downtown and we have hundreds of acres buffering it,”
Agelasto said. “It’s a huge attraction and has really become a defining feature of the region.”
In Loudoun County, VA, the population has grown from 100,000 to 400,000 people in the last 15
years,” according to Chris Miller, president of the Piedmont Environmental Council.
The council is both a land trust and an environmental organization. Loudoun is one of
nine counties in which the council has been working since 1972.
With population growth came an explosion of developments that have homeowners
associations and mandated open space. Miller said that presented an opportunity to work with the
associations responsible for landscaping large swaths of land and to benefit the county.
As those large green areas are restored with native plants, rain gardens and sometimes
streamside buffers, they not only improve wildlife habitat but provide better stormwater
management than traditional landscaping, which support a municipality’s stormwater plan.
“All of those common open spaces can be wildlife and bird conservation corridors and
can contribute to water quality,” he said.
To find a land trust near you, visit the Land Trust Alliance website. [In Pennsylvania,
visit the PA Land Trust Association website.]
(Photo: Cumberland County, PA.)
NewsClips:
Help
37
in 2019
Related Stories:
PaEN: Attend By Webinar: PA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Plan Steering
Courses
(Reprinted from the Chesapeake Bay Journal. Click Here to subscribe to the free Chesapeake
Bay Journal.)
[Posted: Feb. 25, 2019]
The Center For Dirt And Gravel Road Studies To Offer A Series Of Road Maintenance
Courses
The Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation

Institute is pleased to announce dates for the 2019
Environmentally Sensitive Maintenance Course
training sessions, offered through the Penn State
Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies.
From March 26, through November 20, the
CDGRS has 12 ESM Courses scheduled at locations
throughout Pennsylvania.
These intense, two-day classroom sessions
will focus on providing the knowledge and tools
necessary for public road managers to maintain roads in a more cost-efficient and
environmentally sensitive manner.
Attendees who complete the course become certified to oversee ESM road projects and
will earn 1.3 Continuing Education Units and 13 Professional Development Hours (PDH) credits
through the Penn State College of Engineering.
The course is free to municipal, county and state agencies involved with Pennsylvania’s
Dirt and Gravel Road Program, as well as private contractors participating in Dirt and Gravel
Low-Volume Road (DGLVR) projects.
Out-of-state attendees must pay a fee to attend.
For more information about dates and locations or to register, visit the ESM Course
webpage.
The Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies plays a key role in environmental research
and outreach at the Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute.
38
The Center’s focus is on environmentally sensitive maintenance training and research to
further improve outreach efforts. The training is specifically geared toward applying advanced
techniques and materials to existing and reconstructed unpaved roadways.
The Center provides education, guidance, and technical assistance to minimize the impact
of unpaved roads and trails on natural landscapes and hydrology.
NewsClips:
Help
in 2019
Related Stories:
Opportunities To Bid On DEP Mine Reclamation Projects In Butler, Schuylkill Counties
The Department of Environmental Protection published notices in the March 2 PA Bulletin of an

opportunity to bid on a mine reclamation projects in Butler County and Schuylkill County.
The Department of Environmental Protection has available a current list of
Abandoned Mine Reclamation, Acid Mine Drainage, Surface Mine Reclamation, Cleaning Out
and Plugging Oil and Gas Wells, Waterways Engineering (Concrete Dams/Concrete Lined
Channels, Walls and Box Culverts, etc.), Hazardous Site Remediation, Removal and Disposal of
Underground Storage Tanks, and Wetland Restoration projects available for bidding. Click Here
for the list.
The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has a current list of bid
proposals for construction projects in State Parks and State Forests available online. Click Here
for the list.
NewsClips:
True Value Warehouse Project Being Built On Reclaimed Mine Lands In Luzerne
Editorial: We Should Applaud True Value’s Investment In Reclaimed Mine Land
From Culm To Canvas: Artist’s New Take On Coal Waste In High Demand
39
Harrisburg University Creates Digital Dashboard To Help Protect Susquehanna River
Basin
Streamlined access to data makes forecasting,

monitoring, and timely action much easier for
any organization.
Whether in business, education, and even
environmental protection, quick access to data
can mean the difference between achieving and
not achieving a centralized goal.
For the Susquehanna River Basin Commission
(SRBC), data is key to the commission’s core
mission, which is to enhance public welfare
through comprehensive planning, water supply
allocation, and management of Susquehanna
River Basin water resources.
To accomplish this, the Commission has developed programs to assess and track water
quality conditions in the basin using various chemical, biological, and habitat data.
Continuous monitoring, forecasting, predictive analytics and timely interventions are of
utmost importance to achieve the Commission’s objectives.
But the Commission doesn’t have a central dashboard – screens with critical information
which give managers a unified view of the data that matters – to monitor these important
indicators.
And that’s why a team of Harrisburg University professors and students have partnered
with the Commission to develop a digital dashboard, dubbed the SRBC Monitoring Dashboard
System, which will identify relationships between different environmental parameters and
indicators and present them to facilitate better decision making.
“The current project’s goal is to build the requisite dashboards. In our work, we will
combine deep learning techniques, visualization and data mining to identify relationships
between various environmental parameters and indicators,” said HU Professor Dr. Siamak Aram,
who is working on the project with professors Dr. Michael Meyer, Dr. Kevin Purcell and John
Quigley, director of the University’s Center for Environment, Energy, and Economy.
Work on the project began last summer. To support the work, Harrisburg University
President Dr. Eric Darr awarded the team a $20,000 Presidential Research Grant last fall.
The team, which consists of six HU graduate students, currently is conducting a literature
review to understand what type of technology the commission works with to track monitor water
conditions and more.
It has reviewed available data and is exploring models and techniques that could work to
develop a dashboard prototype.
Students participate by:
-- Researching the current state of art methods and emerging approaches in the domain.
-- Identifying suitable presentation framework for the geospatial and temporal data.
-- Identifying and building suitable predictive models.
-- Documenting and publishing the research outcomes.
40
Work should be completed by June, but this project involving the Susquehanna River, the
longest river along the east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, could be a stepping stone
for a nationwide project, Dr. Aram said.
“The work with SRBC is a powerful demonstration of proof-of-concept of the use of data
science for evidence-based environmental policy making by all levels of government,” he said.
“We hope to develop decision-support tools/methods for governments and businesses that help
them make better, more informed, more effective, and more pragmatic decisions. And because
the Susquehanna River basin is HU’s home, we are aiming to help make a difference for the
local environment, economy, and quality of life.“
“This project is an example of the potential that HU has to leverage its technology and
science programs to make a local difference and to have impact nationally and globally,” Aram
added. “Its success will enable us to attract additional partners, take on more collaborations, and
lead research in solving more environmental challenges.”
Click Here to watch a CBS21 News story on the program.
NewsClips:
Harrisburg University Student Developing Digital Dashboard For Susquehanna River Basin
Commission
in 2019
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Scholarship Program Starting March 1
PaEN: Scouts Get Their Boots Wet For Science And Stewardship At Stroud Water Research
Center
PaEN: Stroud Water Research Center Hosts World Water Day Celebration March 21
PaEN: Erie Times-News Connection With Your Environment - Mudsnails Endanger Waterways
PaEN: Register Now For PA Environmental Educators Conference In Philadelphia March 18-19
[Posted: Feb. 25, 2019]
Scouts Get Their Boots Wet For Science And Stewardship At Stroud Water Research
Center
Saturday descends on Stroud Water Research Center in

Chester County in a flurry of paintbrushes, stream
boots, and aquatic nets.
Clad in the armor of junior stream scientists,
kindergarten through fifth grade Cub Scouts wade
through the East Branch of White Clay Creek with
parents, little siblings, and Stroud Center educators in
tow.
Together, they pluck wriggling crane fly larvae from
slimy leaf packs, excavate underwater dragons from
41
the streambed, and gently brush mayflies off their stone hideaways.
“We get to put on big boots and play in the stream to collect aquatic insects, and then use
microscopes to help identify them,” says Pack 216 Cubmaster Scott Heath, whose dens of Lions,
Tigers, Wolves, Bears, and Webelos met requirements for the Science Everywhere STEM Nova
Award during a boots-in-the-water stream study. “What kid doesn’t like to play in a stream and
turn over rocks?”
This tailor-made badge program for Cub Scouts invites young minds to explore the
scientific method and exercise their most powerful scientific tools: their senses.
While collecting real data on the color, smell, and speed of water, scouts forge personal
connections with their backyard water resources. These discovery-based investigations, Heath
says, inspire scouts to think critically about whether a stream is healthy and can support a vibrant
ecosystem.
One such scout is 9-year-old Webelos Cub Scout Zach, who says he dreams of becoming
a scientist to help people solve common problems. The Science Everywhere STEM Nova Award
taught him how to answer the tough questions on water quality.
“Knowing what makes fresh water good for fish and aquatic insects helps you protect the
water,” explains Zach, “because a lot of plants, insects, and animals depend on healthy water.”
Zach was among 480 youth and 255 adults engaged in 32 Stroud Center education
programs and events in 2018 for the Chester County Council, Boy Scouts of America
(CCCBSA).
Thanks to the generous Thomas P. Bentley Muddy Boots Fund and a growing partnership
with the CCCBSA, the Stroud Center provides free overnight and day programs to scouts across
this council.
“We are grateful to have this wonderful resource for our scouters,” says Richard Curth,
director of development at the CCCBSA. “The Stroud Center’s education team has done an
amazing job with delivering programs. We are delighted that our Scouting membership is taking
full advantage of this great program opportunity.”
Education doesn’t end with the youngest citizens of the scouting world. The Stroud
Center facilitates service projects and stream studies for all scouting ages, in addition to offering
three conservation-related merit badge programs for Scouts BSA ages 11 to 17: Fish and
Wildlife Management, Environmental Science, and Soil and Water Conservation.
“The Soil and Water Conservation Merit Badge isn’t like other merit badges,” says
Danny, 11, who participated in the Stroud Center’s pilot program for the merit badge last fall.
“You get to experiment with living plants and the running water to figure out what each one does
and how you can conserve them.”
Danny spent two back-to-back Saturdays at the Stroud Center drawing connections
between healthy land and healthy water.
On a crisp Sunday morning with soil under his fingernails, he earned his very first merit
badge and planted his first tree for clean water — a gangly river birch sapling.
“This was a whole new experience for me,” reflects Danny. “But if we didn’t care about
things like water or trees — if we didn’t study and protect them — our water would get dirtier,
our trees might die, and our world might become more polluted. We have to care and we have to
study the world around us, because you never know if something new might happen.”
After all, the mission of boots-in-the-water education at the Stroud Center is not to hang
your boots up to dry after a day of discovery. It is to awaken curiosity and stewardship that can
42
bloom for a lifetime.
Stroud Water Research Center offers programs year-round for Girl Scout and Boy Scout
groups. Your den, pack, or troop will learn about stream and watershed health through fun,
hands-on educational activities while earning a unique Stroud Center activity patch.
View available programs.
For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the Stroud Water
Research Center website, Click Here to subscribe to UpStream. Click Here to subscribe to
Stroud’s Educator newsletter. Click Here to become a Friend Of Stroud Research, Like them on
Facebook, Follow on Twitter and visit their YouTube Channel.
NewsClips:
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Stroud Water Research Center Hosts World Water Day Celebration March 21
The Stroud Water Research Center in Chester

County will host a World Water Day Celebration
starting at 6:00 p.m. in the Center located at 970
Spencer Road in Avondale.
The program features a lecture by Brian
Richter, President of Sustainable Waters, who will
present on Chasing Water In A Dynamically
Changing World.
Water shortages are now affecting half the world’s
population, disrupting food and energy security as well as urban water supplies. The overuse of
water and associated drying of rivers, lakes, and aquifers has become a leading cause of
freshwater species imperilment.
Climate change forecasts foretell even greater challenges in many water-scarce regions.
These threats to our water future can be ameliorated, but it will require bold and concerted action
on the part of governments, city leaders, and farmers.
This presentation will highlight the key solutions that must be implemented.
Sponsors of this special event include Chester County Community Foundation and
Exelon Generation.
Click Here to register and for more information.
43
For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the Stroud Water
Research Center website, Click Here to subscribe to UpStream. Click Here to subscribe to
Stroud’s Educator newsletter. Click Here to become a Friend Of Stroud Research, Like them on
Facebook, Follow on Twitter and visit their YouTube Channel.
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Erie Times-News Connect With Your Environment - Mudsnails Endanger Waterways
The latest issue of Connect With Your Environment

in the Erie Times-News is now available. This
edition focuses on the New Zealand mudsnail and
how they endanger waterways.
Click Here for dozens of past issues and
their related curriculum guides.
Connection With Your Environment is supported
by the Pennsylvania Sea Grant Program and DEP’s
Coastal Resources Management Program.
For more information on programs,
initiatives and other educational opportunities, visit
the Pennsylvania Sea Grant Program website.
NewsClips:
Commission
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44
Center
Insurance: More Pennsylvanians Getting Private Flood Insurance To Protect Homes,

Property
On February 26, Insurance Commissioner Jessica

Altman said the number of private market flood
insurance policies in Pennsylvania jumped 72
percent from February 2018, as she continued
urging homeowners, business owners, and renters
to shop around in the increasingly competitive
flood insurance market to protect their homes,
businesses, and properties.
[Note: You can’t wait until it’s raining to get flood
insurance.]
“The number of private flood insurance policies
increased from 5,200 in February of last year to 8,950 this February,” Altman said. “Since Gov.
Wolf directed my department to educate consumers about the increasing availability of private
flood coverage in February 2016, the number of private flood policies has leaped almost six-fold
and now represents nearly one in seven flood insurance policies in the state.”
Flood insurance is available through private sector insurance, and the federal
government-run National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which almost exclusively provided
this coverage prior to changes implemented by Congress in 2014.
These changes have led to significantly higher NFIP premiums as subsidies for high-risk
properties are phased out to reduce the program’s roughly $25 billion debt.
“Phasing out of NFIP subsidies means private insurers can successfully compete in this
market, and we have found in some cases, comparable private coverage is available at
significantly lower costs than NFIP policies,” Altman said. “However, private coverage may not
be available for some high-risk properties, so consumers should shop both the NFIP and private
insurers to find the best plan for their situation.”
Altman emphasized most standard homeowners’ and renters’ insurance policies do not
cover flood damage.
While many mortgage lenders, including those making home loans backed by the federal
government, require flood insurance for properties in what are know as Special Flood Hazard
Areas (SFHAs), Altman urged homeowners outside of these areas to consider this additional
coverage.
“In Pennsylvania, we see a lot of flooding outside of SFHAs every year, and hear stories
from homeowners and renters who suffered significant losses that were not covered because they
did not have flood insurance,” Altman said.
Twenty Pennsylvania-licensed insurance companies now sell private flood insurance, in
addition to 59 individual producers who sell this coverage through what is called the surplus
lines market.
45
Surplus lines insurance is sold through companies licensed outside of Pennsylvania.
However, the producers selling this coverage are licensed in Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania
Insurance Department monitors the financial condition of the companies selling this coverage.
Forty-seven percent of private market flood policies are now sold through
Pennsylvania-licensed companies, as compared to only 26 percent two years ago.
“NFIP policies and some private coverage have a 30-day waiting period following
purchase before coverage begins,” Altman said. “While flooding happens throughout the year,
with melting snow and heavy spring rains, the next few months are when flooding can occur
throughout the state, so I urge consumers to consider this coverage now.”
For more information on both the NFIP and private flood insurance, visit the Insurance
Department’s Flood Insurance webpage.
NewsClips:
Watch This Flyover Video Of Codorus Creek In York And Proposed Beautification Initiative
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[Posted: Feb. 27, 2019]
PUC Adopts Revised Procedures For Acquisition, Valuation Of Municipal,

Authority-Owned Water, Wastewater Systems
On February 28, the Public Utility Commission adopted a Final Supplemental Implementation
Order that addresses enhanced procedures for how acquiring public utilities or entities are to
prepare and submit applications to acquire and value municipal and authority-owned water and
wastewater systems under Section 1329 of the Public Utility Code.
The Commission voted 5-0 to adopt the Final Supplemental Implementation Order,
following the detailed review of public comments on the proposed changes to procedures and
guidelines.
Signed into law as Act 12 of 2016, Section 1329 of the Public Utility Code addresses the
sale of water and wastewater systems owned by municipal corporations or authorities by
providing a process for the sale of public water and wastewater assets at fair market values.
With the benefit of more than two years of experience applying Section 1329 to
applicable transfers of control under Chapters 11 and 13 of the Public Utility Code and PUC
regulations, the Final Supplemental Implementation Order includes a series of enhancements,
including:
-- Procedures for notifying all potentially affected consumers, including non-binding estimates of
likely incremental rate effects to the ratepayers of the acquired and acquiring utility systems.
-- An Application Filing Checklist.
46
-- Application Standard Data Requests.
-- Additional Guidelines for Utility Valuation Experts.
-- Guidelines for testimony submitted by Utility Valuation Experts.
NewsClip:
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[Posted: Feb. 28, 2019]
PPL Electric Utilities Accepting Applications For Its Future Environmental Leaders
PPL Electric Utilities will accept applications for

its Future Environmental Leaders Scholarship
Program for high school seniors in its service
territory between March 1 and April 20.
Applicants should be students looking to
attend 2 and 4 years schools.
PPL is providing $14,000 for the scholarship
program in 2019. One winner will be picked
from each of seven geographical regions to receive $2,000. Applications will be judged by an
internal PPL committee.
PPL established the PPL Electric Utilities Environmental Leaders Scholarship to give a
helping hand to the next generation of students pursuing careers in the engineering and science
fields that will benefit the natural world that surrounds and sustains us.
To apply or for more information, visit PPL’s Future Environmental Leaders Scholarship
webpage.
NewsClips:
Commission
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Center
[Posted: Feb. 27, 2019]
47
Register Now For PA Environmental Educators Conference In Philadelphia March 18-19
Register now for the PA Association of

Environmental Educators’ 2019 Conference to
be held March 18-19 at the Renaissance
Philadelphia Airport Hotel.
The Conference theme is-- Cityscapes &
Greenscapes-- which highlights how
environmental education intersects and/or
spans varied landscapes, urban, suburban, rural
and green spaces in between.
Over the years, the environmental education space has grown from just "greenscapes," to
now becoming a foundation for outdoor recreation, conservation initiatives, "green" city
planning, STEM education and more; so, it's time to highlight these methods of connection
through presentations at the Conference.
Each year our membership delivers high-quality workshops that give attendees
experiences to take back and apply to their practices, programming, facilities, partnerships and
staff.
For more information on programs, initiatives, resources and other upcoming events, visit
the PA Association of Environmental Educators website. Click Here to sign up for the PAEE
newsletter (bottom of page, left). Click Here to become a member. Click Here to support
PAEE’s work.
NewsClips:
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[Posted: Feb. 25, 2019]
EPA Now Accepting Nominations For President’s Environmental Youth Award
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is now

accepting nominations for the President’s
Environmental Youth Award. The deadline for
nominations is March 8.
48
The President’s Environmental Youth Award recognizes outstanding environmental
projects by K-12 youth. The Program promotes awareness of our nation's natural resources and
encourages positive community involvement.
Each year the awards program honors a wide variety of projects developed by young
individuals, school classes (kindergarten through high school), summer camps, public interest
groups, and youth organizations to promote environmental awareness.
Thousands of young people from all 50 states and the U.S. territories have submitted
projects to EPA for consideration.
In 2017, Ardmore, Delaware County brothers Devin and Roldan Kramer won the
President’s Environmental Youth Award for grade levels K-5 for their work to save frogs and
toads.
Click Here for all the details.
(Photo: Devin and Roldan Kramer, 2017 winners.)
NewsClips:
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[Posted: Feb. 27, 2019]
Save The Date: PA Waste Industries Assn/Solid Waste Assn. - Keystone Chapter Joint
Conference Sept. 4-5 In Harrisburg
The PA Waste Industries Association and

the Solid Waste Association of North
America Keystone Chapter will hold a Joint
Fall Conference September 4-5 at the
Harrisburg Hilton.
The Conference is the best place to interact
with the top waste industry professionals in
Pennsylvania with plenty of networking
opportunities, workshops, speakers and
presentations and a full exhibit area.
Feel free to contact these conference contacts with questions about sponsorships and
exhibit space.--
-- Michele Nestor, Conference Chair Keystone SWANA: 724-898-3489 or
49
michele@nestorresources.com
-- Mary Keenan, Conference Chair PWIA: 717-877-1746 or
MaryKeenan@webber-associates.com
-- Chanda Martino, Conference Coordinator, Keystone SWANA: 866-467-9262 or
chanda@keystoneswana.org
Click Here for more information.
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Shell Donates $225,000 To Boost Beaver County Recycling Program
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Op-Ed: The Frustrating Charade Of Recycling In Philadelphia
Maryland Getting Ready To Say No To Foam
Lutherans To Give Up Plastic For Lent
Philadelphia To Install 100 Surveillance Cameras To Nab Illegal Dumpers
Editorial: Dumping Items Outside Donation Centers Is Illegal, Hurts Their Cause
Green Building Alliance Offers Certified Passive House Tradesperson Training In March
The Pittsburgh-based Green Building

Alliance is offering Certified Passive
Tradesperson Training in 2 modules
March 18-19 and March 25-26 at
Conservation Consultants, Inc., 64
South 14th Street in Pittsburgh.
Building owners and developers
in Western Pennsylvania are designing
for Passive House certification, and
high–profile projects like the Carrick
Carnegie Library and Morningside
Crossing senior housing project need qualified builders and contractors.
Passive House is the world’s most rigorous building energy standard, and market leaders
like New York City and Toronto have integrated/mandated Passive House principles for all new
construction.
This training will prepare contractors, construction managers, developers, project
managers, and tradespeople to build to the technically rigorous Passive House standard, and
become officially certified as a Passive House Tradesperson.
Participants will be listed in the Passive House Institute’s database upon passing the
exam, in addition to being showcased on the Green Building Alliance website.
Passive House optimizes light, air, and thermal energy of a building, reducing energy use
by as much as 75 percent.
Passive House principles can be applied to all types of buildings and prove especially
lucrative within the commercial building sector, but thorough training is required to achieve it.
Passive House principles can also be used to achieve other high-value green building
standards (i.e. LEED v4 and Living Building Challenge).
50
Visit the Passive House Western PA website and the Passive House Institute website for
more information on this approach to building design.
For more information on programs, initiative, opportunities for education and other
upcoming events, visit the Green Building Alliance website.
(Photo: Morningside Crossing senior housing project.)
[Posted: Feb. 25, 2019]
PUC Approves FirstEnergy Filings On Removing Barriers For 3rd Party Electric Vehicle
Charging Stations
On February 28, the Public Utility Commission

approved filings by the four FirstEnergy electric
distribution companies serving Pennsylvania,
which will help remove uncertainty and potential
barriers to the deployment of third-party electric
vehicle (EV) charging stations in their service
territories.
The Commission voted 5-0 to approve
supplements to tariffs which were filed by
Metropolitan Edison Company (MetEd),
Pennsylvania Electric Company (Penelec),
Pennsylvania Power Company (Penn Power) and West Penn Power Company (West Penn
Power), in response to an EV policy statement adopted last year by the PUC.
The Commission’s November 2018 policy statement was designed to help promote
increased investment in EV charging infrastructure in the state by reducing regulatory
uncertainty and providing greater consistency among electric distribution companies (EDCs).
The policy statement clarifies that third-party electric vehicle charging is providing a
service, and not considered resale of electricity under the Public Utility Code. EDCs were
directed to amend their tariffs to address third-party EV charging stations consistent with the new
policy.
As the Commissioners noted in November, technological advancements, including a
growing number of electric vehicles, are transforming the electric consumption of consumers and
impacting the grid as a whole – and it is important for utilities to adapt their infrastructure and
tariff structure to address these changes.
The FirstEnergy tariff supplements approved today by the Commission are the first to be
considered under the PUC’s policy statement regarding EV charging infrastructure.
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51
[Posted: Feb. 28, 2019]
Public Comments Invited On A Proposed PUC Policy On Electric Customer Assistance

Program Shopping
On February 28, the Public Utility Commission approved an Order requesting comments on a
proposed policy statement designed to strengthen consumer protections for Customer Assistance
Program (CAP) customers participating in the state’s retail electric market.
The Commission voted 5-0 to solicit comments on the proposed policy which would
establish uniform guidelines for electric distribution companies’ (EDCs’) CAP shopping
programs.
In designing future CAP shopping programs, EDCs should include the following
provisions:
-- A requirement that the CAP shopping product has a rate that is always at or below the EDCs’
PTC(s) over the duration of the contract between the EGS and the CAP participant.
-- A provision that the contract between the EGS and the CAP participant contains no early
termination or cancellation fees.
-- A provision that, at the end of the contract, the CAP participant may re-enroll with the EGS at
a product that meets the same requirements as outlined in numbers 1 and 2 above, switch to
another EGS offering a product that meets those requirements or be returned to default service.
Additionally, the Commission asks whether any party believes that it can show that there
is a reasonable alternative to the program described above, where harm will not be incurred by
either CAP or non-CAP customers, they are free to propose such a model.
Interested parties have 45 days from the publication of the Order in the Pennsylvania
Bulletin to provide written comments to Secretary Rosemary Chiavetta, Pennsylvania Public
Utility Commission, 400 North St., Harrisburg, PA 17120. Written replies to filed comments
must be submitted with 60 days of the date of publication. Comments may alternatively be filed
electronically through the Commission’s e-File system.
In a related matter, the Commission voted 5-0 to set rules and procedures for the CAP
shopping program and scripting for the FirstEnergy Customer Referral Program (CRP). Prior to
issuing today’s proposed policy statement, the Commission had ordered modifications to
FirstEnergy’s CAP shopping program to be implemented on or before June 1, 2019.
Modifications to FirstEnergy’s CAP shopping program are consistent with the proposed
policy statement issued for comment.
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[Posted: Feb. 28, 2019]
PA Chamber Endorses Changes To PJM Electricity Market Pricing Rules
On February 27, the PA Chamber of Business and Industry President and CEO Gene Barr issued
52
the following statement regarding changes to the electricity market auction rules being proposed
by the regional grid operator, PJM Interconnection.
The proposal, addressing reserve pricing and procurement in regional energy markets,
will soon be sent to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for formal consideration.
“Over the past two years, electric generation companies that own and operate nuclear
power plants in Pennsylvania have put the spotlight on the challenges facing these facilities.
“These challenges are not unique to Pennsylvania – other states in the 13-state PJM
territory have experienced them as well, and have enacted legislation and policies to prevent the
premature closure of nuclear facilities.
“It is clear that this is a regional issue, not just a Pennsylvania problem, and therefore we
are concerned with any legislative remedy that puts the burden solely on Pennsylvania families
and businesses. Given that Pennsylvania is a net exporter of power, a regional solution is
necessary.
“Therefore, the PA Chamber is endorsing PJM Interconnection’s proposed changes to its
energy market pricing rules and urges FERC to approve the changes as soon as possible.
“These rules would compensate power generation facilities for costs and attributes
previously unrecognized in pricing rules – a concern raised by plant operators at hearings
convened by the General Assembly’s joint legislative Nuclear Caucus – without unduly
burdening Pennsylvanians.
“Among the other issues facing the nuclear industry identified by the Nuclear Caucus
was an unlevel playing field, including preferential tax and energy policy favoring particular
resources.
“Of note, Pennsylvania’s 2004 Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act directs 18
percent of the market to particular resources at the cost of tens of millions of dollars per year by
ratepayers. Our organization opposed this legislation from the outset out of concern it would
distort the market – as it very clearly has.
“We have and will continue to embrace and champion competitive markets. In the two
decades since Pennsylvania passed the Electric Generation Customer Choice and Competition
Act, ratepayers have benefitted from the resulting billions of dollars in lower utility costs and a
cleaner environment.
“It is vital, however, that as competition unfolds in electricity markets, power generation
facilities are appropriately compensated. We believe PJM’s proposed pricing rules will achieve
that, and as such, we endorse this proposal and urge it be approved quickly.”
NewsClips:
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Policy
Analysis: Should Nuclear Power Plants Get A Bailout In The Name Of Climate Change?
Mykuth: Peach Bottom, Other Nuclear Plants, Could Run Until 2054, Is It Safe?
Letter: Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant Shutdown Is Overdue
Letter: Nuclear Energy Unaffordable, Extremely Dangerous
Letter: Company Bailouts Unfair To Taxpayers - PA Manufacturers
53
Op-Ed: Time’s Up For Three Mile Island
Op-Ed: Pennsylvania Could Face A Brain Drain Without Nuclear Power
Op-Ed: Nuclear Power Plants Critical To PA’s Energy Future
Op-Ed: Opponents Ignore The Many Benefits Of Nuclear Power In PA
Editorial: Legislature Shouldn’t Prop Up Three Mile Island
WITF Smart Talk: Three Mile Island Accident 40th Anniversary
U.S. EIA: Carbon Dioxide Emissions To Decline By 1.3% In 2019; After Increasing 2.8%
In 2018 Driven By Natural Gas
On February 25, the U.S. Energy Information Administration Short-Term Energy Outlook
estimated carbon dioxide emissions from energy generation will decline by 1.3 percent in 2019
and 0.5 percent in 2020 after increasing by 2.8 percent in 2018.
U.S. EIA said the 2018 increase largely reflects increased weather-related natural gas
consumption because of additional heating needs during a colder winter and for additional
electric generation to support more cooling during a warmer summer than in 2017.
EIA expects emissions to decline in 2019 and 2020 because of forecasted temperatures
that will return to near normal and noted energy-related CO2 emissions are sensitive to changes
in weather, economic growth, energy prices, and fuel mix.
Fuel Mix Changes
EIA expects the share of U.S. total utility-scale electricity generation from natural
gas-fired power plants to rise from 35 percent in 2018 to 36 percent in 2019 and to 37 percent in
2020.
EIA forecasts that the electricity generation share from coal will average 26 percent in
2019 and 24 percent in 2020, down from 28 percent in 2018.
The nuclear share of generation was 19 percent in 2018 and EIA forecasts that it will stay
near that level in 2019 and in 2020.
The generation share of hydropower is forecast to average slightly less than 7 percent of
total generation in 2019 and 2020, similar to last year.
Wind, solar, and other nonhydropower renewables together provided about 10 percent of
electricity generation in 2018. EIA expects them to provide 11 percent in 2019 and 13 percent in
2020.
EIA expects average U.S. solar generation will rise from 265,000 megawatthours per day
(MWh/d) in 2018 to 301,000 MWh/d in 2019 (an increase of 14 percent) and to 358,000 MWh/d
in 2020 (an increase of 19 percent).
In 2019, EIA expects wind’s annual share of generation will exceed hydropower’s share
for the first time. EIA forecasts that wind generation will rise from 756,000 MWh/d in 2018 to
859,000 MWh/d in 2019 (a share of 8 percent). Wind generation is further projected to rise to
964,000 MWh/d (a share of 9 percent) by 2020.
EIA estimates that U.S. coal production declined by 21 million short tons (MMst) (3
percent) in 2018, totaling 754 MMst. EIA expects further declines in coal production of 4
percent in 2019 and 6 percent in 2020 because of falling power sector consumption and declines
in coal exports.
Coal consumed for electricity generation declined by an estimated 4 percent (27 MMst)
54
in 2018. EIA expects that lower electricity demand, lower natural gas prices, and further
retirements of coal-fired capacity will reduce coal consumed for electricity generation by 8
percent in 2019 and by a further 6 percent in 2020.
Coal exports, which increased by 20 percent (19 MMst) in 2018, decline by 13 percent
and 8 percent in 2019 and 2020, respectively, in the forecast.
Click Here for full report.
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Environmental Achievement
[Posted: Feb. 25, 2019]
Penn State Extension Hosts 8 Public Meetings On Spotted Lanternfly
Penn State Extension Service will host 8 public meetings on

the spotted lanternfly, the invasive insect that has spread
throughout southeastern Pennsylvania and surrounding states
and presents a significant threat to Pennsylvania agriculture,
including the grape, tree-fruit, hardwood and nursery
industries.
The public can do a great deal to stop the spread of this
invasive insect. Attend one of these meetings near you--
-- Bucks County: March 18 - Quakertown
-- Chester County: April 1 - Phoenixville
-- Chester County: June 13 - Exton
-- Delaware County: April 13 - Springfield
-- Lehigh County: March 27 - Macungie
-- Northampton County: March 21 - Nazareth
-- Pike County: April 26 - Lords Valley
-- Union County: March 26 - Lewisburg
Find out more about Spotted Lanternfly, visit Agriculture’s Spotted Lanternfly, the
USDA Lanternfly and the Penn State Extension webpages.
NewsClips:
Schneck: Diverse Forest Issues On Tap With Dauphin County Woodland Owners March 9
55
Conference
Schneck: Maple Beer, Maple Lemonade, Maple Hot Dogs Await You
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Counties In April, May
23
Erie Times-News: Sustainable Forest Management Initiative Now Underway In The City Of Erie
Penn State Extension and the PA Horticultural

Society will be holding tree tender training for
volunteers in Central and Southeast Pennsylvania
during the next few months. The sessions will be
held--
-- March 19, 26 and April 2: Bucks County. Click
Here for more.
-- May 2: Montgomery County. Click Here for
more.
-- May 6, 13, 20: Philadelphia. Click Here for
more.
-- May 16, 23, 30: Chester County. Click Here for more.
-- May 16, 23, 30: Lancaster County, Warwick Township. Click Here for more.
-- September 18, 25, October 2: Delaware County. Click Here for more.
-- September 18, 25, October 2: Philadelphia. Click Here for more.
-- Advanced Tree Tenders Webinar Series. Click Here for more.
Tree Tenders® is a training program that empowers concerned residents to make
dramatic strides towards restoring and caring for the tree canopy in their communities. The
course is designed for lay people and experts alike.
Tree Tenders training includes: Tree Biology; Urban Stresses on Trees; Tree
Identification; Tree Pruning and Root Care; Tree Planting Techniques; and Community
Organizing.
For more information on these and other similar community tree programs, visit DCNR’s
TreeVitalize webpage.
NewsClips:
Conference
Related Stories:
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23
Tree Pittsburgh will host a Tree Ordinance Workshop on

March 22 at the Tree Pittsburgh office, 32 62nd Street in
Pittsburgh from 8:30 to Noon.
Between 2010 and 2015, Allegheny County lost more than
11,000 acres of tree canopy. Development, natural causes,
and residential removals have contributed to this loss.
Trees provide tremendous community benefits, including
natural stormwater management, reducing greenhouse gases
and other air pollutants; stabilizing hillsides and preventing
erosion; increased property values; and increasing the
quality of life for residents.
Tree ordinances can be effective tools for helping to protect and preserve tree canopy to
maintain existing benefits.
The Workshop will include the elements needed to make a successful tree ordinance.
Ordinance discussions of preservation, planting and zoning ordinances regarding trees. Template
ordinances for Pennsylvania communities will be provided.
The Workshop is geared towards municipal officials and volunteers, including shade tree
commission and environmental advisory commission members and Department of Public Works
employees.
For more information on programs, initiatives, educational opportunities and upcoming
events, visit the Tree Pittsburgh website.
For more information on community tree programs, visit DCNR’s TreeVitalize webpage.
NewsClips:
Conference
Related Stories:
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23
Penn State Professor Explores Past, Present Conservation Efforts In Pennsylvania
By Therese Boyd, Penn State News
Maurice K. Goddard, who was from 1970-79 secretary of

Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Resources, once
said, “The aim or objective of a true conservationist is the
stewardship of our natural resources, air, water, and land."
Nature doesn’t get any prettier than Pennsylvania any season of the
year. In the southeast, a portion of the Appalachian Trail is
available for hiking; there’s whitewater rafting on the
Youghiogheny, canoeing on the Susquehanna, and skiing at Blue
Knob (among many other ski resorts).
Hunting on state game lands, camping in state parks, viewing elk
or migrating birds — Pennsylvania has the full spectrum of
outdoor activities.
Maybe it is no coincidence that such a beautiful state would
produce some of the nation’s first and most prominent environmentalists and conservationists.
A new film, "Penn’s Woods: Cradle of Conservation," explores the state’s history from
the days trees stretched from one end to the other before the timber business, to the rise of
awareness of our impact on the environment and the beginnings of Earth Day.
Brian Black, distinguished professor of history and environmental studies at Penn State
Altoona, has been involved with this project “for many moons,” he said.
The Pennsylvania Conservation Heritage Project gathered a group of environmental
historians, including Black.
“We suggested a history, we suggested the best stories, and we sketched out the entire
undertaking," said Black.
Over the course of the past 10 years, that “undertaking” has included filming videos such
as "Penn’s Woods," collecting oral histories from people who have been a part of conservation
and environmentalism in Pennsylvania, and creating a bibliography and archival sources — both
authored by Black and Penn State Altoona grad [now University of Pittsburgh doctoral
candidate] Marcy Ladson — as well as other resources for researchers and the public alike.
When speaking of his native state, Black noted the appearance of a contradiction in
Pennsylvania’s history.
“Pennsylvania has this fascinating conservation story — even though we have been an
extractive capital, we also have this great heritage of leading conservationists and
environmentalists," said Black.
These include, among many others, Joseph Rothrock, the “father of forestry,” named as
the first commissioner of the state Department of Forestry; Mira Lloyd Dock, who brought the
City Beautiful movement to Harrisburg in the early 1900s when hardly any streets were paved
and trash was regularly thrown in the streets; Maurice Goddard, who developed the state park
58
system; and Rachel Carson, author of "Silent Spring," who raised awareness of some of our most
serious environmental problems.
“These are national leaders in their fields,” explained Black, “but somehow they all spent
formative time here. One of the arguments that I make is that this is something unique about the
Commonwealth. We use our nature and that use keeps us close to it. People are aware of the
outdoors in PA.”
And that awareness, Black said, “has created this passion — we have so many great
people of environmental history. And that leads you to ask: ‘Why? How does a state that tears
out the resources it needs also produce such strong legislation and leadership?”
This and other questions are addressed in the "Penn’s Woods" video. The people
interviewed cover a wide range of historians and environmentalists, such as Allen
Dietrich-Ward, professor of history at Shippensburg University; Pete Duncan, former
Department of Environmental Resources secretary; Caren Glotfelty, executive director of the
Allegheny County Parks Foundation; Joe Kosack of the Pennsylvania Game Commission;
former state senator Franklin Kury; and Black himself.
Black has somewhat of a history with environmental studies.
“I was fortunate enough to go to school with Don Worster, who defined the use of history
for this field. Because of my unique position here, Penn State Altoona has the longest running
course in environmental history in the Commonwealth. I started teaching this upper-level course
in environmental history around 2000, which is a required course for the environmental studies
major. No other school in the state has it every year.”
Black acknowledges the support of his colleagues Carolyn Mahan, professor of biology
and environmental studies, and Ian Marshall, professor of English and environmental studies.
“What Carolyn and Ian did in creating our unique program in Environmental Studies was
to have the foresight to know that we were educating environmental professionals and that they
will be better at it if they know the background. Penn State Altoona was first in the country to
combine environmental studies and history. I like to think that this carries on the state’s uniquely
balanced approach to managing our natural resources.”
Today, the conditions of our environment are making headlines as never before — larger
and more frequent hurricanes, wildfires that burn millions of acres, even fracking-related
earthquakes — and Black sees a change in students.
“Particularly in these political times, with the rise of interest behind the Green New Deal,
we see in our students a younger generation that is outraged. There is a clear passion for the
environment among many of the students in our four-year program in Environmental Studies.
They want to help define the actions of the next generation of conservationists — and I truly
think that they will do it!”
Through Black's and others’ work in the classroom, and groups such as the Pennsylvania
Conservation Heritage Project, younger people will learn what has happened in the past and how
to deal with what is still to come.
As Pennsylvania’s Rachel Carson wrote, “The human race is challenged more than ever
before to demonstrate our mastery, not over nature but of ourselves.”
For more information on Pennsylvania’s conservation history, visit the Pennsylvania
Conservation Heritage Project website.
(Photo: Maurice Goddard.)
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(Reprinted from Penn State News.)
Related Stories:
Latest Penn’s Stewards From PA Parks & Forests Foundation Features A Look At 20 Years Of
Inspiring Stewardship
PA Parks & Forests Foundation Accepting Entries To 2019 Through The Seasons Photo Contest
[Posted: Feb. 26, 2019]
Pocono Environmental Ed Center Hosting Angling & Hunting For Conservation Program
March 23
The Pocono Environmental Education Center and its

partners are hosting an Angling & Hunting For
Conservation Program March 23 at the Center, 538
Emery Road in Dingmans Ferry, Pike County from
10:00 a.m. until 2:15. p.m
The program will feature a series of speakers and a
special luncheon. The speakers include--
-- Jeff Rosalsky, Executive Director of the Center,
Welcome
-- Thomas Gilmore, renowned author and fly
fisherman presenting "Flyfishing the Delaware River
and Its Tributaries;”
-- Susan LaCroix, Delaware Highlands Conservancy, "Conserving Your Land” presentation;
-- Michele Long, Executive Director Pike County Conservation District, presenting "Manage
Your Woodlands For Water Quality;"
-- Chris Barrett, President/CEO Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau, "Pocono Mountains
Anti-Litter Campaign" presentation.
Click Here to register. Click Here to download a flyer on the program.
For more information on programs, initiatives and other upcoming events, visit the
Pocono Environmental Education Center website.
Related Story:
[Posted: Feb. 28, 2019]
Latest Penn’s Stewards From PA Parks & Forests Foundation Features A Look At 20
Years Of Inspiring Stewardship
The Spring 2019 issue of the Penn’s Stewards newsletter

from the PA Parks and Forests Foundation features at look
back at the first 20 years of accomplishments of the
Foundation and its many local friends.
It was October 1999 when a group of visionary leaders
came together with the idea to create an organization
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dedicated to our state parks and forests.
These leaders knew that, with the assistance of Pennsylvanians who have a deep and
abiding connection to those public lands, the parks and forests could survive into the 21st century
and beyond.
So they signed the Articles of Incorporation to create the Friends of Pennsylvania’s Parks
and Forests (our Ps and Fs were in a different order then) and we—you, Friends groups, and the
Foundation—started a journey together, creating opportunities, conserving our natural world,
and building a volunteer base.
In a flash, 20 years of logging thousands of volunteer hours, raising millions of dollars,
and promoting countless events—in order to make our parks and forests even better—had
passed.
Click Here to read this engaging article and catch up with Foundation news from across
the state.
For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the PA Parks &
Forests Foundation website. Click Here to sign up for regular updates from the Foundation,
Like them on Facebook or Follow them on Twitter. Click Here to become a member of the
Foundation.
(Photo: Critics’ Choice-Fun In The Outdoors: Rusty Glessner, Forbes State Forest,
Westmoreland County.)
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Penn State Professor Explores Past, Present Conservation Efforts In Pennsylvania
PA Parks & Forests Foundation Accepting Entries To 2019 Through The Seasons Photo Contest
[Posted: Feb. 27, 2019]
PA Parks & Forests Foundation Accepting Entries To 2019 Through The Seasons Photo
Contest
The PA Parks & Forests Foundation is now

accepting entries to the 2019 Through The Seasons
Photo Contest. The deadline for entries is
September 4.
Let Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests inspire
the Ansel Adams in you!
This annual contest allows professional and
amateurs alike to vie for supremacy in a variety of
categories, capturing all that is special and the
memories that are made in our state parks and
forests.
The categories include--
-- Selfie – You love to commemorate your visits; we love to see them.
-- Dogs In the Outdoors – They can’t take a selfie, but you can share one of your furry family
members enjoying the outdoors. (Please note: If dogs are required to be on leash in the place
where they are photographed, we will scrutinize the photos for appropriate behavior.)
-- Other Wildlife Sightings – From birds and bears to snakes and salamanders, we love to see
61
who’s sharing our lands.
-- Park and Forest Adventures – Show us how you like to explore, learn, or relax in
Pennsylvania’s State Parks and Forests.
-- Motion – Capture movement in Pennsylvania’s State Parks and Forests, be it human or
natural.
-- Intergenerational Joy – A special part of our state parks and forests legacy is the gathering of
everyone from young to old. Show us your family (however that is constituted) at rest and at play
– making millions of memories.
-- Young Photographers 12-17 – The creative young photographers dazzle us every year with
their artistic eye.)
Click Here for all the rules and to enter the contest.
For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the PA Parks &
Forests Foundation website. Click Here to sign up for regular updates from the Foundation,
Like them on Facebook or Follow them on Twitter. Click Here to become a member of the
Foundation.
(Photo: 2018 Critics’ Choice Young Photographer winner: Trent Stross, S innemahoning State
Park, Cameron County.)
Related Stories:
Latest Penn’s Stewards From PA Parks & Forests Foundation Features A Look At 20 Years Of
Inspiring Stewardship
[Posted: Feb. 27, 2019]
Brodhead Watershed Assn. Get Outdoors Poconos March 16 Hike At New Bluestone
Preserve In Monroe County
The Brodhead Watershed Association has organized

another Get Outdoors Poconos Hike at the new
Bluestone Preserve in Paradise Township in
Monroe County starting at 10:00.
Join naturalist Patti O'Keefe for this early spring
walk at the Bluestone Preserve where the trailhead
hides in a cul-de-sac of tidy homes. The Preserve is
so new there's no sign at the trailhead yet, just a
length of chain between 2 trees where a woods road
begins.
There aren’t any established trails, either, or blazes. Intrepid explorers of this new world
will find an enormous rock cairn 20 feet high and a football field long; huge slabs of bluestone
slate that gave the preserve its name; and, from a high point of the ridge at 1,100 feet, a
miles-long view of Paradise.
And there’s so much more to explore: This is one end of a greenway whose trails connect
many public lands. It runs 4 miles as the crow flies along the ridge, across Henry’s Crossing
Road, northwest toward Route 390 in Cresco, near state game lands.
Click Here for more information on the hike.
The hike is free, but registration is required. Directions for the hike will be provided to
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those who register. To register, call 570-839-1120 or 570-629-2727 or send email to:
info@brodheadwatershed.org.
The hike series is administered by Brodhead Watershed Association and supported by a
grant from the William Penn Foundation.
For more information on programs, initiatives and other upcoming events, visit the
Brodhead Watershed Association website.
(Photo: Vernal pool on the Bluestone Preserve. )
NewsClips:
Crable: After 11 Years, Lancaster, York Poised To Host Nation’s 50th National Heritage Area
Survey: The Best Places To Visit In Luzerne County Are Outdoors
Visitors Bureau Survey Highlights Luzerne’s Gems, Challenges
March 4 Open House In Lancaster On Countywide Plan To Improve Walking, Biking
Infrastructure
Crable: Lancaster County Youths Discover Joys, Tribulations Of Winter Backpacking On
Loyalsock Trail, Lycoming County
Work To Extend Tredway Trail In Allegheny Twp. Set To Start In Late April
Festival Category Added For 2019 Laurel Highlands Photo Contest
Bike Lanes, Traffic Improvements Coming To The Strip In Pittsburgh
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PaEN: 2019 PA Mountain Bike Summit Set For May 10 At Raystown Lake Visitors Center
PaEN: Landforce Stewardship, Workforce Development Program Is Accepting Crew
Applications Starting March 1; Also Looking For Projects
[Posted: Feb. 25, 2019]
Western PA Conservancy Accepts Donation Of Conservation Easements On 62 Acres In

Sullivan County
Sixty-two undeveloped forested acres along

Loyalsock Creek in Northcentral Pennsylvania are
now permanently protected, thanks to the donation of
two conservation easements on properties owned by
the Yasui family to the Western PA Conservancy.
Lise Yasui is one of five siblings who grew up with
fond memories of playing in the creek and woods on
their Hillsgrove Township property in Sullivan
County.
A strong connection to nature and ensuring their
woods would remain permanently forested made for a simple decision to protect their land via a
conservation easement.
“The Yasui family has enjoyed this lovely creekside property for decades,” she recalled.
“It’s been the site of many family celebrations and we’ve enjoyed the clear waters for swimming,
canoeing and fishing. A conservation easement on the property best assures that this small slice
of heaven is protected and preserved to benefit future generations of wildlife and humans.”
The two newly protected properties border Loyalsock Creek, a major tributary to the
63
West Branch Susquehanna, and are contiguous to the more than 114,000-acre Loyalsock State
Forest and State Game Lands 134.
Mostly forested with mixed hardwoods including oak, hickory and beech, the properties’
forests, streams and wildlife habitats are now protected in perpetuity as the easements restrict
future subdivision and limit development detrimental to the lands conservation values.
Several groves of hemlock and white pine provide significant riparian frontage to protect
and cool areas along Loyalsock Creek, a conservation priority and target stream for the
Conservancy.
Popular with paddlers and anglers, the 64-mile Northcentral Pennsylvania trout stream
was named by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources as the 2018 Pennsylvania
River of the Year.
The creek is also classified by the Department of Environmental Protection for Cold
Water Fishes and Migratory Fishes, and the ish and Boat Commission has designated a portion
of the creek along the properties as a Keystone Select Stocked Trout Stream.
Lise Yasui, a filmmaker now living in Philadelphia, says knowing that she is doing her
part to protect their local forest brings her and her family great satisfaction.
The family intends to let the forests eventually mature to old-growth stands, letting nature
and wildlife habitats benefit from massive trees that could reach hundreds of years old.
“These are beautiful, undeveloped properties and we appreciate the Yasui family’s gift to
our region that will protect this forested area along Loyalsock Creek with a perpetual
conservation easement,” said Tom Saunders, president and CEO of the Conservancy.
Shaun Fenlon, vice president for land conservation, says the Conservancy welcomes
inquiries from landowners interested in learning more about donating conservation easements or
other conservation options.
“This is a great example of a partnership between landowners who care deeply about
their land and the Conservancy. We appreciate the trust they’ve shown us to ensure the land is
protected,” he added.
For more information about conservation options, please contact the Conservancy at
412-288-2777 or send email to: info@paconserve.org.
More information is available on programs, initiatives and special events at the Western
PA Conservancy website. Click Here to sign up for regular updates from the Conservancy, Like
them on Facebook, Follow them on Twitter, join them on Instagram, visit the Conservancy’s
YouTube Channel or add them to your network on Linkedin. Click Here to support their work.
NewsClips:
Related Stories:
Erie Times-News: Sustainable Forest Management Initiative Now Underway In The City
Of Erie
64
Last week, David Bruce of the Erie Times reported the Sustainable Forest Management Initiative
of the City of Erie and the Foundation for Sustainable Forests got underway with the removal of
dead or disease trees from an Erie Park.
The tree removal was done with the use of horses by an Amish loggers Albert Detweiler
and Junior Fisher from Crawford County hired by the Foundation. Horses were used to reduce
the impact of the tree removals on the forest.
Other trees were marked for their timber value and will also be removed.
Click Here to read the full Erie Times-News article.
“The Foundation is pleased by how this first cut went, and the positive response by the
neighbors who visit that stretch of urban forest most frequently," said Annie Socci, Foundation
Executive Director "As a next step in the process, we will likely come into Glenwood and some
of the other parks this summer to do some invasive species management work on the ground,
before contemplating additional cuts and an ash tree salvage in the City's Roma and McClelland
Parks next winter.
"We look forward to continuing this partnership with Erie, which will include writing a
long-term management plan and hopefully also creating educational materials and signage for
park users," Socci added.
These are the first steps taken in a new partnership with the City of Erie announced in
November with Erie Mayor Joseph Schember and city Arborist Sarah Galloway.
The Initiative aims to develop a long-term sustainable management plan for the city’s
150+ acres of urban forests.
“Our forests face many threats, such as invasive species and climate change. These
impacts are affecting forests even when they are left untouched,” said Galloway.
The goal of this partnership is to develop a plan that protects and promotes native plant
diversity through invasive species management, improves habitat diversity and quality for birds
and other wildlife, and educates the public on the role of sustainable forestry in maintaining
healthy forests.
It is the City’s hope that this plan will ensure the long-term health and vigor of its urban
forests, while continuing to provide the surrounding community with benefits such as clean air
and water, and overall wellness gained from time spent in the woods.
Galloway is also hopeful that this initiative will provide a template for neighboring
municipalities who would similarly like to see their wooded parks managed sustainably over
time.
The Foundation for Sustainable Forests is uniquely positioned to work with the City.
Although primarily a land trust, a significant part of the FSF’s mission is dedicated to promoting
sustainable forest practices for the benefit of both people and the land.
Erie’s Sustainable Forest Management Initiative will showcase approaches to fostering
diverse, resilient forests, and broaden its impact on the landscape beyond the lands it currently
manages and protects.
In addition to advising the City in the development of their plan and doing work on the
ground, the FSF will also be able to assist the city in seeking grant funds for invasive species
control and outreach efforts.
As the project unfolds, the Foundation will be meeting with neighborhood groups
surrounding these wooded parks, as well as seeking input from Erie area groups such as the Erie
Bird Observatory and I Am a Planet Kid, and the Department of Conservation and Natural
65
Resources Bureau of Forestry.
Mayor Schember said the plan, in particular, includes removing dead and dying ash trees
affected by the emerald ash boring beetle.
“Any trees that are removed will be determined by the needs of the forest, and net
proceeds generated from any tree removal will be reinvested back into the parks, for example to
help control the spread of invasive species such as multiflora rose and ornamental vines that
spread from neighboring yards,” said Annie Socci, Foundation Executive Director.
“The FSF looks forward to working with the City of Erie on this visionary initiative,”
added Socci. “All too often, humans have many negative impacts on the surrounding natural
landscape, and we look forward to highlighting ways that people can positively influence
wooded ecosystems, including our urban forests.”
To learn more, contact Annie Socci by sending email to: amsocci@forestsandpeople.org
or call 814-694-5830.
For more information on programs, initiatives and upcoming events, visit the Foundation
For Sustainable Forests website. Click Here to support their work.
(Photo: Erie Times-News. )
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Horses Drag Felled Trees Out Of Erie Park
Conference
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23
[Posted: Feb. 25, 2019]
Landforce Stewardship, Workforce Development Program Now Accepting Crew

Applications; Also Looking For Projects
The Pittsburgh-based Landforce job

readiness and land stewardship program is
now accepting applications to join their
crews until March 31.
Landforce is a nonprofit that
combines work readiness training and
support with land stewardship projects that
provide green infrastructure maintenance,
habitat restoration, trail construction and
more.
66
As crew members gain real work experience, they also make process on their personal
and employment goals to secure their next steps in the job market.
Landforce will start a 6-week crew training program on April 22. Only those who
successfully complete training can be considered for employment.
Temporary work crew projects will begin after training and conclude in the Fall.
Click Here to join the crew or for more information.
Projects To Do
If you have a project you think Landforce could help with, Click Here to submit the
project description or contact Thomas Guentner at 412-727-6936.
For more information, visit the Landforce website.
Related Story:
Landforce 2017 Annual Report: 13,000 Hours Of Land Stewardship Work, Constructed,
Maintained 26 Miles Of Trails
[Posted: Feb. 27, 2019]
DCNR Good Natured Blog: Be On The Lookout! Emerging Invasive Plants In

Pennsylvania
By: Rebecca Bowen, Ecological Services Section Chief, DCNR's Bureau of Forestry
“Invasive” is a name for plant species that are not

native to Pennsylvania, grow aggressively, spread
quickly, and displace native vegetation.
Invasive plants are undesirable because they are
difficult and costly to control; and can dominate
entire habitats, making them environmentally
destructive in certain situations.
Some invasive plants came to the commonwealth by
accident, and others were brought here and planted
in gardens or landscaping.
Invasive plants, even when grown in a cultivated yard, can spread, escape into native
ecosystems, and cause landscape maintenance weeding problems for years to come.
Emerging Invasive Concerns
Pennsylvania has learned to be on the lookout for invasive plant species that are
up-and-coming threats. The following plants have been identified as emerging invasive concerns
to the Commonwealth.
These plants species were ranked for their “invasiveness” using information available
from invasive species databases, scientific literature, expert opinion, and observation by the
Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program through a Wild Resource Conservation Program-funded
project.
Click Here for photos of each of these invasive species.
Hardy Kiwi Vine
Hardy kiwi vine (Actinidia arguta), also called tara vine, is a northeast Asian native used
for landscaping.
This relative of the kiwi fruit was introduced from horticultural cuttings in 1886. It forms
67
dense mats of twining vines that invades forests, shrublands, and meadows.
The vines can overwhelm other plants, including trees. Trunks and branches can break
under their weight, especially in ice and snow.
Hardy kiwi vine can tolerate very cold weather (-25⁰ F or lower) and can grow up to
20-feet each year. This invasive plant has been reported in Philadelphia County.
Asiatic Sand Sedge
Asiatic sand sedge (Carex kobomugi) is native to coastal northeast Asia, first noted on
the U.S. west coast in 1907, and on the east coast in 1929.
It was used to stabilize east coast sand dunes until the 1980s. It out-competes natives, but
leaves dunes more vulnerable to erosion.
In Pennsylvania, this threat is specific to Presque Isle State Park and the Lake Erie
shoreline, but it is found along the Atlantic seaboard.
Policeman’s Helmet
Policeman’s helmet (Impatiens glandulifera) out-competes natives by creating dense
thickets in riparian areas, moist forests, and wet meadows, and can lead to soil erosion.
It draws native pollinators away from nearby native plants and leads to overall reduction
in biodiversity and decline in ecological value.
This ornamental from the Himalayas is prone to escaping and spreads easily due to its
exploding seed pods.
It was introduced in North America in the early 1800s and is now found in Canada, New
England, and some Midwest states.
A better alternative to plant on your property is the native spotted jewelweed (Impatiens
capensis) or pale jewelweed (Impatiens pallida).
Chinese Privet
Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense) is often found on the edges of swamps, riparian areas,
and woodlands.
An ornamental introduction from southeast Asia in the 1850s, this shrub has naturalized
and been spreading since the 1950s.
This shrub is a prolific producer of berries, which are eaten by birds and other wildlife,
then scattered far and wide. Wildlife eat the berries; however, they have little nutritional value.
Chinese privet forms dense stands, displacing native shrubs and shading the understory. It
has been found in the southern U.S., but also in neighboring New York and New Jersey, as well
as other New England states.
Its range is expanding northward. Better choices to plant in your backyard include native
juneberries, blueberries, or hollies.
Water Primrose
Water primrose (Ludwigia grandiflora ssp. hexapetala) is another species whose range is
expanding north.
This rooted aquatic is native to South and Central America, and was first introduced into
Tennessee and Kentucky in 1968 and 1988, respectively.
Water primrose grows by stolons, or runners, and can spread on land and water forming a
floating mass that chokes out native vegetation, clogs waterways, and hampers outdoor
recreation, such as boating, swimming, and fishing.
Water primrose is found in the southern U.S., but has been reported in Berks County.
Avoid planting this in your water feature or pond.
68
How You Can Help Stop the Spread
Be on the lookout for these invasive plants! Learning to identify invasive plants is the
first step in understanding and combating the problem.
They can be difficult to control, but by taking some steps at home and in the wild, you
can help limit the spread of these troublesome plants.
Learn more about these and other emerging invasive plants at the Pennsylvania IMap
Invasives website.
Learn more by visiting DCNR’s Invasive Plants In Pennsylvania.
For more information on state parks and forests and recreation in Pennsylvania, visit
DCNR’s website, Click Here to sign up for the Resource newsletter, Visit the Good Natured
DCNR Blog, Click Here for upcoming events, Click Here to hook up with DCNR on other
social media-- Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.
DCNR Invasives/Climate Blog Posts:
Invasive Species And Climate Change
Understanding Climate Change In Pennsylvania
Related Stories:
DCNR: New Wild Plant Regulations Now In Place In PA; What You Can Do To Help Native
Plants, Pollinators
PA Sea Grant Program Holds Aquatic Invasive Species Lunch n’ Learn Webinars March 1, 8
Aquatic Invaders! Erie Times-News Connect With Your Environment & Teacher Curriculum
Guide
Making The Most Of Your Piece Of Nature: A Sustainable Backyard Workshop March 16 In
Westmoreland County
Senate Hearing: Non-Native, Invasive Plant Species Ecologically Castrating The Landscape, But
There Is A Solution
[Posted: Feb. 27, 2019]
DCNR Good Natured Blog: Invasive Species And Climate Change
Think for a minute about whether you can name

an invasive species in Pennsylvania.
The names are becoming familiar to
us…emerald ash borer, hydrilla, hemlock woolly
adelgid, spotted lanternfly, tree of heaven,
northern snakehead.
These species are known, but not wanted.
They are among 396 invasive species as of
January 2019 in an online database coordinated by
the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program.
The tracked species are considered invasive because they are non-native to the
commonwealth, and known to cause harm to the economy, environment, or people.
How Do Invasives Benefit from a Changing Climate?
69
How climate changes will impact invasive species could vary depending on the region,
the species affected, and the particular impacts being felt, but most invasives do well in a
changing climate.
We are already seeing some influences of climate change in Pennsylvania.
DCNR’s Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Plan (PDF) notes that as the climate
changes it will impact habitats.
New invasive species are expected to move into the commonwealth, and those already
here could increase in abundance and distribution.
Invasive species already are competitive and persistent, as well as typically hardy and
tolerant to changes. They are helped by:
-- Warmer and wetter weather conditions that enhance growth of invasive species, which
typically leaf-out earlier than native plants in the spring, and also retain their leaves longer into
the fall. This extended growing season allows invasives to further their competitive advantage
over native species within the same growing space.
-- Forests and habitats that already are stressed from climate change impacts.
An Example: Kudzu
Kudzu is a fast-growing, climbing, and crawling perennial vine. It was originally
introduced for erosion control and as cattle forage, and is now considered invasive.
It was difficult to find in Pennsylvania 20 years ago. It is now known to be at about 100
sites in Pennsylvania, mostly in small, isolated patches. It is killed off by frost but returns in the
spring.
In a warmer, and possibly wetter Pennsylvania, it could potentially explode across our
landscape like it has in the Deep South, where it has blanketed and smothered the landscape in
some places.
The result is a loss in the variety of species, and collapse of the way all the living things
in an area interact with each other and the environment.
What You Can Do
DCNR will be working with partners to review and expand monitoring to ensure that
changes in natural communities, species distribution, and populations are detected.
-- Build your awareness -- It’s always a good idea to learn more. For a start, check out these
online field and visual guides.
-- Be on the lookout and report invasives -- Pennsylvania has an online reporting and data
management tool used to track invasive species for citizen scientists called iMapInvasives
It includes a public reporting tool.
-- Clean your gear, and don’t transport firewood -- Invasives are often hitchhikers. Prevent
this by cleaning your boots, boats, and bike tires. Check out these fact sheets to reduce the
chance of spreading invasives.
Additional information about how DCNR is helping the commonwealth reduce and adapt
to climate change is available at the DCNR website.
DCNR Climate Change and Research Coordinator Greg Czarnecki will be talking about
climate change in Pennsylvania and efforts to make the commonwealth more resilient at the
upcoming Schuylkill Watershed Congress on March 9, and the PA Recreation and Park Society
annual gathering on April 2.
DCNR Invasives/Climate Blog Posts:
Be On The Lookout! Emerging Invasive Plants In Pennsylvania
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Understanding Climate Change In Pennsylvania
Related Stories:
DCNR: New Wild Plant Regulations Now In Place In PA; What You Can Do To Help Native
Plants, Pollinators
PA Sea Grant Program Holds Aquatic Invasive Species Lunch n’ Learn Webinars March 1, 8
Aquatic Invaders! Erie Times-News Connect With Your Environment & Teacher Curriculum
Guide
Making The Most Of Your Piece Of Nature: A Sustainable Backyard Workshop March 16 In
Westmoreland County
Senate Hearing: Non-Native, Invasive Plant Species Ecologically Castrating The Landscape, But
There Is A Solution
[Posted: Marcy 1, 2019]
On February 26, the Game Commission announced a

captive deer testing positive for Chronic Wasting
Disease (CWD) will require Disease Management Area
3 (DMA 3) to expand into Pennsylvania’s elk range.
The exact adjusted boundary of DMA 3 and all
other DMAs that could expand due to newly detected
CWD-positive deer will be announced in coming
weeks, after all samples collected from 2018
hunter-harvested deer are tested.
About 3,000 of 6,309 samples from
hunter-harvested deer remain to be tested.
On February 26, the Game Commission
announced isolated cases of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) have recently been found in parts
of Clearfield, Franklin and Jefferson counties.
Last week the Department of Agriculture announced a buck on a hunting preserve near
Curwensville in Clearfield County tested positive for CWD.
The CWD-positive buck had been brought to the Clearfield County hunting preserve
from a Fulton County captive-deer facility, where it was born and raised. The state Department
of Agriculture placed the Clearfield County hunting preserve and the Fulton County captive-deer
facility under quarantine and they are to remain under quarantine for five years.
“While the new DMA 3 boundary will be announced after all sampling of
hunter-harvested deer is final, the CWD-positive captive deer would expand DMA 3 to the
northeast, where it would encompass at least some Elk Hunt Zones,” said Game Commission
Wildlife Management Director Matthew Schnupp.
Within DMAs, specific regulations apply to help prevent the spread of CWD. The
intentional feeding of deer is prohibited within DMAs, as is the field possession by hunters of
urine-based deer attractants.
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Hunters harvesting deer and – in the case of an expanded DMA 3 – elk within DMAs are
prohibited from exporting the entire carcasses or high-risk parts from those animals outside the
DMA.
High-risk parts where the CWD prion (causative agent) concentrates are: the head
(including brain, tonsils, eyes, and lymph nodes); spinal cord/backbone (vertebra); spleen; skull
plate with attached antlers, if visible brain or spinal cord material is present; cape, if visible brain
or spinal cord material is present; upper canine teeth, if root structure or other soft material is
present; any object or article containing visible brain or spinal cord material; and brain-tanned
hide.
Hunters within DMAs can help prevent the spread of CWD by limiting the movement of
high-risk parts and properly disposing of high-risk parts in lined-landfills or in Game
Commission provided dumpsters.
The state Department of Agriculture coordinates a mandatory surveillance program for
874 captive cervid facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania.
Since 1998, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has tested over 39,000 captive
deer, of those, 96 have tested positive. For more information on the mandatory surveillance
program or CWD in captive facilities, please visit Agriculture’s Chronic Wasting Disease
webpage.
Background On CWD
Chronic Wasting Disease was first detected in Pennsylvania in 2012, in a captive cervid
facility in Adams County. Shortly after, three wild positive deer were detected in Bedford and
Blair counties.
In response to these positives, DMAs 1 and 2 were established. DMA 1 was dissolved in
2017, after no CWD positives were detected for 5 consecutive years.
DMA 2 has since expanded covering parts of Adams, Bedford, Blair, Cambria,
Cumberland, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Perry, and Somerset counties.
DMA 3 was established in 2014, after CWD was detected in a captive cervid facility in
Jefferson County. In 2017, DMA 3 expanded when three wild CWD positives were detected in
Jefferson and Clearfield counties.
DMA 4 was established in 2018, after a CWD was detected in a captive cervid facility in
Lancaster County. DMA 4 covers parts Berks, Lancaster, and Lebanon county. To date, CWD
has not been detected in the wild population in DMA 4.
CWD is a fatal disease that affects deer and elk. CWD can be transmitted directly through
animal-to-animal contact or indirectly through contaminated environments. Prions or misfolded
proteins can be shed onto the environment through bodily fluids and once there can remain
infectious for several years. Currently, there is no vaccine or cure for CWD.
For more information on the disease, visit the Game Commission’s Chronic Wasting
Disease webpage.
NewsClips:
Chronic Wasting Disease Management Area To Expand Into Elk Range
Related Stories:
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[Posted: Feb. 27, 2019]
On February 26, the Game Commission announced

isolated cases of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)
have recently been found in parts of Clearfield,
Franklin and Jefferson counties.
Hoping to stamp out these new CWD infections,
the Game Commission as well as the U.S.
Department of Agriculture-Wildlife Services
(USDA-WS) will be contacting landowners for
permission to conduct targeted removals or
small-scale deer reductions within 1 to 2 miles of
these isolated cases.
The number of deer to be removed in each area will vary and is based on the local deer
population. The goal is to remove and test enough deer to determine if CWD has established
itself in the area.
On average 100 to 200 deer will need to be removed to reach this objective.
The venison from those deer that does not test positive for CWD will be donated to
participating landowners or cooperating food banks.
Experiences from other states suggest, without action, CWD will continue to increase and
spread to new areas every year. Options to control CWD are currently limited. Studies indicate
that localized deer population reductions are currently the best management strategy to reduce or
stabilize the spread of CWD.
“In new areas where CWD is first detected, the Game Commission is committed to
preventing the establishment of CWD,” said Game Commission Bureau of Wildlife Management
Director Matthew Schnupp. “Landowner cooperation is critical in these endeavors. Aggressive
management strategies that reduce deer in other states have successfully demonstrated to
eliminate these sparks of new infection.”
Background
CWD has only been found in the wild deer population in nine of Pennsylvania’s 67
counties. To date, CWD-positive wild deer have been detected in Bedford (79), Fulton (43),
Blair (36), Cambria (3), Clearfield (2), Franklin (2), Huntingdon (1), Jefferson (1), and Somerset
(1) counties. Click Here for a map of CWD-positives by township.
CWD is a fatal disease that affects deer and elk. CWD can be transmitted directly through
animal-to-animal contact or indirectly through contaminated environments.
Prions or misfolded proteins can be shed onto the environment through bodily fluids and
once there can remain infectious for several years. Currently, there is no vaccine or cure for
CWD.
For more information on the disease, visit the Game Commission’s Chronic Wasting
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Disease webpage.
NewsClips:
Related Stories:
[Posted: Feb. 26, 2019]
Watch Live Video Of Waterfowl At Middle Creek Wildlife Area, Lancaster County
The Game Commission now has

available online live video of
waterfowl at the Middle Creek
Wildlife Management Area in
Lancaster County as they migrate
north through Pennsylvania.
The best times to view snow geese on
the lake are sunrise (before they leave
to feed in neighboring fields) and sunset (as they return from feeding to roost).
Other species of waterfowl including tundra swans, Canada geese, and many species of
ducks can be viewed throughout the day.
Learn more about the snow geese migration at Middle Creek in this webinar. And
remember, nature can be difficult to watch.
Middle Creek annually attracts large numbers of northbound migrating waterfowl in late
winter, usually in conjunction with spring thaw. In 2018, a record 200,000 estimated snow geese
converged on Middle Creek in a single day.
View periodic estimates of the numbers of various waterfowl visiting and annual
summaries below the live feed.
As of February 25 there were 85,000 snow geese, 3,500 tundra swans and 2,000 Canada
geese.
For more information on visiting hours and education displays, visit the Middle Creek
Wildlife Management Area webpage.
NewsClips:
Middle Creek Snow Geese: The Birds Are Here!
Middle Creek Snow Geese: When Can You Expect To See The Bird Migration?
Video Footage Shows Hanover Eagle Choking On Fishing Line, Hook
Hanover Bald Eagle Lays First Egg Of The Season
Egg Hatch Watch Is On For Pittsburgh’s Harmar Bald Eagles
Nature Watch: Snow Geese, Scoters, Owls Spotted At Presque Isle In Erie
Expert From National Aviary Helped Save Flamingo Chicks
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[Posted: Feb. 27, 2019]
Environmental NewsClips - All Topics
Here are NewsClips from around the state on all environmental topics, including General
Environment, Budget, Marcellus Shale, Watershed Protection and much more.
The latest environmental NewsClips and news is available at the PA Environment Digest Daily
Blog and Twitter Feed.
Politics
Click Here for a Week’s Worth Of Political NewsClips
Air
Frazier: U.S. Steel Appeals Order To Lower Its Sulfur Emissions
Hopey: U.S. Steel Appeals Allegheny County Order To Reduce Mon Valley Air Pollution
Hopey: Allegheny Health Dept. Orders U.S. Steel To Stop Pollution At 3 Plants
Allegheny County Health Issues Enforcement Order Against U.S. Steel
Sisk: U.S. Steel Ordered To Clean Up Sulfur Emissions Following Fire
PaEN: Group Against Smog & Pollution Joins Pittsburgh Mayor For Kickoff Of First Clean
Construction Project To Reduce Diesel Pollution
Editorial: Mad Hatters Attack EPA Mercury Emissions Reduction Rule
EPA Enforcement Shift Will Allow Coal Plants To Pollute More, Fmr Air Officials Says
Alternative Fuels
Charging Stations
Awards & Recognition
Commission
Biodiversity/Invasive Species
PaEN: DCNR Blog: Be On The Lookout! Emerging Invasive Plants In Pennsylvania
PaEN: DCNR Good Natured Blog: Invasive Species And Climate Change
Budget
PaEN: Eastern PA Coalition For Abandoned Mine Reclamation Opposes Transfer Of
PaEN: All Major PA Hunting, Angler, Wildlife Groups Oppose Using Environmental Fund
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PaEN: Environmental Rights Amendment Challenge To Unconstitutional Use Of Oil & Gas
Funds Now Includes Recent Proposed Fund Transfers
Biggest In A Decade
Meyer: Turnpike Could Be Headed For Catastrophic Reckoning
Report: PennDOT Funding Headed For Perfect Storm Of Emergency Repairs, Inflation,
Litigation
Chesapeake Bay
in 2019
Click Here to subscribe to the free Chesapeake Bay Journal
Click Here to support the Chesapeake Bay Journal
Follow Chesapeake Bay Journal On Twitter
Like Chesapeake Bay Journal On Facebook
Citizen Action
Of Petitioners
PaEN: Updated Tree Tender Training Class Schedule For Volunteers In Central, Southeast PA
PaEN: PEC, DCNR: Volunteers Needed For Tree Plantings At State Forests In Columbia,
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Clearfield Counties In April, May
PaEN: Pocono Environmental Ed Center Hosting Angling & Hunting For Conservation Program
March 23
Climate
Of Petitioners
15,000MW
PaEN: U.S. EIA: Carbon Dioxide Emissions To Decline By 1.3% In 2019; After Increasing
2.8% In 2018 Driven By Natural Gas
Coal Mining
15,000MW
Compliance Actions
Hopey: Allegheny Health Dept. Orders U.S. Steel To Stop Pollution At 3 Plants
Delaware River
Schneck: What And Why Are The Brewers For The Delaware River?
March 1 Delaware RiverKeeper RiverWatch Video Report
Drinking Water
Bagenstose: Casey, Toomey Call On Feds For PFAS Meeting
Editorial: Pittsburgh Water Authority Getting Serious About Challenges
Crable: Art Room Sink Found With Elevated Lead Levels At Lancaster Country Day School
Editorial: A Cautionary Tale About Lead
Boil Water Advisory In Effect For Duquesne Heights Area After Water Main Break
Economic Development
77
Green Building Alliance Offers Certified Passive House Tradesperson Training In March
Education
Basin
Center
Young People In Philly Pushing Green New Deal, And They’re Willing To Do More Than Just
Talk
Energy
Policy
PaEN: PA Chamber Endorses Changes To PJM Electricity Market Pricing Rules
Op-Ed: Can The Power Region Afford To Miss The Shale Revolution Boat?
Plastics: The New Coal In Appalachia?
Legere: PUC Imposes Proposes After Electricity Shopping Cost Low-Income Customers
Millions
Days After Storm, Some Still Waiting For Power Forced To Seek Shelter Elsewhere
AP: Utility Crews Work To Restore Power To Thousands In PA After Winds
Warming Centers Open Up In Western PA As Power Outages Continue
Windy Weather Leaves Over 150,000 In PA Without Power
100,000 Without Power In Western PA As High Wind Damage Lingers
Program Shopping
78
UGI Natural Gas Customers To Pay More Starting Friday
UGI Customers Face Rate Hike, While $71.1M Increase Put On Hold
Philly Gas Works Wins Key City Approval For New Southwest Philly Gas Plant
15,000MW
Energy Conservation
PaEN: Green Building Alliance Offers Certified Passive House Tradesperson Training In March
Environmental Heritage
PaEN: Penn State Professor Explores Past, Present Conservation Efforts In Pennsylvania
Farming
PaEN: DEP: Money Still Available To Reimburse Farmers For Doing Farm Conservation Plans
Flooding
Biggest In A Decade
PaEN: Insurance: More Pennsylvanians Getting Private Flood Insurance To Protect Homes,
Property
Editorial: Floodplain Mapping Initiative In Lycoming May End Floodplain Blues For Many
Properties
Days After Storm, Some Still Waiting For Power Forced To Seek Shelter Elsewhere
AP: Utility Crews Work To Restore Power To Thousands In PA After Winds
Warming Centers Open Up In Western PA As Power Outages Continue
Windy Weather Leaves Over 150,000 In PA Without Power
100,000 Without Power In Western PA As High Wind Damage Lingers
Forests
PaEN: Erie Times-News: Sustainable Forest Management Initiative Now Underway In The City
Of Erie
Horses Drag Felled Trees Out Of Erie Park
Conference
79
March 23
PaEN: Updated Tree Tender Training Class Schedule For Volunteers In Central, Southeast PA
PaEN: PEC, DCNR: Volunteers Needed For Tree Plantings At State Forests In Columbia,
Clearfield Counties In April, May
Geologic Hazards
Biggest In A Decade
Section Of Freeport Road Still Closed As Landslide Cleanup Continues
Green Buildings
Erie Emerging 2030 District Aims For Energy, Water, Emissions Efficiency
Green Infrastructure
Courses
Harmar Finds Cheaper Way To Comply With Stormwater Pollution Reduction Program
Help
Of Erie
Hazardous Substances
Carbon County Residents Offered Free Lead Screenings Near Palmerton Superfund Site
Allegheny County Program To Remove Lead From Homes Falters
Crable: Art Room Sink Found With Elevated Lead Levels At Lancaster Country Day School
Editorial: A Cautionary Tale About Lead
Land Conservation
PaEN: Western PA Conservancy Accepts Donation Of Conservation Easements On 62 Acres In
Sullivan County
80
Littering/Illegal Dumping
Philadelphia To Install 100 Surveillance Cameras To Nab Illegal Dumpers
Editorial: Dumping Items Outside Donation Centers Is Illegal, Hurts Their Cause
Mine Reclamation
Editorial: We Should Applaud True Value’s Investment In Reclaimed Mine Land
From Culm To Canvas: Artist’s New Take On Coal Waste In High Demand
PaEN: Opportunities To Bid On DEP Mine Reclamation Projects In Butler, Schuylkill Counties
Ohio River
ORSANCO Will Not Eliminate Water Pollution Control Standards
Oil & Gas
Westmoreland Groups Call For End To Deep Gas Drilling Near Beaver Run Reservoir
Op-Ed: Can The Power Region Afford To Miss The Shale Revolution Boat?
Op-Ed: PA Natural Gas Industry Pushing Empty Promises
AP: Feds Blame Lancaster Home Explosion On Faulty Natural Gas Line Connection
UGI Natural Gas Customers To Pay More Starting Friday
UGI Customers Face Rate Hike, While $71.1M Increase Put On Hold
Plastics: The New Coal In Appalachia?
Litvak: EQT Sets Meeting For July, Delaying Proxy Battle
15,000MW
DOE’s Perry Wants New FERC Regulators To Push Thru LNG Export Applications
Permitting
PaEN: DEP Posts 55 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In March 2, PA Bulletin
Pipelines
Kummer: Mariner East Pipeline Target Of Possible Chester County Commissioners’ Legal
Action
Phillips: Mariner East 2 Pipeline Construction To Restart In Chester County
Hurdle: Energy Transfer/Sunoco: We’ve Made Mistakes In Building Mariner East Pipeline
Energy Transfer Partners CEO Admits Mistakes Were Made In Mariner East Pipeline Project
Litvak: I’m Surrounded. Beaver County Residents Watch As New Fuel Pipelines Crisscross
Their Neighborhood
Route Change Pushes 1 Mile Of PennEast Pipeline Into Monroe County
Radiation Protection
81
Policy
PaEN: PA Chamber Endorses Changes To PJM Electricity Market Pricing Rules
Op-Ed: Opponents Ignore The Many Benefits Of Nuclear Power In PA
Recreation
Crable: After 11 Years, Lancaster, York Poised To Host Nation’s 50th National Heritage Area
PaEN: Latest Penn’s Stewards From PA Parks & Forests Foundation Features A Look At 20
Years Of Inspiring Stewardship
PaEN: 2019 PA Mountain Bike Summit Set For May 10 At Raystown Lake Visitors Center
Survey: The Best Places To Visit In Luzerne County Are Outdoors
Visitors Bureau Survey Highlights Luzerne’s Gems, Challenges
March 4 Open House In Lancaster On Countywide Plan To Improve Walking, Biking
Infrastructure
Crable: Lancaster County Youths Discover Joys, Tribulations Of Winter Backpacking On
Loyalsock Trail, Lycoming County
Work To Extend Tredway Trail In Allegheny Twp. Set To Start In Late April
PaEN: March 1 Take Five Fridays With Pam Now Available From PA Parks & Forests
Foundation
Festival Category Added For 2019 Laurel Highlands Photo Contest
PaEN: PA Parks & Forests Foundation Accepting Entries To 2019 Through The Seasons Photo
Contest
Bike Lanes, Traffic Improvements Coming To The Strip In Pittsburgh
Recycling/Waste
How To Recycle Better; The 5 Mistakes Philadelphians Make Most Often
Kummer: They Pedal To Pick Up, Compost Your Food Waste In Philly
Op-Ed: The Frustrating Charade Of Recycling In Philadelphia
PaEN: PA Waste Industries Assn/Solid Waste Assn. - Keystone Chapter Joint Conference Sept.
4-5 In Harrisburg
Maryland Getting Ready To Say No To Foam
82
Lutherans To Give Up Plastic For Lent
Regulations
Caruso: It’s Not Just Republicans Talking About Cutting Regulations
Renewable Energy
PaEN: Green Building Alliance Offers Certified Passive House Tradesperson Training In March
Letter: Commit To 100 Percent Renewable Energy
Young People In Philly Pushing Green New Deal, And They’re Willing To Do More Than Just
Talk
TVA Calls For Pivoting To Solar, Some Environmentalists Say Effort Lakes Urgency
Stormwater
Help
Courses
Superfund - Federal
Carbon County Residents Offered Free Lead Screenings Near Palmerton Superfund Site
Susquehanna River
Basin
in 2019
Sustainability
Erie Emerging 2030 District Aims For Energy, Water, Emissions Efficiency
Of Erie
Wastewater Facilities
Hopey: Transparency Clogged: Alcosan Balks At Early Release Of Agendas
Watershed Protection
83
Basin
Help
Courses
Center
March 1 Delaware RiverKeeper RiverWatch Video Report
ORSANCO Will Not Eliminate Water Pollution Control Standards
in 2019
Click Here to subscribe to the Chesapeake Bay Journal
Follow Chesapeake Bay Journal On Twitter
Like Chesapeake Bay Journal On Facebook
Wildlife
PaEN: Fish & Boat Commission: Most Pressing Priority Is Securing The Long-Term Financial
Future Of The Agency
PaEN: Game Commission: Without Effective Chronic Wasting Disease Controls, CWD Will
Spread And Threaten PA’s $1.6 Billion Hunting Industry
March 23
PaEN: Game Commission Expands Chronic Wasting Disease Management Area Into Elk Range
PaEN: Game Commission Seeks To Reduce Risk Around New Chronic Wasting Disease Cases
In Clearfield, Franklin, Jefferson Counties
Op-Ed: Why We Should Not Permit Hunting On Sundays - State Grange
84
Op-Ed: Keep Sunday Hunting Ban
PaEN: Watch Live Video Of Waterfowl At Middle Creek Wildlife Area, Lancaster County
Middle Creek Snow Geese: The Birds Are Here!
Middle Creek Snow Geese: When Can You Expect To See The Bird Migration?
Video Footage Shows Hanover Eagle Choking On Fishing Line, Hook
Hanover Bald Eagle Lays First Egg Of The Season
Egg Hatch Watch Is On For Pittsburgh’s Harmar Bald Eagles
Nature Watch: Snow Geese, Scoters, Owls Spotted At Presque Isle In Erie
Expert From National Aviary Helped Save Flamingo Chicks
Emu Captured In York County, Police Looking For Owner
Commission
Game Commission: Game Warden Ranks Replenished
Federal Policy
Caruso: PA’s Congressional Delegation Gets Middling Marks From Conservationists
U.S. Senate Confirms Ex-Coal Lobbyist To Lead EPA
Click Here For This Week's Allegheny Front Radio Program
Public Participation Opportunities/Calendar Of Events
This section lists House and Senate Committee meetings, DEP and other public hearings and
meetings and other interesting environmental events.
NEW means new from last week. Go to the online Calendar webpage for updates.
Note: DEP published the 2019 schedules of its advisory committees, councils and board
meetings in the Dec. 10 PA Bulletin, page 7708.
March 2-- PA Resources Council Backyard Composting Workshop. Ross Township, Allegheny
County. 12:30 to 2:00.
March 3-- Brodhead Watershed Association Reflections On A Changing Climate Program.

Brodhead Creek Heritage Center, 1539 Cherry Lane Road, Analomink, Monroe County. 1:00.
March 4-- House Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 10:00- Dept. of Education.
Room 140 Main Capitol. Hearings are typically webcast through the House Republican Caucus
website.
March 4-- Senate Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 3:00- Dept. of Conservation &
Natural Resources. Hearing Room 1, North Office Building.
85
March 5-- DEP Added. House Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 10:00- Dept. of
Environmental Protection, 10:30- Dept. of Agriculture. Room 140 Main Capitol. Hearings are
ouse Republican Caucus website.
typically webcast through the H
March 5-- Agenda Posted. DEP Storage Tank Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel
Carson Building. 10:00. Contact: Kris Shiffer, 717-772-5809, kshiffer@pa.gov.
March 5-- Agenda Posted. DEP Board Of Coal Mine Safety meeting. DEP Ebensburg Office,
286 Industrial Park Road, Ebensburg. 10:00. DEP Contact: Margaret Scheloske, 724-404-3143,
mscheloske@pa.gov. (f ormal notice)
March 5-- DEP Public Meeting On Proposed Elcon Hazardous Waste Treatment, Storage
Facility In Bucks County. Sheraton Bucks County Hotel, 400 Oxford Valley Road, Langhorne,
Bucks County. 6:00 to 9:00.
March 5-- PA Resources Council Backyard Composting Workshop. Phipps Garden Center,
Allegheny County. 7:00 to 8:30.
March 5-- Montgomery Master Watershed Stewards Environmental Advisory Councils In

Action Workshop. Lower Frederick Township Building, 53 Spring Mount Rd., Schwenksville,
Montgomery County. 6:00 to 7:00
March 5 -- DEP Weathering The Storm Workshop On Understanding Stormwater Runoff.
Susquehanna River Basin Commission Headquarters, 4423 North Front Street, Harrisburg. 9:00
to 3:00.
March 5-6-- Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance. Healthcare Industry Forum On Energy
Efficiency. Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center, State College, Centre County.
March 6-- House Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 10:00- Governor’s Budget
ouse
Secretary. Room 140 Main Capitol. Hearings are typically webcast through the H
Republican Caucus website.
March 6-- Senate Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 1:00- Dept. of Agriculture.
Hearing Room 1, North Office Building.
March 6-- 10th Annual Sustainability Conference: Smart Cities: Transforming Cities For A New
Era. Pittsburgh.
March 6-7-- PA Lake Management Society Conference. Ramada Conference Center, State
College.
March 7-- House Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 10:00- Open. Room 140 Main
ouse Republican Caucus website.
Capitol. Hearings are typically webcast through the H
86
March 7-- Senate Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings: 1:00- Dept. of Community &
Economic Development, 3:00- Budget Secretary. Hearing Room 1, North Office Building.
March 7-- PA Resources Council Backyard Composting Workshop. Sewickley Public Library,
March 8-- PA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Plan Steering Committee meeting.
Room 105 Rachel Carson Building. 9:00. Click Here for more on the agenda. Click Here to
attend by webinar. Participants will also need to call in 1-650-479-3208, PASSCODE: 644 520
872.
March 8-- PA Sea Grant Program Webinar - How Mock Scenarios Are Shaping The Future Of
Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid Response. Noon to 1:00.
March 9-- Registration Open. 2019 Watershed Congress Along The Schuylkill River.
Montgomery County Community College campus in Pottstown.
March 9-- Penn State Extension York County Master Gardeners GardenWise Native Plants,
Ecosystems Gardening Workshop Central York Middle School, 1950 N. Hills Road, York. 7:30
to 4:00.
March 9-- Dauphin County Woodland Owners Annual Conference. Dauphin, Dauphin County.
8:30 to 3:15.
March 9-- PA Resources Council Pop-Up Glass Recycling Event. Bethel Park, Allegheny
County. 9:00 to 2:00.
March 11-- PennVEST Information Session On Water Quality, Green Infrastructure Funding
Programs. Clearfield County.
March 12-- DEP Drive Electric Pennsylvania Coalition meeting. Duquesne Light Company, 411
7th Avenue, Pittsburgh. 10:00 to 2:00. DEP Contact: Mark Hand, mhand@pa.gov.
Programs. Tioga County.
March 13-- Agenda Posted. DEP Sewage Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel
Carson Building. 10:30. Contact: Janice Vollero, 717-772-5157, jvollero@pa.gov.
March 13-- Delaware River Basin Commission meeting. Washington Crossing Historic Park
Visitor Center, 1112 River Road, Washington Crossing, Bucks County. 10:30. (formal notice)
March 13 -- DEP Weathering The Storm Workshop On Understanding Stormwater Runoff. Jane
Schultz Room 1st Floor of the Wertz Student Center at Lycoming College, Williamsport. 8:30 to
3:00.
87
Programs. Chester County.
March 13-- NEW. PA Association for Sustainable Agriculture Soil Health: Real Farms, Real
Problems, Real Solutions Workshop. Lancaster Farm and Home Center, 1382 Arcadia Road,
Lancaster. 11:00 to 3:00.
March 14-- CANCELED. DEP Solid Waste Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel
Carson Building. 10:00. Contact: Laura Henry, 717-772-5713, lahenry@pa.gov. (formal notice)
March 14-- Penn State Extension Webinar - Methane Migration & Changes In Aquifer
Properties. 1:00.
March 15-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission meeting. Crowne Plaza Annapolis, 173
Jennifer Road, Annapolis. 9:00. Contact: Ava Stoops, 717-238-0423 Ext. 1302. (formal notice)
Click Here for more on the agenda.
March 15-- Harrisburg University Center for Environment, Energy & Economy Climate
Disruption & Sustainable Development Series: Legal Pathways To Zero Greenhouse Gas
Emissions. Harrisburg University, 14th Floor Auditorium, 326 Market Street, Harrisburg. 11:30
to 1:00.
March 16-- South Mountain Partnership Speakers Series: Creating The Appalachian Trail In
The South. Pine Grove Furnace Ironmasters House, Gardners, Adams County. Noon.
March 16-- South Mountain Partnership, Capital Resource Conservation & Development Area
Council Watershed Groups Working With Municipalities For Greater Impact Workshop. Adams
County Conservation District Office, 670 Old Harrisburg Road, Gettysburg. 9:00 a.m. to Noon.
March 16-- DCNR Bureau Of Forestry. Making The Most Of Your Piece Of Nature: A
Sustainable Backyard Workshop. Franklin Regional Senior High School, 3200 School Road in
Murrysville, Westmoreland County. 8:30 to 12:30.
March 16-- PA Resources Council Backyard Composting Workshop. Fox Chapel, Allegheny
County. 10:30 to Noon.
March 16-- NEW. Brodhead Watershed Association Get Outdoors Poconos Hike at the new
Bluestone Preserve In Paradise Township, Monroe County. 10:00.
March 18-- Penn State Extension 2 Home Water And Septic System Workshops. Gracedale
Nursing Home Conference Room, 2 Gracedale Ave., Nazareth, Northampton County. 1:30 and
6:00.
March 18-- NEW. Penn State Extension Spotted Lanternfly Public Meeting. Quakertown,
88
Bucks County.
March 18-19-- PA Assn. Of Environmental Educators. 2019 Cityscapes & Greenscapes
Conference. Philadelphia.
March 18-19-- NEW. Green Building Alliance Certified Passive House Tradesperson Training -
Module I. Pittsburgh.
March 19-- Joint Conservation Committee informational meeting on promoting PA Route 6 for
biking and local tourism. Room 108 Irvis Building. 10:00.
March 19-- CANCELED. Environmental Quality Board meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson
Building. 9:00. Contact: Laura Edinger, 717-772-3277, ledinger@pa.gov.
March 19-- CANCELED. DEP Citizens Advisory Council meeting. The next scheduled meeting
is April 16. Contact: Keith Calador, Executive Director, 717-787-8171 or send email to:
ksalador@pa.gov.
March 19-- DCNR, Penn State Extension Forest Health, Insect & Disease Briefing. Penn Stater
Hotel and Conference Center, State College. 8:30 to 3:30.
March 20-- Joint Senate & House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committees hold joint hearing
on Gov. Wolf’s proposed PA Farm Bill. Hearing Room 1 North Office Building. 9:00. Click
Here for more on PA Farm Bill
March 20-- Penn State Extension Land Use Webinar Series. Options For Meeting MS4
Stormwater Pollution Reduction Requirements Without Breaking The Budget. Noon to 1:15.
March 20-- Whitaker Center for Science & The Arts Premiere Of Expedition Chesapeake iMax
Film. Whitaker Center, Harrisburg. 5:30.
March 20-- PA Resources Council Backyard Composting Workshop. Point Breeze, Allegheny
County. 6:30 to 8:00.
March 20-21-- Registration Open. Northeast Recycling Council Spring Conference.

Wilmington, DE.
March 21-- DEP Oil and Gas Technical Advisory Board meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson
Building. 10:00. DEP Contact: Todd Wallace, 717-783-9438, twallace@pa.gov. (f ormal
notice)
March 21-- NEW. Stroud Water Research Center World Water Day Celebration. At the Center,
Avondale, Chester County. 6:00.
March 21-- NEW. Penn State Extension Spotted Lanternfly Public Meeting. Nazareth,
89
Northampton County.
March 22-- NEW. Tree Pittsburgh Tree Ordinance Workshop. Tree Pittsburgh, 32 62nd Street in
Pittsburgh. 8:30 to Noon.
March 22-23-- Registration Open. Penn State Center For Private Forests 4th Biennial Forest
Landowners Conference. Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center, State College.
March 23-- South Mountain Partnership Speakers Series: Adams County Barn Survey Volunteer
Training. Apple Museum in Biglerville. 8:30.
March 23-- NEW. Pocono Environmental Ed Center Angling & Hunting For Conservation
Program. At the Center, 538 Emery Road in Dingmans Ferry, Pike County.10:00 to 2:15.
March 25-26-- NEW. Green Building Alliance Certified Passive House Tradesperson Training -
Module II. Pittsburgh.
March 25-29-- Carnegie Mellon University Energy Week 2019. Pittsburgh.
March 26-- NEW. Penn State Extension Spotted Lanternfly Public Meeting. Lewisburg, Union
County.
March 27-- NEW. Penn State Extension Spotted Lanternfly Public Meeting. Macungie, Lehigh
County.
March 27-28-- Advanced Watershed Educator Workshops For Non-Formal Educators. Jennings
Environmental Education Center, 2951 Prospect Road, Slippery Rock, Butler County. Click
Here to register.
March 28-- DEP Water Resources Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson
Building. 9:30. Contact: Diane Wilson, 717-787-3730, diawilson@pa.gov.
March 28-- NEW. DEP Mining and Reclamation Advisory Board Reclamation Committee
meeting. 14th Floor Conference Room, Rachel Carson Building. 10:00. DEP Contact: Daniel
Snowden, 717-783-8846 or send email to: dsnowden@pa.gov. (f ormal notice)
March 29-- Harrisburg University Center for Environment, Energy & Economy Climate
Disruption & Sustainable Development Series: Natural Gas In PA: Energy, Innovation And The
Environment. Harrisburg University, 14th Floor Auditorium, 326 Market Street, Harrisburg.
11:30 to 1:00.
March 30-- PA Resources Council Pop-Up Glass Recycling Event. Edgeworth Borough,
April 1-- NEW. Penn State Extension Spotted Lanternfly Public Meeting. Phoenixville, Chester
90
County.
April 2-- Penn State Extension Spring Gardening Workshop. Northampton Community Fowler
Family Center, 511 E. 3rd Street, Bethlehem. 6:30 to 8:30.
April 2-- PennVEST Information Session On Water Quality, Green Infrastructure Funding
Programs. Cambria County.
April 2-- Registration Open. PRPS Parks & Green Infrastructure - Managing Water For Multiple
Community Benefits Workshop. Penn Stater Conference Center, State College. 8:30 to 3:00.
April 4-6-- Registration Open. Mid-Atlantic Greenways & Trails Summit. Philadelphia.
April 5-- Wildlife For Everyone We Love Wild Things & Wild Places Gala. Nittany Lion Inn,
State College.
April 5-- Harrisburg University Center for Environment, Energy & Economy Climate Disruption
& Sustainable Development Series: Towards A Public Web-Platform For Limiting Methane
Emissions From The Oil & Gas Sector. Harrisburg University, 14th Floor Auditorium, 326
Market Street, Harrisburg. 11:30 to 1:00.
April 6-- PA Resources Council Pop-Up Glass Recycling Event. South Fayette Twp., Allegheny
County. 9:00 to 2:00.
April 6-- PA Resources Council Backyard Composting Workshop. Point Breeze, Allegheny
County. 10:30 to Noon.
April 7-9-- CMU Mascaro Center For Sustainable Innovation. 2019 Engineering Sustainability
Conference. David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh.
Programs. Westmoreland County.
April 9-- NEW. DEP Environmental Justice Advisory Board meeting. Delaware Room, Rachel
Carson Building. 8:30. DEP Contact: Allison Acevedo, 484-250-5942. (f ormal notice)
April 9-- Penn State Extension Spring Gardening Workshop. Northampton Community Fowler
Family Center, 511 E. 3rd Street, Bethlehem. 6:30 to 8:30.
Programs. Crawford County.
April 10-- PA Resources Council Watershed Awareness/Rain Barrel Workshop. Point Breeze,
91
April 11- DEP Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson
Building. 9:15. DEP Contact: Kirit Dalal, 717-772-3436 or send email to: kdalal@pa.gov.
Programs. Lehigh County.
April 13-- PA Resources Council Pop-Up Glass Recycling Event. Dormont Borough, Allegheny
County. 9:00 to 2:00.
April 13-- PA Resources Council Backyard Composting Workshop. O’Hara Township,
Allegheny County. 10:30 to Noon.
April 13-- NEW. Penn State Extension Spotted Lanternfly Public Meeting. Springfield,
Delaware County.
April 16-- Environmental Quality Board meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson Building. 9:00.
Contact: Laura Edinger, 717-772-3277, ledinger@pa.gov.
April 16-- DEP Citizens Advisory Council meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson Building. 10:00.
Contact: Keith Calador, Executive Director, 717-787-8171 or send email to: ksalador@pa.gov.
April 16- South Mountain Partnership Speakers Series: Charcoal Hearths, Collier Huts And
Haul Roads. Dickinson College in the Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium, Carlisle, Cumberland
County. 7:00.
April 16-- PA Environmental Council Dinner Recognizing Winners Of Governor’s Awards For
Environmental Excellence. Hilton Harrisburg. 5:00. PA Environment Digest is a proud sponsor
of this special event.
April 16-18-- PA American Water Works Association Annual Conference. Hershey Lodge and
Convention Center.
April 17-- Penn State Extension Land Use Webinar Series. Making The Most Of Historical And
Heritage Assets. Noon to 1:15.
April 17-- PA Resources Council Watershed Awareness/Rain Barrel Workshop. Phipps Garden
Center, Allegheny County. 7:00 to 8:30.
April 18-- Penn State PA Technical Assistance Program Benefits Of Energy Management
Systems Webinar. Noon to 1:00.
April 19-- Harrisburg University Center for Environment, Energy & Economy Climate
Disruption & Sustainable Development Series: Using The Latest Digital Innovations To Address
Energy Poverty In Developing Counties. Harrisburg University, Room 1151, 326 Market Street,
Harrisburg. 11:30 to 1:00.
92
April 20-- Clean Air Council Run For Clean Air. Philadelphia.
April 20-- PA Resources Council Watershed Awareness/Rain Barrel Workshop. Construction
Junction, Point Breeze, Allegheny County. 10:30 to Noon.
April 20-- PA Environmental Council, DCNR Tree Planting Weiser State Forest, Columbia
County. 9:00 to 1:00.
Programs. Dauphin County.
April 24-- PA Resources Council Watershed Awareness/Rain Barrel Workshop. Sewickley
Public Library, Allegheny County. 7:00 to 8:30.
April 25-- DEP Agricultural Advisory Board meeting. DEP Southcentral Regional Office, 909
Elmerton Ave., Harrisburg. 9:30. DEP Contact: Jay Braund 717-772-5636 or jbraund@pa.gov.
(formal notice)
April 26-- Berks Conservation District Forested Riparian Buffer Showcase. Berks County 4H
Center, 1206 County Welfare Road, Leesport. Noon.
April 26-- NEW. Penn State Extension Spotted Lanternfly Public Meeting. Lords Valley, Pike
County.
April 26-27-- Bucknell University 7th Annual Sustainability Symposium. Bucknell University,
Lewisburg, Union County.
April 27-- PA Resources Council Pop-Up Glass Recycling Event. Avalon & Bellevue Boroughs,
Programs. Lackawanna County.
April 29 to May 2-- Registration Open. Center for Watershed Protection. 2019 National
Watershed and Stormwater Conference. South Carolina.
Programs. Bedford County.
May 1-- Pennsylvania Groundwater Symposium. State College.
May 1-- PA Resources Council Watershed Awareness/Rain Barrel Workshop. Green Tree
Municipal Building, Allegheny County. 7:00 to 8:30.
93
May 4-- PA Environmental Council, DCNR Moshannon State Forest Tree Planting, Clearfield
County.
May 4-- Manada Conservancy Native Plant Sale. Hummelstown Boro Park, Poplar Avenue and
Water Street in Hummelstown, Dauphin County.
May 4-- PA Environmental Council, DCNR Tree Planting at Moshannon State Forest, Clearfield
County. 9:00 to 2:00.
May 8-- South Mountain Partnership Speakers Series: Pollinators And Their Habitat. Messiah
College, Boyer Hall Room 131, Mechanicsburg, Cumberland County. 6:00.
May 8-- PA Parks & Forests Foundation Annual Awards Celebration. Susquehanna Club, New
Cumberland, Cumberland County. 5:00. Click Here for sponsor information. PA Environment
Digest is a proud sponsor of this special event.
May 8-10-- PA Assn. Of Environmental Professionals. 2019 Annual Conference - Growth
Through Collaboration. State College.
May 10-- PA Environmental Council, DCNR 2019 PA Mountain Bike Summit. Raystown Lake
Visitors Center, Huntingdon County. 10:00 to 4:00.
May 11-- PA Resources Council Pop-Up Glass Recycling Event. Upper St. Clair Twp,
May 11-- PA Resources Council Watershed Awareness/Rain Barrel Workshop. O’Hara
Township, Allegheny County. 10:30 to Noon.
May 15-- Penn State Extension Land Use Webinar Series. The Benefits And Challenges of
Ridesharing On The Transportation System. Noon to 1:15.
May 16-- Penn State PA Technical Assistance Program Basics Of Building Re-Tuning Energy
Efficiency Webinar. Noon to 1:00.
May 16-- PennVEST Information Session On Water Quality, Green Infrastructure Funding
Programs. Luzerne County.
May 16-- PA Resources Council Watershed Awareness/Rain Barrel Workshop. Mt. Lebanon
Library, Allegheny County. 7:00 to 8:30.
May 16-18-- Registration Open. PA Land Trust Association. Land Conservation Conference.
Monroe County.
May 18-- Registration Open. Environmental Advisory Council Network Conference. Held in
conjunction with the PA Land Conservation Conference in Monroe County.
94
May 18-- PA Resources Council Backyard Composting Workshop. Ross Township, Allegheny
County. 4:00 to 5:30.
May 21-- PA Resources Council Backyard Composting Workshop. Mt. Lebanon Library,
May 22-- PA Resources Council Healthy Body & Healthy Home Workshop. Sewickley Public
Library, Allegheny County. 7:00 to 8:30.
June 1-- PA Resources Council Pop-Up Glass Recycling Event. Kilbuck Township, Allegheny
County. 9:00 to 2:00.
June 3-7-- Registration Open. American Society of Mining & Reclamation Annual Meeting.
Montana.
June 4-- PA Resources Council Watershed Awareness/Rain Barrel Workshop. North Park Rose
Barn, Allegheny County. 6:30 to 8:00.
June 6-- DEP Solid Waste Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson Building.
10:00. Contact: Laura Henry, 717-772-5713, lahenry@pa.gov. (formal notice)
June 6- PA Resources Council Watershed Awareness/Rain Barrel Workshop. Phipps Garden
Center, Allegheny County. 7:00 to 8:30.
June 8-- PA Resources Council Pop-Up Glass Recycling Event. Mt. Lebanon, Allegheny
County. 9:00 to 2:00.
June 11-- South Mountain Partnership Speakers Series: Appreciating The PA Local Craft Brew
Industry. Appalachian Brewing Company in Shippensburg. 6:30.
June 11-- PA Resources Council Backyard Composting Workshop. North Park Rose Barn,
June 13-- PA Resources Council Backyard Composting Workshop. Phipps Garden Center,
June 13-- NEW. Penn State Extension Spotted Lanternfly Public Meeting. Exton, Chester
County.
June 16-21-- Cumberland Valley TU Rivers Conservation & Fly-Fishing Youth Camp. Messiah
College, Grantham, Cumberland County.
June 17-21-- Registration Open. Group Against Smog And Pollution Air Adventures Summer
Youth Camp. Pittsburgh.
95
June 23-29-- Registration Open. Keystone/TU Teens Conservation Camp. Keystone College,
Lackawanna County.
July 8-12-- Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Youth Appalachian Adventure Camp. Hawk Mountain
Sanctuary, Berks County.
July 18-- Penn State PA Technical Assistance Program Funding & Incentives To Implement
Energy Efficiency Projects Webinar. Noon to 1:00.
July 24-26-- Registration Open. Professional Recyclers Of PA Annual Recycling & Organics
Conference. Harrisburg.
August 12-16-- Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Youth Appalachian Adventure Camp. Hawk
Mountain Sanctuary, Berks County.
August 15-- Penn State PA Technical Assistance Program Building Re-Tuning For Energy
Efficiency In Downtown Buildings Webinar. Noon to 1:00.
August 22-25-- PA Association Of Hazardous Materials Technicians Annual Hazmat Training
and Education Conference. Seven Springs, Somerset County.
September 4-5-- NEW. PA Waste Industries Assn/Solid Waste Assn-Keystone Chapter Joint
Conference. Harrisburg Hilton.
September 8-11-- Registration Open. 2019 PA Abandoned Mine Reclamation and National
Abandoned Mine Lands Program Conference. Pittsburgh. PA Environment Digest is a proud
sponsor of this event.
September 11-- DEP Sewage Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson
Building. 10:30. Contact: Janice Vollero, 717-772-5157, jvollero@pa.gov. (f ormal notice)
September 12-- South Mountain Partnership Speakers Series: Methods Of Combating Illegal
Dumping And Vandalism In A Forest Setting. Caledonia State Park in Fayetteville, Franklin
County. 6:30.
September 19-- Penn State PA Technical Assistance Program Alternative Energy Projects For
Agriculture-Related Businesses Webinar. Noon to 1:00.
September 22-24-- Pennsylvania Greenways And Trails Summit. Shippensburg University

Conference Center.
October 3-- Penn State PA Technical Assistance Program Economy, Energy And Environment
For Food-Related Industries Webinar. Noon to 1:00.
96
October 8-10-- Natural Areas Association Natural Areas Conference. Pittsburgh.
October 16-17-- 7th Annual Delaware River Watershed Forum. Allentown.
November 21-- Penn State PA Technical Assistance Program Entrepreneurship Ecosystem At

Penn State Webinar. Noon to 1:00.
Related Tools ----------------
Visit DEP’s Public Participation Center for public participation opportunities.

Click Here for links to DEP’s Advisory Committee webpages.
Visit DEP Connects for opportunities to interact with DEP staff at field offices.
Click Here to sign up for DEP News a biweekly newsletter from the Department.
DEP Facebook Page DEP Twitter Feed DEP YouTube Channel
DEP Calendar of Events DCNR Calendar of Events
Click Here to hook up with DCNR on other social media-- Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and
Flickr.
Senate Committee Schedule House Committee Schedule
You can watch the Senate Floor Session and House Floor Session live online.
Grants & Awards
This section gives you a heads up on upcoming deadlines for awards and grants and other
recognition programs. NEW means new from last week.
March 4-- DCNR PA Outdoor Corps Young Adult Crews (At The Very Latest!)
March 4-- Kroger Food Waste Reduction Grants
March 6-- PA Lake Management Society Photo Contest
March 7-- Chesapeake Bay Watershed Community Stormwater Grants
March 8-- NEW. EPA President’s Environmental Youth Award
March 11-- Pennsylvania Sea Grant Research Grants
March 15-- WPC TreeVitalize Pittsburgh, Allegheny County Tree Planting Grants
March 21-- Rivers Conservation & Fly-Fishing Youth Camp
March 20-- EPA Conowingo Dam Watershed Implementation Plan Grants
March 22-- PA American Water Stream Of Learning College Scholarship
March 22-- DEP Section 902 Recycling Implementation Grants
March 22-- CFA Alternative & Clean Energy Funding
March 22-- CFA Renewable Energy-Geothermal and Wind Funding
March 22-- CFA Solar Energy Funding
March 22-- CFA High Performance Building Funding
March 29-- PA Environmental Professionals Karl Mason, Walter Lyon Awards
March 29-- PA American Water Environmental Grants
March 31-- DEP Level 2 Electric Charging Station Rebates (First-Come)
March 31-- DEP Municipal, Hazardous Waste Host Municipality Inspector Grants
April 1-- NEW. DEP Farm Conservation Planning Reimbursement In 43 Counties
97
April 10-- DCNR Community Conservation Partnership, Recreation, Buffer Grants
April 10-- Appalachian Regional Commission Coal Regions Workforce Grants
April 12-- PA American Water Protect Our Watersheds Student Art Contest
April 18-- Schuylkill River Restoration Fund Land Transaction Grants
April 20-- NEW. PPL Future Environmental Leaders Scholarship
May 3-- Pike Conservation District Environmental Ed Grant
May 10-- DEP Class 8 Truck/Transit Bus Clean Vehicle Grants
May 17-- CFA Alternative & Clean Energy Funding
May 17-- CFA Renewable Energy-Geothermal and Wind Funding
May 17-- CFA Solar Energy Funding
May 17-- CFA High Performance Building Funding
May 31-- CFA Act 13 Watershed Restoration Grants
May 31-- CFA Act 13 Abandoned Mine Drainage Abatement and Treatment Grants
May 31-- CFA Act 13 Orphan or Abandoned Well Plugging Grants
May 31-- CFA Act 13 Baseline Water Quality Data Grants
May 31-- CFA Act 13 Sewage Facilities Grants
May 31-- CFA Act 13 Flood Mitigation Grants
May 31-- CFA Act 13 Greenways, Trails And Recreation Grants
July 1-- PA Wilds Center Champion Of PA Wilds Awards
July 15-- DEP Grants/Rebates Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
July 19-- CFA Alternative & Clean Energy Funding
July 19-- CFA Renewable Energy-Geothermal and Wind Funding
July 19-- CFA Solar Energy Funding
July 19-- CFA High Performance Building Funding
December 16-- DEP Grants/Rebates Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
March 1-- Western PA Trail Volunteer Fund Grants
March 22-- DEP Act 101 Recycling Implementation Grants
June 1-- Western PA Trail Volunteer Fund Grants
September 1-- Western PA Trail Volunteer Fund Grants
September 4-- NEW. PA Parks & Forests Foundation Photo Contest
September 23-- DEP Class 8 Truck/Transit Bus Clean Vehicle Grants
December 1-- Western PA Trail Volunteer Fund Grants
-- Visit the DEP Grant, Loan and Rebate Programs webpage for more ideas on how to get
financial assistance for environmental projects.
-- Visit the DCNR Apply for Grants webpage for a listing of financial assistance available from
DCNR.
Regulations, Technical Guidance & Permits
Here are highlights of actions taken by agencies on environmental regulations, technical

guidance and permits.
Regulations -----------------------
98
No new regulations published this week. Pennsylvania Bulletin - March 2, 2019
Technical Guidance -------------------
No new technical guidance published this week.
Permits ------------
The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the March 2 PA Bulletin of

bond rate guidelines for calculation of land reclamation bonds for coal mining operations.
DEP published notice in the March 2 PA Bulletin of rates used for calculating long-term
operation and maintenance cost bonds for water supply replacement involving mining
operations.
Note: The Department of Environmental Protection published 55 pages of public notices related
to proposed and final permit and approval/ disapproval actions in the March 2 PA Bulletin -
pages 938 to 993.
Sign Up For DEP’s eNotice: Did you know DEP can send you email notices of permit
applications submitted in your community? Notice of new technical guidance documents and
regulations? All through its eNotice system. Click Here to sign up.
Related Tools ----------------------
Visit DEP’s Public Participation Center for public participation opportunities.
DEP Proposals Out For Public Review

Other Proposals Open For Public Comment - DEP webpage
Submit Comments on Proposals Through DEP’s eComment System
Recently Closed Comment Periods For Other Proposals - DEP webpage
Other Proposals Recently Finalized - DEP webpage
DEP Regulations In Process

Proposed Regulations Open For Comment - DEP webpage
Proposed Regulations With Closed Comment Periods - DEP webpage
Recently Finalized Regulations - DEP webpage
DEP Regulatory Update - DEP webpage
August 4, 2018 DEP Regulatory Agenda - PA Bulletin, Page 4733
DEP Technical Guidance In Process

Draft Technical Guidance Documents - DEP webpage
Technical Guidance Comment Deadlines - DEP webpage
99
Recently Closed Comment Periods For Technical Guidance - DEP webpage
Technical Guidance Recently Finalized - DEP webpage
Copies of Final Technical Guidance - DEP webpage
DEP Non-Regulatory/Technical Guidance Documents Agenda (July 2018)- DEP webpage
CLICK HERE To View Or Print Entire PA Environment Digest
CLICK HERE to View or Print the entire PA Environment Digest. This Digest is 101pages
long.
Stories Invited - About PA Environment Digest
Send your stories, photos and links to videos about your project, environmental issues or
programs for publication in the PA Environment Digest to: PaEnviroDigest@gmail.com.
PA Environment Digest is a publication of PA Environment News LLC and is edited by

David E. Hess, former Secretary Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. He can
be contacted by sending email to: PaEnviroDigest@gmail.com.
Did you know you can search back issues of PA Environment Digest since May 28, 2004 on
dozens of topics, by county and on any keyword you choose? Just click on the search page.
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Educators' 2009 Business Partner of the Year Award.
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©2019 PA Environment News LLC, All Rights Reserved
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DHess@PaEnvironmentNews.com.
100
PA Environment Digest Proudly Helps Sponsor These Award, Educational
Programs
PA Environment Digest is a proud sponsor of these award and educational programs--
Sponsor: PEC Governor’s Awards For Environmental Excellence Dinner
PA Environment Digest is a proud sponsor of the PA Environmental Council Dinner

Recognizing Winners Of Governor’s Awards For Environmental Excellence on April 16 in
Harrisburg.
Sponsor: PA Parks & Forests Foundation Awards Celebration
PA Environment Digest is proud to be a sponsor of the 2019 PA Parks & Forests Foundation
Annual Awards Celebration on May 8 in New Cumberland, Cumberland County.
Sponsor: 2019 PA/National Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference
PA Environment Digest is proud to be a sponsor of the 2019 PA Abandoned Mine Reclamation

and National Abandoned Mine Lands Program Conference to be held in Pittsburgh on September
8-11.
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Issue #766 Harrisburg, PA March 4, 2019

PA Environment Digest Blog​ ​Twitter Feed​ ​ Facebook Page

On February 28, ​Backcountry Hunters and Anglers​,

Eastern PA Coalition For Abandoned Mine Reclamation Opposes Transfer Of

On February 25, the ​Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned

On February 28, Sen. Pat Browne (R-Lehigh), Majority

A brief submitted​ by the ​PA Environmental Defense

On February 25, PennDOT Secretary Leslie

On February 25, Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine told the

Attend By Webinar: PA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Plan Steering

The ​PA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation

On February 26, the Department of General

On February 28, the individuals and organizations petitioning the

Michael Mann​, distinguished professor of

Senate/House Agenda/Session Schedule/Gov’s Schedule/ Bills Introduced

Committee Meetings This Week

House:​ <> ​Click Here​ for full House Committee Schedule.

Senate:​ <> ​Click Here​ for full Senate Committee Schedule.

Bills Pending In Key Committees

The following bills of interest were introduced last week--

Pipeline Safety Study:​ ​Senate Bill 280​ (Killion-R-Delaware, Dinniman-D-Chester) require

Pipeline Notification:​ ​Senate Bill 281​ (Killion-R-Delaware, Dinniman-D-Chester) requiring

Pipeline Impact Fee:​ ​Senate Bill 282​ (Killion-R-Delaware, Dinniman-D-Chester) enacting a

Pipeline Inspections:​ ​Senate Bill 283​ (Killion-R-Delaware, Dinniman-D-Chester) transfer

House and Senate Co-Sponsorship Memos

House: ​Click Here​ for all new co-sponsorship memos

News From The Capitol

The ​Senate Appropriations Committee​ will hold a

House Appropriations Continues DEP Budget Hearing On March 5

The ​House Appropriations Committee​ has scheduled a continuation of

On February 27, ​Game Commission​ Executive

On February 27, ​Fish and Boat Commission

On February 26, ​The Nature Conservancy​ reported

News From Around The State

On February 27, the Department of Environmental Protection

The ​PA Association for Sustainable

By Donna Morelli, ​Chesapeake Bay Journal

Balancing land conservation with the needs of a

The Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation

Opportunities To Bid On DEP Mine Reclamation Projects In Butler, Schuylkill Counties

The Department of Environmental Protection published notices in the March 2 PA Bulletin of an

Streamlined access to data makes forecasting,

Saturday descends on ​Stroud Water Research Center​ in

The ​Stroud Water Research Center​ in Chester

Erie Times-News Connect With Your Environment - Mudsnails Endanger Waterways

The latest issue of ​Connect With Your Environment

Insurance: More Pennsylvanians Getting Private Flood Insurance To Protect Homes,

On February 26, Insurance Commissioner Jessica

PUC Adopts Revised Procedures For Acquisition, Valuation Of Municipal,

PPL Electric Utilities​ will accept applications for

Register now for the ​PA Association of

EPA Now Accepting Nominations For President’s Environmental Youth Award

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is now

The ​PA Waste Industries Association​ and

The Pittsburgh-based ​Green Building

On February 28, the Public Utility Commission

Public Comments Invited On A Proposed PUC Policy On Electric Customer Assistance

PA Chamber Endorses Changes To PJM Electricity Market Pricing Rules

Penn State Extension Hosts 8 Public Meetings On Spotted Lanternfly

Penn State Extension Service will host ​8 public meetings on

Penn State Extension and the ​PA Horticultural

Tree Pittsburgh Hosts Tree Ordinance Workshop March 22

Tree Pittsburgh​ will host a ​Tree Ordinance Workshop​ on

Penn State Professor Explores Past, Present Conservation Efforts In Pennsylvania

By Therese Boyd, ​Penn State News

Maurice K. Goddard, who was from 1970-79 secretary of

The ​Pocono Environmental Education Center​ and its

PA Environment Digest Blog Twitter Feed Facebook Page

On February 28, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers,

On February 25, the Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned

A brief submitted by the PA Environmental Defense

The PA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation

Michael Mann, distinguished professor of

House: <> Click Here for full House Committee Schedule.

Senate: <> Click Here for full Senate Committee Schedule.

Pipeline Safety Study: Senate Bill 280 (Killion-R-Delaware, Dinniman-D-Chester) require

Pipeline Notification: Senate Bill 281 (Killion-R-Delaware, Dinniman-D-Chester) requiring

Pipeline Impact Fee: Senate Bill 282 (Killion-R-Delaware, Dinniman-D-Chester) enacting a

Pipeline Inspections: Senate Bill 283 (Killion-R-Delaware, Dinniman-D-Chester) transfer

House: Click Here for all new co-sponsorship memos

The Senate Appropriations Committee will hold a

The House Appropriations Committee has scheduled a continuation of

On February 27, Game Commission Executive

On February 27, Fish and Boat Commission

On February 26, The Nature Conservancy reported

The PA Association for Sustainable

By Donna Morelli, Chesapeake Bay Journal

Saturday descends on Stroud Water Research Center in

The Stroud Water Research Center in Chester

The latest issue of Connect With Your Environment

PPL Electric Utilities will accept applications for

Register now for the PA Association of

The PA Waste Industries Association and

The Pittsburgh-based Green Building

Penn State Extension Service will host 8 public meetings on

Penn State Extension and the PA Horticultural

Tree Pittsburgh will host a Tree Ordinance Workshop on

By Therese Boyd, Penn State News

The Pocono Environmental Education Center and its

The Spring 2019 issue of the Penn’s Stewards newsletter

The PA Parks & Forests Foundation is now

The Brodhead Watershed Association has organized

The Pittsburgh-based Landforce job

“Invasive” is a name for plant species that are not

March 3-- Brodhead Watershed Association Reflections On A Changing Climate Program.

March 5-- Montgomery Master Watershed Stewards Environmental Advisory Councils In

March 20-21-- Registration Open. Northeast Recycling Council Spring Conference.

March 25-29-- Carnegie Mellon University Energy Week 2019. Pittsburgh.

May 1-- Pennsylvania Groundwater Symposium. State College.

September 22-24-- Pennsylvania Greenways And Trails Summit. Shippensburg University

October 16-17-- 7th Annual Delaware River Watershed Forum. Allentown.

November 21-- Penn State PA Technical Assistance Program Entrepreneurship Ecosystem At

Visit DEP’s Public Participation Center for public participation opportunities.

The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the March 2 PA Bulletin of

Visit DEP’s Public Participation Center for public participation opportunities.

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