Pa Environment Digest July 24, 2017

PA Environment Digest
An Update On Environmental Issues In Pennsylvania

Edited By: David E. Hess, Crisci Associates
Winner Of PA Association of Environmental Educators

Business Partner Of The Year Award
PA Environment Digest Daily Blog Twitter Feed
Issue #682 Harrisburg, PA July 24, 2017
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Ed Wytovich Receives 2017 Mayfly Award From PA Abandoned Mine Reclamation

Conference
Ed Wytovich received one of two 2017

Mayfly awards at the PA Abandoned Mine
Reclamation Conference in June to
recognize his lifetime contributions to
developing local and start partnerships for
the reclamation of abandoned mine lands,
treatment of mine drainage and watershed
restoration.
The other Mayfly Award winner
was Tom Grote who helped found the
Loyalhanna Watershed Association in
Westmoreland County and has spent
decades contributing to stream restoration.
The mayfly was selected as the symbol for this award because its presence in a stream
signifies clean water. Each Mayfly Award is a unique piece of art. This years artist was
Michael Bestwick from Fenelton, Butler County.
Ed Wytovich
A retired eighth grade science teacher, Ed is President of the Catawissa Creek Watershed
Restoration Association in Schuylkill and Luzerne counties and helped found 9 other watershed
associations dedicated to treating abandoned mine drainage.
He has also served as the volunteer president of the Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned
Mine Reclamation.
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In 1998, his 100 mile Riverwalk along the states Schuylkill River raised funds for the
Schuylkill Headwaters Association and generated awareness of the need to clean the River. He
also helped start the Annual Schuylkill River Sojourn, a one-week canoe trip down the
Schuylkill, to draw attention to habitat preservation.
In 2001, he convinced state lawmakers to designate May as Statewide Watershed
Awareness Month, which lead to annual cleanups at sites throughout Pennsylvania.
He has also testified before Congress on the need for continuing the federal mine
reclamation fee to support local and state watershed restoration efforts and is heavily involved in
the current campaign to fully fund a Growing Greener III initiative to support local mine
reclamation and watershed restoration projects.
Ed instills within others the need to serve as stewards of the environment and
community within which they live, said Dave Zanis, a longtime friend.
Former U.S. Congressman Tim Holden wrote that Wytovich demonstrates how
optimism can build partnerships with government, the private sector, and community volunteers
to achieve success in conserving and restoring our environment.
Ed has received many other honors, including-- the 2001 Governors Award For
Watershed Stewardship, the 2006 Chevron Conservation Award and the Conservation Award
from the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show.
Although Ed could not attend the Conference to accept the Award, Robert Hughes,
Executive Director of EPCAMR read these remarks on his behalf--
From the bottom of my heart I am truly surprised and grateful to the committee for
selecting me for the Mayfly Award. As I looked over the previous recipients and their
accomplishments I am in awe.
And they all keep plugging away to help our restoration efforts.
My first project was the reclamation of about 40 acres of disturbed wetland that had
been covered with alluvial coal waste up to 12 deep. My father-in-law was the owner/contractor
and asked me to help because my background is in horticulture.
My wife and I now own this area that we affectionately call The Swamp which we do
not post so that the public can enjoy it for hiking , bird watching, hunting, and other outdoor fun.
By the way, this was pre SMCRA [1977 federal Surface Mining Control and
Reclamation Act]. Gives you an idea how old I am!
I bring up The Swamp not because it is ours but because it is for everyone to enjoy and
that is what, I think, drives us all and keeps us going.
Knowing that many of my peers are also getting along in years it is up to us to generate
more interest in our youth so that we can pass it along.
In order to do this we can take kids on field trips arranged through schools, scouting,
and other youth groups. Show them not only completed projects but the sources of AMD which
many kids have never seen.
Give them the opportunity to get wet and dirty, take some samples and do some
streamside chemistry. Catch some benthic macros, shovel some stone into a system.
Give them interest and ownership through their work and show them the positive results
of a project well done.
Continue to support the efforts of the Coalitions to reauthorize SMCRA, my Santa hat is
off to John Dawes [Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds] and the others who go to
Washington to support these efforts.
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Watch for new trends and ideas and research them well. One thing that piques my
interest is pumped storage generation.
The last that I looked there were 17 applications for permits to explore the feasibility of
pumped storage in Pennsylvania. I dont know if this is good or bad, there is much to learn.
What if we used restored abandoned mine land for large solar arrays and stored the
energy using pumped storage or generate hydrogen to store and then use at high demand periods
in fuel cells or combined cycle turbine systems or something else?
This could fit near our co-gen plants and maybe give them new life.
A special thanks has to go out to Dave Hess [former Secretary of DEP] for without Dave
I dont think we could have been as successful as we are and will continue to be.
Dave not only helped get the watershed movement going strong but also helped us, the
volunteers, work along with the professionals, both private and government.
These partnerships continue today.
There are many others which time does not permit me to talk about, Margaret Dunn at
Stream Restoration, Inc., the staffs of the coalitions [Eastern and Western PA Coalitions for
Abandoned Mine Reclamation], our conservation districts which have been outstanding, all of
the watershed groups, PA Council Of Trout Unlimited, and many others including all of our
volunteers.
Lastly I must thank my wife and kids who have been so supportive and patient with me
and many evening meetings.
Stay involved and stay aware of what goes on around us. Remember, whatever we do to
the land we do to the water. Have a great conference.
Other Helpful Links:
Ed Wytovich Talks About Restoration Of The Catawissa Creek Watershed
Feature-Audenreid Treatment Project Dedicated, Will Clean Up 34 Miles Of Catawissa Creek
Op-Ed: Taking The Next Step In Watershed Protection - Private Support For A Public Good, By
Ed Wytovich
Op-Ed: The Future Is Now On Abandoned Mine Reclamation, By Ed Wytovich
EPCAMR Testifies Before U.S. House On Watershed-Based Mine Reclamation Needs
Related Story:
Tom Grote Receives 2017 Mayfly Award At PA Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference
[Posted: July 18, 2017]
Feature: Rock - Water - Air: A Personal Account Of The 2002 Quecreek Mine Rescue
By David Hess, Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection at the Time of

the Rescue
On the 15th anniversary of the 2002 Quecreek Mine

Rescue, I thought it would be appropriate to write an
account of the rescue operation from my perspective as
Secretary of Department of Environmental Protection.
This is the first-time I put this very personal story of
such a public event down on paper.
I wanted to do it in part so the details dont get lost in the
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future, but, more importantly, to also express how incredibly proud I am of the job the men and
women of DEP did on those four hot July days 15 years ago to bring about the safe rescue of the
nine miners at Quecreek.
From those in Deep Mine Safety handling the details of the rescue itself, to the water
quality staff dealing with the millions of gallons of water being pumped out of the mine, our
communications staff who worked around the clock with the unprecedented world-wide media
attention and even our summer interns who got the experience of a lifetime, it was an
outstanding example of public employees doing their jobs.
Hundreds of people from DEP and other state agencies were involved, working along
with our federal counterparts and the entire Somerset community, to achieve a single goal,
knowing, the entire time, the odds were not on our side.
What follows is my story of how we all converged on the Arnold Farm in Somerset
County 15 years ago and were witness to what I can only call a miracle.
Click Here to read the whole story.
Thank You: My thanks to Gov. Mark Schweiker, Joe Sbaffoni, David La Torre and Bill Arnold
for providing comments on this article in draft and for remembering some details I was hazy on
after 15 years.
(Photos by Commonwealth Media Services and the Department of Environmental Protection.)
David Hess is now a partner in the Harrisburg-based government affairs firm Crisci Associates.
He can be contacted by sending email to: DHess@CrisciAssociates.com or by calling
717-576-0420.
Related Links:
-- Click Here to watch a video produced by the Commonwealth Media Services documenting the
critical decisions made during the rescue effort.
-- Click Here for the DEP Commemorative Booklet Nine for Nine with lots of photos from
each phase of the rescue and the names of key DEP players.
-- Click Here for the DEP Timeline Of The Quecreek Mine Rescue.
-- Click Here for details on this years 15th Anniversary Community Celebration from July 27 to
29 at the Quecreek Mine Rescue site in Somerset.
Still No Finished State Budget, Everything Is On The Table, Environmental Funds At Risk
This Story Will Be Updated As Weekend Events

Warrant: Get the very latest news at the PA
Environment Digest Blog and Twitter Feed: Now
entering the fourth week without a revenue package to
pay for the General Fund budget they passed June 30,
Republicans are locked in negotiations over how to
fashion a compromise that will get 26 votes in the Senate
and 102 in the House.
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The Republicans called the House back into session on Saturday and Sunday primarily
for a series of caucus meetings on proposed budget plans. They may also move some
budget-related Code bills, if there is agreement in the House on those.
House Republican leaders have put together a no general tax increase budget plan based
on borrowing, expanded gaming, expanded liquor sales and fund transfers they hope to vet more
thoroughly with House Republicans.
For the last week House and Senate Democrats have been trading increasingly hostile
Tweets with House Republicans over not being in session to deal with the budget, although
budget meetings have obviously been going on between Republican leaders.
The Twitter battle and pressure from Senate Republicans, who were in voting session this
week for two days, no doubt prompted House Speaker Turzai to call a weekend session even
after House Majority Leader David Reed (R-Indiana) said they would not be back to Harrisburg
unless there was a deal on the revenue package.
Gov. Wolf, with Senate and House Democrats supporting, have been pushing
Republicans for more recurring revenue-- $700 to $800 million in taxes-- to address the states
structural deficit going forward.
Same Revenue Options
All the same revenue options are still on the table from Republicans to fill the $2.2 billion
deficit hole they face. Lets refresh--
-- Fund Transfers: Special Fund transfers to the General Fund, especially those fed by the
Realty Transfer Tax (Keystone Recreation, Park & Conservation Fund) and Cigarette Tax
(Agricultural Preservation), monies going into the Environmental Stewardship (Growing
Greener) Fund, the Domestic Fire Gross Premiums Tax on property insurance policies and from
the Joint Underwriting Authority Medical Malpractice Insurance Fund and Horse Racing
Development Fund are all being considered;
-- Tax Credit Cuts: House Republicans have also suggested shaving or eliminating many tax
credit programs as corporate welfare, among the tax credits important to environmental programs
are the Resource Enhancement and Protection Farm Conservation Tax Credit, which had $11.2
million in applications for $10 million in funding this year, and the Coal Refuse Energy and
Reclamation Tax Credit; and
-- Utilities: Expanding the Gross Receipts Tax on electricity and natural gas use and adding a
new tax on buying and selling space on energy transmission lines;
-- Borrow: Borrowing $1.5 billion against tobacco settlement revenue, or securitizing some
other revenue stream, to fill the biggest part of the revenue hole;
-- Gaming: Adjusting tax rates and expanding gaming with satellite casinos, online gaming,
airport gaming, fantasy sports betting, online sales of state lottery tickets, maybe 40,000 video
gaming terminals for everyone with a liquor license and redirecting the local share of the present
casino tax revenues to the state General Fund;
-- Sales Tax: Extending the state Sales Tax to warehousing and storage and to homeowner cable
bills;
-- Liquor: Authorizing beer, wine and spirits sales in more private outlets and shifting the Sales
Tax on bottles of alcohol from the bottle bought by liquor license holders to the individual drink
bought by consumers;
-- State Assets: Selling or leasing out state assets like the Farm Show Building (although
Republicans didnt like that one because it was Gov. Wolfs idea) or some other asset;
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-- Odds And Ends From Others: Legalizing marijuana and a severance tax on natural gas are
very, very long shots.
Holding Up Pitt, Penn State
To help ends meet until a revenue package is passed, nonpreferred funding bills for
state-related universities like the University of Pittsburgh, Penn State Temple and Lincoln
universities are being held up so that $600 million more in spending does not enter the balance
sheet quite yet.
Or as some Democrats said this week, being held hostage.
State Treasurer/Auditor General
State Treasurer Joseph Torsella and Auditor General Eugene DePasquale again wrote to
members of the General Assembly warning that without new state revenues FY 2017-18 would
see negative balances for eight continuous months causing the Treasurer to go to commercial
sources of lending.
Tax Amnesty
In one little bit of good budget news, the 2017 PA Tax Amnesty Program generated
$114.5 million for the 2016-17 fiscal year budget, exceeding the $100 million net revenue
estimate, according to the Department of Revenue. The Senate and House used revenue
projections of between $130 and $150 million.
Whats Next?
With vacation reservations staring House members in the face, many schools set to start
the third week in August, and Speaker Turzai off to Atlanta Monday and Tuesday for a meeting
of the Republican Legislative Campaign Committee he chairs, there is a short window of
opportunity to finish a revenue package in the near future.
The Senate is still officially on a 6-hour call, but depending on what the House does this
weekend they could return Monday.
Or, it might be see you in September!
NewsClips:
Legere: Marcellus Impact Fee Collections Expected To Rise After Down Year
Letter: Gas Industry Already Pays Significant State Taxes
Legere: Group Asks If Allegheny County Using Shale Millions As Directed
Op-Ed: PA Supreme Court Extends Its Landmark Environmental Rights Amendment Decision
Op-Ed: Natural Gas Severance Tax Needs To Be Part Of Final Budget Deal
AP: House $2 Billion No New Taxes Revenue Plan Could Be Thorny
House Speaker Mike Turzais Big Budget Gamble
AP: House To Hold Session Saturday Amid Swirling Budget Disagreements
State Treasurer: Pennsylvania Could Run Out Of Cash
State Treasurer: Budget Mess May Mean Real Trouble Soon
July 8 Letter To General Assembly From State Treasurer, Auditor General
AP: Talks Over PA Budget Deadlock Take Unexpected Turn
Thompson: House GOP Offers New No-Taxes Plan To Raise Revenue
House Dems: House Republicans Holdouts In Budget Stalemate
AP: Budget Deadlock Politics Are First Debate In Governors Race
Trumps Plan To Cut Chesapeake Bay Funding Likely Dead In The Water
CBF On U.S. House Approval Of Chesapeake Bay Funding
A Call From Philly For Maintaining EPA Funding
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Philly EPA Region Could Take Major Hit In Buyout Plan
Report: Trumps FY 18 Budget Boosts Spending For Regulators
U.S. Senate Begins Moving $38.4B Energy, Water Spending Bill
U.S. Senate Panel Rejects Trump Cuts To Dept. Of Energy Programs
Related Stories:
PEC To Legislators: Oppose Diversion Of Monies From Local Environmental Project Funds
IFO Projects Increase In Drilling Impact Fee Revenue For Coming Year
PEC To Legislators: Oppose Diversion Of Monies From Local Environmental Project

Funds
The PA Environmental Council Friday sent a letter to all

members of the Senate and House encouraging members to
oppose any budget revenue plan that involves diverting monies
from the Keystone and Environmental Stewardship (Growing
Greener) Funds and the states agricultural land preservation
program.
House Republican leadership included these diversions in their
proposed revenue plan to support the states $31.996 billion
General Fund budget they passed on June 30, but have not yet fully funded.
Legislators are expected to meet over the weekend to continue discussions on a revenue
package.
The text of the letter follows
The Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) encourages you to oppose any
budgetary revenue proposal that involves the diversion of monies from special funds that support
local conservation and recreation projects, or support family farmers, in your district.
Several proposals are being proposed to divert tax and fee monies from going to the
Keystone Recreation, Park & Conservation Fund (Keystone Fund), the Environmental
Stewardship Fund (Growing Greener), and programs that support family farmland preservation.
These funds are being used to help improve your districts. They address existing
pollution and drinking water problems. They revitalize older communities. They provide
recreational opportunities for people of all abilities. They foster small business development.
They leverage by more than a 2 to 1 ratio private investment. In other words, these
funds not only address todays challenges; they lay the foundation for our Commonwealths
prosperity in the years to come.
By diverting these special fund revenues from their intended purposes, the state would
only be applying a temporary fix to unconnected budget problems at the expense of
Pennsylvanians everywhere.
You should know that communities in your districts have been able to complete more
than 2,400 local park projects, complete more than 300 trail projects, and preserve 117,400 acres
of green space in municipal parks and greenways because of funding from the Keystone Fund.
You should know that communities, local watershed groups, and family farmers in your
districts have cleaned up 1,600 acres of abandoned mine lands, improved water quality with over
400 watershed restoration projects, improved local recreational opportunities, and helped family
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farmers protect over 78,000 acres through the Environmental Stewardship Fund.
You should know that family farmers in almost every county of the state have been able
to stay on their farms thanks in part to financial help provided by Pennsylvanias Farmland
Preservation Program, which since 1988 has preserved 536,181 acres of farmland in 58 counties;
the largest program in the nation.
Voting to transfer money from the Keystone Fund, Environmental Stewardship Fund, and
agricultural land preservation programs is taking money away from communities and landowners
across Pennsylvania, including those in your district.
We recognize the budget challenges facing the Commonwealth. But decisions today
should not be made at the expense of the long-term prosperity of our state and its citizens. We
ask that you consider these facts in the days to come.
Thank you for consideration.
For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the PA
Environmental Council website, visit the PEC Blog, follow PEC on Twitter or Like PEC on
Facebook. Visit PECs Audio Room for the latest podcasts. Click Here to receive regular
updates from PEC.
NewsClip:
Related Stories:
The Independent Fiscal Office Thursday released its updated Act 13 drilling impact fee report
and projections for next year which concluded revenues could increase from $8.7 million to $49
million depending on the price of natural gas and how many new gas wells are spud or put into
production.
This year the drilling impact fee resulted in $173.2 million in revenue, the lowest since
the fee started to be collected in 2013-- $225.7 million.
The projections by IFO say the fee could yield from $181.9 million to $222.2 million,
nearly record revenue.
The Act 13 fee program has been hit with an adverse Commonwealth Court decision in
March which would reduce Act 13 fee revenue another $16 million per year. The PUC appealed
the ruling in April and Rep. Pam Snyder (D-Fayette) introduced House Bill 1283 to fix the
program legislatively, if needed.
Click Here for a copy of the IFO study.
NewsClips:
Related Stories:
PEC To Legislators: Oppose Diversion Of Monies From Local Environmental Project Funds
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Gov. Wolf Allows Bill Rolling Back Protection For Streams From Mining To Become Law
Gov. Tom Wolfs Office Friday announced he will

allow Senate Bill 624 (Scarnati-R- Jefferson)
retroactively rolling back protections for streams
from deep coal mining to become law without his
signature.
The legislation was introduced in April to
influence an appeal now pending before the
Environmental Hearing Board involving an
underground coal mining permit allowing Consol to
longwall mine under streams in and around Ryerson
Station State Park in Greene County. (EHB Docket
No. 2014-072-B)
Groups like the PA Environmental Council have opposed the bill on the grounds recent
studies by the Department of Environmental Protection have demonstrated the existing
protections in Act 54 are not adequate to prevent permanent, long-term damage to streams.
(Click Here for more.)
The bill was amended in the House with language supported by the Department of
Environmental protection.
A House Fiscal Note and summary is available.
(Photo: Dam at Ryerson Station State Park, Greene County damaged by the same underground
coal mine involved in this legislation.)
NewsClip:
Legere: Wolf To Let Coal Mining Subsidence Bill Become Law
PA Environment Digest Google+ Circle, Blogs, Twitter Feeds
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issues and programs.
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Capitol.
Senate/House Agenda/Session Schedule/Govs Schedule
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
House (July 22): House Resolution 284 (Moul-R-Adams) urging Congress to repeal the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agencys MS4 Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program (sponsor
summary); Senate Bill 181 (Mensch-R-Montgomery) providing for a performance-based
budgeting (exempting appropriations to the General Assembly and the Judiciary) and creating a
Performance-Based Budget Board (House Fiscal Note and summary); Senate Bill 446
(McGarrigle-R- Delaware) was significantly amending the Administrative Code (House Fiscal
Note and summary); Senate Bill 646 (Killion-R-Delaware) extending the $2/ton Recycling Fee
for one year until January 1, 2021 <> Click Here for full House Bill Calendar.
Senate ( ?? ): Senate Bill 663 (Langlin-R-Erie) amending the PA Construction Code to provide
for third party contracts to enforce the Code (sponsor summary); House Bill 409
(Evankovich-R-Allegheny) making changes to the process for adopting amendments to the
Uniform Construction Code; House Bill 1490 (Turzai-R-Allegheny) placing the Pittsburgh
Water and Sewer Authority under the regulation of the Public Utility Commission. <> Click
Here for full Senate Bill Calendar.
Committee Meeting Agendas This Week
Note: This is still budget season. House and Senate committees can add and cancel meetings
with little notice.
House: <> Click Here for full House Committee Schedule.

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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.
Here are links to key Standing Committees in the House and Senate and the bills pending in
each--
House
Appropriations
Education
Environmental Resources and Energy
Consumer Affairs
Gaming Oversight
Human Services
Judiciary
Liquor Control
Transportation
Links for all other Standing House Committees
Senate
Appropriations
Environmental Resources and Energy
Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure
Community, Economic and Recreational Development
Education
Judiciary
Law and Justice
Public Health and Welfare
Transportation
Links for all other Standing Senate Committees
Session Schedule
Here is the latest voting session schedule for the Senate and House--
Senate
At the 6-hour call of the Senate President Pro Tempore
House
July 22, 23 (?)
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Governors 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. Wolfs Weekly Calendar and Public
Appearances.
Bills On Governor's Desk
The following bills were given final approval by the Senate and House and are now on the
Governor's desk for action--
Roll Back Stream Protections From Mining: Senate Bill 624 (Scarnati-R-Jefferson)
retroactively rolling back protections for streams from deep coal mining. A House Fiscal Note
and summary is available. (Click Here for more.) Gov. Wolf will allow this bill to become law
without his signature.
Timber On Federal Land: House Bill 1494 (Rapp-R-Forest) authorizing the state to enter into a
cooperative agreement with federal agencies for the purpose of selling timber on federal land. A
Senate Fiscal Note and summary is available. The bill was signed into law as Act 25.
Alternative Septic Systems: Senate Bill 144 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) amending Act 537 on include
alternative on-lot sewage systems in sewage plans. A House Fiscal Note and summary is
available. The bill was signed into law as Act 26.
Natural Gas Vehicles: Senate Bill 589 (Langerholc-R-Bedford) increasing maximum allowable
weight for natural gas vehicles. A House Fiscal Note and summary is available. The bill was
signed into law as Act 31.
Senate/House Bills Moving
The following bills of interest saw action last week in the House and Senate--
Senate
Lawn Fertilizer: Senate Bill 792 (Alloway-R- Adams) regulating the application of lawn
fertilizer (sponsor summary) was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
News From The Capitol
Gov. Wolf Signs New Law Promoting Use Of Cleaner-Burning Natural Gas In Larger
Vehicles
Senate Bill 589 introduced by Sen. Wayne Langerholc (R-Bedford) to promote the use of
cleaner-burning natural gas in larger vehicles was signed into law Thursday as Act 31 of 2017.
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Sen. Langerholcs proposal increased the maximum allowable weight for motor carrier
vehicles that are powered by natural gas from 80,000 pounds to 82,000 pounds to accommodate
the heavier equipment needed for natural gas-burning vehicles.
Vehicles powered by natural gas typically weigh more than gasoline- or diesel-powered
trucks simply because of the heavier fuel tanks and related equipment needed to accommodate
this different type of fuel.
Pennsylvania is fortunate to have an abundance of natural gas, and this new law helps us
take advantage of this tremendous resource in transporting a variety of different goods
throughout the East Coast, Sen. Langerholc said. The law not only bolsters our
Commonwealths status as a major hub for transportation, but also helps us reduce air pollution
and promote a healthier environment. I want to make sure I thank my friend and colleague, Rep.
Carl Walker Metzger, for his leadership in championing this bill through the House of
Representatives.
A companion bill-- House Bill 603 (Metzgar-R-Bedford)-- passed the House on May 31
and was not considered by the Senate Transportation Committee.
Federal lawmakers passed the FAST Act in 2015 that allows states to increase their
allowable weights for natural-gas-powered vehicles. Dozens of states have already taken
advantage of this provision in federal law, and many other states are considering similar
measures, Sen. Langerholc said.
Rex McQuaide, of W.C. McQuaide, Inc. in Johnstown, has already converted the
majority of his trucking fleet to run on natural gas and has been waiting for the law in
Pennsylvania to mirror what the FAST Act intended.
I am elated that Senator Langerholc made this issue a priority so soon into his term, he
said. It is an important issue for the local economy and Pennsylvania as a whole.
Sen. Langerholcs district, which includes all or part of Clearfield, Cambria and Bedford
Counties, has a number of CNG fueling stations with more sure to follow. CamTran in
Johnstown opened their new facility in April, and Langerholc was there to tour the facility.
It showed me the potential that we now have with being able to use our abundance of
natural gas to power our vehicles, he said. Its important that we passed this bill to allow
heavier trucks, which are the most harmful to the environment, to not have to sacrifice payload in
order to convert to Natural Gas.
The legislation will go into effect in 60 days. A House Fiscal Note and summary is
available.
The Feds
48 Environmental Secretaries From 29 States Oppose Trumps FY 2018 EPA Budget Cuts
A letter signed by 48 environmental secretaries and commissioners representing 29 states and

Democrat, Republican and Independent governors sent a letter to Congress expressing their
profound concern about proposed FY 2018 cuts to EPA and state grant funding.
Here is the text of their statement--
We are former Commissioners, Secretaries and Directors of state environmental
protection agencies. We have worked for both Republican and Democratic Governors.
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Weve come together to express our profound concern with the Presidents proposed
Fiscal Year 2018 Budget for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The White House Budget would reduce the EPAs funding by 31 percent and cut state
grant funding by almost 45 percent.
The proposal includes cutting EPA staff by 3200, and would result in similar harsh
employee reductions for states. These cuts go too far, and will imperil EPA and state efforts to
protect human health and the environment.
Federal environmental laws are based on the principle of cooperative federalism with
both the EPA and the states having defined roles and responsibilities.
In broad terms, the EPA is responsible for setting minimum, nationwide protection
standards, conducting oversight of state agency activities in meeting these standards, and
addressing matters that are uniquely national in scope and significance.
The states are delegated the responsibility to operate the vast majority of federal
environmental programs, to prepare plans and write rules to meet program requirements, and to
issue pollution control permits to businesses and other regulated operations within their
jurisdictions.
To operate the federal environmental programs, the states are provided federal funds
referred to as state Categorical Grants. These grants, on average, make up about 27 to 30
percent of state environmental agency budgets.
The Presidents proposed Budget would reduce state funding support to historically low
levels.
This would occur at the very same time that the Administration is looking to the states to
assume greater responsibilities under the nations environmental laws. Yet, it is difficult to
imagine how requiring the states to do more with substantially fewer dollars will achieve this
goal.
In fact, if the Presidents Budget is approved, the following negative outcomes, among
others, can be expected:
-- Lacking funds to meet payroll, many states may have little choice but to lay off significant
numbers of staff;
-- Businesses will experience lengthy delays in obtaining permits, necessary approvals and
regulatory interpretations required for jobs growth and economic development;
-- Voluntary cleanup efforts and redevelopment of contaminated properties will languish without
necessary federal and state staff time to review cleanup plans, at the very time communities are
striving to revitalize their economies;
-- State environmental agencies may discontinue operating certain environmental programs and
return them to the EPA to administer;
-- A disruption in the continuity of federal and state environmental programs will lead to
uncertainty which is detrimental to sound business planning;
-- States will not have the resources to timely respond to public complaints and emergencies,
and public health will be compromised;
-- States will lack the capacity to maintain air and water monitoring networks and data bases
relied on by both the public and the business community; and
-- Third party litigation will increase as advocacy groups lose confidence in federal and state
actions to protect the environment.
As former state public officials, each one of us has had our differences and frustrations
14
with the EPA. Despite our disagreements, however, we believe a balanced partnership between
the EPA and state environmental agencies best serves the publics interest.
The national organization of state environmental agencies, the Environmental Council
of States, continually strives to achieve a balanced federal-state relationship.
The Presidents Budget makes that balance unattainable.
Both the EPA and the states have legitimate roles and responsibilities under the
environmental laws of our nation.
Congress has long recognized that the states are best situated to operate most federal
environmental programs, while the EPA is best suited to monitoring state performance and
assuring national pollution standards are applied fairly and consistently by all states with no one
state gaining an economic advantage over another.
In the following months, Congress will debate next years funding for the EPA and, by
extension, the states.
We urge Congress to reject the severe and unprecedented cuts included in the
Presidents FY 18 EPA Budget.
If adopted by Congress, these cuts will undermine the ability of the EPA and the states
to protect human health and the environment and will hamper business planning.
We ask Congress to avoid this outcome and provide the EPA and the states with the
funding essential to ensuring all Americans have access to and the enjoyment of clean air, clean
water and clean land.
The opinions contained in this Statement are personal opinions of the authors.
Click Here for a copy of the statement and the signature pages (not all signatories
actually attached their signatures).
From Pennsylvania, four past Secretaries of the Department of Environmental Protection
signed the letter serving Republican and Democratic Governors, including: James Seif, David
Hess, John Hanger and John Quigley.
For more information on state/federal environmental issues, visit the Environmental
Council of the States website.
Trump Administration Releases New Regulatory & Deregulatory Agenda
The Trump Administration Thursday released its first revised

Unified Regulatory and Deregulatory Agenda listing
regulations that will move forward and those that will be put
on a long-term track as part of President Trumps
deregulation initiative under Executive Orders 13771 and
13777.
On the list, as expected, was the withdrawal of EPAs
Clean Power Plan and the Waters of the U.S. rule, which
were moved to EPAs long-term category.
Regulations affected included a whole range of issues: climate, air quality, energy
efficiency, transportation, drilling and land management, water, coal and mining, agriculture,
chemicals, endangered species, parks and oceans.
E&E News did one of the better quick summaries of regulations delayed or on the change
15
list.
For more information, visit the federal Unified Regulatory and Deregulatory Agenda
webpage.
NewsClips:
E&E News: Trump Outlines Deregulation Agenda
White House Details Plan To Roll Back Environmental Regulations
White House Outlines Plan To Dismantle Environmental Rules
Trump Administration To Reveal Which EPA Rules Its Planning To Repeal
Trump Administration Cancels Hundreds Of Obama-Era Regulations
Trump Administration Touts Plans To Reduce Regulations
News From Around The State
DEP Commends Regional Approach To Reduce Stormwater Pollution In Luzerne County
Department of Environmental Protection Secretary

Patrick McDonnell Tuesday commended more than 30
communities for working together to reduce pollution
through the creation of the Regional Stormwater
Management Program by the Wyoming Valley
Sanitary Authority at an event with state and local
leaders in Luzerne County.
I want to praise the initiative and leadership
that these local governments have taken to improve the
water in their local streams and rivers, said Secretary
McDonnell. By working together, these municipalities are reducing pollution less expensively
than they could if they were each making these efforts separately. They are treating stormwater
as a resource, rather than a waste.
The regional program, led by the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority, encompasses
more than 30 municipalities and will allow local governments to submit a joint pollution control
plan, as well as finance capital projects more easily.
The WVSA estimates that the region will save $57 million over five years with this
program and $274 million over the next two decades, in present-value dollars.
Individual households will pay a nominal feeanywhere between $3 and $4.50
monthlyto the WVSA to finance the regional effort.
The WVSA estimates that households will pay between 70 and 90 percent less than if
their municipality pursued EPA compliance on its own.
The WVSA is well-prepared to meet this challenge and we are eager to advance this
project after months of planning, said Jim Tomaine, Executive Director of the WVSA. Over
the next five years, we will reduce pollutants contaminating the Susquehanna River, which will
improve water quality.
We all have a responsibility to clean up the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay
because no single municipality could meet this obligation alone, said Sen. John Yudichak
(D-Luzerne), Minority Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.
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The regional stormwater projectdesigned to improve water quality and wildlife habitats
throughout the watershedrepresents the most comprehensive environmental project in
northeast Pennsylvania in the last forty years.
In Pennsylvania, certain municipalities are required to control and reduce stormwater
pollution under a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit. DEPs MS4 program
works with these municipalities to develop and implement stormwater management plans.
One of the most important goals of the MS4 program is to reduce sediment and nutrient
pollution going into the Susquehanna River, which ultimately leads to the Chesapeake Bay.
Over the next five years, municipalities must reduce pollutants in the Susquehanna River
including sediment by 10 percent, phosphorous by 5 percent, and nitrogen by 3 percent.
This work will pay dividends for years, if not generations to come, for the people and
communities of the Wyoming Valley and places farther downstream, said Secretary
McDonnell. The Wolf Administration is committed to the state doing its part in the Chesapeake
Bay restoration and partnerships like this help tremendously in that effort. I am certain that the
rest of the state will be looking at your exemplary leadership.
To learn more about the Wyoming Valleys regional approach to MS4 Stormwater
compliance, visit the Authoritys Stormwater webpage.
Other Innovative Approaches
In Lycoming County they have adopted their own local nutrient credit trading program to
promote cost effective solutions to nutrient and sediment reduction. York County has also taken
a county-wide approach and created an Integrated Water Resources Plan to comply with not only
MS4 Stormwater requirements, but to comply with all Chesapeake Bay and local TMDL
impaired stream nutrient and sediment reductions.
The City of Lancaster established a Green Infrastructure Program to install stormwater
pollution reduction measures throughout the City. A similar green infrastructure plan is being
finalized by the Capital Region Water Authority for the City of Harrisburg.
The Philadelphia Water Departments Green City, Clean Waters Program is now into its
sixth year of implementing its green infrastructure program and the City of Pittsburgh is now
proposing its own green infrastructure program along with the 3 Rivers Wet Weather Project to
promote green infrastructure on a regional basis.
What do all these approaches have in common? Low-tech, cost-effective best
management practices that work to prevent pollution from stormwater and reduce nutrients and
sediment getting into our rivers and streams.
For more information on stormwater requirements, visit DEPs Municipal Stormwater
webpage.
(Photo: Sen. Yudichak)
NewsClips:
32 Communities Join To Manage Stormwater In Luzerne County
Regional Push For Stormwater Management Means New Homeowner Fee
Turnpike Making Progress On Erosion Controls Near McDonald Flooding
Turnpike Cited For Erosion Control Problems, But Heavy Rain Caused McDonald Flooding
Western PA Conservancy Helps Nurture Habitats At Bear Run Nature Reserve, Beyond
July 19 PECO HQ Green Roof Tour In Philadelphia
Editorial: People, Not Storms, Cause Flooding Problems
Related Stories:
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Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority Leads MS4 Stormwater Effort To Save Communities More
Than50% In Compliance Costs
EPA Report Finds DEP Lacks The Resources To Implement Critical MS4 Stormwater Program
NFWF, William Penn Foundation Award Delaware Watershed Restoration Grants, 6 In

PA
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the William

Penn Foundation awarded $2.28 million in funding for
Delaware River Restoration Fund projects on July 13, six of
the projects are in, or partially in, the Pennsylvania portion of
the watershed--
-- Partnership For The Delaware Estuary Middle
Schuylkill Farm Restoration Initiative To Implement
BMPs, $500,000 matched by $2.3 million: The Partnership for
the Delaware Estuary will implement whole-farm agricultural
best management practices (BMPs), attract and educate
additional farmers on the importance of conservation stewardship, engage new and innovative
partners, and improve surface water quality in three compact watersheds in Berks County. The
project will provide technical assistance to 20 farmers, provide outreach about BMPs to 600
individuals, implement 540 acres of BMPs and restore 2.5 miles of riparian buffers.
-- Stroud Water Research Center Installation of Farm BMPs in the Brandywine-Christina
Watersheds, $150,000 matched by $153,000: Stroud Water Research Center will provide
outreach, technical, and financial assistance to landowners to plan and implement whole farm
best management practices, leverage state and federal sources for costs and offer vouchers for
forested buffers in the Christina River basin. The project will engage up to 60 farmers and
community leaders about agricultural best management practices, restore 1.5 miles of riparian
habitat, and restore three acres of wetlands that will result in reduced pollutant loads, as well as
improved water quality.
-- Brandywine Red Clay Alliance Stream and Buffer Restoration of Plum Run, $182,688
matched by $615,000: Brandywine Red Clay Alliance will restore 5,100 fee of Plum Run (photo)
using stream bank stabilization, in-stream structures, floodplain bench, riparian fringe wetland
construction, and a tree and shrub buffer to improve habitat and water quality. The project will
restore 2.5 acres of floodplains, 0.25 acres of wetlands, one mile of riparian habitat and one mile
of instream habitat resulting in reduced pollutant loads and improved water quality.
-- Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art Assessment for Improving Stormwater
Management in Plum Run, $67,246 matched by $34,000: Brandywine Conservancy will
conduct a feasibility assessment that will develop a suite of stormwater management techniques,
identify and prioritize opportunities for improving stormwater management, and conduct
outreach to municipalities, local homeowner associations, and other community leaders within
the upper reaches of the Plum Run. The project will educate 400 people and four municipalities
on identifying and prioritizing green stormwater infrastructure.
-- Cheltenham Township Pervious Parking & Stormwater Management at Curtis
Arboretum, $100,000 matched by $271,485: Cheltenham Township will reduce runoff and
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improve water quality at Curtis Arboretum in Montgomery County by implementing 3.25 acres
of managed native grass and wildflower meadows, and installing porous pavement on an
expanded visitor parking area. The project will result in 4.5 acres of best management practices
for stormwater runoff.
-- American Bird Conservancy Restoring Dynamic forest Structure For Priority Birds,
$74,514 matched by $74,514: American Bird Conservancy will develop and implement a
comprehensive forest management strategy for two Dynamic Forest Restoration Blocks in the
Pocono Mountains in northeastern Pennsylvania that targets the long-term availability of diverse
forest age classes. The project will benefit the entire reproductive cycle of golden-winged
warbler, cerulean warbler, and wood thrush. Project will result in forest management of 2,500
acres of the Delaware State Forest and 11,500 acres of PA State Game Lands 180 in Pike
County.
Click Here for the complete list of project receiving funding.
For more information on grants available from NFWF, visit the Delaware River
Restoration Fund and the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund webpages.
NewsClip:
Delaware River Basin Restoration Funding Clears First Federal Hurdle
Plan For Clean Water Will Guide Monroe County Leaders In Protecting Land
Keeping drinking water safe the old-fashioned way

by not polluting it in the first place is cheaper, easier
and more natural than trying to fix it after its been
contaminated.
Monroe County municipal leaders need accurate,
complete information to make good choices for
preserving land to keep drinking water safe.
Providing that information is the purpose of a new
partnership between Brodhead Watershed Association
and Monroe County Planning Commission, with
funding from the Open Space Institute.
The goal is to create a leaders guide based on water science, with detailed maps of land
that is most important to keeping water pure naturally.
The Plan for Clean Water Project team also includes representatives from Pocono
Heritage Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy-PA, Wildlands Conservancy, Monroe County
Conservation District, North Pocono CARE and Aquashicola-Pohopoco Watershed Association,
Brodhead Creek Regional Authority, and municipalities such as Smithfield and Stroud
townships.
Many municipalities have funds to protect forested land and water, but need information
to use those funds wisely and to explain the why of their decisions to constituents.
The reports, maps and data this project provides will help officials do just that. The
research will pinpoint properties that would provide the most protection for water quality and
quantity if they remain natural and undeveloped.
The study will look at properties throughout the county, not just within the Brodhead
19
watershed, says Bob Heil, BWA executive director. We hope this way of looking at water
issues taking into account both political boundaries and watershed boundaries will be a
model for other watershed organizations.
The summary report, Our Land, Our Water, will set out the findings of the technical
studies in plain English. It will include a matrix of lands important for drinking-water protection,
stream flow and quality, and groundwater recharge. Detailed maps will make clear the best land
for protecting water.
The work will be completed by late 2018, and delivered to county and municipal elected
officials with tailored guidance for each.
Jackson, Paradise, Smithfield and other municipalities have such funds available. Some
have asked for exactly this kind of information. Now, theyll have concrete guidance for
protecting citizens drinking water.
For information about the program, visit the Plan for Clean Water Project webpage.
For more information on programs, initiatives and other upcoming events, visit the
Brodhead Watershed Association website. Click Here to sign up for regular updates from the
Association. Click Here to become a member.
PA No-Till Alliance: Planting Green Guide To Be Released At Annual Field Day July 27
With increased interest in planting green and many PA

No Till Alliance members sharing their experiences
with this practice, the Alliance has developed a
Planting Green Guide to be released at their annual
Field Day on July 27.
The guide joins the popular 'No-Till Tips' and 'Cover
Crop Tips' as valuable resources for farmers adopting
these important soil health practices.
The Field Day will begin at 8 a.m. on July 27 at the
farm of Jeff and Sue Frey, Future View Farm, 12
Radcliff Road in Willow Street, Lancaster County. All are invited to this event, which if
pre-registered by July 21 - is FREE! (If not pre-registered by July 21, the cost to attend is $10.)
The Alliance has planned a full day of activities which include educational presentations,
a cover crop plot walk, and panel discussions with industry and government representatives, as
well as no-till farmers.
New to the event this year is a farmer-owned planter display, featuring a vintage 1983
Allis Chalmers no-till planter, retro-fitted for use today.
Planters will be on display, with the owners in attendance to share information about the
pieces of equipment. Steve Berger, well-known speaker and corn-soybean-pig farmer from
southeast Iowa will provide the keynote presentation, talking about the importance of cover
crops.
The event will also include a variety of panel discussions, focusing on topics including
Practical Experience and Lessons Learned when "Planting Green," Growing Your Own Cover
Crop Seed, Why Water Quality Matters, and Summer/Alternative Forage Options.
In addition to speakers and panel discussions, the event also features a Cover Crop Seed
20
Give-Away, sponsored by PSU/SARE, a tour of various cover crop plots and a soil pit by Jeff
Graybill, and a soil health demonstration by Leroy Bupp.
To conclude the program, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and Karl Brown will be
in attendance at 3 p.m. for a celebration of the 10th anniversary of REAP and recognize the
No-Till Alliance for their support.
The Alliance also offers a "Meeting of the Minds" dinner/discussion on Wednesday, July
26 which begins at 6:30 p.m. The focus will be on Manure Management in No-Till and Cover
Crops, with the opportunity to converse with other dedicated farmers and industry professionals.
Come out and join the conversation!
If pre-registered by July 21, both the Meeting of the Minds and the Field Day are FREE.
Pre-register via email to: jhowes@pennag.com, calling 717-651-5920, or mailing the registration
form.
If not pre-registered, cost to attend each event is $10, collected at the event.
For more information, visit the PA No Till Alliance Field Day webpage.
Conservation Education Among Ag Progress Days Offerings Aug. 15-17
A hay competition, natural resources displays, wildlife

exhibits, and crop management education are just a few of
the many activities that will take place in and around the
J.D. Harrington Crops, Soils and Conservation Building
during Penn State's Ag Progress Days, August 15-17.
"We're looking forward to another exciting Ag
Progress Days," said Jessica Williamson, Penn State
Extension forage crop specialist and Pennsylvania Forage
and Grassland Council executive vice president. "From
educational displays about conservation and sustainability
efforts to our signature Hay Show, there is so much for
people to see and learn."
The 2017 Pennsylvania Hay Show, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Forage and Grassland
Council, will be held in the Harrington Building from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
Williamson said classes have been added to showcase the diversity of hay grown in
Pennsylvania and expand the educational value of the show. Another enhancement larger
premiums for class winners.
"Ag Progress Days is a great place for some of the best hay made in Pennsylvania to be
showcased," Williamson said. "The changes to the competition were made with Pennsylvania
hay producers in mind we hope to have a positive outcome, affording producers the
opportunity to enter more samples in more classes."
Samples for entry in the competition must have been grown in Pennsylvania in 2017 by
the exhibitor. Entries officially close at 10 a.m. August 15. A complete listing of rules and
classes, as well as a registration form, can be found online.
Specialists from Penn State and other organizations also will be on hand during the
three-day expo to answer questions about crop production, weed identification, and biofuel
feedstocks.
21
Visitors can ask questions about crop and nutrient management, no-till practices, organic
farming, and sustainable agriculture and even bring a weed for experts to identify.
Crop and conservation topics also will be featured in other areas of the Ag Progress Days
site.
Tours focused on managing deer and other wildlife as part of a quality deer management
system will leave daily at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., while a tour on short rotation woody crops for
biomass will depart daily at 11 a.m. All tours will leave from the corn crib at the top of Main
Street.
In addition, adjacent to the Harrington Building, A-Maze-N-Corn a family favorite
since 2000 gives children and adults the chance to wander a giant corn maze, which is stroller
and wheelchair accessible.
Sponsored by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, Ag Progress Days is held at
the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs, 9 miles southwest of State
College on Route 45. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on August 15; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on August 16;
and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on August 17. Admission and parking are free.
For more information, visit the Ag Progress Days website. Twitter users can share
information about the event using the hashtag #agprogressdays, and visit Ag Progress Days on
Facebook.
Wolf Announces $75 Million In Water Infrastructure Projects In 20 Counties
Gov. Tom Wolf Wednesday announced the investment of $75 million for 23 drinking water,
wastewater, stormwater and nonpoint source projects across 20 counties through the PA
Infrastructure Investment Authority.
PennVEST initiated its new fiscal year of funding by approving loans and grants for a
wide variety of water quality improvement projects in all corners of the Commonwealth, said
Gov. Wolf. These projects and the environmental, economic development and public health
benefits that they create will further our collective goal of a cleaner and safer place for our
families to enjoy as well as my vision for a better Pennsylvania, both now and for years to
come.
Nonpoint pollution control projects funded in this round include--
-- Armstrong County: Armstrong Conservation District received a $925,754 grant to install a
variety of best management practices, including infiltration trenches, vegetated swales,
revegetation and reforestation along trails as well as removal of coal refuse.
-- Centre County: Tri-Municipal Park in Gregg Township received a $107,891 loan and a
$215,778 grant to construct vegetated swales, rain gardens and a detention/infiltration basin in
order to eliminate storm water runoff into a sinkhole and a nearby stream.
-- Chester County: Chester County Conservation District and Elam King received a $394,520
grant to install a new manure storage structure, animal walkways, roof gutters and downspouts
and other facilities in order to reduce stormwater runoff and nutrients from entering the nearby
stream.
-- Snyder County: Middleburg Borough received a $978,500 grant to construct almost a mile of
new storm sewers, 32 storm sewer inlets, and 1,400 feet of drainage swales.
-- York County: York County Rail Trail Authority received a $950,000 grant to construct a 1.2
22
mile section of new trail and an on-site infiltration system in order to enhance the naturally
occurring riparian buffer on the adjacent portion of Codorus Creek.
Click Here for a complete list of projects funded.
The funding comes from a combination of state funds approved by voters, federal grants
to PennVEST from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and recycled loan repayments
from previous PennVEST funding awards.
Funds for the projects are disbursed after bills for work are paid and receipts are
submitted to PennVEST.
To learn more about water infrastructure funding opportunities, visit the PennVEST
website or call 717-783-6798.
NewsClip:
Corry To Receive Water System Project Loan
Keep PA Beautiful: Do It Yourself Cleanup Toolkit Available To Marinas, Boaters
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful welcomes all Pennsylvania boating

facilities, boating groups, sailors, fishermen and water enthusiasts to
protect our aquatic ecosystems by holding a Marina or boating
facility cleanup during the International Coastal Cleanup September
1 to October 31.
The Ocean Conservancy, which organizes the cleanup
worldwide, will provide a cleanup toolkit to get you started on your
way to keeping trash from reaching our oceans. The toolkit
provides:
-- Trash bags;
-- Trash Data Cards ;
-- Blue mesh boaters trash bags that can be hooked onto a boat or
kayak (Additional mesh boaters trash bags are available to
participants who report their cleanup information within 60 days of
their cleanup.);
-- Good Mate boating resources: brochures, posters and manual;
-- What Will You Find? ocean trash poster; and
-- Educational materials.
Cleanups on the water, underwater or on foot are welcome.
Marine debris is a global problem. I want to encourage anyone who has experienced the
joy of Pennsylvanias lakes, rivers and streams to coordinate or participate in a marina or boating
facility cleanup to help keep trash from entering our oceans, said Shannon Reiter, President of
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.
Click Here to sign up and add your marina or waterway to the map! Let them know how
many volunteers you expect and Ocean Conservancy and the North American Marine
Environment Protection Association will send you a Marina Cleanup Toolkit to get the job done.
For more information, contact Sarah Kollar at Ocean Conservancy by sending email to:
skollar@oceanconservancy.org.
Keep PA Beautiful invites all Pennsylvanians to participate in the International Coastal
23
Cleanup. Click Here to learn more.
For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the Keep
Pennsylvania Beautiful website. Click Here to become a member. Click Here to sign up for
regular updates from KPB, Like them on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, Discover them on
Pinterest and visit their YouTube Channel.
Also visit the Illegal Dump Free PA website for more ideas on how to clean up
communities and keep them clean and KPBs new Electronics Waste website.
NewsClips:
EPCAMR: Clean Up Centralia For Centralians Past & Present!
Brazen Littering In Wilkes-Barre Leads To Charges
Philadelphia Eagles Expand On Green Efforts With Installation Of Food Waste Digester
The Philadelphia Eagles Friday announced they will team up with

environmental partner, Waste Masters Solutions, on the installation
of a food waste digester and data analytics platform at Lincoln
Financial Field.
The eco-friendly mechanism is designed to optimize
efficiency and properly dispose of food waste during the pre- and
post-consumer periods.
Waste Masters Solutions will work closely with BioHiTech
Global a green technology company that develops and deploys innovative and disruptive waste
management technologies on the design, construction and operation of the stadium's Eco-Safe
Digester and analytics platform.
"Waste Masters Solutions is a global leader in the environmental industry, providing
exceptional care and high-quality service for all of our team's waste-handling needs," said Jason
Miller, Eagles senior vice president of operations. "As an organization that takes our ecological
efforts very seriously, we are constantly evaluating and fine-tuning our sustainability model so
that we can continue to reduce our overall impact. Thanks to Waste Masters Solutions, I am fully
confident that the implementation of this new bio-digester will help make our waste program
more efficient."
In September 2016, a waste digester was installed at the team's practice facility, the
NovaCare Complex, to help decompose pre-consumer food waste. Since the installation, more
than 9 tons (18,100 pounds) of food waste has been decomposed and, thus, diverted from
landfills.
"Actions always speak louder than words," said Steve Masterson, Waste Masters
Solutions President & CEO. "Waste Masters is privileged and honored to partner with such
world-class organizations that care so much about our environment."
Based on the core belief that the path to sustainability is a journey and not a destination,
Eagles Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie spearheaded the team's Go Green program in 2003 with
the opening of Lincoln Financial Field.
What started out with blue recycling bins under each employee's desk has turned into a
comprehensive environmental program that features the elements of green energy production,
recycling and composting, energy and water conservation, reforestation and sustainability
24
partnerships.
The organization recycles more than 850 tons of material each year and through their
energy-from-waste program, virtually 100 percent of waste is diverted from landfills.
For more information the teams environmental initiatives, visit the Eagles' Go Green
Program webpage.
NewsClips:
Pittsburgh 2030 District is Dominating North America And Growing
How PA Housing Finance Authority Snuck Into The Affordable Passive House Game
Op-Ed: Reimagining Westmorelands Many Advantages
Save The Date: PA Resources Council Annual Awards Celebration Nov. 9
The PA Resources Council will hold its annual Awards

Celebration and Dinner on November 9 at the Villanova
University Hotel and Conference Center.
Each year PRC recognizes outstanding organizations and
individuals with its Environmental Leadership Awards. Last
years winners included The Hershey Company, Granger
Energy Services, Radnor Township in Delaware County and
Straub Beer.
For information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Carol Butler at 610-353-1555 x230
or send email to butler@prc.org.
For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the PA Resources
Council website. Click Here to sign up for regular updates, follow PRC on Twitter or Like them
on Facebook. Click Here for PRCs Events Calendar. Click Here to support their work.
Learn The Benefits Of Becoming A Certified PA Sustainable Community
The PA Sustainable Community Certification offers a free, online

platform for municipalities to gauge progress in sustainable community
development. Seventy-one municipalities across Pennsylvania have
earned Sustainable Certification and dozens more are in the process.
Watch this short video, featuring local certified Sustainable
Communities, to learn how your municipality can earn recognition for
demonstrating excellence in governance and advancing policies and
practices that improve quality of life, economic prosperity, and
environmental quality.
For more information, visit the PA Sustainable Community Certification website, a
project of the PA Municipalities League and Sustainable Pittsburgh.
Also learn more by becoming a member of the Sustainable Community Development
Network.
For more information on programs, initiatives and upcoming events, visit the Sustainable
Pittsburgh website. Click Here to sign up for regular updates. Like them on Facebook, Follow
25
them on Twitter. Click Here to support their work.
West Nile Virus Program Announces Positive Mosquito Results In 3 New Counties
The Department of Environmental Protection Tuesday

announced positive mosquito results for West Nile Virus
have been found in Blair Township, Blair County;
South Whitehall Township, Lehigh County; Hanover
Township, Northampton County.
Other positive mosquito results have been found in these
other counties this season-- Adams, Allegheny, Beaver,
Berks, Bucks, Cambria, Carbon, Centre, Chester,
Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Franklin,
Lackawanna, Lawrence, Lebanon, Lycoming, Luzerne,
Manchester, Monroe, Montgomery, Philadelphia, Schuylkill and Westmoreland.
For more information on the West Nile Virus prevention efforts in Pennsylvania, visit the
West Nile Virus website.
NewsClips:
More West Nile Mosquitoes Found In Dauphin County
Mosquito In New Kensington Tests Positive For West Nile Virus
Related Story:
Westmoreland Workshop On Preventing Mosquito-Borne Diseases July 26
Westmoreland Workshop On Preventing Mosquito-Borne Diseases July 26
The Westmoreland County Conservation District will

host a workshop on July 26 on preventing mosquito-borne
diseases in Greensburg.
Participants will discover how they may
unknowingly be putting out the Welcome" mat for
mosquitoes in their backyard and some simple steps
that will reduce the number of mosquitos living and
breeding on their property.
When we reduce the number of mosquitos, we
reduce the risk of contracting the diseases mosquitoes carry, including the West Nile and Zika
viruses, explained Chelsea Gross, West Nile virus program technician with the Westmoreland
Conservation District, who is leading the free workshop.
The workshop also will share information on the measures being taken locally to monitor
and control mosquitos in Westmoreland County.
The workshop will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Westmoreland
Conservation Districts J. Roy Houston Conservation Center, 218 Donohoe Road, Greensburg.
The free workshop is open to the public, but reservations are requested. Call
724-837-5271 or send email to: receptionist@wcdpa.com to reserve a seat.
26
For more information on programs, initiatives, assistance and other upcoming events,
visit the Westmoreland County Conservation District website.
(Photo: Zika virus-carrying mosquito.)
NewsClips:
Related Story:
West Nile Virus Program Announces Positive Mosquito Results In 3 New Counties
Comments Invited On Revised DEP General Permit On Pesticide Application
The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the July 22 PA Bulletin of

proposed significant revisions to the NPDES General Permit covering point source discharges
from the application of pesticides (PAG-15).
The draft PAG-15 General Permit includes the following proposed significant changes in
comparison to the existing PAG-15 General Permit--
-- Annual Report: The existing General Permit requires submission of an annual report to the
Department by January 28th of each year. The draft General Permit would extend the due date to
March 1st. In addition, the Department has revised the annual report template.
-- Coverage: The Department is proposing that after coverage under the General Permit is
authorized, coverage will continue without the need to submit a Notice of Intent (NOI) for
renewal of coverage as long as the permittee complies with the terms and conditions of the
PAG-15 General Permit currently in effect, unless the Department specifically requires the
submission of an NOI in writing.
-- Fee Increase: The existing General Permit NOI fee is $250. The proposed NOI fee for
coverage under the General Permit is $500 per year the permittee operates under the General
Permit. The NOI fee will be paid in installments due at the time the annual report is due, with the
initial fee of $500 submitted with the NOI for permit coverage and an installment of $500 to be
submitted with the annual report, if the permittee does not wish to terminate permit coverage.
A copy of the proposal can be found on DEPs eComment webpage and comments can
be posted to that same page. Comments are due August 21.
GASP Files Notice Of Intent To Sue Armstrong Cement For Air Violations In Butler
County
The Pittsburgh-based Group Against Smog and Pollution Tuesday announced it had provided
notice that it intends to file a citizen suit under the federal Clean Air Act and Pennsylvania Air
Pollution Control Act against Armstrong Cement & Supply, Inc., for violations of the Title V
Operating Permit for its cement manufacturing facility located in Cabot, Butler County.
GASP believes that Armstrong Cement has not been operating continuous emission
monitors for sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, as it is legally required to, since at least
mid-December of 2015.
The last submitted report by Armstrong Cement regarding the results of its continuous
27
monitoring of these air pollutants occurred in November 2015. This report indicated Armstrong
was violating limits on sulfur dioxide emissions from its kiln exhaust stacks frequently.
In a January 2016 monitoring report submitted to the Department of Environmental
Protection, Armstrong stated that its kilns were not operated in late 2015 so that new pollution
controls required by federal regulations could be installed.
Armstrong apparently installed those controls but neglected to re-install the continuous
emission monitors for sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides that its operating permit requires.
Because no monitoring reports have been submitted since November 2015, it is impossible to
know whether Armstrong is complying.
Sulfur dioxide is a gas with a pungent, offensive odor. It reacts easily with other
substances to form harmful compounds such as sulfuric acid, sulfurous acid, and sulfate
particles. Nitrogen oxides include the gases nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2).
Nitrogen oxides react with other chemicals in the air to form particulate matter and ozone
(both of which are also harmful when inhaled). Longer exposures to elevated levels of NO2 may
contribute to development of asthma and increase susceptibility to respiratory infections.
Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxides irritate the nose, throat, and airways, causing
coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. Those at greater risk of developing problems if
exposed to these pollutants are people with asthma or other respiratory conditions, as well as
children and the elderly.
Without the emission monitors required by Armstrongs operating permit, it is
impossible to know whether Armstrong is complying with limitations on its emissions of sulfur
dioxide and nitrogen oxides, said John Baillie, an attorney for GASP.
The notice of intent to sue is the first step in initiating a citizen lawsuit to enforce
emissions standards under the Clean Air Act. If the violations remain unresolved 60 days after
giving notice, the citizen suit can proceed in federal district court.
For more information, visit the Group Against Smog and Pollution website.
NewsClips:
Column: Dont Hold Your Breath For Better Air In Pittsburgh
Crable: 8 Of 9 Speakers At Hearing On Perdue Air Pollution Plan Critical
Op-Ed: Oil & Gas Methane Emission Issues Worsen
AP: Maryland Plans Lawsuit Against EPA Over PA, Other Power Plants
Kummer: MD To Sue EPA Over PA Coal-Fired Power Plant Pollution
U.S. House Approves Delay In More Stringent Ozone Standard
DEP Public Conference July 26 On Revised Bailey Underground Coal Mine Permit In
Greene County
Department of Environmental Protection Thursday announced it will hold its second public
conference on July 26 to gather feedback on two separate permit applications from Consol
Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC. to revise the Bailey Mine & Prep Plant (Permit No.
30841316). This is the second
The informal public conference will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Ryerson
Station State Park Visitor Center, 361 Bristoria Road, Wind Ridge, PA 15380.
Consol applied for full extraction (longwall) mining under Polen Run in panels 4L
28
through 5L and to perform stream restoration and/or remediation on segments of Polen Run
located in Richhill Township, Greene County.
Consol also applied to revise 2,142 acres of underground permit boundary and
subsidence control boundary from development only mining to longwall mining. It is also
seeking approval to perform minor forms of stream restoration on three areas of North Fork
Dunkard Fork located in Richhill and Aleppo Townships, Greene County.
Representatives of DEP District Mining Operations will be available to answer general
questions on the permit application and receive both written and oral testimony. Testimony will
be placed into the public record for the application and considered in the application review
process.
Individuals wishing to attend who require an auxiliary aid, service or other
accommodation to participate should contact Bonnie Herbert at 724-769-1100. The AT&T Relay
Service is available by calling 1-800-654-5984 (TTD users) or 1-800-654-5988 (voice users) and
request that the call be relayed to Bonnie Herbert at the number above.
Copies of the application are on file for public review at the DEP California District
Mining office, 25 Technology Drive, California Technology Park, Coal Center, PA 15423.
Interested individuals should call 724-769-1100 to schedule an appointment.
[Note: This is the underground mine involved in damaging the dam at Ryerson Station
State Park and the current legislation to retroactively rollback environmental protection standards
for streams in Senate Bill 624 now on Gov. Wolfs desk. Click Here for more).]
Questions should be directed to Lauren Fraley, DEP Southwest Regional Office,
412-442-4203 or send email to: lfraley@pa.gov.
NewsClip:
DEP Aug. 14 Hearing In Lancaster On Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Air Quality Permit
Department of Environmental Protection Thursday

announced it will open a comment period on July 22 and
has scheduled an August 14 hearing in Lancaster to gather
feedback on an Air Quality Plan Approval for construction
activities related to the proposed Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline
Project.
This comment period is related only to air emissions from
pipeline construction activities in Lancaster County, and no
decisions on the applications for Chapter 102 and Chapter
105 water quality permits for the project have been reached.
The Air Quality Plan Approval would allow transfer of 106 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx)
Emission Reduction Credits (ERCs) to offset construction activities in Lancaster County, which
is considered a nonattainment area for nitrogen oxide.
Emissions offsets are required for the project to comply with the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commissions General Conformity Determination. The ERCs would be sourced from
a Harford County, MD resource recovery facility.
A public hearing on the Air Quality Plan Approval will be held on August 14 from 6:30
29
p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Lancaster Farm and Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Road, Lancaster, PA
17601. Oral testimony will be limited to three (3) minutes per person.
Individuals wishing to offer testimony are asked to pre-register no later than August 11.
Contact John Repetz at 717-705-4904, or send email to: jrepetz@pa.gov to register. Time
permitting, those who did not register in advance will be given the opportunity to testify.
DEP is only considering comments regarding the appropriateness of the location of where
the ERCs were obtained and the amount of ERCs used to offset emissions from the Atlantic
Sunrise project construction activities in Lancaster County.
The comment period will close at 4:30 p.m. on August 21, 2017. Comments may be
submitted to DEP by mail at Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, 400 Market
Street, 12th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8468, or send by email to:
RA-EPAIRCOMMENTS@pa.gov.
A copy of the Air Quality Plan Approval [soon], along with all other DEP documents
related to the Atlantic Sunrise project, can be found on DEPs Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline
webpage.
NewsClips:
Supporters Rally In Tunkhannock For Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline
Kummer: Lancaster Nuns Sue FERC Over Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline, Citing Religious Freedom
Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Opponents To Hold Prayer Vigil For Nuns Going To Court
McKelvey: Catholic Nuns Take Fight Against Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline To Feds
Hearing On Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Eminent Domain Focuses On Timeline, Trees
Kummer: Nuns Protest Gas Pipeline With Last-Ditch Chapel
Landowners Say They Are Deathly Afraid Of Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline
Landowner Accuses Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Of Being On Illogical Path
Op-Ed: Without Eminent Domain, Pipeline Infrastructure Efforts Would Suffer
DEP Investigating Mariner East 2 Pipeline Existing And Potential Violations During
Construction
The Department of Environmental Protection Friday released details of oversight activities for
the Sunoco Mariner East 2 Pipeline Project (ME2).
To date, DEP has issued 4 Notices of Violation to Sunoco for the project. Additionally,
one Consent Order and Agreement has been executed, with a penalty of $87,600 for a violation
that impacted a wetland area next to Interstate 81 in Cumberland County.
A detailed list of incidents related to construction of the pipeline will be available early
next week, and will be updated weekly on the DEP website.
With so much concern about the Mariner East 2 pipeline the public needs to know that
DEP is taking its oversight and regulatory enforcement role seriously, said DEP Secretary
Patrick McDonnell. This project has raised questions about public health and the health of the
environment, and it is important to be transparent about the issues that have arisen over the
course of the construction.
Gov. Wolf has also voiced his concerns for the project, saying I have heard concerns
directly from local legislators, including in-person meetings where they have shared concerns of
their constituents, along with residents who have written and called my office. I have directed
30
DEP to do what they are legally able and feel is appropriate to ensure the operator is held
accountable to addressing these incidents and taking additional steps to prevent similar incidents
from occurring.
In addition to these immediate steps and penalties, DEP has numerous investigations of
incidents underway, and anticipates additional enforcement actions against Sunoco for these
violations, said McDonnell. I want to be clear: this is not the end of the road, but the
beginning, and I want the people of Pennsylvania to know and be confident that DEP is
exercising the fullest extent of our regulatory authority for this project.
Notices of Violation were issued to Sunoco in two of the 17 counties along the pipeline
route for impacts to waters of the commonwealth from inadvertent returns associated with the
horizontal directional drilling (HDD) operations.
Violations involving inadvertent returns refer to incidents in the course of HDD in
which the drilling fluid, a mix of water and bentonite clay used to lubricate the drill bit. The
drilling fluid is non-toxic and is not expected to have any lasting effects on impacted waters of
the Commonwealth.
The permits DEP issued specifically limit the use of additives in drilling fluids to an
approved list that complies with drinking water standards.
All reported inadvertent returns are inspected by DEP or county conservation districts.
As part of the permitting process Sunoco was required and DEP approved a plan for responding
to inadvertent returns.
Additionally, DEP included special conditions in the permits related to how Sunoco
would address inadvertent returns. The permit requires Sunoco to visually monitor the ground
surface along the path of the HDD while drilling operations are occurring.
If an inadvertent return is discovered, then drilling shall immediately cease. DEP has
no evidence at this time that Sunoco has not complied with this permit condition.
Pennsylvania law does not regulate private drinking water well construction or require
private well owners to register their wells. Therefore, there is no comprehensive or reliable
database or resource related to the location or condition of private water wells for DEP to utilize
to protect private water supplies during permitting.
Nonetheless, DEP evaluated potential impacts to private water supplies as part of normal
permit application review process.
For the ME2 permits, DEP included special conditions related to private drinking water
wells that go beyond existing state law requirements.
The permits are among the most stringent DEP has ever issued for this type of
construction activity related to protection of private drinking water wells.
For more information, visit DEPs Mariner East 2 Pipeline webpage.
NewsClips:
Murphy: Mariner East 2 Pipeline Construction Causes Drilling Fluid Spills
DEP Issues Few Violations, 1 Fine For Mariner East 2 Pipeline Spills
Mariner East 2 Pipeline Construction Has Resulted In Dozens Of Spills Documents Show
Crable: Mariner East 2 Pipeline Construction Causes 7 Spills In Lancaster County
DEP Staff Warned Of Dangers To Private Wells From Mariner East 2 Pipeline Construction
Lebanon County Zoning Board Denies Challenge To Mariner East 2 Pipeline
Delaware County Twp Hires Consultant To Do Mariner East 2 Pipeline Risk Analysis
Related Stories:
31
3 Groups Call For Shut Down Of Mariner East 2 Construction Due To Well Contamination
Mariner East 2 Pipeline Construction Results In Another Spill In Delaware County
Delaware County Residents Appeal County Zoning Code Ruling On Mariner East 2 Pipeline
3 Groups Call For Shut Down Of Mariner East 2 Construction Due To Well
Contamination
The Clean Air Council, Mountain Watershed Association, Inc., and the Delaware Riverkeeper
Network Wednesday joined elected officials and impacted residents in calling for Sunoco
Pipeline L.P. to put a halt to drilling operations associated with the construction of the Mariner
East 2 natural gas liquids pipelines.
Sunocos use of horizontal directional drilling has contaminated and clogged wells on the
properties of Chester County families, ultimately driving these families from their homes.
As of Tuesday, Sunoco has drilled into a separate aquifer in Delaware County and a
water well there is being tested for possible contamination.
Private wells have also been damaged in at least two other Pennsylvania regions by
Sunocos drilling.
In a filing with the Environmental Hearing Board, the groups provided documentation of
more than 61 drilling fluid spills that have occurred in less than a two-month period spanning
from late April to mid-June. Construction has been underway since February and remains
ongoing.
Across the state, Sunoco has spilled drilling fluid into exceptional value wetlands,
high-quality trout streams, reservoirs, and groundwater endangering both drinking water supplies
and the environment.
The scope of problems with Sunocos drilling are far greater than the public has been
led to believe and are already threatening public health and safety, said Alex Bomstein, Senior
Litigation Attorney, Clean Air Council. The vast majority of these spills have never been
disclosed to the public, despite being known to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection and Sunoco.
Clean Air Council and partner organizations are prosecuting an ongoing appeal of the
severely deficient water permits that were issued by the Department of Environmental Protection
for the Mariner East 2 project on Feb. 13, 2017.
As part of that appeal, the groups are asking that the Environmental Hearing Board
suspend drilling until it has had an opportunity to complete a full review of the legality of those
permits.
Until drilling can be done safely, Sunoco is putting Pennsylvanians at risk, said Melissa
Marshall, Esq., Community Advocate, Mountain Watershed Association. In their rush to
complete the project, Sunoco began construction without knowing all of the locations of water
wells along the route. Now the entire state is paying the price.
Sunoco is devastating our communities and environment, said Maya van Rossum, the
Delaware Riverkeeper and leader of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network. Each day the stories of
abuse and damage grow. It is troubling that yet again nonprofit organizations and residents have
to take the legal steps necessary to protect our natural resources.
For residents along and near the pipeline route, it is important to get your water tested so
32
you have a baseline for comparison, said Joseph Otis Minott, Esq. Executive Director and Chief
Counsel of Clean Air Council. Be vigilant. If you notice changes in your drinking water or the
streams, lakes, or wetlands you visit, report them to the Department of Environmental Protection
and check with your neighbors, who may be having similar problems. Clean Air Council hosts a
full list of steps to protect yourself and your property on our website.
Questions should be directed to: Katie Edwards, Clean Air Council, by sending email to:
kedwards@cleanair.org or call 215-567-4004 x102.
NewsClips:
Related Stories:
Construction
Sunoco Spills Slurry In Delaware County While Drilling Under Chester Creek for Mariner East
2 Pipeline
Delaware RiverKeeper Files Appeal Of Legal Challenge To Mariner East 2 Pipeline In Chester
County
EHB Again Denies Temporary Supercedeas In Appeal Of Mariner East 2 Pipeline Permits
On July 17, Middletown Township in Delaware County reported to residents that there has been
another bentonite spill at Sunocos Mariner East 2 Pipeline construction site behind Tunbridge
apartments and reportedly reached Chester Creek, according to the Middletown Coalition for
Community Safety.
Middletown Township reported that they had been notified around 4:30 p.m., and the
Department of Environmental Protection had also been notified and was responding to the event.
The Middletown Coalition for Community Safety is disturbed, but not surprised, by
Sunoco's most recent accident involving a spill of drilling fluid in Middletown Township.
In Pennsylvania, Sunoco's previous leaks of drilling fluid have impacted Cumberland,
Berks, Chester and Delaware Counties, the Coalition said.
On May 10, 2017 Sunoco reported a loss of drilling slurry into Chester Creek in
Brookhaven, Delaware County. On June 23, 2017 Sunoco drilled into the aquifer in West
Whiteland, Chester County, impacting the private well water of at least a dozen residences.
These releases and their impacts on the waterways of the Commonwealth and the water
supply of Pennsylvania residents were predicted in advance in Sunoco's own documents to the
Department of Environmental Protection.
DEP was also warned about such impacts by the PA American Water Company, who
33
wrote to the DEP on August 12, 2016 stating "the proposed route of the Sunoco pipeline has the
potential to endanger PAWC's water supplies that are vital to the provision of public water
service to over 12,000 Pennsylvanians."
For these reasons the Middletown Coalition for Community Safety calls upon the
PA-DEP to revoke the prematurely issued water obstruction and encroachment permits. MCCS
also calls upon Middletown Township to support a moratorium on all pipeline construction.
More information is available on the Middletown Coalition for Community Safety
website.
NewsClips:
Related Stories:
Construction
2 Pipeline
Opponents Of Mariner East 2 Pipeline File Lawsuit Against Sunoco To Enforce Delaware
County Twp. Ordinance
Delaware County Residents Appeal County Zoning Code Ruling On Mariner East 2
Pipeline
The six plaintiffs who filed a complaint against Sunoco Pipeline for violation of Middletown
Townships pipeline setback requirements have now filed an appeal to Commonwealth Court.
The appeal follows an Order issued by Delaware County Court Judge Charles Burr on
June 26, which partly sustained Sunocos objections to the lawsuit and dismissed the complaint.
While Judge Burr has not yet written an opinion, he indicated that the plaintiffs had
standing to bring the complaint.
Attorney for the plaintiffs, Michael Bomstein, said, The Court accepted Sunocos
contention that the suit was barred primarily because of a Commonwealth Court decision that
was handed down last year. We believe our complaint has merits, and look forward to presenting
those in Commonwealth Court.
The plaintiffs, known as the Middletown Six, contend that municipalities have the right
to create zoning and land use ordinances that protect their residents by making sure that
hazardous liquids pipelines are placed a sufficient distance away from their homes.
That issue was not raised or decided in the case cited by Judge Burr.
A recent landmark case decided by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania known as
Robinson IV affirmed the right of townships like Middletown to adopt municipal ordinances in
the interest of the health, safety and welfare of their residents.
34
Because Middletown Township has elected not to uphold its own ordinances, the
Middletown Six are seeking to do so.
The Middletown Six are represented by Michael Bomstein of firm Pinnola & Bomstein.
The defendant, Sunoco Pipeline, is represented by attorneys from the firm Duane Morris and by
Edward Lawlor, Jr. and Andrew Reilly of Swartz Campbell.
More information is available on the Middletown Coalition for Community Safety
website and questions should be directed to 484-441-3308.
NewsClips:
Related Stories:
Construction
2 Pipeline
Opponents Of Mariner East 2 Pipeline File Lawsuit Against Sunoco To Enforce Delaware
County Twp. Ordinance
PSU: Treated Fracturing Wastewater May Pollute Area Water Sources For Years
By Jennifer Matthews, Penn State News
Given Pennsylvanias abundant natural resources, its

no surprise that the Commonwealth has become a
mecca for hydraulic fracturing. Researchers,
however, have recently discovered that releasing
millions of gallons of treated hydraulic fracturing
wastewater each year into area surface waters may
have longer-lasting effects than originally thought.
According to the U.S. Energy Information
Administration, hydraulic fracturing accounted for
more than one-half of U.S. oil production and
two-thirds of U.S. gas production in 2015. That
percentage is expected to rise as more states begin to adopt the practice.
Although studies show that hydraulic fracturing does produce less greenhouse emissions
than older technologies like coal, it does come with other environmental concerns. At the top of
that list is the wastewater it produces, which contains a multitude of potentially hazardous
contaminants.
35
In 2015 alone, Pennsylvanias unconventional gas wells produced nearly 1.7 billion
gallons of wastewater. While there are facilities dedicated to treating the wastewater before its
release, they provide only limited treatment, leaving many of the pollutants intact.
[Note: In 2011, DEP adopted a 500 milligrams per liter or less standard based on
drinking water standards related to discharges from any water treatment facility treating
wastewater from drilling operations and a ban on taking drilling wastewater to facilities not
treating to those standards. Obviously, spills and leaks from drilling wastewater impoundments
do happen when contaminated wastewater gets into ground and surface water.
[In 2012, DEP issued a revised General Permit for drilling wastewater processing
facilities also setting tougher water quality standards based on drinking water standards.]
To gain a better understanding of the impact of these contaminants on the environment,
Penn State environmental engineering professor Bill Burgos and his colleagues studied sediment
samples collected from a reservoir in western Pennsylvania.
The study was published in the most recent issue of Environmental Science &
Technology.
There wasn't a water keeper who was sitting in these rivers collecting these samples at a
great continuous clip, so in a way, a lot of information just flowed by, Burgos said. But in
certain reservoirs, where sediments collect over time, there are layers of sediment that are like
rings of a tree; you can look into the sediments and capture time and spatially composite
samples.
The objective of the study was to use the sediments that had built up to reconstruct the
industrial oil and gas activity that was happening during the boom of the Marcellus Shale
development in Pennsylvania, from roughly 2008 to 2015, in order to gain a better understanding
of the historical impact of oil and gas wastewater disposal.
You need a lake or a reservoir that allows sediments to lay down undisturbed in those
layers, said Burgos. The words we use are a 'coherent temporal record.' You only get a
coherent temporal record if it's a lake that continuously accumulates sediments and isn't subject
to a flood or scour.
Xiaofeng Liu, assistant professor of civil engineering, developed a computer model to
reconstruct the layers of sediment in order to identify the best sampling location.
The researchers chose the Conemaugh River Lake in western Pennsylvania. This site
offered high wastewater concentration and low wastewater dilution, as well as a dam-controlled
reservoir.
Once the location was decided, the team began collecting samples.
We inserted a tube in the sediment like you would put a straw in a Slurpee or a slushy,
Burgos said. You put your thumb over the straw, and you pull it out.
In this case, they used agricultural drain pipe, plastic caps and tape, rather than a straw
and a thumb, to collect the sediment samples, which were immediately frozen to preserve the
content and then brought back to the Kappe Environmental Engineering laboratory at Penn State.
Once in the lab, the researchers pushed out the samples like a push-up ice pop, cutting
them into slices.
We split them up into different sections so that we could run different analyses on
them, said Nathaniel Warner, assistant professor of environmental engineering at Penn State
and co-author on the study.
Warner said the researchers, in collaboration with Colorado State University, looked for
36
high radioactivity signatures and measured the pore water and the radioisotopes to determine the
age of the sediments.
They also tested the major mineralogy, particle size and grain size, in an effort to develop
a full profile.
The results determined that the discharge of oil and gas wastewater did impact water
quality and sediment quality on a larger scale than previously thought.
Large quantities of oil and gas wastewater with high loads of chloride, barium, strontium,
radium and organic compounds left high concentrations in the sediments and pore water.
Specifically, two important types of organic contaminants were found: endocrine
disrupting chemicals (nonylphenol ethoxylates) and carcinogens (polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons).
The highest concentrations coincided with sediment layers deposited five to 10 years ago,
during the peak of Marcellus Shale activity.
The isotopes confirm these are unconventional oil and gas wastes, said Burgos. Some
isotope ratios, such as strontium and radium, are rather unique to the Marcellus formation.
A previous study conducted by Warner found that radium levels immediately
downstream from one plant were roughly 200 times greater than in sediments located upstream
of the facilities.
This current study demonstrates that elevated levels were found as far away as 12 miles
downstream from the treatment plants.
These are contaminants that passed through these centralized waste treatment plants, and
they can be transported great distances, Burgos said.
Though the findings show long-term contamination of Pennsylvania watersheds, the
researchers say the effects on the environment and human health are still unknown and difficult
to assess.
It's kind of an unknown, unquantified risk, Burgos said. The thing that you don't know
is the synergistic effect of all of these things together, the combined effect of radium and lead
and surfactants and salt, all together. Does the combined effect of those things ratchet up the
toxicity?
The study did show a significant drop in the amount of contaminants released into surface
waters following the voluntary ban on discharge of Marcellus waste requested by the
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, which began in 2011, suggesting that
tighter regulations of wastewater do help.
The researchers now want to use the materials theyve collected to measure the biological
toxicity of sediment layers throughout time. They also plan to test sediment samples at locations
farther downstream toward Pittsburgh to see how far the contamination has spread and to what
extent.
Maybe they never make it to Pittsburgh, Burgos said. But the thing is, you look at a
map and there are other plants upstream of Pittsburgh on the main stem of the Allegheny River
and there's no reason to suggest that these plants aren't contributing the same thing.
Additional contributors include Luis Castillo Meza, Travis L. Tasker and Thomas J.
Geeza, Penn State Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Patrick J. Drohan, Penn
State Department of Ecosystem Science and Management; Joshua D. Landis, Dartmouth College
Department of Earth Sciences; Jens Blotevogel and Molly McLaughlin, Colorado State
University Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; and Thomas Borch, Colorado
37
State University Department of Soil and Crop Sciences.
The U.S. Geological Survey, the Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment,
the School of Global Environmental Sustainability and Water Center at Colorado State
University, the Fulbright Program in Colombia and the Universidad Pontifica Bolivariana
provided funding for this study.
(Photo: Penn State.)
Jennifer Matthews can be contacted by sending email to: jas6149@engr.psu.edu or calling

814-867-6224.
NewsClips:
Fracking Pollution Stays In Waterways Long After Fracking Is Done
Cusick: Natural Gas Drilling Wastewater Pollution May Linger For Years
Editorial: PSU Proves Drilling Wastewater Can Leave Significant Pollution
Related Story:
PSU: Shale Gas Development Spurring Spread Of Invasive Plants In PA Forests
PSU: Shale Gas Development Spurring Spread Of Invasive Plants In PA Forests
By Jeff Mulhollem, Penn State News
Vast swaths of Pennsylvania forests were clear-cut circa

1900 and regrowth has largely been from local native
plant communities, but a team of researchers in Penn
State's College of Agricultural Sciences has found that
invasive, non-native plants are making significant inroads
with unconventional natural gas development.
The spread of invasive non-native plants could have
long-term negative consequences for the forest ecosystem
in a region where the ubiquitous woods provide timbering
revenue, wildlife habitat and ecotourism, warns team
member Dr. David Mortensen, professor of weed and
applied plant ecology.
In recent years, he and other researchers at the University have been tracking the
ecological impact of hundreds of well pads, access roads and pipelines built to extract gas from
the Marcellus shale.
"Studies have shown that when invasive plants such as Microstegium vimineum
(Japanese stiltgrass) move into an area, it changes the plant community, and native plants tend to
decline," Mortensen said. "Soon we will see a ripple effect in the forest ecosystem that will affect
organisms that depend on the native plants. Ultimately, economic factors such as timber harvests
may be affected, and wildlife and bird communities likely will change."
This most recent Penn State study documents that non-native plants are rapidly invading
Pennsylvania's northern forests and establishes a link between new invasions and shale gas
development activity.
In findings published July 20 in the Journal of Environmental Management, researchers
38
show a direct correlation between the extent of non-native plant invasion and distinct aspects of
shale gas development.
To investigate, researchers conducted invasive plant surveys on and around 127
Marcellus shale gas well pads and adjacent access roads in seven state forest districts in the
Allegheny National Forest.
Study sites were distributed across the Allegheny High Plateau, which is dominated by
mixed-oak and Northern hardwood forests; the Pittsburgh Plateau; and the Ridge and Valley
regions of central Pennsylvania, dominated by mixed-oak forests.
Sixty-one percent of pads had at least one invasive, non-native plant species, and 19
percent of those had three or more species. Reed canary grass, spotted knapweed, creeping
thistle, Japanese stiltgrass and crown vetch were the most common invasives found.
The study provides striking evidence that invasive plant presence on well pads is
correlated with the length of time since pad construction; the number of wells drilled per pad;
invasive plant abundance on adjacent well pad access roads; and the density of roads in the area
of the pad prior to construction.
Using field data from the 127 well pads, researchers created a model to evaluate direct
and indirect relationships between mechanisms and conditions that could account for invasive
plant presence.
Surrounding plant communities were also surveyed on a randomly selected set of 32 well
pads in the study. Non-native plant cover was greater on the disturbed well pad edges than in the
surrounding plant communities.
Researchers found evidence that invasive plants were introduced in gravel delivered to
build pads and roads, and in mud on the tires and undercarriages of trucks traveling those roads,
noted lead researcher Kathryn Barlow, a doctoral degree candidate in ecology.
She pointed out that previous Penn State research demonstrated Japanese stiltgrass seeds
were moved by road-grading equipment on gravel roads in forests.
"Given the fact that, on average, 1,235 one-way truck trips delivering fracturing fluid and
proppant are required to complete an unconventional well, the potential to transport invasive
plant propagules is significant," she said.
Propagules are parts of a plant that can generate a new plant, such as seeds, spores and
roots.
"Material and equipment used for road construction and maintenance can play an
important dispersal role. Road development can create pathways for invasive plant establishment
and spread," Barlow added.
Non-native plant invasion into forests can lead to the demise of native plants in surprising
ways, Mortensen pointed out, referring to a study his lab conducted at the Penn State Deer
Research Center that was published in April 2016. That research demonstrated that white-tailed
deer prefer native plants and seem to avoid eating invasives.
"So if we have Microstegium filling the forest understory and deer are looking for
something to eat since they don't feed much on Microstegium at all the deer clip off any
native plant growth that manages to get through the invasives," he said. "That allows the
invasives to further dominate the plant community.
"As a result, the recruitment of economically important tree species will be curtailed.
This process can be really damaging to the health of the forest in the long run, and even in the
short term."
39
Also involved in the research were Patrick Drohan, associate professor of pedology, and
Kristine Averill, a research associate with Cornell's Weed Ecology and Management Laboratory,
also a former Mortensen lab member.
The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources supported this work.
Jeff Mulhollem can be contacted by sending email to: jjm29@psu.edu or call 814-863-2719.
(Photo: Penn State - Japanese stiltgrass, a common invasive plant in PA.)
NewsClip:
Study: Shale Drilling Spreads Invasive Plants In PA Forests
Related Story:
PSU: Treated Fracturing Wastewater May Pollute Area Water Sources For Years
DEP Accepting Applications For Small Business Energy Efficiency, Pollution Prevention
Grants
The Department of Environmental Protection is now accepting applications for up to $1 million

in funding for its Small Business Advantage Grant Program to help fund energy efficiency and
pollution prevention projects. (formal notice)
The Program is a first-come, first-served grant program that provides up to 50 percent
reimbursement matching grants, up to a maximum of $9,500 for pollution prevention and energy
efficiency projects, and up to a maximum of $7,000 for lighting-only projects.
Eligible projects must save the small business a minimum of $500 and at least 25 percent
annually in energy consumption or pollution related expenses.
An eligible applicant must have 100 or fewer employees, be a for-profit small business
owner and be taxed as a for-profit business located within this Commonwealth. The project to
which the grant will apply must be located within the applicant's Commonwealth facility.
For the first time, the application process will be online through the Department of
Community and Economic Development's electronic single application website. Paper and faxed
applications will no longer be accepted.
For more information, visit DEPs Small Business Advantage Grant Program webpage or
contact DEPs Small Business Ombudsman Office at 717-772-5160 or send email to:
epAdvantageGrant@pa.gov.
Energypath 2017 For Our Future: Carbon Reduction, DeSales University July 27
DeSales University in Center Valley, Lehigh

County will host the Energypath 2017 For
Our Future: Carbon Reduction Conference
on July 27
Energypath is the regions largest
sustainable energy event attracting industry
professionals, policymakers and academia
throughout the region and across the United
States.
40
The goal of Energypath is to increase the knowledge of and passion for sustainable
energy in the leaders of today and tomorrow.
Also being held are pre-conference energy camps will be held July 24-26 with the
conference, an expo and middle and high school science fairs on the following day.
Energypath has something for everyone:
-- Have you ever wanted to learn more about renewable technologies like Solar, Wind,
Geothermal or Biomass Energy?
-- Are you a business owner that would benefit from learning energy efficiency techniques to
save money on energy bills?
-- Are you looking to start an energy business or start a career in the energy industry?
-- Do you have a new hire who needs a crash course in sustainable energy?
Some Conference highlights include--
-- Panel Discussion On Zero Emission Credits: Is Nuclear Power Carbon Neutral?
-- Presentation by Dr. Eric Woodroof, 2017 Climate Data And Market Trends
-- Presentation by Neil Donahue: The Impact Of Greenhouse Gases On Our Climate
For all the details and to register, visit the Energypath 2017 For Our Future: Carbon
Reduction website.
NewsClips:
Pittsburgh Mayor Participates In Climate Roundtable, Will Continue Push On Renewables
Lancaster City Generated 700K Of Greenhouse Gases In 2015, Slightly Under U.S. Average
Op-Ed: Trump Takes The Free-Rider Approach To The Environment
Op-Ed: The Left Is An Obstacle To Climate Action Too
Op-Ed: Environmentalists Ever More Climate-Change Hype
Report: Rick Perrys Draft Study OKs Solar And Wind
EPA Mulls Unions Ideas For A Trump Clean Coal Power Plan
Op-Ed: With U.S. Irrelevant On Climate Under Trump, What Country Will Lead?
Vivint Solar Brings Rooftop Solar To Pittsburgh, Expanding From Philadelphia Area
Vivint Solar, Inc., a leading full-service residential solar

provider, Wednesday announced it has expanded its
residential solar energy systems into Pittsburgh. Vivint
initially expanded into the state through the Philadelphia
area in August 2015.
According to the U.S. Energy Information
Administration, renewable energy accounted for 4
percent of Pennsylvania's net electricity generation in
2015. In mid-2016, Pittsburgh also saw a spike in solar
PV customers, indicating great interest in alternative
renewable energy sources.
"Pittsburgh is an emerging, yet virtually untapped market for solar energy with strong
potential," said David Bywater, CEO of Vivint Solar. "We applaud the efforts and enthusiasm
for renewable energy in the state and look forward to empowering more Pennsylvania residents
41
to make a positive impact on the environment."
Through Vivint Solar, residents will be able to purchase a system from Vivint Solar
outright or finance the purchase with monthly payments through one of the institutions Vivint
Solar has relationships with, or through their preferred lender.
As part of each sale, Vivint Solar designs and installs the system, allowing customers to
enjoy the benefits of affordable, renewable solar energy. Vivint Solar has deep installation
expertise, having completed over 100,000 installations throughout the United States.
Vivint Solar operates in 20 states-- Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida,
Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New
York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia.
For more information, visit Vivint Solars Pennsylvania webpage.
NewsClips:
York College Student Harnesses The Sun To Power Lawn Care Business
Solar Power - Time Could Be Right To Flip The Switch
PSU: Rooftop Concentrating Photovoltaics Win Big Over Silicon In Outdoor Testing
A concentrating photovoltaic system with embedded microtracking can produce over 50 percent
more energy per day than standard silicon solar cells in a head-to-head competition, according to
a team of Penn State University engineers who field tested a prototype unit over two sunny days
last fall.
"Solar cells used to be expensive, but now they're getting really cheap," said Chris
Giebink, Charles K. Etner Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering, Penn State. "As a result,
the solar cell is no longer the dominant cost of the energy it produces. The majority of the cost
increasingly lies in everything else the inverter, installation labor, permitting fees, etc. all
the stuff we used to neglect."
This changing economic landscape has put a premium on high efficiency. In contrast to
silicon solar panels, which currently dominate the market at 15 to 20 percent efficiency,
concentrating photovoltaics focus sunlight onto smaller, but much more efficient solar cells like
those used on satellites, to enable overall efficiencies of 35 to 40 percent.
Current CPV systems are large the size of billboards and have to rotate to track the
sun during the day. These systems work well in open fields with abundant space and lots of
direct sun.
"What we're trying to do is create a high-efficiency CPV system in the form factor of a
traditional silicon solar panel," said Giebink.
To do this, the researchers embed tiny multi-junction solar cells, roughly half a
millimeter square, into a sheet of glass that slides between a pair of plastic lenslet arrays. The
whole arrangement is about two centimeters thick and tracking is done by sliding the sheet of
solar cells laterally between the lenslet array while the panel remains fixed on the roof.
An entire day's worth of tracking requires about one centimeter of movement, which is
practically imperceptible.
"Our goal in these recent experiments was to demonstrate the technical feasibility of such
42
a system," said Giebink. "We put together a prototype with a single microcell and a pair of lenses
that concentrated sunlight more than 600 times, took it outdoors and had it automatically track
the sun over the course of an entire day."
Because the team needed to know exactly how much direct and diffuse sunlight there was
during the test, they set up at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Penn State
where there is a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Surface Radiation
monitoring site.
Graduate students Jared Price and Alex Grede worked together with post-doctoral
researcher Baomin Wang to test the system over two sunny days from dawn to dusk right
alongside a commercial silicon solar cell.
The researchers report appeared July 17 in Nature Energy, that the CPV system reached
30 percent efficiency, in contrast to the 17 percent efficiency of the silicon cell.
All together over the entire day, the CPV system produced 54 percent more energy than
the silicon and could have reached 73 percent if microcell heating from the intense sunlight were
avoided.
According to Giebink, this embedded tracking CPV technology would be perfect for
places with lots of direct sunlight, such as the southwestern U.S. or Australia.
Giebink notes that major challenges still lie ahead in scaling the system to larger areas
and proving that it can operate reliably over the long term, but he remains optimistic.
"With the right engineering, we're looking at a step-change in efficiency that could be
useful in applications ranging from rooftops to electric vehicles really anywhere it's important
to generate a lot of solar power from a limited area."
Other researchers working on this research from Penn State are Jared Price and Alex
Grede, graduate students in electrical engineering, and Baomin Wang, postdoctoral scholar in
electrical engineering, all first authors; Michael Lipski, undergraduate student in electrical
engineering; and Chris Rahn, professor, Greg Brulo, graduate student, and Xiaokun Ma, graduate
student, all in mechanical engineering.
Researchers from other institutions include Brent Fisher and Scott Burroughs, Semprius
Inc.; Kyu-Tae Lee and John A. Rogers, Department of Materials Science and Engineering; and
Junwen He and Ralph G. Nuzzo, Department of Chemistry, all at University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign.
The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy and the National Science Foundation
supported this work.
For more information, Dr. Giebink may be reached at 814-865-2229 or send email to:
ncg2@psu.edu.
NewsClips:
Federal Court Dismisses Legal Challenges To Illinois Zero Emission Credit Program
The Northern Illinois Federal District Court Friday
43
dismissed legal challenges to a Zero Emission Credit Program adopted in Illinois to help keep
that states zero carbon emitting nuclear power plants operating.
The ZEC Program was created under the Illinois Future Energy Jobs Act which also
includes provisions for promoting energy efficiency and increase the use of renewable energy.
From the Courts summary of the case--
The statute grants ZECs to certain qualifying energy-generating facilities. Those
facilities are likely to be two nuclear power plants owned by Exelon in Illinois.
Utilities that sell electricity to consumers must purchase ZECs from the qualifying
power plants, and those utilities will pass the costs of ZECs onto their customers.
The result is money in the coffers of Exelon from the sale of ZECs that will give it a
benefit when pricing its energy in the wholesale market relative to competing energy producers
that do not receive ZEC payments.
Two sets of plaintiffs filed suit to challenge the statute. In one case, the plaintiffs,
Village of Old Mill Creek, Ferrite International Company, Got It Maid, Inc., Nafisca Zotos,
Robert Dillon, Richard Owens, and Robin Hawkins, are delivery services customers of
Commonwealth Edison Company in Illinois.
In the second suit, plaintiff Electric Power Supply Association is a national industry
association for competitive electric power producers, and plaintiffs Calpine Corporation [who
also testified against power subsidies in Pennsylvania], Dynegy Inc., Eastern Generation, LLC,
and NRG Energy, Inc. are independent power producers that operate generators nationwide and
provide wholesale electricity to utilities.
Click Here for a copy of the decision.
In Pennsylvania
On June 5, Exelon announced it would close its Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in
Dauphin County by September 30, 2019, absent needed state policy reforms. A few days before,
Exelon said TMI did not clear the most recent PJM power auction, making it the third time in a
row.
In March, lawmakers formed a Senate-House Nuclear Energy Caucus Co-Chair Sen.
Ryan Aument (R-Lancaster) said was to give members of the General Assembly an opportunity
to become more educated about nuclear energys economic and environmental value and provide
another voice in other important discussions, including electric power reliability, affordability
and safety.
The other Caucus co-chairs are Sen. John Yudichak (D-Luzerne), Rep. Becky Corbin
(R-Chester) and Rep. Rob Matzie (D-Allegheny).
(Photo: Three Mile Island, Dauphin County.)
Related Stories:
Exelon, Illinois OK Bill To Keep Nuclear Plants Open, Expand Renewable, Energy Efficiency
Exelon To Retire Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant In 2019
FirstEnergy CEO Addresses Potential closure Of Nuclear Power Plants In Ohio, PA
PJM: States Should Create Climate Benefit Markets If They Want To Subsidize Nuclear Plants
Op-Ed: Nuclear Energy - A Keystone For Pennsylvanias Economy and Environment
Senate Hearing: Natural Gas Development Has Major Impact On PA Energy Markets
Natural Gas, Oil Square Off Against Nuclear Power Over Potential Bailout In PA
Senate, House Lawmakers Announce Formation Of First Nuclear Energy Caucus
44
Susquehanna Greenways: Winners Of 2017 Photo Contest, Vote On Peoples Choice
Winner
The Susquehanna Greenways Partnership Friday

announced the winners of its 2017 Photo Contest.
You can also vote on who the Peoples Choice
winner will be by going to the Partnerships
Facebook page and voting by July 28.
The winners by category are--
-- Landscape: 1st - John Beatty, Holtwood; 2nd -
Brinkley Sprunt, Winfield; 3rd - Dana Rockwell,
Susquehanna County;
-- River Towns: 1st - Mark Nance, Williamsport;
2nd - Terry Wild, Harrisburg; 3rd - Rita Kurtz, Sunbury;
-- Susquehanna Adventures: 1st - Rita Kurtz, Selinsgrove; 2nd - Debbie Kintner, Meshoppen;
3rd - Pattie Hinkle, Wrightsville;
-- Youth: 1st - Tess Becket, Lancaster; 2nd - Devin DePamphilis, Harrisburg; 3rd - Devin
DePamphilis, Harrisburg.
The Winners will receive a cash prize, will be featured in the August e-Connections
newsletter, and will be printed, framed and added to our traveling Photo Contest Gallery for the
rest of the 2017/2018 fiscal year. Click Here for a list of galleries and the schedule.
For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the Susquehanna
Greenway Partnership website. Click Here to sign up for regular updates from the Partnership or
Like them on Facebook. Click Here to support their work.
(Photo: Youth Category 1st Place Winner Tess Becket, Lancaster.)
Nature-Based Play Area Coming To Coatesville Will Make Outdoor Learning Fun
Brandywine Health Foundation, working

in partnership with Natural Lands and the
City of Coatesville, Chester County has
been selected as a recipient of a $150,000
Building Better Communities grant from
the American Water Charitable Foundation
and the National Recreation and Park
Association.
The grant will support
revitalization of Palmer Park in
Coatesville, one of three communities
nationwide awarded such a grant in 2017.
Community parks like Palmer Park
are vital for connecting children to nature. Providing nature-based play elements in the park,
including opportunities to play in and learn about water, fosters an appreciation for
45
environmental stewardship, while providing opportunities for healthy physical activity.
Word of the Building Better Communities grant came as the City of Coatesville and
Natural Lands launched a planning process to enhance Palmer Park, a 1-acre neighborhood park
located in the citys east end.
The plan, made possible by support from Chester County and Arcelor Mittal, will give
the neighboring community the opportunity to help craft a vision for the future of the park,
which will include a nature and water focused play area, as well as plans for improvements to the
existing playground, basketball courts, and more.
Thanks to the Building Better Communities grant, the City and its partners will have the
opportunity to move immediately into implementing a portion of that vision.
One of the most amazing aspects of this project is how local community members will
be designing, planning and helping recreate Palmer Park as a fun and safe place for kids and for
future generations of families, said Terry Maenza, Director of Communications & External
Affairs at PA American Water, a subsidiary of American Water. We are so proud to partner
with the many individuals and organizations who have come together to work on this initiative,
and our employees are excited to pitch in and lend their support for a project that is sure to make
a positive difference for Coatesville for years to come.
Revitalization of Palmer Park arose as a priority when the City, Natural Lands, and the
Brandywine Health Foundation worked with the community last year to craft Coatesville Parks
2021: An Action Plan for Thriving Parks and Healthy People.
Palmer Park is a well-loved gem in Coatesville with tremendous potential, noted Molly
Morrison, President of Natural Lands. It may be small but it has an outsized role in the lives of
the surrounding community. Thanks to the American Water Charitable Foundation, we now
have the opportunity to plan for and quickly revitalize a portion of the park and provide engaging
nature play, as one part of the overall vision for the park.
I extend my appreciation for Pennsylvania American Water, the Brandywine Health
Foundation and Natural Lands for coming together with the city to improve the quality of life for
our community and for establishing a wonderful working relationship that will last throughout
time, remarked Linda Lavender Norris, City Council Member, 5th Ward Representative.
The Brandywine Health Foundation has always been committed to engaging Coatesville
area citizens and youth in all its work and we look forward to working with the families and
residents surrounding Palmer Park to design and create a beautiful new space in our
community, commented Vanessa Briggs, President and CEO. Our children and families
deserve to have access to appealing and well-managed parks and playgrounds in their
neighborhoods where they can enjoy healthy and safe outdoor activities and build community.
We are honored to partner with the American Water Foundation to help turn our ideas and
designs into a reality.
The other cities receiving Building Better Communities this year were Peoria, IL and
Seaside, CA. The grant is administered by the National Parks and Recreation Association.
NRPA believes every person should have access to parks and recreation for health,
conservation and social equity. Thats why were proud to present these communities with the
Building Better Communities grant, said Lori Robertson, NRPA director of conservation.
Ensuring children and families everywhere have the opportunity to engage in physical activity
and explore the benefits of nature is essential to building healthier, stronger communities and
creating the next generation of environmental stewards.
46
We are excited to give these three communities an opportunity to foster a greater sense
of appreciation for the environment in a fun and engaging way, said Laura Martin, External
Affairs Manager, West Virginia American Water and President of the American Water
Charitable Foundation. The projects will not only benefit the children and families in these
communities, but they will also encourage the continued viability of and appreciation for our
nation's water resources. The Building Better Communities program supports American Waters
core values of community stewardship and environmental sustainability, and aligns with areas of
importance to the companys employees, including child welfare and education.
I want to thank the Brandywine Health Foundation and Natural Lands for their work in
making this project possible. Outdoor areas, public parks, and new recreational opportunities will
play a key role in Coatesvilles ongoing revitalization, state Sen. Andy Dinniman (D-Chester)
said. I look forward to the opening of the new Palmer Park to benefit residents, families, and
children in the Coatesville area for years to come.
Because Paul Palmer was my teacher at the James Adams School in Coatesville, and the
park is named in his honor this project is particularly dear to my heart, Rep. Harry Lewis Jr.
(R-Chester) said. Now, because of the grant, this tribute to him will have an even greater impact
on the children of our community.
For more information about the program, visit the Building Better Communities Program
website.
For more information on programs, initiatives and upcoming events, visit the Natural
Lands website. Click Here to sign up for regular updates from Natural Lands and Like them on
Facebook. Click Here to support their activities.
NewsClips:
Letter From Student Leads To New Playground At Lehigh Parkway Elementary
Op-Ed: Theres A Battle For The Soul Of A Park - Japanese Knotweed
Fish & Boat Commission To Hold Wild Trout Summit Aug. 26 In Bellefonte
The Fish and Boat Commission Monday announced it will host a wild trout summit open to the
public at its Centre County Regional Office, 595 East Rolling Ridge Drive in Bellefonte, on
August 26 beginning at 9:30 a.m.
This is the first time the agency has hosted a meeting to discuss wild trout, said Andy
Shiels, Director of the PFBC Bureau of Fisheries. This will bring agency, academic and Trout
Unlimited experts together to present and discuss the past, present and future of Pennsylvanias
wild trout resources.
Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. The program will start at 10:15 a.m. and conclude at
4 p.m.
Speakers will present information on the history of wild trout management in
Pennsylvania, the Unassessed Wild Trout Waters Initiative, special regulations for wild trout,
and how environmental permit review affects wild trout protection.
In addition, there will be presentations on the potential impacts of climate change, the
PFBCs wild trout stream habitat improvement priorities, the Department of Conservation and
Natural Resources Wild Trout Management Plan, and Implications of Genetics on Wild Trout
Management.
47
New information on several Penn State University trout radio-tracking studies will also
be provided.
Finally, there will a panel discussion at the end of the day to bring the presenters together
for a question and answer session with the attendees.
This will be an informative event and an opportunity for wild trout enthusiasts and
supporters to spend a day learning about a truly unique Commonwealth aquatic resource, added
Shiels.
A tentative agenda can be viewed on the PFBC website.
The Wild Trout Summit is open to the public, but registration is required. Click Here to
register online.
For more information on trout in Pennsylvania, visit the Commissions Trout webpage.
NewsClips:
Schneck: Wild Trout Summit Announced By Fish & Boat Commission
Morelli: PA Spring Bass Fishing Ban Staying Put For Now
Schneck: Rare Paddlefish Caught In Allegheny River
Project Begins To Permanently Remove Dam At Mountain Springs Lake, Luzerne County
The Fish and Boat Commission Wednesday announced Luzerne Countys Mountain Springs
Lake will be closed to public use beginning August 1 as the agency begins the process to
permanently remove the dam.
The PFBC drained the lake in 2012 after state dam-safety inspectors found severe
deficiencies in the dam, which is more than 100 years old.
The PFBC has no plans to rebuild the dam. Agency waterways conservation officers
report the lake receives minimal use, in part because of the difficulty reaching it. The lake is
accessible only by a five-mile, unpaved road through State Game Land 57.
Also, agency biologists have determined that the lake is a poor fishery because of the
acidic water.
The project is expected to last two months, with the property reopened for public use in
October. While the lake will be gone, the property will be open for recreational use such as
hiking.
The 40-acre property is located in Ross Township, Luzerne County, and borders Ricketts
Glen State Park and PA State Game Land 57. It was previously lowered in 1999 by
approximately two feet due to structural concerns with the dam.
For more information on programs, initiatives and upcoming events, visit the Fish and
Boat Commission website.
PA Sea Grant Announces Leadership, Staff Transitions
Pennsylvania Sea Grant College Program, one of 33

National Sea Grant College Programs, is proud to welcome
new staff, and announce leadership transitions.
Pennsylvania Sea Grants team of researchers, educators,
48
and outreach and communications staff are dedicated to promoting the importance of sustainable
coastal and river ecosystems, and ensuring healthy coastal communities and thriving economies.
Pennsylvania Sea Grant offers environmental education and training for students and
adults, invests in cutting-edge watershed research, promotes the protection and restoration of
coastal and river ecosystems, and supports investments in workforce development.
The program, a partnership of Penn State, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is administered by Penn State Erie,
The Behrend College.
Pennsylvania Sea Grant announces the appointment of Ms. Sarah Whitney, as the new
Director. Ms. Whitney follows Dr. Robert Light, senior associate dean for research and outreach
at Penn State Behrend, who founded and led the program from its inception in 1998. Dr. Light
retired from Penn State and the Pennsylvania Sea Grant program on June 30, 2017.
Ms. Sarah Whitney, Director has more than twenty years of experience in the policy,
research, and outreach aspects of natural resource management. Whitney has been with
Pennsylvania Sea Grant for thirteen years, in capacities focused on aquatic invasive species
prevention and watershed planning, as associate director for the Susquehanna River office, which
focuses on improving water quality in the Susquehanna River Basin, and as the extension leader.
Pennsylvania Sea Grant has grown to be a respected leader in Pennsylvania on coastal
and watershed issues, said Ms. Whitney, Director. The staff is highly motivated, and I look
forward to working with them to build on the success and move the program into its next
chapter.
Additional staff changes include the appointment of Mr. Sean Rafferty as Research
Director, Ms. Sara Stahlman as Extension Leader, and the hiring of Ms. Kelly Donaldson as
Communications Lead.
Mr. Sean Rafferty, Research Director has been on the Pennsylvania Sea Grant team for
sixteen years, and now leads the research program, which invests in cutting-edge science to
address ecological challenges.
Rafferty provides expertise and leadership in several key areas, including watershed
monitoring and planning; aquatic biology; geospatial technologies; fisheries science; ecosystem
health; and coastal communities.
Ms. Sara Stahlman, Extension Leader builds on eleven years with Pennsylvania Sea
Grant as a Senior Coastal Outreach Specialist, and now leads the extension program. In this
capacity, she provides statewide leadership and management for Sea Grants outreach efforts,
and continues to conduct outreach in several key areas including water quality, climate change,
fisheries, and invasive species.
Ms. Kelly Donaldson, Communications Lead is the newest staff member to join the
Pennsylvania Sea Grant team. Donaldson promotes programs, engages audiences and
stakeholders, and increases awareness about the need for increased commitment to coastal and
river ecosystems throughout the Commonwealth.
Pennsylvania Sea Grant Promotes the ecological and economic sustainability of
Pennsylvanias coastal resources through the development of science-based research, education,
and extension programs.
These efforts are led by a team of researchers, educators, and outreach and
communications professionals working statewide, with offices located in Erie, Chester, and
Harrisburg.
49
For more information on the program, initiatives and upcoming events, visit the
Pennsylvania Sea Grant College Program website.
(Photo: Pennsylvania Sea Grant has been actively working on projects including stream
corridor restoration, green roofs, ordinance language to implement greening of parking lots and
municipal streets, rain gardens and other stormwater best management practices.)
Governors Advisory Council For Hunting, Fishing And Conservation Seeking Member
The Governors Advisory Council for Hunting, Fishing and Conservation is seeking a qualified
candidate to represent District 2 on the Game Commissions board of directors. District 2
includes the counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Washington,
and Westmoreland.
The district has been represented with distinction by Robert W. Schlemmer of Export,
Westmoreland County.
The Governor is reaching out to the hunting and trapping community in District 2 to
find a diverse group of applicants, one of whom will be nominated by the Governor to fill this
vacancy, said Robb Miller, director of the advisory council. Were encouraging anyone
interested in volunteering to serve on the board to send us a letter of intent and their professional
resume.
Per the Game Code, applicants must be well-informed about wildlife conservation and
restoration and be residents of the district. Commissioners serve a four-year term and may be
reappointed for a maximum of two additional terms. They receive no compensation for their
services but are reimbursed for travel expenses.
Candidates will be interviewed by the advisory council and rated on their responses, as
well as on their professional and volunteer experience with wildlife conservation and related
activities. Gov. Tom Wolf will select the final candidate to be presented to the Senate for
confirmation.
Individuals interested in applying should send a resume and detailed cover letter
explaining their desire to serve to Robb Miller, Governors Advisory Council for Hunting,
Fishing and Conservation, 400 Market St., 7th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101-2301. Individuals
can also email the information to Robb Miller at robmille@pa.gov.
Applications will be accepted until September 15.
Help Wanted: Lancaster Clean Water Partners Director
Lancaster Clean Water Partners, a program of the Conservation Foundation of Lancaster County,
is seeking qualified candidates to fill the position of Lancaster Clean Water Partners Director.
The deadline for applications is August 18.
More than half of Lancaster Countys 1,400 miles of streams are impaired. In 2016, a
working group of concerned public, private and nonprofit sector leaders came together to
coordinate our local efforts and co-create a Common Agenda that results in clean and clear
water. This collaborative effort is now known as Lancaster Clean Water Partners.
LCWPs mission is to coordinate efforts and expand the impact of our partners working
50
to improve the health and viability of our local streams. Our vision is to make Lancaster
Countys streams clean and clear within our generation.
Click Here for all the details.
Help Wanted: DEP Blasting & Explosives Inspector
Department of Environmental Protection has an opening for

qualified candidates for a Blasting and Explosives Inspector in
the Pottsville District Mining Office.
The duties include: inspection of mining sites, implementation
and monitoring of compliance activities for blasting and
surface mining activities in the Reading, Philadelphia, and
Allentown areas.
The employee must also perform duties applicable to the
storage, handling and use of explosive materials used in all
surface applications.
To qualify for the Blasting and Explosives Inspector, applicants must possess a Class A
General blasters license issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and valid
Pennsylvania commercial drivers license with hazardous materials (H) endorsement.
Candidates must have a bachelors degree in engineering or physical sciences from an
accredited university or four years of experience in the handling and use of explosives, including
a minimum of two years as a lead blaster, blasting foreman, or blasting operations supervisor.
This is a civil service position; therefore, the applicant must have taken or will take the
civil service exam to be considered for employment. Pennsylvania residency is required.
Questions about eligibility, application procedures, or other job opportunities should be
referred to the Bureau of Human Resources at 717-783-6220 or send email to:
DEPJobs@pa.gov. Applicants may also apply directly through the PA State Civil Service
Commission.
Click Here to find other employment opportunities currently open with DEP.
[Note: This photo illustrates bad blasting practices.]
Opportunity To Bid On DEP Mine Reclamation Projects In Clarion, Jefferson Counties
The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the July 22 PA Bulletin of the
opportunity to bid on mine reclamation projects in Clarion and Jefferson counties.
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
51
for the list.
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. [Agenda Not Posted] means not posted within 2 weeks
of the advisory committee meeting. Go to the online Calendar webpage for updates.
Note: DEP published its 2017 schedule of advisory committee and board meeting in the
December 17 PA Bulletin, page 7896.
Note: This is still budget season. House and Senate committees can add and cancel meetings
with little notice.
July 22-- PA Resources Council. Household Chemical Collection Event. Consol Energy Park,
Washington County.
July 22-- Clinton County CleanScapes Bald Eagle Creek Cleanup. Bald Eagle Township from
9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
July 22-- Lehigh Valley Greenways Partners 3rd Annual Lehigh Valley Get Outdoors PA
Festival. South Whitehall Townships Covered Bridge Park at the Athletic Fields near 4060
River Road in Allentown. 3:00 to 7:00.
July 22-- PSU Agriculture and Environment Center and Chiques Creek Re-envisioned Penn
State Extension Summer Garden Experience. Southeast Ag Research & Education Center
(SEAREC), 1446 Auction Road, Manheim from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
July 23-- DCNR Learn About Life In A PA CCC Camp. Poe Valley State Park, Centre County.
July 24-- DEP Hearing On Draft NPDES Water Quality Permit for the Brunner Island Power
Station, York County. Union Fire Company, 201 York Street, Manchester. 6:30 to 8:30. Those
who wish to present testimony during the hearing are asked to register in advance by contacting
John Repetz in the Southcentral Regional Office, 717-705-4904 or send email to:
jrepetz@pa.gov. (June 17 PA Bulletin, page 3432)
July 24-25-- Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional Certification Training. City Hall,
Lancaster.
July 25-- DEP Informal Public Conference On Rosebud Mining Companys Application To
Expand Coal Refuse Area. Portage Township Municipal Building, 4109 Portage Street, Portage,
Cambria County. 1:00 to 3:00.
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July 25-- PA Urban & Community Forestry Council TreeVitalize General Overview, Open
Question & Answer Webinar. 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Click Here to join.
July 26-- Agenda Posted. DEP Small Business Compliance Advisory Committee meeting. 12th
Floor Conference Room, Rachel Carson Building. 10:00. DEP Contact: Nancy Herb,
nherb@pa.gov or 717-783-9269.
July 26-- Agenda Posted. DCNR Conservation and Natural Resources Advisory Council
meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson Building. 10:00. Contact: Gretchen Leslie, 717-772-9084
or send email to: gleslie@pa.gov. (formal notice)
-- Outline of Bureau of Forestrys Strategic Planning Process
-- DCNRs Dams - Status And Challenges
-- Pennsylvanias Tourism - Pursue Your Happiness
-- Work Group Reports
July 26-- NEW. DEP Public Conference On Revised Bailey Underground Coal Mine Permit.
Ryerson Station State Park Visitor Center, 361 Bristoria Road, Wind Ridge, Greene County.
1:00 to 3:00.
July 26-- NEW. Westmoreland County Conservation District Workshop On Preventing

Mosquito-Borne Diseases. Westmoreland Conservation Districts J. Roy Houston Conservation
Center, 218 Donohoe Road, Greensburg. 6:30 to 7:30.
July 27-- Small Business Development Centers Technology/Science Funding Workshop.

Villanova University, Falvey Memorial Library Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship
Institute, 800 Lancaster Avenue In Philadelphia. 8:45 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
July 27-- NEW. PA No Till Alliance Annual Field Day. Jeff and Sue Frey, Future View Farm,
12 Radcliff Road in Willow Street, Lancaster County. 8:00 a.m.
July 27-- NEW. Energypath 2017 For Our Future: Carbon Reduction Conference. DeSales
University in Center Valley, Lehigh County.
July 28 and 29-- Wild Excellence Films Cook Forest Film Benefit Premiere. Sawmill Center
for the Arts in Cooksburg, Clarion County. 8:00 p.m.
July 28-30-- Friends of Allegheny Wilderness Hickory Creek Wilderness Trail Stewardship and
Cleanup Weekend. Warren County.
July 29-- PA Resources Council Hard-To-Recycle Collection Event. La Roche College,

McCandless, Allegheny County.
July 29-- 15th Anniversary Quecreek Mine Rescue Community Celebration. Quecreek Mine
Rescue Site, 140 Haupt Road, Somerset. 3:00 to 9:45 p.m.
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August 1-- CANCELED. DEP Environmental Justice Advisory Board meeting. The next
scheduled meeting is November 14. DEP Contact: Carl Jones, caejone@pa.gov or 484-250-5818
or Glenda Davidson 717-=783-4759 or gldavidson@pa.gov. (formal notice)
August 2-- Call-In Added. DEP Aggregate Advisory Board meeting. Hampton Inn, 202
Fairview Drive, Monaca, Beaver County. 10:00. The meeting will also be offered as a
conference call: 1-650-479-3208, Meeting Number: 641 111 084, Password: Geo$cied543. DEP
Contact Daniel Snowden, dsnowden@pa.gov or 717-787-5103. (formal notice)
August 2-- DEP hearing on proposed attainment demonstration for the Warren Nonattainment
Area for Sulfur Dioxide. DEPs Warren Office, 321 North State Street in North Warren starting
at 10:00 a.m. Contact Roma Monteiro to reserve a time to testify-- 717-787-9495 or send email
to: rmonteiro@pa.gov. (formal notice)
August 2-- PA Resources Council Watershed Awareness/Rain Barrel Workshop. Baldwin

Borough Public Library, Allegheny County. 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
August 2-- PSU Agriculture and Environment Center and Chiques Creek Re-envisioned Penn
State Extension Equine Pasture Walk. Elm Ridge Farm, 373 Elm Road, Lititz, Lancaster County.
6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
August 3-- DEP hearing on proposed Air Quality Permit for the installation of additional air
pollution controls to meet RACT II nitrogen oxide reduction requirements at Homer City Power
Plant, Black Lick and Center Townships, Indiana County. Homer-Center High School
Auditorium, 70 Wildcat Lane, Homer City, Indiana County. 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Contact: Alan
Binder, P.E., Environmental Engineer Manager, 412-442-4168. Click Here for more. (formal
notice July 1 PA Bulletin page 3608 and page 3611)
August 3-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission hearing on water withdrawal projects
scheduled for action at the September 7 meeting. PA State Capitol, Room 8E-B East Wing,
Harrisburg. 2:30 to 5:00 p.m. (formal notice and list of projects)
August 3-4-- Delaware Valley Green Building Conference: Climate Change And High
Performance Affordable Housing. Temple University Science Education and Research Center in
Philadelphia.
August 5-- PA Resources Council Backyard Composting Workshop. Baldwin Borough Public
Library, Allegheny County. 10:30.
August 5-6-- Gov. Pinchots Grey Towers 13th Annual Festival of Wood. Grey Towers
National Historic Site in Milford, Pike County.
August 6-- Brodhead Creek Watershed Association River Ramble. East Stroudsburg, Monroe
County.
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August 7-- DEP Climate Change Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson
Building. 10:00. DEP Contact: Mark Brojakowski, mbrojakows@pa.gov or 717-772-3429.
(formal notice)
August 9-- DEP Water Resources Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson
Building. 9:00. DEP Contact: Diane Wilson, 717-787-3730 or diawilson@pa.gov.
August 9-- PSU Agriculture and Environment Center and Chiques Creek Re-envisioned Chiques
Creek Watershed Alliance Chiques Creek Stomp. Mummau Park, 536 West High Street,
Manheim, Lancaster County. 6:00 p.m.
August 12-- PA Resources Council Hard-To-Recycle Collection Event. Century III Mall, West
Mifflin, Allegheny County.
August 12-- Food Guy Adventures, Sustainable Pittsburgh A Taste Of Sustainability: Cultural
District Restaurant Tour. Pittsburgh.
August 12-- Pocono Heritage Land Trust ForEvergeen Nature Preserve 5K Run. Monroe
County.
August 14-- CANCELED. DEP Citizens Advisory Council Field Visit Meeting. Location TBD.
DEP Contact: Lee Ann Murray, Citizens Advisory Council, P. O. Box 8459, Harrisburg, PA
17105-8459, 717-705-2693, LeeMurray@pa.gov.
August 14-- NEW. DEP Hearing On Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Air Quality Permit. Lancaster
Farm and Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Road, Lancaster. 6:30 to 9:30.
August 15-- Environmental Quality Board meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson Building. 9:00.
DEP Contact: Laura Edinger, Environmental Quality Board, 400 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA
17101, 717-772-3277, edinger@pa.gov.
August 15-- DEP Hearing on Proposed Attainment Demonstration for Sulfur Dioxide in the
Beaver Nonattainment Area. DEP Southwest Regional Office, Waterfront A and B Rooms, 500
Waterfront Drive, Pittsburgh. 10:00. Click Here for copies of documents and to provide
comments. DEP Contact: Roma Monteiro at 717-787-9495 or send email to: rmonteiro@pa.gov.
(formal notice)
August 15-17-- NEW. Penn State Ag Progress Days. Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research
Center at Rock Springs, Centre County.
August 16-- NEW. House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee informational meeting on
Chesapeake Bay Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan (Ag Progress Days). Russell E.
Larson Agricultural Research Center, 2710 West Pine Grove Road, Pennsylvania Furnace,
Centre County. 9:30.
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August 16-- SRBC, DEP Water Loss Management Training For Drinking Water Systems:
Fundamentals of Leakage and Pressure Management. SRBC, 4423 N. Front Street, Harrisburg.
8:30 to 3:30.
August 16-- DEP Hearing On Proposed Certification of the States Emission Statement and
Nonattainment New Source Review Program addresses the 2008 Federal Ozone Pollution
Standard. DEP Southwest Regional Office, Waterfront A Conference Room, 400 Waterfront
Drive, Pittsburgh. 1:00. Click Here for copies of documents and to provide comments. DEP
Contact: Roma Monteiro at 717-787-9495 or send email to: rmonteiro@pa.gov. (formal notice)
Standard. DEP Southeast Regional office, Schuylkill River Conference Room, 2 East Main
Street, Norristown. 1:00. Click Here for copies of documents and to provide comments. DEP
August 17-- CANCELED. Oil and Gas Technical Advisory Board meeting. Room 105 Rachel
Carson Building. 10:00. DEP Contact: Todd Wallace 717-783-9438 or send email to:
twallace@pa.gov. (formal notice)
August 17-- PA Grade Crude Development Advisory Council meeting. Location TBD. 1:00.
August 17-- DEP State Board For Certification Of Water And Wastewater Systems Operators
meeting. 10th Floor Conference Room, Rachel Carson Building. 10:00. DEP Contact: Cheri
Sansoni, 717-772-5158 or send email to: csansoni@pa.gov.
Standard. DEP Southcentral Regional Office, Susquehanna Conference Room, 909 Elmerton
Avenue, Harrisburg. 1:00. Click Here for copies of documents and to provide comments. DEP
August 19-- PA Resources Council. Household Chemical Collection Event. Boyce Park,
Allegheny County.
August 23-- Oil and Gas Technical Advisory Board meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson
Building. 10:00. DEP Contact: Todd Wallace 717-783-9438 or send email to: twallace@pa.gov.
(formal notice)
August 26-- NEW. Fish & Boat Commission Wild Trout Summit. Centre County Regional
Office, 595 East Rolling Ridge Drive in Bellefonte, Centre County. 9:30.
August 31-- Penn State Energy & Environmental Sustainability Labs Open House. Nittany Lion
Inn Alumni Lounge in State College, Centre County. 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
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September 5-- DEP Board Of Coal Mine Safety meeting. DEP Cambria Office, 286 Industrial
Park Road, Ebensburg. 10:00. DEP Contact: Allison Gaida, 724-404-3147 or send email to:
agaida@pa.gov.
September 5-- DEP Storage Tank Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson
Building. 10:00. DEP Contact: Dawn Heimbach, 717-772-5599 or send email to:
dheimbach@pa.gov.
September 13-- DEP Laboratory Accreditation Advisory Committee meeting. Room 206,
Bureau of Laboratories Building, 2575 Interstate Drive, Harrisburg. 9:00. DEP Contact: Aaren
Alger, aaalger@pa.gov or 717-346-7200. (formal notice)
September 13-- PA Section of the American Water Works Association. Small Water System
Rates & Finance Workshop. PA American Water, 2736 Ellwood Road in New Castle, Lawrence
County. 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
September 16-- PA Resources Council. Household Chemical Collection Event. South Park,
Allegheny County.
September 19-- Environmental Quality Board meeting. Next scheduled meeting is August 15.
DEP Contact: Laura Edinger, Environmental Quality Board, 400 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA
17101, 717-772-3277, edinger@pa.gov. (formal notice)
September 19-- DEP Citizens Advisory Council meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson Building.
10:00. DEP Contact: Lee Ann Murray, Citizens Advisory Council, P. O. Box 8459, Harrisburg,
PA 17105-8459, 717-705-2693, LeeMurray@pa.gov. (formal notice)
September 21-- DEP Recycling Fund Advisory Committee/Solid Waste Advisory Committee
joint meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson Building. 10:00. DEP Contact: Laura Henry,
lahenry@pa.gov or 717-772-5713.
September 23-26-- Statewide Greenways & Trails Summit. DoubleTree Hotel in Reading,
Berks County.
September 24-26- Registration Open. PA Recreation and Parks Society PA Greenways and
Trails Summit. Reading, Berks County.
October 4-- CANCELED. DEP Low-Level Radioactive Waste Advisory Committee meeting
rescheduled to October 10. DEP Contact: Molly Adams, 717-787-2480, moadams@pa.gov..
October 5-- DCNR Snowmobile and ATV Advisory Council meeting. Promised Land State
Park, 100 Lower Lake Road, Greentown, Pike County. 10:00. DCNR Contact: Jennie Shade,
717-772-9084. (formal notice)
October 5-- PA Section of the American Water Works Association. Small Water System
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Improving Drinking Water Quality Workshop. Lehigh County Authority, 1053 Spruce Street,
Wescosville, Lehigh County. 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
October 7-- PA Resources Council Hard-To-Recycle Collection Event. Settlers Cabin Park,
Allegheny County.
October 10-- DEP Low-Level Radioactive Waste Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105
Rachel Carson Building. 10:00. DEP Contact: Molly Adams, 717-787-2480, moadams@pa.gov.
(formal notice)
October 14-- PA Resources Council. Household Chemical Collection Event. Bradys Run Park,
Beaver County.
October 14-- 2017 Pittsburgh Solar Tour.
November 1-- Oil and Gas Technical Advisory Board meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson
Building. 10:00. DEP Contact: Todd Wallace 717-783-9438 or send email to: twallace@pa.gov.
(formal notice)
November 9-- NEW. Sponsorships Available. PA Resources Council Annual Awards

Celebration. Villanova University Hotel and Conference Center, Philadelphia.
November 14-- DEP Environmental Justice Advisory Board meeting. 16th Floor Conference
Room, Rachel Carson Building. 8:30. DEP Contact: Carl Jones, caejone@pa.gov or
484-250-5818 or Glenda Davidson 717-=783-4759 or gldavidson@pa.gov.
November 16-- CANCELED. Oil and Gas Technical Advisory Board meeting. Room 105
Rachel Carson Building. 10:00. DEP Contact: Todd Wallace 717-783-9438 or send email to:
twallace@pa.gov. (formal notice)
November 16-- PA Grade Crude Development Advisory Council meeting. Location TBD.
1:00.
December 5-7-- National Brownfields Conference - Sustainable Communities Start Here.

LEED-certified David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh.
February 7-10-- PA Association For Sustainable Agriculture Annual Conference. State

College.
Visit DEPs Public Participation Center for public participation opportunities. Click Here to sign
up for DEP News a biweekly newsletter from the Department.
Sign Up For DEPs 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.
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DEP Regulations In Process

Proposed Regulations Open For Comment - DEP webpage
Submit Comments on Proposals Through DEPs eComment System
Proposed Regulations With Closed Comment Periods - DEP webpage
Recently Finalized Regulations - DEP webpage
DEP Regulatory Update - DEP webpage
February 2017 DEP Regulatory Agenda - PA Bulletin, Page 740
DEP Technical Guidance In Process

Draft Technical Guidance Documents - DEP webpage
Technical Guidance Comment Deadlines - DEP webpage
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 2017) - DEP webpage
Other DEP Proposals For Public Review

Other Proposals Open For Public Comment - DEP webpage
Recently Closed Comment Periods For Other Proposals - DEP webpage
Other Proposals Recently Finalized - DEP webpage
DEP Facebook Page DEP Twitter Feed DEP YouTube Channel
Click Here for links to DEPs Advisory Committee webpages.
DEP Calendar of Events DCNR Calendar of Events
Note: The Environmental Education Workshop Calendar is no longer available from the PA
Center for Environmental Education because funding for the Center was eliminated in the FY
2011-12 state budget. The PCEE website was also shutdown, but some content was moved to
the PA Association of Environmental Educators' website.
Senate Committee Schedule House Committee Schedule
You can watch the Senate Floor Session and House Floor Session live online.
Add Green Works In PA To Your Google+ Circle
Grants & Awards

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This section gives you a heads up on upcoming deadlines for awards and grants and other
recognition programs. NEW means new from last week.
July 28-- Natural Lands Growing Greener Communities Award, Montgomery County
July 28-- NEW. Vote On Susquehanna Greenways Peoples Choice Photo Winner
August 4-- NRCS Clinton, Centre, Lycoming Counties Conservation Funding
August 15-- DCNR Wild Resource Conservation Grants
August 15-- DCNR TreeVitalize Tree Planting Grants
August 15-- Foundation For PA Watersheds Convening, Project Grants
August 18-- SBA Flood Disaster Economic Injury Assistance In Northcentral PA
September 1-- American Chestnut Foundation Chestnut Photo Contest
September 5-- SBA Disaster Assistance Nonprofit Economic Injury NC PA
September 7-- PA Parks & Forests Foundation Thru The Seasons Photo Contest
September 15-- CFA Renewable Energy-Geothermal & Wind Funding
September 15-- CFA Solar Energy Program
September 15-- CFA High Performance Building Program
September 30-- DEP Recycling Performance Grants
October 1-- U.S EDA Coal Community Assistance Grants
October 31-- PA Resources Council Lens On Litter Photo Contest
December 1-- NEW. DEP Small Business Advantage Grant Program (First-Come, First-Served)
December 15-- DEP Alternative Fuels Incentive 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.
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, Twitter Feed and add us to your Google+ Circle.
Air
Column: Dont Hold Your Breath For Better Air In Pittsburgh
AP: Maryland Plans Lawsuit Against EPA Over PA, Other Power Plants
Kummer: MD To Sue EPA Over PA Coal-Fired Power Plant Pollution
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Biodiversity/Invasive Species
GOP Targets Endangered Species Act As Protections Lifted
Congressional Republicans Take Aim At Endangered Species Act
Budget
House Speaker Mike Turzais Big Budget Gamble
AP: House To Hold Session Saturday Amid Swirling Budget Disagreements
State Treasurer: Pennsylvania Could Run Out Of Cash
State Treasurer: Budget Mess May Mean Real Trouble Soon
July 8 Letter To General Assembly From State Treasurer, Auditor General
AP: Talks Over PA Budget Deadlock Take Unexpected Turn
Thompson: House GOP Offers New No-Taxes Plan To Raise Revenue
House Dems: House Republicans Holdouts In Budget Stalemate
AP: Budget Deadlock Politics Are First Debate In Governors Race
Chesapeake Bay
Latest From The Chesapeake Bay Journal
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Follow Chesapeake Bay Journal On Twitter
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Climate
Lancaster City Generated 700K Of Greenhouse Gases In 2015, Slightly Under U.S. Average
Op-Ed: Environmentalists Ever More Climate-Change Hype
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Coal Mining
EPCAMR: Expert: Germanys Example Can Guide PA On Coal
Researcher Brings German Coal Experience To Wilkes Presentation
Rising Demand For Coal Lifts Job Confidence
What Can Bring Jobs To Somerset Countys Coal Country?
Op-Ed: Lets Take The Lead In Clean Coal
Clean Energy Is Trouncing Oil, Gas, Coal In Trump Era
EIA: Coal Generation To Likely Exceed Gas In 2017 Due To Gas Price Increases
Delaware River
Drinking Water
Pittsburgh Water Authority: Lead Levels Below EPA Action Level
Pittsburgh Advancing Legislation To Allow Pittsburgh Water Authority To Replace Lead Lines
Letter: Pittsburgh Not In The Clear On Lead In Water Issue
In Memoriam: Dr. Herbert Needleman, Made Discoveries On Lead Poisoning In Children
Corry To Receive Water System Project Loan
$3 Million Grant Targets Lead-Based Paint In Erie County
Philadelphias Building Boom Gives Rise To Another Hidden Lead Risk
Economic Development
Work For Teens At Presque Isle - PA Outdoor Corps
Education
Philadelphia Chester Arthur School Gets Outdoor STEM Classroom
Energy
EPCAMR: Expert: Germanys Example Can Guide PA On Coal
Researcher Brings German Coal Experience To Wilkes Presentation
Op-Ed: Lets Take The Lead In Clean Coal
Op-Ed: Will TMI Closure End In A Meltdown For PAs Electricity Consumers?
Op-Ed: PA Lawmakers Must Keep TMI Open
DOEs Rick Perry: We Aim For Energy Domination
DOEs Perry Touts Energy Exports, Awaits Electric Grid Study
Energy Conservation
Pittsburghs Energy Innovation Center Achieves LEED Platinum Certification
Energy Star Rebates Can Lessen Cost Of Move To Efficient Appliances
Environmental Heritage
New Mural In Marianna Tells Story Of Old Coal Mining Town
Farming/Gardening
Black Urban Gardeners Bring Healing To Homewood
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Flooding
Floods Topple Statue, Trees At Fallingwater
Residents Recall 1977 Johnstown Flood
Forests
Schneck: Towering Forest Cathedral Of Cook Forest
Lancaster Firefighter Joining Battle Against Montana Wildfires
New Kensington Starts Urban Tree Inventory
Crable: Opossums Eat Tons Of Ticks, Help Prevent Lyme Disease
Analysis: Public Lands Bring Big Benefits In Pennsylvania
Geologic Hazards
AP: Fayette County Worker Parking Lot Collapsed Overnight
Green Buildings
Pittsburghs Energy Innovation Center Achieves LEED Platinum Certification
Green Infrastructure
Hazardous Sites/Materials Cleanup
Documents Show U.S. Military Knew Of Foam Dangers
3 Students Treated At Pitts Chevron Science Center After Cyanide Spill
Lake Erie
Tracking Harmful Algae In Erie-Area Waters
Land Conservation
Allegheny Front: Healthy Benefits Of Neighborhood Greenspace
Littering/Illegal Dumping
EPCAMR: Clean Up Centralia For Centralians Past & Present!
Brazen Littering In Wilkes-Barre Leads To Charges
Mine Subsidence
Oil & Gas
Editorial: Permitting & Fracking: PA Needs To Catch Up
Legere: Drilling Companies Want Attorney Generals Royalty Case Tossed
Fracking Pollution Stays In Waterways Long After Fracking Is Done
Cusick: Natural Gas Drilling Wastewater Pollution May Linger For Years
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Editorial: PSU Proves Drilling Wastewater Can Leave Significant Pollution
EPA To Hold Hearing On Drilling Wastewater Well In Plum
Plan For Disposing Of Fracking Wastewater Is Causing Concerns
Carr: Fracking Wastewater Disposal Well May Be Coming To Plum, Allegheny County
Ambridge Residents Worried Shell Pipelines Could Endanger Water Supply
Oil & Gas Jobs In Demand Again, Will Workers Return?
Natural Gas Leak Prompts Evacuation Of Lehigh U Buildings
API Positions Natural Gas As All-Purpose Resource For Electric Grid Reliability
PA Ranks 2nd In Natural Gas Production For 4th Year In A Row
Pittsburgh Gasoline Prices Continue To Fall
Pipelines
Supporters Rally In Tunkhannock For Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline
Kummer: Lancaster Nuns Sue FERC Over Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline, Citing Religious Freedom
Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Opponents To Hold Prayer Vigil For Nuns Going To Court
McKelvey: Catholic Nuns Take Fight Against Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline To Feds
Hearing On Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Eminent Domain Focuses On Timeline, Trees
Kummer: Nuns Protest Gas Pipeline With Last-Ditch Chapel
Landowners Say They Are Deathly Afraid Of Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline
Landowner Accuses Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Of Being On Illogical Path
Op-Ed: Without Eminent Domain, Pipeline Infrastructure Efforts Would Suffer
Morelli: While Other States Go Along, NY Says No To Gas Pipelines
Ambridge Residents Worried Shell Pipelines Could Endanger Water Supply
Natural Gas Pipeline Building Boom Enrages Landowners, Fuels Climate Worries
Volunteers Monitor PA Pipeline Expansion Throughout Trout Country
Months Needed For Additional Study Of Dakota Access Pipeline
U.S. House Votes to Streamline Pipeline Reviews
Public Participation
DEP To Host Hearing On Brunner Island Water Discharge Permit July 24
Radiation Protection
Perry County EMS Cites Need To Form Registry Of Special Clients
Op-Ed: Will TMI Closure End In A Meltdown For PAs Electricity Consumers?
Op-Ed: PA Lawmakers Must Keep TMI Open
Editorial: Put Yucca Mountain To Work
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Recreation
Murphy: How Well Do You Know Your PA State Parks?
Take Five Fridays With Pam, PA Parks & Forests Foundation
Explore The Marvel Of PA Engineering That Is The Kinzua Bridge
Work For Teens At Presque Isle - PA Outdoor Corps
Letter From Student Leads To New Playground At Lehigh Parkway Elementary
EQT Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta Goes All Out For 40th Anniversary
Recycling/Waste
Retailers Turning To Green Products For Back-To-School Season
Cumberland County Collects 17,000 Pounds of E-Waste In 2 Days
Editorial: Recycle, Amend PA Electronics Disposal Law
Why Greasy Pizza Boxes Cant Be Recycled
Slate Belt Sludge Plant Hearing On Hold
Regulations
Renewable Energy
Stormwater
Turnpike Making Progress On Erosion Controls Near McDonald Flooding
Susquehanna River
Birders Enjoy Rare Sighting On Conodoguinet: Roseate Spoonbills
Sustainability
Op-Ed: Reimagining Westmorelands Many Advantages
Wastewater Facilities
Scranton Mayor Releases Legal Bills Of Special Counsel In Sewer Deal
Thousands Of Roaches Crawled Out Of Manhole And Invade Philly Street
Slate Belt Sludge Plant Hearing On Hold
Watershed Protection
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Small Waterways Can Cause Big Problems In Union County
Tracking Harmful Algae In Erie-Area Waters
Latest From The Chesapeake Bay Journal
Click Here to subscribe to the Chesapeake Bay Journal
Follow Chesapeake Bay Journal On Twitter
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West Nile/Zika Virus
Wildlife
Frye: Game Commission Asks Publics Help In Treating Chronic Wasting Disease
Venesky: Game Commission To Use Sharpshooters To Try And Stop Spread Of CWD
Crable: Opossums Eat Tons Of Ticks, Help Prevent Lyme Disease
Coyotes Are Stalking The Philly Main Line, Pet Owners Are Warned
Birders Enjoy Rare Sighting On Conodoguinet: Roseate Spoonbills
Crable: Rare Roseate Spoonbill Sighted In Lancaster County
Morelli: PA Spring Bass Fishing Ban Staying Put For Now
Schneck: Rare Paddlefish Caught In Allegheny River
Schneck: Wild Trout Summit Announced By Fish & Boat Commission
Schneck: Shark Week Guide To Most Dangerous Beaches For PA
Schneck: 17 Species Of Frogs And Toads Are In Pennsylvania
Frye: Amending The PA Constitution To Guarantee The Right To Hunt & Fish
Springfield Township Becomes A Bird Town
Where Have All The Hummingbirds Gone?
Catch The Facts About Lightning Bugs
Federal Policy
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DOEs Rick Perry: We Aim For Energy Domination
Natural Gas Pipeline Building Boom Enrages Landowners, Fuels Climate Worries
U.S. House Votes to Streamline Pipeline Reviews
Editorial: Put Yucca Mountain To Work
Letter: Monarch Butterflies v. Dow Chemical
GOP Targets Endangered Species Act As Protections Lifted
Congressional Republicans Take Aim At Endangered Species Act
Trump To Tap Longtime Coal Lobbyist For EPAs No. 2 Spot
Click Here For This Week's Allegheny Front Radio Program
Regulations, Technical Guidance & Permits
No new regulations were published this week. Pennsylvania Bulletin - July 22, 2017
The Fish and Boat Commission published notice in the July 22 PA Bulletin of additions to the
list of Class A Wild Trout Waters, Wild Trout Stream additions and revisions.
The Fish and Boat Commission published notice in the July 22 PA Bulletin of proposed
additions, revisions and removals from the Wild Trout Streams and proposed changes to the list
of Class A Wild Trout Waters.
Sign Up For DEPs 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.
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
February 2017 DEP Regulatory Agenda - PA Bulletin, Page 740
Technical Guidance & Permits
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Note: DEP published 45 pages of public notices related to proposed and final permit and
approval/disapproval actions in the July 22 PA Bulletin - pages 3995 to 4040.
The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the July 22 PA Bulletin of

proposed significant revisions to the NPDES General Permit covering point source discharges
from the application of pesticides (PAG-15).
The draft PAG-15 General Permit includes the following proposed significant changes in
comparison to the existing PAG-15 General Permit--
-- Annual Report: The existing General Permit requires submission of an annual report to the
Department by January 28th of each year. The draft General Permit would extend the due date to
March 1st. In addition, the Department has revised the annual report template.
-- Coverage: The Department is proposing that after coverage under the General Permit is
authorized, coverage will continue without the need to submit a Notice of Intent (NOI) for
renewal of coverage as long as the permittee complies with the terms and conditions of the
PAG-15 General Permit currently in effect, unless the Department specifically requires the
submission of an NOI in writing.
-- Fee Increase: The existing General Permit NOI fee is $250. The proposed NOI fee for
coverage under the General Permit is $500 per year the permittee operates under the General
Permit. The NOI fee will be paid in installments due at the time the annual report is due, with the
initial fee of $500 submitted with the NOI for permit coverage and an installment of $500 to be
submitted with the annual report, if the permittee does not wish to terminate permit coverage.
A copy of the proposal can be found on DEPs eComment webpage and comments can
be posted to that same page. Comments are due August 21.
DEP published notice in the July 22 PA Bulletin of certification requests under the Nutrient
Credit Trading Program.
The Governors Office published notice in the July 22 PA Bulletin of Executive Orders and
Management Directives now in force.
DEP Technical Guidance In Process

Draft Technical Guidance Documents - DEP webpage
Technical Guidance Comment Deadlines - DEP webpage
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 2017) - DEP webpage
Other DEP Proposals For Public Review

Other Proposals Open For Public Comment - DEP webpage
Recently Closed Comment Periods For Other Proposals - DEP webpage
Other Proposals Recently Finalized - DEP webpage
68
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up for DEP News a biweekly newsletter from the Department.
DEP Facebook Page DEP Twitter Feed DEP YouTube Channel
Click Here for links to DEPs Advisory Committee webpages.
DEP Calendar of Events DCNR Calendar of Events
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PA Environment Digest

An Update On Environmental Issues In Pennsylvania

Winner Of PA Association of Environmental Educators

PA Environment Digest Daily Blog Twitter Feed

Issue #682 Harrisburg, PA July 24, 2017

Ed Wytovich Receives 2017 Mayfly Award From PA Abandoned Mine Reclamation

Ed Wytovich received one of two 2017

By David Hess, Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection at the Time of

On the 15th anniversary of the 2002 Quecreek Mine

(Photos by Commonwealth Media Services and the Department of Environmental Protection.)

This Story Will Be Updated As Weekend Events

PEC To Legislators: Oppose Diversion Of Monies From Local Environmental Project

The PA Environmental Council Friday sent a letter to all

Gov. Tom Wolfs Office Friday announced he will

PA Environment Digest Google+ Circle, Blogs, Twitter Feeds

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

Senate/House Agenda/Session Schedule/Govs Schedule

Committee Meeting Agendas This Week

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

Bills Pending In Key Committees

Bills On Governor's Desk

Senate/House Bills Moving

News From The Capitol

A letter signed by 48 environmental secretaries and commissioners representing 29 states and

Trump Administration Releases New Regulatory & Deregulatory Agenda

The Trump Administration Thursday released its first revised

News From Around The State

DEP Commends Regional Approach To Reduce Stormwater Pollution In Luzerne County

Department of Environmental Protection Secretary

NFWF, William Penn Foundation Award Delaware Watershed Restoration Grants, 6 In

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the William

Keeping drinking water safe the old-fashioned way

With increased interest in planting green and many PA

Conservation Education Among Ag Progress Days Offerings Aug. 15-17

A hay competition, natural resources displays, wildlife

Wolf Announces $75 Million In Water Infrastructure Projects In 20 Counties

Keep PA Beautiful: Do It Yourself Cleanup Toolkit Available To Marinas, Boaters

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful welcomes all Pennsylvania boating

The Philadelphia Eagles Friday announced they will team up with

Save The Date: PA Resources Council Annual Awards Celebration Nov. 9

The PA Resources Council will hold its annual Awards

Learn The Benefits Of Becoming A Certified PA Sustainable Community

The PA Sustainable Community Certification offers a free, online

The Department of Environmental Protection Tuesday

Westmoreland Workshop On Preventing Mosquito-Borne Diseases July 26

The Westmoreland County Conservation District will

Comments Invited On Revised DEP General Permit On Pesticide Application

The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the July 22 PA Bulletin of

Department of Environmental Protection Thursday

Mariner East 2 Pipeline Construction Results In Another Spill In Delaware County

By Jennifer Matthews, Penn State News

Given Pennsylvanias abundant natural resources, its

Jennifer Matthews can be contacted by sending email to: jas6149@engr.psu.edu or calling

PSU: Shale Gas Development Spurring Spread Of Invasive Plants In PA Forests

By Jeff Mulhollem, Penn State News

Vast swaths of Pennsylvania forests were clear-cut circa

The Department of Environmental Protection is now accepting applications for up to $1 million

DeSales University in Center Valley, Lehigh

Vivint Solar, Inc., a leading full-service residential solar

The Northern Illinois Federal District Court Friday

The Susquehanna Greenways Partnership Friday

Brandywine Health Foundation, working

PA Sea Grant Announces Leadership, Staff Transitions

Pennsylvania Sea Grant College Program, one of 33