PA Environment Digest May 7, 2018

Issue #723 Crisci Associates, Harrisburg, PA May 7, 2018
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House Passes Bills Changing Regulation, Permit Process In Ways That Puts Politics Ahead
Of Science, Adds More Bureaucracy
The House Tuesday passed 5 Republican bills

groups like the PA Environmental Council and
Environmental Defense Fund said would threaten
public health and put politics ahead of science and
law in protecting the environment.
The bills passed by a party line vote--
Republicans supporting.
The bills give the General Assembly
authority to kill regulations by doing nothing and
creates new bureaucracies taking permit reviews away from DEP, puts a cap on the number of
regulations, requires the elimination of two regulations for every new one adopted and sets up a
procedure to waive penalties for violations.
The bills include--
-- Killing A Regulation By Doing Nothing: House Bill 1237 (Keefer-R-York) authorizes the
General Assembly to kill an economically significant final regulation from any agency by doing
nothing and not passing a concurrent regulation to approve the regulation. Nothing was changed
in the bill after 30 tries Monday to amended the bill to exempt critical regulations, like those
dealing with environmental protection. (House Fiscal Note and summary.) The House passed
the bill by a vote of 101 to 89.
This legislation is similar to a bill-- Senate Bill 561 (DiSanto-R-Dauphin)-- passed by the
Senate on June 13 by a party-line vote (Republicans supporting) allowing the General Assembly
to kill regulations by doing nothing. The bill is in the House State Government Committee.
-- Taking Permit Reviews Away From DEP, State Agencies Giving It To Third Parties:
House Bill 1959 (Rothman-R-Cumberland) establishes the Pennsylvania Permit Act which
requires agencies to create and develop a navigable online permit tracking system and takes
authority to issue certain permits away from state agencies like DEP and creates a new
bureaucracy of third-party reviewers was amended in minor ways on the House Floor Monday.
(House Fiscal Note and summary.) The House passed the bill by a vote of 112 to 75.
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There was no mention of the fact the General Assembly and Governors have cut DEP
General Fund money going to DEP by 40 percent over the last decade with the resulting loss of
over 25 percent of its staff. Click Here for more.
-- Cap On Number Of Regulations: House Bill 209 (Phillips-Hill-R-York): Establishes the
Independent Office of the Repealer, a new bureaucracy to undertake an ongoing review of
existing regulations; receive and process recommendations; and make recommendations to the
General Assembly, the governor, and executive agencies for repeal. It also places a cap on all
regulations and requires agencies to delete two regulations for every new regulations agencies
seek to adopt. It is modeled after policies adopted by the Trump Administration. None of the
attempts to amend the bill succeeded on Monday. (House Fiscal Note and summary). The House
passed the bill by a vote of 108 to 83.
--Waiving Penalties: House Bill 1960 (Ellis-R-Butler) which requires each agency to appoint a
Regulatory Compliance Officer with the authority to waive fines and penalties if a permit holder
“attempts” to comply was amended twice in minor ways on the House Floor Monday. (House
Fiscal Note and summary.) The House passed the bill by a vote of 116 to 72.
-- Repeal Any Regulation By Resolution: House Bill 1792 (Benninghoff-R-Mifflin) Gives the
General Assembly the ability to repeal any state regulation in effect by a concurrent resolution
by requiring a single vote in the Senate and House. The process is modeled after a federal
procedure used by the Trump Administration to repeal regulations (sponsor summary).
Currently, the General Assembly can repeal any regulation by passing a new law which involves
a more extensive committee review and several votes each by the Senate and House. The bill
was amended in minor ways on the House Floor Monday. (House Fiscal Note and summary.)
The bill was passed by the House by a vote of 105 to 82.
PEC, EDF Comments On The Bills
The PA Environmental Council and Environmental Defense Fund sent a letter sent to all
members of the House Monday opposing the legislation saying--
"(T)his suite of legislation will create greater uncertainty for regulations and permits, and
unduly threaten public health and environmental protections by positioning politics ahead of
science and law.
"While the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and Environmental Defense Fund
welcome open and objective discussion on improving agency and regulatory performance, these
bills fall well short of those considerations.
"The General Assembly already has ample authority to review and act on regulations.
"In our view, the Commonwealth is better served by advancing inclusive, constructive
dialogue on shared goals instead of legislation that will only foster further difficulty and
disagreement.
"For these reasons, we urge you to oppose these bills. We would welcome efforts by the
General Assembly, with full participation by agencies and stakeholders, to establish constructive
discussion and opportunities to better harmonize environmental protection."
The text of the letter follows--
Dear Representatives:
This week the House may vote on a suite of bills – House Bill 209, House Bill 1237,
House Bill 1792, House Bill 1959, and House Bill 1960 – introduced in the name of government
reform.
In truth, this suite of legislation will create greater uncertainty for regulations and
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permits, and unduly threaten public health and environmental protections by positioning politics
ahead of science and law.
While the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and Environmental Defense Fund
welcome open and objective discussion on improving agency and regulatory performance, these
bills fall well short of those considerations.
The General Assembly already has ample authority to review and act on regulations.
In our view, the Commonwealth is better served by advancing inclusive, constructive
dialogue on shared goals instead of legislation that will only foster further difficulty and
disagreement.
Our specific objections to these bills are as follows.
House Bill 209 (P.N. 3162)
This legislation establishes an “Office of the Repealer” whose charge is to provide
independent review of existing regulations and statutes for potential elimination or amendment.
However, this effort is ultimately directed by a committee of only three political appointees.
While we agree that there should always be opportunity to review and improve
regulation, it should be done in a manner that is truly objective and inclusive, and that also seeks
changes that improve public benefit.
As written, House Bill 209 does not meet those principles. Further, at least with respect to
environmental provisions, there are already means to pursue amendment of regulations through
the Environmental Hearing Board. The General Assembly has also shown, through legislation
abrogating proposed rulemaking, that is already has sufficient ability to intercede.
This legislation requires passage of a concurrent resolution in the General Assembly
before any “economically significant regulation” may become effective and implemented. In
short, mere inaction of the General Assembly could negate a rulemaking required pursuant to
existing state or federal statute or regulation.
This is an indefensible change to existing law, which already grants the General
Assembly the ability to stop a rulemaking proposal. It could ultimately subject the regulated
community to federal enforcement, and invite legal challenge on state constitutional grounds.
This legislation prohibits an agency from promulgating new or revised regulations when
a concurrent disapproval resolution has been approved by the General Assembly – but
irrespective of whether that resolution actually become law – unless new statutory authority has
been enacted.
This is a questionable expansion of authority that perversely could inhibit attempts to
improve or even moderate regulations. As we have said, the General Assembly already has
established authority to accomplish the stated outcomes of this legislation.
This legislation contains provisions on permit reporting and transparency. While we fully
support enhanced transparency and the sharing of information on agency activity and
performance, House Bill 1959 contains language that would allow third parties to participate in
permitting decisions without any standards with respect to qualification, preventing self-dealing,
protection of public disclosure and involvement, or intrusion on agency authority.
The framework established by this legislation will only lead to vastly expanded litigation
on permitting decisions. The General Assembly should instead prioritize ensuring that agencies
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have the resources needed to perform their mission and meet the needs of both the public and
regulated community.
This legislation establishes agency regulatory compliance officers. Our concerns with this
legislation is that it provides these individuals with the authority to legally interpret laws or
regulations with respect to compliance, and to establish means that would waive fines or
penalties for self-reported violations of the law without actual assurance that those violations are
remedied.
These decisions, along with others contained in the bill, should be made only be
appropriate authority within the agency.
While we support the concept of improving communications and understanding between
agencies and the regulated community, this legislation oversteps appropriate agency function and
authority.
For these reasons, we urge you to oppose these bills. We would welcome efforts by the
General Assembly, with full participation by agencies and stakeholders, to establish constructive
discussion and opportunities to better harmonize environmental protection.
Thank you for your consideration.
John Walliser
Senior Vice President, Legal & Government Affairs
Pennsylvania Environmental Council
Andrew Williams
Director, Regulatory and Legislative Affairs, U.S. Climate and Energy
Environmental Defense Fund
Click Here for a copy of the letter.
Related Stories:
Proposed Bills Call For Narrowing Grounds For Appealing DEP Permits, Reducing Terms Of
Environmental Hearing Board Judges
PennFuture: Package Of House Republican Bills On Regulations, Permitting Moves Toward
Unprecedented Rollback On Environmental Protection
House Committee OKs Bills Creating New Bureaucracies To Take Permit Reviews Away From
DEP, Waive Penalties, Create Office Of The Repealer, Cap Number of Regulations
House Committee Republicans OK Bill To Kill Regulations By Doing Nothing
Analysis: How Do The Senate, House Use The Tools They Have Now To Review Agency
Regulations?
PA Environmental Council: General Assembly Already Has Ample Authority To Review
Regulations
22 Groups Express Opposition To So-Called Regulatory Reform Bills By House Republicans
House Committee Chair Releases Regulatory Overreach Report, Endorses Bill Authorizing
Repeal Of Regulations By Doing Nothing
Action Required:
Who Will Be PA’s Official State Amphibian? The Eastern Hellbender Or Wehrle’s
Salamander? Time To Weigh In
[Posted: May 1, 2018]
DEP Fines Mariner East 2 Pipeline Additional $355,000 For Violations
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The Department of Environmental Protection Thursday announced it has levied a $355,622
penalty against Sunoco Pipeline LP (Sunoco) for violations of the Clean Streams Law that
occurred during the construction of the Mariner East 2 pipeline between May 3, 2017 and
February 27, 2018.
“No violations are acceptable,” said DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell. “Cleaning up a
spill does not excuse Sunoco, or any other company, from complying with the law or paying an
appropriate penalty.”
Sunoco’s construction activities resulted in an unpermitted discharge of drilling fluids to
wetlands, wild trout streams, and High-Quality Waters at a number of locations in Allegheny,
Blair, Cambria, Cumberland, Dauphin, Huntingdon, Indiana, Lancaster, and Washington
Counties in violation of its permits and the Clean Streams Law.
In each instance, Sunoco was required to halt operations, remediate the impacts, and
submit proposed modifications to its construction methodologies to DEP for approval. Sunoco
was allowed to resume operations only after DEP reviewed and approved Sunoco’s proposed
modifications.
Most of the penalty amount, $337,724, will go to the Clean Water Fund, with the
remainder used to reimburse the county conservation districts in the impacted counties for costs
incurred inspecting the various impacted sites.
This penalty is in addition to the $12.6 million penalty levied against the company in
February and covers separate violations.
DEP established a water quality project grant program with the original penalty funding.
The application period opens May 7 and close June 21.
Additional information, including the Consent Assessment of Civil Penalty and
supporting documents, can be found on DEP’s Mariner East 2 Pipeline webpage.
NewsClips:
Crable: Mariner East 2 Pipeline Fined $355K For Spills In Lancaster, 8 Other Counties
Phillips: DEP Hits Mariner East 2 Pipeline With Another Fine
Mariner East 2 Pipeline Hit With $355K Fine For Clean Streams Violations
Hurdle: Residents, Unions Offer Comments On Mariner East 2 Pipeline Changes
Sunoco Wins Eminent Domain Challenge To Mariner East 2 Pipeline
Maykuth: With Sinkholes Repaired, PUC Allow Mariner East 1 Pipeline To Restart
Legere: Mariner East 1 Pipeline Gets PUC OK To Flow Again
AP: Mariner East 2 Pipeline Fined, Mariner East 1 Pipeline Restarted
Mariner East 1 Pipeline To Reopen, Mariner East 2 Slapped With Another Fine
Hurdle: PUC Safety Officials Recommend Restart Of Mariner East 1 Pipeline
Legere: DEP Halts CNX Pipeline Work In Indiana County Citing Muddy Discharges
PA Emergency Responders, Schools, Townships Among Sunrise Pipeline Grant Recipients
Crable: Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Gives Grants To Lancaster Parks, Libraries, Fire Companies
Luzerne Groups Receiving Grant Money From Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline
ATF Reduces Agents Investigating Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Dynamite Theft
Op-Ed: Mariner East 2 Pipeline Is Safe & Essential
U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Constitution Pipeline Challenge To New York Permit Rejection
Related Stories:
Sen. Dinniman Files Complaint Asking PUC To Halt Mariner East 2 Pipeline Construction
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DEP Establishes New Water Quality Project Grant Program With $12.6 Million Mariner East 2
Pipeline Penalty
Sunoco Mariner East 2 Pipeline Fined $12.6 Million, DEP Allows Construction To Resume
PUC Allows Restart Of Mariner East 1 Pipeline Operations Following Compliance With
Emergency Order
House Republicans Unexpectedly Delay Final Vote On Bill Weakening Standards Protecting
The Environment From Conventional Oil & Gas Drilling
EQB To Consider Significant Increase In Unconventional Oil & Gas Permit Review Fee May 16
Gov. Wolf Backs New Bipartisan Severance Tax, Permit Reform, Minimum Royalty Bills; No
Dedicated Funding For Environmental Programs
Action Required:
Emergency Order
The Public Utility Commission Thursday issued an order allowing Sunoco Pipeline L.P., also
known as Energy Transfer Partners (Sunoco), to reinstate operations of the Mariner East 1
Pipeline (ME1)-- which were suspended as the result of an emergency order issued by the
Commission on March 7, 2018.
The order, which was approved by a 5-0 vote, follows an extensive investigation into
safety concerns raised by the Commission’s independent Bureau of Investigation and
Enforcement (BIE) – which includes the PUC’s Pipeline Safety Section.
The action comes in response to a petition filed by Sunoco to lift the Commission’s
emergency order, which suspended transportation service on ME1 until concerns raised by BIE
were adequately addressed.
In a statement filed by BIE in response to the Sunoco petition, prosecutors note the
investigative work, surveys, analysis and corrective actions that have been planned and
conducted since the March 2018 emergency order-- including review of the data by independent
geological and geophysical experts-- and aver that concerns raised in the emergency order have
been adequately addressed.
The order requires Sunoco to comply with additional conditions as the Company
reinstates service on the ME1 pipeline, including:
-- That Sunoco shall notify the BIE Pipeline Safety Section, affected municipal officials, and
property owners within a 500-foot radius, of any subsidence event or construction variances
occurring within or proximate to the right-of-way of the ME1 pipeline within 12 hours of
discovery, and report to those entities and individuals of all current or intended mitigation efforts
to address the conditions.
-- That Sunoco shall file “post grouting” reports via continued strain gauge and pipeline
elevation monitoring as prescribed in the ARM Group Inc. report with the BIE Pipeline Safety
Section every sixty (60) days commencing with the entry date of this Order for a period of six
months following construction activities.
-- That Sunoco shall immediately notify the BIE Pipeline Safety Section of alternative
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construction methods used in the construction of Mariner East 2 and Mariner East 2X and the
status of any Department of Environmental Protection permitting changes related to those
methods.
-- That Sunoco shall serve all reports required by this Order on the BIE Pipeline Safety Section
for evaluation and monitoring.
Additionally, in a statement before the vote, PUC Chairman Gladys M. Brown thanked
the numerous concerned individuals and organizations who submitted various filings in this case
and noted that avenues are available to bring other pipeline safety issues before the Commission:
“While the specific concerns outlined in the Commission’s Emergency Order have been
remedied, there are still legal vehicles for concerned citizens and entities to have their voices
heard. The individuals and organizations who attempted to intervene in this proceeding may file
their own formal complaint or intervene in an existing complaint which relates to their
concerns.”
Click Here for a copy of the new PUC order.
NewsClips:
Related Stories:
PUC Ratifies Emergency Order Suspending Operations Of Mariner East 1 Pipeline
PUC Orders Shutdown Of Mariner East 1 Pipeline After Sinkholes Expose Bare Pipeline In
Chester County
Sen. Dinniman Files Complaint Asking PUC To Halt Mariner East 2 Pipeline Construction
Action Required:
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House Republicans Unexpectedly Delay Final Vote On Bill Weakening Standards

Protecting The Environment From Conventional Oil & Gas Drilling
House Republicans Wednesday delayed a final vote on House Bill

2154 (Causer-R-Cameron), the Conventional Oil and Gas Act, which
weakens environmental protection standards for conventional oil and
gas drilling and turns back the clock 34 years to the original 1984 Oil
and Gas Act.
Rep. Martin Causer told the House the reason for the delay was to
see if issues could be worked out with those opposing the bill,
including the Department of Environmental Protection.
Prior to the unexpected delay, the bill was on a fast track to be
given a final vote Wednesday after coming out of the House
Environmental Resources and Energy Committee Monday and being
referred into and out of the House Appropriations Committee
Tuesday and Wednesday.
All votes on the bill in the House so far have been overwhelmingly party line with
Republicans supporting.
The House is not scheduled to return to voting session until May 22.
No public hearings have been held on either House Bill 2154 or the identical Senate Bill
1088 by any committees in the House or Senate.
The PA Environmental Council and Environmental Defense Fund Monday wrote to all
members of the House urging them to oppose House Bill 2154 (Causer-R-Cameron) as a
wholesale weakening of necessary environmental protection standards for conventional oil and
gas drilling.
DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell Friday wrote to members of the House Environmental
Resources and Energy Committee expressing the agency’s opposition to House Bill 2154
(Causer-R-Cameron) regulating conventional oil and gas drilling.
Secretary McDonnell said, in part, “As written, the bill presents environmental and public
health risks and loosens current environmental protections to the point, in some cases, of
nullification.”
Comments By PEC, EDF
The PA Environmental Council and Environmental Defense Fund Monday wrote to all
members of the House urging them to oppose House Bill 2154 (Causer-R-Cameron) as a
wholesale weakening of necessary environmental protection standards for conventional oil and
gas drilling.
"It is our position that common-sense, practical solutions exist to address the concerns of
small company operators. However, House Bill 2154 is a wholesale unraveling of protections
that were established with the bipartisan enactment of Act 13 of 2012.
"In fact, this legislation would result in a law even weaker than the 1984 Oil and Gas Act
in several important respects."
The coal industry is also very concerned about House Bill 2154 because the provision on
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the coordination of gas drilling in areas of underground coal mining are inadequate in their view.
The text of the PEC/EDF letter follows--
Dear Representatives:
The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Pennsylvania Environmental Council
(PEC) respectfully submit the following comments on House Bill 2154 (P.N. 3187), which we
anticipate will come before the House on second consideration for a vote this week.
At the start, we wish to express our deep concern over the stated intent for this
legislation. It is our position that common-sense, practical solutions exist to address the concerns
of small company operators.
However, House Bill 2154 is a wholesale unraveling of protections that were established
with the bipartisan enactment of Act 13 of 2012. In fact, this legislation would result in a law
even weaker than the 1984 Oil and Gas Act in several important respects.
Said simply, characterizing House Bill 2154 as a credible plan to protect small businesses
and cut methane emissions from abandoned wells is an obfuscation of the true design of the bill.
If this legislation were to pass, Pennsylvania would have the discreditable distinction of
being the only state to significantly reduce environmental protection related to oil and gas
development in the modern era, walking back decades-old protections and operating standards
that are accepted by both the industry at large and other oil and gas producing states.
House Bill 2154 is Not Based on Actual Risk Assessment
Any potential divergence in protection standards must be based on objective risk
assessment, and consider actual practices and technologies employed at a well site.
Under Act 13 of 2012, and as defined in House Bill 2154, the fundamental distinction
between “conventional” and “unconventional” operations is one based on depth of drilling.
This distinction fails to account for what scale or type of operations are actually
happening at the well site – “conventional” wells can be drilled horizontally and hydraulically
fractured at much shallower formations in closer proximity to groundwater, a fact that House Bill
2154 expressly acknowledges.
As a starting point, any proposal that seeks to create separate rules must be narrowly
tailored to the technologies and practices being used. House Bill 2154 does not accomplish this,
and would only create new problems by relaxing or removing standards irrespective of what is
actually occurring at the well site.
House Bill 2154 Weakens or Removes Fundamental Environmental and Health
Protections
Compared to existing and even prior law, some of the most significant changes in House
Bill 2154 include:
-- Complete removal of the requirement to analyze potential impacts to Public Resources. This
requirement was established in the 1984 law, expanded by Act 13, and validated by the
Pennsylvania courts.
-- Complete removal of the requirement for operators to disclose chemicals used in fracturing.
Disclosure – for both conventional and unconventional operators – is currently required practice
in Pennsylvania as well as in virtually all other jurisdictions in the United States.
-- Removing containment, as well as spill and leak prevention and reporting provisions, despite
the documented fact that conventional sites present threats similar to unconventional operations.
-- Exempting certain existing wastewater treatment facilities from state water protection
requirements [Section 904(h) of the legislation, page 64].
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-- Weakening protections for impacted drinking water supplies, including failure to ensure that,
in all instances, replacement supplies meet the standards of the Safe Drinking Water Act.
[Section 308(a) of the legislation, page 29].
-- Weakening well integrity standards that are critical for groundwater protection [Section 307 of
the legislation, page 27].
-- Preserving woefully inadequate bonding and other financial assurance requirements, which
threaten to leave Pennsylvania on the hook for costly remediation work in the decades to come.
An operator is only required to provide a blanket bond of $25,000 no matter how many wells
they are operating. Remediation costs for an individual well can exceed this amount. While
House Bill 2154 allows, after a five period, for adjustment of this amount via rulemaking, it caps
any increase to no more than $10,000 from the prior amount. [Section 315 of the legislation,
page 44].
Orphaned Wells; Methane Emissions
Supporters of House Bill 2154 have touted provisions in the legislation for plugging of
orphaned and abandoned wells. Conventional operators have commendably taken the initiative to
begin to address this issue – and deserve incentive and support from the state.
But it is important to recognize that House Bill 2154 provides extraordinary limited
advancement for these efforts.
The Commonwealth needs a comprehensive strategy to address its legacy issues, one that
looks to a full suite of initiatives – everything from good Samaritan protections to new and
meaningful funding for innovative and collaborative efforts.
House Bill 2154 does not provide that foundation. In fact, the legislation’s across the
board rollback of protection standards is likely to increase the problem in the years to come.
Conclusion
House Bill 2154 is a wholesale weakening of necessary protection standards; standards
that are already the law in Pennsylvania, and that are accepted common practice in the industry
and other oil and gas producing states. We strongly urge you to oppose this bill.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Andrew Williams
Director, Regulatory and Legislative Affairs, U.S. Climate and Energy
Environmental Defense Fund
John Walliser
Senior Vice President, Legal & Government Affairs
Pennsylvania Environmental Council
Comments By DEP
DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell Friday wrote to members of the House Environmental
Resources and Energy Committee expressing the agency’s opposition to House Bill 2154
(Causer-R-Cameron) regulating conventional oil and gas drilling.
While acknowledging differences between conventional and unconventional drilling,
DEP said, “We cannot allow corners to be cut that could contributed to a legacy of environment
degradation.
“As written, the bill presents environmental and public health risks and loosens current
environmental protections to the point, in some cases, of nullification.
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“Further, contrary to recent rhetoric, the bill does not properly address legacy well
plugging and methane emissions.
“Make no mistake, the primary purpose of this bill is not the elimination of methane, it’s
the elimination of Act 13 of 2012” [that updated environmental protection requirements for all
oil and gas drilling].
“The substantive issues outlined herein are merely a fraction of DEP’s concerns. DEP
believes House Bill 2154 (and Senate Bill 1088) will cause great harm to the environment, and to
the public, and urges members to vote NO on this legislation.”
The text of the DEP letter follows--
The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) acknowledges that the conventional oil and
gas industry, and the unconventional gas industry, present different challenges in many ways to
the environment, and the public health and safety of the citizens of the Commonwealth.
Moreover, DEP acknowledges that the rise of unconventional drilling in Pennsylvania
has significantly impacted the competitiveness of the conventional industry, and that new
creative thinking is necessary so that the industry can remain vital.
However, as we address these challenges, we cannot allow corners to be cut that could
contribute to a legacy of environmental degradation.
In recent years we have made significant progress through collaboration, good
environmental stewardship from the conventional industry, and appropriate regulation.
DEP remains committed to working collaboratively and in good faith to develop
requirements specifically tailored to the conventional oil and gas industry’s operations, but we
have a significant number of substantial concerns with House Bill 2154 (and its Senate
companion, Senate Bill 1088), of which we had very little input.
DEP does not believe these concerns can be resolved within the current bill structure and
opposes the legislation.
As written, the bill represents environmental and public health risks and loosens current
environmental protections to the point, in some cases, of nullification.
For example, the bill promotes well abandonment and improperly well plugging practices
that threaten drinking water supplies; the bill substantially weakens the protection of important
public resources such as parks and public forests; public health and safety is jeopardized by
relaxing casing and cementing standards that protect coal miners; and it lowers standards for
restoring polluted water supplies.
Some other important environmental protection and health and safety standards
weakened by the bill includes spill reporting and clean-up standards, brine treatment standards,
public transparency and DEP’s enforcement authority.
Further, contrary to recent rhetoric, the bill does not properly address legacy well
plugging and methane emissions. The language is ambiguous at best and proposes no new
source of funding to address these issues.
Make no mistake, the primary purpose of this bill is not the elimination of methane, it’s
the elimination of Act 13 of 2012.
The substantive issues outlined herein are merely a fraction of DEP’s concerns. DEP
believes House Bill 2154 (and Senate Bill 1088) will cause great harm to the environment, and to
the public, and urges members to vote NO on this legislation.
DEP welcomes a dialogue on how we can all work together on new legislation that can
move Pennsylvania forward, not backward.
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Respectfully,
Patrick McDonnell, Secretary
(Photo: PA Independent Oil & Gas Association.)
NewsClips:
Cusick: House Panel OKs Bill To Gut Environmental Standards For Conventional Drillers
Legere: House Advances Bill To Ease Rules For Conventional Oil & Gas Drillers
Op-Ed: York County Lawmakers Want To Loosen Fracking Rules
Related Stories:
Republicans On House Committee OK Conventional Drilling Bill To Weaken Environmental
Protections
DEP: Conventional Oil & Gas Bills Will Cause Great Harm To The Environment, Public
PEC, EDF: House Bill 2154 Is A Wholesale Weakening Of Necessary Environmental Standards
For Conventional Oil & Gas Drilling
PennFuture: Package Of House Republican Bills On Regulations, Permitting Moves Toward
Unprecedented Rollback On Environmental Protection
House Committee Meets April 30 To Consider Conventional Drilling Bill Weakening
Environmental Protection Standards For Fracking
Emergency Order
Action Required:
EQB To Consider Significant Increase In Unconventional Oil & Gas Permit Review Fee
May 16
On May 16 the Environmental Quality Board will consider a proposed regulation increasing
permit review fees for unconventional oil and gas drilling by more than two-and-a-half times.
DEP is proposing to increase unconventional well permit fees from $5,000 for
nonvertical unconventional wells or $4,200 for vertical unconventional wells to $12,500 for all
unconventional well permit applications.
“Although unconventional well permit application numbers are down from original
estimates upon which current fees were based, Program obligations and operations remain at
least static every year, but more typically expand annually due to the additional well inventory,
development activity, and the need for guidance and technical tools to stay current.
“In Fiscal Year (FY) 2015-16, permit application fee and Impact Fee revenues totaled
$13.9 million, but costs to run the Program exceeded $21.6 million.
“In FY 2016-17 permit application fee and Impact Fee revenues totaled $15.7 million,
but costs to run the Program exceeded $22 million.
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“The fee/costs differential has been covered by the Well Plugging Fund reserves.
“The Oil and Gas Program projects further increasing costs with declining revenues in
future fiscal years, making the Well Plugging Fund insolvent by FY 2019-2020.
“In response to declining Well Plugging Fund balances, the Oil and Gas Program reduced
staff over the past few years from 226 employees to 190 employees today.
“The Oil and Gas Program also reduced operating costs by 38 percent. Operating
expenses only account for 10 percent of total program costs, therefore any future cost savings
would primarily come from a reduction in staff.
“At the current disparity between fee revenues and expenditures, the Oil and Gas
Program would need to reduce its complement by almost 70 additional positions to make up the
difference.”
DEP provided the EQB with an overview of the financial condition of the Oil and Gas
Program at its April 17 meeting.
In January, Gov. Wolf and DEP also announced a series of initiatives to eliminate well
permit backlogs and streamline the permitting process. A Permitting Reform White Paper
released at that time noted the need to increase permit review fees to $12,500.
DEP also noted in its Executive Summary of the proposal to the Board for this meeting, it
had consulted with the Oil and Gas Technical Advisory Board during three meetings in July and
October of 2017 and February of 2018.
Also on the EQB agenda are proposed updates to Pennsylvania’s regulations governing
surface coal mining operations required by the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation
and Enforcement.
The meeting will be held in Room 105 of the Rachel Carson Building starting at 9:00
a.m.
For more information and available handouts, visit the Environmental Quality Board
webpage. Questions should be directed to: Laura Edinger by calling 717-772-3277 or sending
email to: ledinger@pa.gov.
NewsClips:
AP: Wolf Backs New Natural Gas Severance Tax Bill [Nothing For The Environment]
Wolf, Bipartisan Legislators Proposed Natural Gas Severance Tax
Micek: Is 4th Time The Charm For Wolf On Natural Gas Severance Tax?
Meyer: Permit Disagreements In Severance Tax Argument Still Seem Irreconcilable
Governor, Legislators Unveil Bipartisan Severance Tax Proposal
Gov. Wolf Continues To Push For New Tax On Companies Who Drill For Gas In PA
Sisk: Wolf Again Pitches Severance Tax On Natural Gas
Op-Ed: Just Say No To Wolf’s Latest Severance Tax Push
Editorial: Gov. Wolf, Sen. Killion Pitch Marcellus Shale Tax [Nothing For The Environment]
Related Stories:
Gov. Wolf, DEP Taking Action To Reduce Backlogs, Improve Oversight, Modernize Permit
Process
Emergency Order
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Action Required:
Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward Program Receives Governor’s

Environmental Excellence Award
Penn State Extension's Master Watershed Steward

Program recently received recognition from the state
for its efforts to improve Pennsylvania's water
quality.
The program was a recipient of a Governor's Award
for Environmental Excellence, presented annually by
the Department of Environmental Protection.
The recognition is the highest statewide honor
bestowed upon businesses and organizations for
environmental performance and innovation in
cleaning up watersheds, saving energy, eliminating
pollution, reducing waste and other initiatives.
"On behalf of our college, I applaud the Master Watershed Steward Program and thank
these volunteers for the countless hours they devote to conserving and improving our water and
natural resources," said Rick Roush, dean of Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.
"Today's society and future generations will reap the benefit of their selfless service. This honor
is well deserved."
This year's ceremony took place April 24 in Harrisburg and featured keynote speaker
Patrick McDonnell, Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection, with remarks
from Cindy Adams Dunn, Secretary of the state Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources.
Program Coordinator Erin Frederick, horticulture and natural resources educator with
Penn State Extension, explained that the program strengthens local capacity for management and
protection of watersheds, streams and rivers by training interested individuals in watershed
management.
In return for the training, participants dedicate volunteer time to educate the community
about watershed stewardship based on university research and recommendations.
"Nonpoint source pollution remains the biggest challenge facing surface-water quality in
Pennsylvania," she said. "From stormwater runoff, to acid mine drainage, to nutrients from
farms, nonpoint source pollution runs off hundreds of thousands of individual sites. No number
of government regulators and environmental professionals could possibly accomplish all the
one-on-one outreach, engagement and action needed to make change to so many sites, over so
great an area."
Fortunately, Master Watershed Steward volunteers are there to help to bridge the gap in
time and labor. In 2017 alone, there were 194 Master Watershed Stewards in 12 counties in
14
Pennsylvania.
These volunteers contributed 7,582 volunteer hours, valued at $177,417. In that time,
they educated more than 200,000 people about environmental stewardship through teaching in
111 schools and 115 community events.
In addition, the volunteers monitored 15 streams, constructed five demonstration rain
gardens, planted 915 trees and built 118 rain barrels.
Thirty-four of the volunteers joined local community watershed associations and became
further engaged in local conservation projects. Frederick anticipates that these environmental
impacts will magnify as more volunteers join the program.
"At Penn State Extension, we are very proud to have been selected for this award," she
said. "But we are even prouder of the work accomplished by our devoted and enthusiastic
volunteers. We thank them for building a better tomorrow for all of us."
Frederick said a key strength of the program is collaboration with local and state
organizations, agencies and government, including DEP, Trout Unlimited, DCNR, Stroud Water
Research Center, county conservation districts, PA Environmental Council, Pennsylvania Sea
Grant, and the Watershed Coalition of the Lehigh Valley.
To learn more about the volunteer initiative, visit Penn State Extension's Master
Watershed Steward Program webpage.
(Photo: Davitt Woodwell, President of the PA Environmental Council; Patrick McDonnell,
Secretary of DEP; Rebecca Kennedy, Master Watershed Steward Program; Cindy Adams Dunn,
Secretary of DCNR; and Erin Frederick, coordinator, Master Watershed Steward Program.)
NewsClips:
Penn State Master Watershed Steward Program Receives Governor’s Award
Loyalhanna Watershed Assn Lauded For Children’s Outdoor Education
PA School District Wins Environmental Award For Propane Buses
Pittsburgh Mayor To Celebrate Frick Environmental Center Living Building Certification
Waterways Conservation Officers Receive Awards
Related Stories:
23 Companies, Groups, Individuals Honored With Governor’s Award For Environmental
Excellence
PA Water Companies Honor FERC Commissioner Robert F. Powelson With James McGirr
Kelly Award
Action Required:
(Reprinted from Penn State News.)

PA Water Companies Honor FERC Commissioner Robert F. Powelson With James

McGirr Kelly Award
The National Association of Water Companies PA

Chapter Tuesday recognized Commissioner Robert F.
Powelson of the Federal Energy Regulatory
15
Commission with its James McGirr Kelly Award for Excellence.
The NAWC honored Powelson during its awards luncheon at the Pennsylvania Chapter’s
Annual Meeting in Harrisburg.
The James McGirr Kelly Award for Excellence is the highest honor bestowed by the
NAWC, Pennsylvania Chapter. The industry association presents the award each year to a
resident of Pennsylvania who most exemplifies dedication to promoting the availability of safe
drinking water in the Commonwealth.
“This award reflects our industry’s sincere gratitude to Commissioner Powelson for his
years of dedicated public service and advocacy for policies that promote a healthy environment
and reinvestment in infrastructure to ensure safe and reliable water and wastewater service for all
Pennsylvanians,” said NAWC Pennsylvania Chapter Chairman David Kaufman.
Commissioner Powelson came to FERC from the PA Public Utility Commission, where
he served since June 2008, and led as Chairman from February 24, 2011 - May 7, 2015.
In addition, Powelson is past president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility
Commissioners where he also was a member of the Board of Directors and served as chairman of
the Committee on Water.
During his time at the PUC and NARUC, Powelson became a nationally recognized
leader for encouraging legislators, regulators, and public utilities to adopt “best practices” to
accelerate the replacement and upgrading of utility infrastructure to provide safe and reliable
service.
“Under his leadership at the PUC, Powelson led Pennsylvania to become one of the most
innovative regulatory environments in the country,” Kaufman said. “His support and advocacy
for accelerated infrastructure replacement maintained the water and wastewater industry’s
momentum, unified our efforts to improve quality of life, reinforced our responsibility to care for
our common environment, and created jobs that stimulated the economy.”
“I am extremely honored to receive the James McGirr Kelly Award for Excellence from
the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Association of Water Companies,” Powelson said. “As
the only public utility whose product is ingested, water was always of special importance to me
as a regulator. Pennsylvania has long been seen as an innovative regulatory environment for
utilities, in particular water utilities, and I’m proud to have played a small part in maintaining
and advancing that reputation.”
Past award winners include: 2017 Patti Kay Wisniewski, DEP, 2016 Rep. John A. Maher
(R-Allegheny), Majority Chair of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee,
2014 Rep. Robert Godshall, 2013 Erik A. Ross, long-time advocate for the Association, 2012
former DEP Executive Secretary John Hines, 2011 John Hanger, DEP Secretary, 2010 former
PUC Commissioner Kim Pizzingrilli, 2009 Rep. Bud George, 2008 Rick Rogers, U.S. EPA
Region 3, 2007 Paul K. Marchetti, 2005 Rep. Carole Rubley, 2004 Terrance J. Fitzpatrick,
former Chair PUC, 2003 Fredrick A. Marrocco, DEP, 2002 David E. Hess, DEP Secretary, 2001
John M. Quain, former Chair PUC, 2000 Sen. Raphael J. Musto, 1999 Walter A. Lyon, 1998
Michael D. Klein, 1997 David A. Long, PhD, 1996 Gov. Tom Ridge, 1995 Sen. David J.
Brightbill, 1994 Wendell F. Holland, 1993 William R. Shane, 1992 William R. Lloyd, 1991
Edith D. Stevens, 1990 Dr. Ruth Patrick, 1989 Gov. Robert P. Casey, 1988 Sen. D. Michael
Fisher, 1987 George I. Bloom, 1986 Clifford L. Jones, DER Secretary, 1985 Dr. Maurice K.
Goddard, DER Secretary, and in 1984 Gov. Dick Thornburgh.
The NAWC Pennsylvania Chapter’s Annual Meeting precedes “Drinking Water Week”
16
in Pennsylvania, which begins on May 6, 2018, and featured presentations on water and
wastewater issues by federal and state governmental officials, and panel discussions by industry
executives, and officials from the PUC and Department of Environmental Protection.
(Photo: NAWC-PA Chairman David Kaufman presents James McGirr Kelly Award to honoree
Robert Powelson, commissioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.)
NewsClips:
Related Story:
PUC Highlights Drinking Water Week In PA, Touts Investments In Replacing Aging Facilities,
Lead Lines
Action Required:
Op-Ed: Partnership’s New Tree-tment Helps PA Streams, Streets Tackle Runoff Ills
By Harry Campbell, PA Executive Director, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Larry Herr walks along the stream buffer that will

get more new trees to further restore and protect
Silver Creek as it babbles through 76 acres of the
rolling, forested hills of his Lebanon County, PA,
farm.
The native trees will support natural ecosystems
and provide habitat and food for the brook trout
that Larry Herr cares so much about, as well as
birds, mammals, insects and macroinvertebrates.
More trees added nearby will filter and absorb
runoff from a nearby pasture and Herr’s small
herd of beef cattle.
Larry Herr’s modest stand of 50–75 new trees is one of many important pieces in
Pennsylvania’s pollution reduction puzzle. They are among the 400 trees planted regionally by
the Lebanon Valley Conservancy and the overall total of about 31,000 planted by the Keystone
10 Million Trees Partnership through the end of April.
The new partnership is a statewide effort, coordinated by the Chesapeake Bay
Foundation, to help clean and protect Pennsylvania’s 86,000 miles of rivers and streams. Its goal
is arduous but necessary-- plant 10 million trees along streams, streets and other priority
landscapes by the end of 2025.
In its first week, the collaborative partnership of national, regional, state and local
agencies; conservation organizations; outdoors enthusiasts; businesses; and citizens planted trees
17
at more than 50 sites. Through the years and planting seasons ahead, the partnership is certain to
not only grow, but evolve to suit the changing needs of the landscape — and partners
themselves.
At the moment, roughly 19,000 miles of Pennsylvania’s waters are considered impaired,
and the Commonwealth continues to lag significantly behind in meeting its Bay cleanup goals.
Meanwhile, the Keystone State is to have all practices in its watershed implementation
plans in place by 2025 to meet Bay water quality goal. It missed its interim goal of having 60
percent in place by 2017.
Trees are an important answer.
Streamside trees play a significant role in reducing the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus
and sediment that flows from farmland onto urban and suburban landscapes, harming local
waterways and the Bay.
The partnership is driven by the knowledge that trees are the most cost-effective tools for
filtering and absorbing polluted runoff, stabilizing stream banks and improving soil quality.
But the challenge standing before the partnership is taller than the mightiest native oak.
The number of buffers in Penn’s Woods will have to increase sixfold if the state is to get back on
track toward meeting its pollution-reduction goals.
The Commonwealth’s Clean Water Blueprint calls for roughly 96,000 acres of additional
forested buffers to be planted statewide from 2015 to 2025. Add in urban and suburban tree
plantings, and the number comes to about 10 million trees.
To get the most bang for its river birches and other native trees, the partnership is putting
its emphasis on the five counties in Southcentral Pennsylvania that contribute more than 30
million pounds per year of nitrogen pollution from agriculture to the Chesapeake Bay.
The Partnership can jump-start the Commonwealth’s progress with concentrated
plantings in those counties.
There is no way the Bay Foundation, or any single entity, can expect to plant 10 million
trees on its own. Adding that many trees to Penn’s Woods and changing the tide in Pennsylvania
will take the unprecedented collaboration of many hands, diverse plantings and committed
leadership.
Partners such as conservancies, conservation districts, watershed groups and Trout
Unlimited chapters regularly plant trees by the hundreds. Others, as on Larry Herr’s farm, put
them in by the dozen. Success will require all hands in all areas.
A diverse mapping of planting sites will address sources of harmful runoff that not only
originate on farms, but are significant sources of damage to local waters.
Trees placed in parks, municipal properties and other urban and suburban settings absorb
and clean stormwater, reduce flooding and help restore abandoned mine land.
With so many Pennsylvania partners seeing the planting of trees as a solution-- and
mobilizing to accomplish it-- this is an opportunity for the legislature to elevate its own
commitment of technical and financial support to get the commonwealth back on track.
A proposal to create a Keystone Tree Fund would allow a voluntary checkoff box on
driver’s license applications in Pennsylvania. Contributions would support the state Department
of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Forested Riparian Buffer and TreeVitalize programs.
Local economic benefits cannot be overlooked. Tools and trees like those used on Larry
Herr’s farm come from Pennsylvania businesses. The Partnership’s supply-chain approach to
procurement of supplies and sustained maintenance programs can stabilize the marketplace and
18
create incentives for landowners and partners.
Reducing Pennsylvania’s pollution loads will take many trees and many hands. The
Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership is committed to meeting the challenge.
Clean water for future generations of Pennsylvanians and Bay watershed residents
depends on it.
To learn more, visit the Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership website.
For more on Chesapeake Bay-related issues in Pennsylvania, visit the Chesapeake Bay
Foundation-PA webpage. Click Here to sign up for Pennsylvania updates (bottom of left
column). Click Here to support their work.
Visit DEP’s Pennsylvania’s Chesapeake Bay Plan for more information on how the state
plans to meet its obligations to cleanup our rivers and streams.
(Photo: Larry Herr, Lebanon County.)
Related Stories:
PA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Planning Steering Committee Meets May 17
Penn State Agriculture & Environment Center Quarterly Newsletter Now Available
Tree Pittsburgh Sets Goal To Distribute, Plant 4,000 Trees In 2018
Darby Creek Valley Assn: Making A Difference Through Green Infrastructure May 9, Delaware
County
PA Horticultural Society, Penn State Extension, Tree Pittsburgh Offer Tree Tender Classes
New Statewide Partnership Launches Major Effort to Plant 10 Million Trees To Cleanup
Pennsylvania’s Streams, River
Action Required:
NewsClips:
One Tree Planted, Another 10 Million To Go As PA Initiative Begins
Crable: Bill Would Place Limits On Fertilizer On Lawns, Golf Courses, Schools
Bay Journal: Chesapeake Bay Ag Conservation Programs Await Details Of Federal Farm Bill
Bay Journal: Maryland Orders Exelon To Shoulder Conowingo Dam Pollution Reductions Or
Pay
Volunteers Plant Trees In Dover Twp Conservation Area
500 Trees Planted On Delmar Twp Farm In Tioga County
Businesses For Chesapeake Bay Members Continue To Grow Their Impact
Rare Hellbender Catch Has Scientists Eyeing The Kiski River
Latest From The Chesapeake Bay Journal
Click Here to subscribe to the free Chesapeake Bay Journal
Click Here to support the Chesapeake Bay Journal
Follow Chesapeake Bay Journal On Twitter
Like Chesapeake Bay Journal On Facebook
(Reprinted from the Chesapeake Bay Journal.)

19
The stage is now set for the great salamander

showdown with the introduction Thursday of
House Bill 2328 (Reed-R-Indiana) designating
the Wehrle’s Salamander as the official State
amphibian of Pennsylvania (sponsor
summary).
In November the Senate overwhelmingly
passed Senate Bill 658 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) designating the Eastern Hellbender as Pennsylvania’s
official state amphibian as a symbol of the importance of clean water in the Commonwealth.
Sen. Gene Yaw, Majority Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy
Committee and a member of the interstate Chesapeake Bay Commission, said Hellbenders “are a
natural barometer of water quality and they live where the water is clean,” recalling days as a
youngster catching hellbenders in the local creek.
“If they are surviving in the streams in this area, that is a good sign for the water quality.
Here is nature’s own testing kit for good water quality,” Sen. Yaw added.
Designating the Hellbender as the state’s official amphibian is a project of the
Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Student Leadership Council and they have been working for the
passage of Senate Bill 658 in the Senate and House since it was introduced on May 2 of 2017.
Hellbender Competitor
Shortly after the Senate action in November, House Majority Leader David Reed
(R-Indiana) circulated a co-sponsor memo to colleagues announcing his intention to introduce a
resolution naming the Wehrle’s Salamander as the state’s official amphibian.
Rep. Reed said the salamander was discovered by R. W. Wehrle, a jeweler, businessman,
and naturalist from Indiana, Pennsylvania in 1911. He was known for his submissions of animal
specimens to museums and for providing outdoors experiences for area boys through his Boy’s
Naturalist Club. In 1917, the salamander he discovered was named after him.
Associated Press Poll
The Hellbender/Wehrle Salamander showdown prompted Associated Press reporter Marc
Levy @timelywriter to do a 24-hour poll on Twitter last November pitting the Hellbender
against the Wehrle’s Salamander. The Hellbender won handily with 90 percent of the vote.
House Committee
Both bills are in the House State Government Committee waiting for action. The
decision to move one or both bills is up to the Majority Chair of the Committee.
Here is the contact information for both the Majority and Minority Chairs of the
Committee.
Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler) serves as Majority Chair of the Committee and can be
contacted by calling 717-783-1707 or sending email to: dmetcalf@pahousegop.com. Rep.
Matthew Bradford (D-Montgomery) serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted by calling
717-772-2572 or sending email to: mbradford@pahouse.net.
Which One?
Will the official state amphibian be the rare, large Eastern Hellbender symbol of clean
water or the more common, smaller Wehrle Salamander discovered by Pennsylvania’s R.W.
20
Wehrle?
A scientific source told PA Environment Digest there is a possible compromise to this
Senate-House dilemma.
The Wehrle's Salamander lives primarily on land so let this salamander be
Pennsylvania’s official State Terrestrial Salamander. The Eastern Hellbender lives primarily in
the water so let that be Pennsylvania’s official State Aquatic Salamander.
Everyone wins! And a lot more people know about salamanders in Pennsylvania.
We will await developments…. meanwhile...
Background On Hellbender
Much of what remains of a depleted Hellbender population in Pennsylvania can be found
in waters within the Sen. Yaw’s district, which includes Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan, part of
Susquehanna and Union counties.
The campaign on behalf of North America’s largest salamander is the brainchild of the
Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Student Leadership Council. The students have studied the
Hellbender extensively, wrote the first draft of Senate Bill 658, and are working for its passage.
“It’s about all species that rely on clean water, which essentially encompasses all wildlife
in Pennsylvania, including us,” SLC President Anna Pauletta said of the campaign. “Being able
to speak up for something that doesn’t necessarily have a voice and making impact on their
survivorship through legislation.” She is a senior at Cumberland Valley High School.
“Long-term we are also looking to raise awareness for clean water in general, but within
the legislative process as well, because it’s an issue that is commonly overlooked,” Pauletta
added.
Without help and more clean water, the Eastern Hellbender could disappear.
Hellbenders survive where there is cold, clear, swift-running water. They prefer rocky
streambeds. Their spongelike bodies allow them to squeeze into crevices which they use for
protection and for nesting. The slimy salamanders feed at night, primarily on crayfish.
Folds of wrinkled skin provide a large surface through which they draw most of their
oxygen.
The presence of streamside trees or forested buffers stands out among factors that enable
Hellbenders to survive.
“Forested buffers are one of the most cost-effective practices available for not only
keeping pollutants out of the stream, but also for providing Hellbenders cool, clean water and
habitat to live,” said CBF’s Pennsylvania Executive Director Harry Campbell. “Science tells us
no other practice does so much for so many.”
A lack of forested buffers along Commonwealth waterways allows waters to warm,
polluted runoff to enter rivers and streams, and silt to build up in streambeds. As a result, habitat
has been degraded and hellbender numbers were decimated in streams where they were plentiful
as recently as 1990.
In Pennsylvania, roughly 19,000 miles of rivers and streams are fouled by pollution.
The Senator and the students believe recognizing the Eastern Hellbender as the state
amphibian can encourage more Pennsylvanians to protect it and its environment.
“The idea of promoting the name in and of itself is unique,” Sen. Yaw said. “I think there
are a lot of people in the state that have never heard of this particular creature.”
The Senator notes that the students will benefit in the process as well.
“Even in times of budget crisis and pensions and everything else impacting Pennsylvania,
21
this is something that showed the student sponsors of the bill that their elected officials do,
indeed, listen to them. They had a great idea and I was privileged to present their idea to the
Senate on their behalf,” Sen. Yaw added.
The student effort on behalf of the Hellbender began last summer.
CBF student leaders have installed hellbender nesting boxes in the upper Susquehanna,
and sampled streams for the presence of Hellbender DNA.
They gathered support for the Hellbender designation from conservation groups, and
visited the State University of New York (SUNY) Lab in Buffalo, N.Y. to learn about DNA
testing. They also went to the Buffalo Zoo to see hellbenders up close.
The students are collaborating with Dr. Peter Petokas, noted research associate at the
Clean Water Institute at Lycoming College in Williamsport. Dr. Petokas has studied Hellbenders
for more than 10 years and has captured and microchipped over 3,000 of them.
More information about the campaign for the Eastern hellbender, CBF’s Hellbender
webpage. Click Here to watch a video about hellbenders.
Visit the Fish and Boat Commission Salamanders webpage to learn more about
salamanders in Pennsylvania.
(Photo: Eastern Hellbender, Wehrle’s Salamander.)
NewsClip:
Related Stories:
Lycoming College Crowd-Funding Initiative: Hellbender Conservation Campaign
Lycoming College’s Hellbender Research Helps Advance Senate Bill For First Ever State
Amphibian
Senate Passes Bill To Designate Hellbenders As PA’s State Amphibian And Symbol Of The
Importance Of Clean Water
Sen. Yaw, CBF Student Leaders Support Bill To Save Hellbenders And Clean Water In PA
Report On Delaware Estuary And Basin Cause For Celebration, Concern
The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary

Wednesday released a new report on the health
of the Delaware Estuary and Basin reporting the
watershed is in “fair” condition, reflecting a
mixture of good and bad news.
The Technical Report for the Delaware Estuary
and Basin (TREB) looks at the status and trends
of more than 50 indicators of environmental
health in the region. It uses the best data
available from dozens of experts and authors
from around the region.
The Report demonstrates the complexity of managing a river system that provides
drinking water to more than 15 million people, spanning four states (Delaware, Pennsylvania and
New Jersey, as well as extensions from headwater streams and mountains in New York state),
hundreds of local jurisdictions, and more than 13,000 square miles.
22
It also highlights actions and needs, and the lack of investment in the Delaware River, in
comparison to other major water bodies in the United States.
Using science and data, the TREB tells the story of a resilient and recovering Delaware
River. In recent years some types of pollution have dropped in the Delaware River, there are
lower contamination levels in fish, and oxygen levels are higher.
As a result, fish like striped bass and birds of prey like osprey are now thriving.
“The data in this report, along with relaxation of some fish consumption advisories
released by Delaware and New Jersey recently, show that the hard work over many decades is
having an impact,” Jennifer Adkins, executive director at Partnership for the Delaware Estuary
(PDE), said. “But that we need more of it.”
Although there have been some improvements, there’s still work to do. The TREB also
tells the story of a river system under tremendous stress.
“Some of our most valuable natural resources are the ones in steepest decline – for
example, we’re losing an acre per day of tidal wetlands, which can lead to a snowballing drop in
coastal resilience, water quality and fish that rely on wetlands,” said Dr. Danielle Kreeger, the
PDE’s science director and one of the lead authors of the report.
The TREB provides details of a watershed that continues to lose some of its best natural
defenses against pollution. These include forests, shellfish beds, and wetlands that are critical for
filtering water for fish and wildlife, and for protecting people from floods and storms.
Atlantic sturgeon, which were placed on the federal endangered species list in 2011, are
still endangered.
Freshwater mussel populations continue to decline. Since freshwater mussels are living
water filters, they are like “canaries in a coal mine”-- creatures that are among first to suffer
when pollution levels are higher than they can handle.
The 2017 Technical Report for the Delaware Estuary and Basin is the latest in an ongoing
effort to communicate the “State of the Estuary” in terms of water quality and quantity and a host
of other factors.
It builds on similar reports from 2008 and 2012, as well as the original Comprehensive
Conservation and Management Plan for the Delaware Estuary, published in 1996. The 2017
TREB provides the technical foundation for efforts currently underway to revise that 1996 plan.
Click Here for a copy of the report.
For more information on the programs, initiatives and upcoming events, visit the
Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. Click Here to sign up for regular updates from the
Partnership, Like the Partnership on Facebook, Follow them on Twitter, Join them on Instagram
or Subscribe to their YouTube Channel. Click Here to support the Partnership’s work.
NewsClips:
Philadelphia-Owned Mussel Hatchery Employs Bivalves In Battle To Improve Water Quality
Delaware Rowers See Urban River In A Different Light
A Thirst For Clean Water Flowing From Berks County
May 4 Delaware RiverKeeper RiverWatch Video Report
Related Stories:
Delaware River Basin Commission May 16 Hearing, June 13 Business Meeting
William Penn Foundation Announces $42 Million In New Funding For Delaware River
Watershed Initiative
Action Required:
23
House Resolution Recognizes 125th Anniversary Of State Forest, State Park System
On Thursday Rep. Kate Harper (R-Montgomery)

introduced House Resolution 901 recognizing the
125th Anniversary of the State Forest and State Park
systems.
“This resolution commemorates the
internationally recognized conservation efforts
initiated in the Commonwealth by the General
Assembly and Governor Robert Pattison in 1893, and
the contributions of Gifford Pinchot, Rachel Carson
and many other individuals to promote and preserve
the Commonwealth’s resources in the 125 years since,” said Rep. Harper.
“The first State Forest Reserve was established with the purchase by the Commonwealth
of 7,000 acres in Clinton County at the end of the 19th century. Today, 2.2 million acres of
forestland, in 49 of our 67 counties, are sustainably managed by the Department of Conservation
and Natural Resources.
“Also in 1893, the Commonwealth set aside the hallowed land of Valley Forge, the site
of the third winter encampment of the General George Washington’s Continental Army during
the American Revolutionary War, thereby creating the first State Park in Pennsylvania,”
explained Rep. Harper.
“The Commonwealth presented that Park to the Federal government as a gift for the
nation’s bicentennial in 1976, but 121 other State Parks have been created on nearly 300,000
acres of land in the intervening 125 years since its creation.
“These lands are treasures for our Commonwealth and its people. We hope you will join
us in commemorating the historic anniversaries of the establishment of the programs that have
allowed us to preserve these crucial, beautiful resources,” she said.
The text of House Resolution 901 follows--
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing the 125th anniversary of the State forest system and establishment
of the first State park in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, On May 23, 1893, Governor Robert E. Pattison signed Act No. 68, which
established the Pennsylvania Forestry Commission, and on May 30 of the same year, Governor
Pattison signed Act No. 130, which enabled the Commonwealth to purchase and establish the
first State park at Valley Forge; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Joseph T. Rothrock, the first forestry commissioner, and other visionary
leaders of the Commonwealth understood that forest lands stripped and denigrated by
unsustainable timbering and industrial activity could be restored through modern conservation
practices and careful stewardship; and
24
WHEREAS, The Commonwealth began to establish a State Forest Reserve with the
purchase of 7,500 acres in Clinton County to be used to "furnish timber, protect the water supply
of Young Woman's Creek, and to provide recreation for citizens"; and
WHEREAS, Mira Lloyd Dock, considered to be the mother of forestry in this
Commonwealth, assisted in acquiring the first million acres of the State forest system and
educated future foresters; and
WHEREAS, Governor Gifford Pinchot had the vision to create a network of forestry
work camps that served as a model for the formation of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC);
and
WHEREAS, Governor Pinchot made extensive use of the CCC in reforesting this
Commonwealth and building trails, pavilions, bridges, dams, cabins and other recreational
amenities in our State parks and State forests; and
WHEREAS, The Bureau of State Parks was formed in 1929 for the "purpose of
promoting outdoor recreation and education, and making available for such use natural areas of
unusual scenic beauty, especially such as provide impressive views, waterfalls, gorges, creeks,
caves, or other unique and interesting features"; and
WHEREAS, In 1955, the appointment of Maurice K. Goddard as Secretary of Forests
and Waters led to his proposal for locating a State park within 25 miles of every resident in this
Commonwealth, culminating in the number of State parks nearly doubling; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Goddard spearheaded the passage of Act No. 256 of 1955, known as the
Oil and Gas Lease Fund Act, which earmarked royalties from oil and gas leases from
State-owned lands for conservation and land acquisition; and
WHEREAS, Statutes enacted in the 1960s authorized Project 70 and Project 500 bond
measures that provided funding for parks, forestry, recreational facilities, conservation, land
acquisition, water quality and pollution control; and
WHEREAS, The passage of Act No. 50 of 1993, known as the Keystone Recreation,
Park and Conservation Act, has funded hundreds of State parks and State forest improvement
projects in this Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, From 2009 to 2011, the Bureau of State Parks was awarded the nation's top
honor, the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management, by
the American Academy of Park and Recreation Administration in partnership with the National
Recreation and Park Association; and
WHEREAS, State forests in this Commonwealth are certified as "well-managed" by the
Forest Stewardship Council, assuring consumers from across the globe that wood products are
harvested in an environmentally responsible manner; and
WHEREAS, The recent enactment of the Growing Greener I and II programs has
provided valuable investments in hundreds of State park and State forest projects, including
modernization and improvement of infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, Today, the State forest system is managed by the Department of
Conservation and Natural Resources, whose central location is housed in a building named after
Rachel Carson, a driving force of the national conservation movement in the middle of the 20th
century; and
WHEREAS, Currently, the State forest system is comprised of 121 State parks and
conservation areas in 20 districts with more than 2.2 million acres of forest land located in 48 of
the 67 counties of this Commonwealth; therefore be it
25
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the 125th anniversary of the
State forest system and establishment of the first State park in Pennsylvania.
For more information on state parks and forests and recreation in Pennsylvania, visit
DCNR’s website, Click Here to sign up for the Resource newsletter, Visit the Good Natured
DCNR Blog, Click Here for upcoming events, Click Here to hook up with DCNR on other
social media-- Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.
To learn more about the Commonwealth's conservation heritage, visit the PA
Conservation Heritage Project website.
(Photo: PA Parks & Forests Foundation 2016 People’s Choice Best In Show: Kyle Yates, Cook
Forest State Park.)
Related Stories:
Feature: A Legacy You Can Take Pride In Continuing - 125 Years Of State Parks & Forests, PA
Parks & Forests Foundation
Apply Now For Southern Alleghenies Regional Greenways, Recreation Mini-Grants
DCNR Now Accepting Teens For New Youth Ambassador Program At State Parks, Forests
DCNR Blog: Long-Standing DCNR Advisory Council Seeks New Members For Open Seats
Bay Journal: Retired PA Forester Dan Devlin’s 37-Year Career With Trees Bore Much Fruit
May 2 DCNR Resource Newsletter Now Available
Action Required:
Senate/House Bills Moving Last Week
The following bills of interest saw action last week in the House and Senate--
House
Alternative Ratemaking: House Bill 1782 (Delozier-R-Cumberland) relating to alternative

ratemaking in utilities regulated by the PUC to encourage conservation was referred into and out
of the House Appropriations Committee and was passed by the House. A House Fiscal Note and
summary is available. The bill now goes to the Senate for action.
Killing A Regulation By Doing Nothing: House Bill 1237 (Keefer-R-York) authorizes the
General Assembly to kill an economically significant final regulation from any agency by doing
nothing was not changed after 30 tries to amended the bill to exempt critical regulations, like
those dealing with environmental protection. The House passed the bill and it now goes to the
Senate for action. Click Here for more.
Taking Permit Reviews Away From DEP, State Agencies Giving It To Third Parties: House
Bill 1959 (Rothman-R-Cumberland) Establishes the Pennsylvania Permit Act which requires
agencies to create and develop a navigable online permit tracking system and takes authority to
issue certain permits away from state agencies like DEP and creates a new bureaucracy of
third-party reviewers was amended in minor ways on the House Floor. The House passed the bill
26
and it now goes to the Senate for action. Click Here for more.
Cap On Number Of Regulations: House Bill 209 (Phillips-Hill-R-York): Establishes the

Independent Office of the Repealer, a new bureaucracy to undertake an ongoing review of
existing regulations; receive and process recommendations; and make recommendations to the
General Assembly, the governor, and executive agencies for repeal. It also places a cap on all
regulations and requires agencies to delete two regulations for every new regulations agencies
seek to adopt. It is modeled after policies adopted by the Trump Administration. None of the
attempts to amend the bill succeeded. The House passed the bill and it now goes to the Senate for
action. Click Here for more.
Waiving Penalties: House Bill 1960 (Ellis-R-Butler) which requires each agency to appoint a
Regulatory Compliance Officer with the authority to waive fines and penalties if a permit holder
“attempts” to comply was amended twice in minor ways on the House Floor. The House passed
the bill and it now goes to the Senate for action. Click Here for more.
Repeal Any Regulation By Resolution: House Bill 1792 (Benninghoff-R-Mifflin) Gives the
General Assembly the ability to repeal any state regulation in effect by a concurrent resolution
by requiring a single vote in the Senate and House. The process is modeled after a federal
procedure used by the Trump Administration to repeal regulations (sponsor summary).
Currently, the General Assembly can repeal any regulation by passing a new law which involves
a more extensive committee review and several votes each by the Senate and House. The bill
was amended in minor ways on the House Floor. The House passed the bill and it now goes to
the Senate for action. Click Here for more.
Conventional Drilling: House Bill 2154 (Causer-R-Forest), the Conventional Oil and Gas Act
to regulate conventional drilling operations and weaken environmental protection standards on
fracking based on the original 1984 Oil and Gas Act was reported out of the House
Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, amended on the House Floor related to
coordination of oil and gas drilling and underground coal mining. Other amendments failed to
set a minimum royalty and a natural gas severance tax. The bill was referred into and out of the
House Appropriations Committee and is on the House Calendar for final action. Click Here for
more.
Local Clean Energy Financing: Senate Bill 234 (Blake-D-Lackawanna), Property Assessed
Clean Energy Financing Program, that authorizes local governments to create energy
improvement districts to help fund energy efficiency, renewable energy and water conservation
projects for commercial, agricultural and industrial buildings to reduce their operating costs
(Senate Fiscal Note and summary) was reported out of the House Commerce Committee and is
now on the House Calendar for action.
Drinking Water Week: House Resolution 839 (Carroll-D-Luzerne) designating May 6-12
Drinking Water Week in Pennsylvania was adopted by the House.
Bike To Work: House Resolution 857 (Dean-D-Montgomery) designating May Bike Month and
27
the week of May 14-18 Bike to Work Week was adopted by the House (sponsor summary).
Senate/House Agenda/Session Schedule/Gov’s Schedule/ Bills Introduced
Here are the Senate and House Calendars for the next voting session day and Committees
scheduling action on bills of interest as well as a list of new environmental bills introduced--
Bill Calendars
House (May 22): House Bill 1401 (DiGirolamo-R-Bucks) which amends Title 58 to impose a
sliding scale natural gas severance tax, in addition to the Act 13 drilling impact fee, on natural
gas production (NO money for environmental programs) and includes provisions related to
minimum landowner oil and gas royalties; House Bill 1446 (Quinn-R- Bucks) encouraging
infrastructure for electric and natural gas fueled vehicles; House Bill 1284 (Peifer-R-Pike)
directs DCED to develop a one-stop-shop online permitting portal for business (sponsor
summary); House Bill 2154 (Causer-R-Forest), the Conventional Oil and Gas Act to regulate
conventional drilling operations and weaken environmental protection standards on fracking
based on the original 1984 Oil and Gas Act; House Resolution 284 (Moul-R-Adams) urging
Congress to repeal the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s MS4 Stormwater Pollution
Prevention Program (sponsor summary); Senate Bill 234 (Blake-D-Lackawanna), Property
Assessed Clean Energy Financing Program, that authorizes local governments to create energy
improvement districts to help fund energy efficiency, renewable energy and water conservation
projects for commercial, agricultural and industrial buildings to reduce their operating costs
(Senate Fiscal Note and summary). <> Click Here for full House Bill Calendar.
Senate (May 21): Senate Bill 835 (Dinniman-D-Chester) requiring the registration of land
agents working for pipeline companies (sponsor summary); Senate Bill 930 (Dinniman-D-
Chester) sets notification requirements related to pipeline emergencies (sponsor summary);
Senate Bill 931 (Dinniman-D-Chester) requires the installation of automatic or remote controlled
safety values in natural gas pipelines in densely populated areas; Senate Resolution 104
(Bartolotta-R-Washington) resolution urging the Governor to end the moratorium on new
non-surface disturbance natural gas drilling on state forest land (sponsor summary); House Bill
544 (Moul-R-Adams) further providing for liability protection for landowners opening their land
for public recreation; House Bill 913 providing for the adoption of stormwater fees by
incorporated towns; House Bill 914 providing for the adoption of stormwater fees by boroughs;
House Bill 915 providing for the adoption of stormwater fees by first class townships; and
House Bill 916 providing for the adoption of stormwater fees by Cities of the Third Class.
<> Click Here for full Senate Bill Calendar.
Committee Meeting Agendas This Week
House: [ not in voting session ] <> Click Here for full House Committee Schedule.
Senate: [ not in voting session ] <> Click Here for full Senate Committee Schedule.
28
Bills Pending In Key Committees
Check the PA Environmental Council Bill Tracker for the status and updates on pending state
legislation and regulations that affect environmental and conservation efforts in Pennsylvania.
Bills Introduced
The following bills of interest were introduced last week--
Wehrle’s Salamander: House Bill 2328 (Reed-R-Indiana) designating the Wehrle’s salamander
the official State amphibian of Pennsylvania (sponsor summary).
125th Anniversary: House Resolution 901 (Harper-R-Montgomery) recognizing the 125th

anniversary of the state forest system and the establishment of the first state park in Pennsylvania
(sponsor summary).
Session Schedule
Here is the latest voting session schedule for the Senate and House--
May 21, 22, 23

June 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29
House
May 22, 23
June 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
Governor’s Schedule
Gov. Tom Wolf's work calendar will be posted each Friday and his public schedule for the day
will be posted each morning. Click Here to view Gov. Wolf’s Weekly Calendar and Public
Appearances.
News From The Capitol
House Passes Alternative Ratemaking Bill To Encourage Conservation, Renewable Energy
The House Tuesday passed House Bill 1782 (Delozier-R-Cumberland) authorizing alternative
ratemaking for electric and natural gas distribution companies to encourage energy efficiency
improvements, distributed and renewable energy projects
“It is imperative that our electric grid is safe and reliable,” said Rep Sheryl Delozier.
“Electric utilities invest billions of dollars annually to meet protect the integrity of the
distribution network and improve the delivery system in order to meet everyone’s needs for safe,
affordable and reliable service.
“As customers begin to generate their own electricity through solar and other means, the
29
grid and service must still be maintained,” she said. “My legislation allows electric companies to
change to alternative ratemaking to keep the lights on. Over 30 states have done some form of
alternative ratemaking.”
The bill would allow the Public Utility Commission to approve the use of alternate
ratemaking mechanisms by utilities. This bill does not add to the amount a company is approved
to earn or recover from ratepayers. This continues to be determined by the PUC. It also does not
change the type of costs that may be recovered by a utility through rates.
The bill clarifies the PUC’s authority to approve the use of alternative rate mechanism.
These mechanism could be used to recover capital costs and expenses to provide service as they
do now, and the PUC retains the ability to approve such recovery.
Alternate ratemaking includes decoupling, performance-based rates, formula rates and
multiyear rates. Under the bill, customers must be informed of a utility’s application to deploy
these types of rates.
The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration. A House Fiscal Note and summary is
available.
Related Stories:
House Committee Reports Out Local Clean Energy Financing Bill
House Committee Hears Conflicting Views On Alternative Natural Gas, Electric Ratemaking
Proposal
PUC Issues Proposed Policy Statement On Alternative Ratemaking
FirstEnergy Files Letter With NRC Affirming Plans To Deactivate Beaver Valley, 2 Other
Nuclear Power Plants
PJM Interconnection Announces Next Phase of Grid Resilience Initiative
FirstEnergy: PJM Study Ignores Value Of Nuclear Plants In Zero-Carbon Emissions Generation
Penn State Students Build Portable Solar Boxes To Help Restore Services In Puerto Rico
FirstEnergy Utility Customers Offered $3,000 Rebate On All-Electric Cars By Nissan In PA
Action Required:
The House Commerce Committee Tuesday unanimously reported out Senate Bill 234 (Blake-D-
Lackawanna), Property Assessed Clean Energy Financing Program, that authorizes local
governments to create energy improvement districts to help fund energy efficiency, renewable
energy and water conservation projects for commercial, agricultural and industrial buildings to
reduce their operating costs (Senate Fiscal Note and summary).
The Committee held a hearing on the bill April 19 where Sen. John Blake
(D-Lackawanna) and Sen. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Allegheny), the bipartisan sponsors of the bill,
provided an overview of the commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy Program created by
the legislation.
They noted the C-PACE program overcomes some of the challenges of energy efficiency
financing and does not cost taxpayers a dime noting that financing is coming from private, not
30
public, institutions.
They said the program will create jobs, lower energy costs and increase competitiveness,
all while improving the environment.
The bill now moves to the full House for consideration.
Rep. Brian Ellis (R-Butler), Majority Chair of the Committee, said his intention is to vote
on the bill in Committee on May 1. Rep. Ellis can be contacted at 717-787-7686 or by sending
email to: bellis@pahousegop.com.
Rep. Curtis Thomas (D-Philadelphia) serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted at
717-787-9471 or by sending email to: cthomas@pahouse.net.
NewsClips:
98% Of New U.S. Electrical Generation In Jan, Feb Came From Wind, Solar
Production Cost Of Renewable Energy Now Lower Than Fossil Fuels
Crable: Are Nuclear Power Plants Needed For Long-Term Grid Security?
Illinois Energy Law Revives Renewables While Aiding Nuclear
Related Stories:
House Committee Holds Hearing On Bipartisan Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy
Financing Program
Action Required:
Gov. Wolf Backs New Bipartisan Severance Tax, Permit Reform, Minimum Royalty Bills;
No Dedicated Funding For Environmental Programs
Gov. Tom Wolf Monday announced he is backing

new bipartisan legislation establishing a natural gas
production severance tax and addressing oil and gas
permitting reforms and minimum royalty payments
to oil and gas leaseholders.
The legislation-- Senate Bill 1000 (Click Here for a
copy of the language) and House Bill 2253-- was
announced with prime sponsors Sen. John Yudichak
(D-Luzerne), Minority Chair of the Senate
Environmental Resources and Energy Committee,
Sen. Tom Killion (R-Delaware), Rep. Jake Wheatley
31
(D-Allegheny) and Rep. Bernie O’Neill (R-Bucks).
The proposed tax would raise an estimated $248.7 million next fiscal year and would
hold harmless revenues from the existing Act 13 drilling impact fee at $200 million annually and
the remainder would go to the General Fund.
There is no dedicated funding for environmental programs.
The well permitting changes would include those proposed in a permitting reform white
paper issued in January by DEP-- authorizing permitting of multiple wells on one pad with one
application, allow adjustments to the well bore location by up to 50 feet without permit
amendments and eliminate the requirement a well be constructed in one year and replace it with
a 3-year term.
“Since day one of my term as governor, I have fought to enact a reasonable severance tax
that would give Pennsylvanians their fair share of the energy boom that is powered by resources
that belong to all of us,” said Gov.Wolf. “I, along with this bipartisan coalition, am here to call
on the House and Senate to pass these bills and get them to my desk so that they can become law
and Pennsylvanians can begin to get the benefits that other states have had for years.”
“The measured severance tax and responsible permitting reforms, embodied in Senate
Bill 1000, is fair to taxpayers and unleashes the full potential of the natural gas industry to create
jobs all across Pennsylvania,” said Sen. Yudichak. “I applaud Gov.Wolf who has brought
together Republicans and Democrats around the central idea that a fair severance tax is essential
to protecting the environment and leveraging broader job growth in the natural gas industry.”
Sen. Killion, who is prime sponsor of the Growing Greener III initiative-- Senate Bill
1374 (still pending in the Senate)-- expressed his appreciation and support for this new initiative
which he said will benefit areas like his where there is no natural gas drilling, but where
pipelines are being built to bring the natural gas to market.
[Note: Senators Killion and Yudichak were part of a bipartisan group of 11 Senators who
last September urged the Senate to devote a portion of any natural gas severance tax to the
Environmental Stewardship (Growing Greener) Fund.]
“This modest proposal strikes the right balance between asking drillers to pay their fair
share and giving them room to grow and continue providing jobs and economic benefits to our
state,” said Rep. O’Neill. “The added revenue to the Commonwealth will help us provide
additional support to education, human services and environmental programs and more.”
“As Democratic Chairman of the House Finance Committee I am always working toward
fair tax policy,” said Rep. Wheatley. “Pennsylvania shouldn’t be the only gas producing state in
the country without a severance tax benefiting our communities and the needs of our state.”
Reaction
Marcellus Shale Coalition president David Spigelmyer issued the following statement on
the severance tax proposal-- “Gov. Wolf’s proposal for additional energy taxes will cost
Pennsylvanians jobs, raise home energy costs for consumers, all while not helping a single
student or school.
“Pennsylvanians want Gov. Wolf and their legislators to focus on creating good jobs that
will make the Commonwealth a better place to invest and grow. They are tired of election-year
political stunts and more tax-and-spend proposals that ultimately make Pennsylvania less
competitive.
“Pennsylvania already has a natural gas tax that has generated nearly $1.5 billion in new
revenue for our state. This tax, in addition to other state business taxes that our industry and their
32
employees pay, delivers revenues directly to communities across the Commonwealth, making
important community, environmental and conservation investments possible.
“Gov. Wolf claims to support energy workers and small businesses, yet he again
proposes to smother this important growth sector with additional, job-crushing energy taxes.
“Rather than growing state government and appeasing public sector unions, Governor
Wolf and policymakers need to focus on job creation, especially for our building trades and the
manufacturing sector, in order to grow the economy.
“Harrisburg needs visionary leadership that advances the opportunities presented by the
development of natural gas – not tired, misleading rhetoric that mischaracterizes the
contributions of Pennsylvania job creators to our economy.”
(Photo: Reps. Wheatley, O’Neill, Gov. Wolf, Senators Yudichak, Killion.)
NewsClips:
Related Stories:
House Passes Bills Changing Regulation, Permit Process In Ways That Puts Politics Ahead Of
Science, Adds More Bureaucracy
11 Senators Urge Appropriations Chairs To Devote A Portion Of An Severance Tax To Growing
Greener [September, 2017]
PA Chesapeake Bay Commission Members Spotlight Need For Clean Water Fund In PA
[January, 2017]
Emergency Order
Action Required:
Posted: April 30, 2018]
Proposed Bills Call For Narrowing Grounds For Appealing DEP Permits, Reducing Terms
Of Environmental Hearing Board Judges
Sen. Camera Bartolotta (R-Washington) Monday circulated a co-sponsor memo to her colleagues
asking them to sponsor two bills, one to narrow the grounds for appealing a permit issued by
DEP and the second to reduce the number of years Environmental Hearing Board judges can
33
serve.
“The DEP’s decision to issue or deny the permit will be based on the record developed,”
said Sen. Bartolotta. “The difference now reflected in the legislation is that the standard for
review by the Environmental Hearing Board shall be exclusively limited to the record of
decision. Presently, appeals from all DEP decisions, including permit decisions, are subject to
“de novo” [from the beginning] review by the Environmental Hearing Board.
“As a result of this legislation, the issued permits will be a better crafted product and
companies will have confidence knowing their permits have been written to address any
substantial, relevant questions pertaining to regulatory criteria raised during the public comment
period,” said Sen. Bartolotta. “All interested parties will continue to be afforded the opportunity
to comment on the permit application and the DEP will review these comments as part of its
decision making process.”
[Note: Presently, there is no artificial limit on the information individuals and businesses
can independently raise in appealing DEP permits, if they believe it is relevant.
[Recall that appeals only come after any potential appellants see the final permit issued
by DEP with any conditions which may or may not address issues raised during any public
comment process.
[The final permit and conditions may also raise new issues not covered in the original
permit subject to a comment period.]
“The second piece of legislation will shorten the term period a judge serves on the
Environmental Hearing Board’s membership from six to five years,” said Sen. Bartolotta. “It
also restricts judges from serving more than two terms unless they began by filling in for a
vacancy on the bench.
“The term of any member of the board who, as of the effective date of this section, has
served more than ten years on the board, will expire at the end of his/her current term.”
[Note: Presently EHB judges need to be renominated and confirmed by the Senate every
six years as required by the Environmental Hearing Board Act.]
Click Here for a copy of the co-sponsor memo.
Related Story:
House Passes Bills Changing Regulation, Permit Process In Ways That Puts Politics Ahead Of
Science, Adds More Bureaucracy
Action Required:
[Posted: April 30, 2018]
News From Around The State
Citizens Advisory Council Reviews DEP Drinking Water Program May 16
On May 16, the DEP Citizens Advisory Council will hear a presentation on DEP’s Drinking
Water Program and an overview of water programs by Timothy Schaeffer, Deputy for Water
Programs.
DEP’s May Report to Council is also available.
The meeting will be held in Room 105 Rachel Carson Building in Harrisburg starting at
34
10:00. The meeting will be available by conference call: 717-612-4788 or 855-734-4390, PIN:
083399.
For more information and available handouts, visit the DEP Citizens Advisory Council
webpage. Questions should be directed to Lee Ann Murray, Executive Director, call
717-787-8171 or send email to: leemurray@pa.gov.
NewsClips:
Could Your Home Have A Lead Water Line? Pittsburgh Water Authority Has A Map For That
Bagenstose: PA Water Authority Mulls Suit Against Fire-Form Makers
Boil Water Advisory In Effect In Steelton After Water Main Break
Action Required:
The PA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Planning Steering Committee will continue its review of
draft nutrient reduction targets for Pennsylvania at its next meeting on May 17.
The Committee’s Workgroup on Reduction Scenarios will make a presentation on
regulatory, legislative, non-regulatory/incentive and new initiatives for achieving the nutrient
reduction targets.
Also on the agenda is a draft communications plan and formation of a Communications
Workgroup.
The meeting will be held in Room 105 Rachel Carson Building in Harrisburg starting at
9:00. Click Here to join the meeting by WebEx, pre-registration required.
The next scheduled meeting of the Committee is July 10.
For more information and available handouts, visit the PA Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Planning Steering Committee webpage.
NewsClips:
Pay
35
Related Stories:
PA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Planning Committee Discusses Preliminary Pollution Reduction
Targets PA Must Meet
County
Action Required:
The latest quarterly newsletter from the Penn State

Agriculture and Environment Center is now available
featuring articles on--
-- Feature Spotlight: AEC Buffer Planting Helps Pennsylvania
Partners on the Road to Ten Million Trees
-- Research Spotlight: Center for Nutrient Solutions Explores
Smart Approaches for Addressing Nutrient Pollution June 12
-- Extension Spotlight: AEC’s Kristen Kyler Certified as
Conservation Landscape Professional Trainer
-- Student Spotlight: AEC Summer Interns Ready to Hit the
Ground Running
-- Bellefonte Residents Learn Green Stormwater Management Tips
-- AEC Partners with Conservancy, Brewery and Others to Green Lower Swatara (photo)
-- Stomping in Chiques Creek with Manheim Central Students
-- Clean Up Mother Earth this Mother’s Day Weekend
-- Farmers Encouraged to Add Conservation Practices
-- Choose Clean Water Conference Comes to Lancaster May 22-23
-- Join the AEC at Lancaster Water Week June 1-9
-- Stream Stewardship Workshops in Mount Joy June 13 and 20
-- Click Here to sign up for your own copy
For more information on programs, initiatives and upcoming events and education
opportunities, visit the Penn State Agriculture and Environment Center website. Questions
should be directed to Matt Royer Director, 814-863-8756 or send email to: mroyer@psu.edu.
NewsClips:
Crable: PA Ag Officials Reach Out To Public For Ideas, Set Hearings On Dairy Crisis
Editorial: Resolving Lancaster Farm Dairy Crisis Won’t Be Easy, But Must Be Done
Crable: State, Lancaster County Preserve 3 Farms
36
Editorial: Philly’s Urban Gardeners Deserve A Thank You, Not An Eviction Notice
9-Year Old Nazareth Boy Creates Pollinator Garden App To Help Environment
Related Stories:
County
Action Required:
Delaware River Basin Commission May 16 Hearing, June 13 Business Meeting
The Delaware River Basin Commission will hold a hearing May 16 on a variety of policies
issues and actions as well as water withdrawal requests. DRBC has also scheduled a business
meeting on June 13. (formal agendas and documents)
Among other issues, the hearing will take public comments on--
-- DRBC policy on replacement of water consumptively used by electric generators;
-- Current and Capital Budgets
-- Watershed withdrawal requests and actions
Click Here for copies of the formal agendas and available documents.
Both the hearing and meeting will be held at the West Trenton Volunteer Fire Company,
40 West Upper Ferry Road, West Trenton, NJ. The hearing will start at 1:30 and the meeting at
10:30.
For more information on programs, initiatives and upcoming events, visit the Delaware
River Basin Commission website. Click Here to sign up for regulator updates. Follow DRBC
on Twitter. Visit them on YouTube.
NewsClips:
Related Story:
Report On Delaware Estuary And Basin Cause For Celebration, Concern
Action Required:
PUC Highlights Drinking Water Week In PA, Touts Investments In Replacing Aging
Facilities, Lead Lines
37
The Public Utility Commission Thursday joined elected officials,
water utilities and community leaders in highlighting “Drinking
Water Week” in the Commonwealth as part of an ongoing effort to
increase awareness about the importance of water and water
conservation.
“Water is far too valuable a resource to be taken for granted – after
all, it is the only utility commodity that we physically ingest,” said
Commissioner David W. Sweet. “From prudent ratemaking, to daily
oversight, to working with utilities to strengthen water system
viability, the Commission is continually taking an active role to
ensure safe and reliable service.”
Commissioner Sweet noted that the strong emphasis of the Commission combined with
the front-line work of water utilities has advanced an aggressive schedule for replacing aging
water infrastructure, including lead-line replacement efforts in some water systems.
Tasked with regulating the rates and service of investor-owned water companies, the
Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority and the water service to extra-territorial customers of
municipal systems, the PUC continues to encourage efforts to ensure that Pennsylvania’s water
systems remain up-to-date.
“The PUC’s Distribution System Improvement Charge (DSIC) mechanism has proven to
be a valuable tool in accelerating the replacement of existing aging facilities,” Commissioner
Sweet added. “Needed replacement projects that would be put on hold until a future base rate
proceeding can now be jumpstarted by using a DSIC surcharge on customers’ bills to accelerate
the replacement.”
Due to DSIC and other innovative regulatory mechanisms, the PUC previously has been
recognized by Standard & Poor’s for effectively encouraging water company infrastructure
investment.
DSIC also has been recognized nationally in a resolution by the National Association of
Regulatory Utility Commissioners, which endorsed it for its significance as a regulatory tool, and
by the Council of State Governments, which included DSIC as model legislation.
The House this week adopted House Resolution 839 (Carroll-D-Luzerne) designating
May 6-12 Drinking Water Week in Pennsylvania sponsored by Rep. Mike Carroll (D-Luzerne),
Minority Chair of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee. The Senate last
week adopted a similar resolution-- Senate Resolution 355 (Yudichak-D-Luzerne) sponsored by
Sen. John Yudichak (D-Luzerne), Minority Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and
Energy Committee.
For more information, visit the PUC’s DSIC webpage.
(Photo: PUC Commissioner David Sweet.)
NewsClips:
Bradford: Officials Highlights Importance Of Drinking Water
Related Stories:
PA Water Companies Honor FERC Commissioner Robert F. Powelson With James McGirr
38
Kelly Award
PUC Approves Tentative Order Covering Oversight Of Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority
Implementation Of Distribution System Improvement Charge Finalized By PUC
Action Required:
Darby Creek Valley Assn: Making A Difference Through Green Infrastructure May 9,
Delaware County
The Darby Creek Valley Association and partners

will present another in its Community
Environmental Series-- Making A Difference
Through Green Infrastructure on May 9 at the
Haverford CRED, 9000 Parkview Drive, Haverford,
Delaware County from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Environmental Advisory Councils, municipalities
and any one interested in clean water and
environmental health is welcome to attend.
This series of programs is to provide knowledge to
local municipalities, EAC’s and individuals to
collaborate on environmental concerns, laws, and solutions.
The speakers include--
-- Stormwater and Green Infrastructure: Paul Racette, PA Environmental Council
-- What Is MS4? Jamie Anders, Eastern Delaware County Stormwater Collaborative
-- How Pennypack Creek Watershed and Their Municipalities Addressed Flooding
Through Green Infrastructure: Derron LeBrake, Principal at Wetlands & Ecology
-- How To Start A Rain Garden Program: Peter Puglionesi, Haverford EAC
Click Here for all the details and to register. This event is free, but seating is limited.
Questions should be directed to Sue Miller by sending email to: suedcva@gmail.com.
NewsClips:
Pay
Related Stories:
39
Action Required:
While Pittsburgh’s three rivers have improved in

quality to support both aquatic life and wildlife
along its shores and riverbanks, research indicates
that the City of Pittsburgh and surrounding
Allegheny County are experiencing a dramatic
decline in tree canopy.
According to a report released by the nonprofit Tree
Pittsburgh in early 2018, the county experienced a
canopy loss of 10,148 acres from 2010 through
2015.
Such loss impacts the region’s efforts to address stormwater flooding, as well as air
quality and landslide management.
While insects such as the emerald ash borer and diseases such as oak wilt have
contributed to canopy loss, the survey found that the greatest impact came from housing, road,
utility and rail expansion, and gas drilling and pipeline development.
In response, Tree Pittsburgh will expand its reach and increase its capacity to deliver
more trees by growing its Heritage Nursery to accommodate up to 100,000 seedlings, and by
building a new Education Center.
The new center will be located on a five-acre vacant area along the Allegheny River,
directly under the 62nd Street Bridge. The location is the former site of Tippins, Inc., steel mill.
Tree Pittsburgh has also set a goal to distribute and plant 4,000 trees across the community in
2018.
The new Education Center building is designed to achieve LEED Platinum and Net-zero
Energy certifications. It will house Tree Pittsburgh’s staff offices, but will also serve as a space
for the community to engage in volunteer and educational activities, and to learn about the
importance of trees.
The building was designed by GBBN Architects and the construction team is being led
by Jendoco Construction.
GBBN is working with Tree Pittsburgh to develop the design for its new riverfront
campus and Education Center above the Allegheny River, on the site of a former steel mill.
For more information on programs, initiatives and upcoming events, visit the Tree
Pittsburgh website.
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
them on Twitter. Click Here to support their work.
40
To learn more about green innovation in the Pittsburgh Region, visit the Pittsburgh Green
Story website.
NewsClips:
Blair County Area At High Risk For Wildfires
Homeowner Burned Escaping Brush Fire In Ligonier Twp
CDC: Diseases Spread By Ticks, Mosquitoes And Fleas Have Tripled In U.S.
Warmer Temps, Sunshine Could Bring Out Mosquitoes By Weekend
Bay Journal: Retired PA Forester’s 37-Year Career With Trees Bore Much Fruit
Related Stories:
PA Horticultural Society, Penn State Extension, Tree Pittsburgh Offer Tree Tender Classes
County
Frick Environmental Center In Pittsburgh Achieves Living Building Challenge Certification
Action Required:
DCED Provides $1.4 Million In Additional Funding For Solomon Creek Flood Protection
Project In Luzerne
Department of Community and Economic

Development Secretary Dennis Davin Thursday was
joined by Sen. John Yudichak (D-Luzerne), Rep.
Eddie Day Pashinski (D-Luzerne) and Mayor
Anthony G. George to announce the approval of
more than $1.4 million in additional funding
through the Community Development Block Grant
Disaster Recovery program to protect the city of
Wilkes-Barre from flooding originating from
Solomon Creek.
This final piece of funding comes after years of the
administration working with the community to
identify several sources of funding to enable the full repair of the flood wall.
“This funding is great news for Wilkes-Barre residents and businesses near Solomon
Creek, who for too long have been under regular threat of flood damage to their property,”
Secretary Davin said. “By rebuilding the flood walls, we’re able to give the community a sense
of security that hasn’t been felt since before 2011. It’s a great example of Governor Wolf’s
commitment to community development all across Pennsylvania.”
In 2011, Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee battered Wilkes-Barre, causing massive
41
flooding in the area and permanently damaging the protective flood walls designed to prevent
flooding in approximately 750 homes.
Though several sources of funding were identified in the ensuing years, the funding was
not enough to fully repair the flood wall. In 2016, the damage caused a 40-foot section of the
wall to collapse into the creek.
Working with city officials and state and local elected representatives, the administration
was able to secure additional Disaster Recovery funding in both 2017 and 2018. With this
additional funding, the flood walls can be fully reconstructed to protect local homes and
businesses.
“Today’s announcement of $1.4 million dollars in Disaster Recovery funds for the city of
Wilkes-Barre adds to the collective effort by state and local officials who have secured over $10
million to fully restore the Solomon Creek flood control system,” said Sen. Yudichak. “We are
very grateful to DCED Secretary Dennis Davin who recognized that the Solomon Creek project
has an immediate impact on delivering flood protection for the residents of Wilkes-Barre and a
broader impact on the regional economy of Luzerne County.”
The Disaster Recovery funding is part of more than $6 million in state funding and $4
million in city funding through bond refinancing made available for Solomon Creek flood
protection in the past few years.
“This funding is a testament to the good work that can come from all levels of
government working together in the best interest of those we serve,” Rep. Pashinski said. “From
Senators Casey and Toomey to Congressman Cartwright, to Gov. Wolf and state Sen. Yudichak,
to Mayor George as well as countless other local officials, we came together and found a way to
get the funding for Solomon Creek. I’m incredibly appreciative to everyone who helped make
this possible and I’m thrilled that residents and businesses of south Wilkes-Barre will finally
have a safe flood system.”
“As elected leaders, we have the responsibility of protecting our residents, which is why
the Solomon Creek Wall project is my administration’s number one priority,” said Mayor
George. “This is a huge accomplishment and is reflective of the cohesive relationship
Wilkes-Barre has with our representatives and the state. I thank Senator Yudichak and his staff
for their constant support and assistance in securing funding for this project, as well as Secretary
Davin, U.S. Senator Casey, U.S. Senator Toomey, Congressman Cartwright, and Rep. Pashinski,
whose support has enabled us to finally be able to begin the Solomon Creek Project.”
Flood Mitigation Grants
The Commonwealth Financing Authority is now accepting applications for Flood
Mitigation Grants under the programs funded by the Act 13 drilling impact fee. Applications are
due by May 31.
NewsClips:
State Officials Deliver $1.4 Million More For Solomon Creek Flood Project
No Update On West Pittston Inflatable Flood Protection Dam
Related Story:
Senate Committees Hear Short-Term Measures Like Stream Cleaning May Make Flooding
Worse If Stream Characteristics Not Taken Into Account
Action Required:
42
Westmoreland Conservation District Announces Winners Of 2018 Envirothon
The team from Kiski Area High School

took first place Monday in the
Westmoreland County Envirothon – an
academic competition in which high school
students test their knowledge of the natural
world.
The Kiski Area High School Team
included: Makenna Hayes, Gabriella Tepke,
Gendyah Short, Alison Bresnahan (Team
Advisor), Logan Kelly, William Nese.
(photo first)
Team 1 from Norwin High School netted
second place: Joyce Muchoney (Team
Advisor), Tommy Kratzenberg II, Victoria
Saunders, Taylor Napierkowski, Mallory
Page, Mackenzie Hutchinson. (photo
second)
Yough Senior High School Team 2
placed third: Drake Croushore, Alex
Kohuth, Adaline Bradish, Mason Brunson
and Cameron Hopkin. Team Advisor Greg
King. (photo third)
Ninety-five students from nine
Westmoreland County high schools
competed for the top honors by testing their knowledge of forestry, soil and land use, aquatic
ecology, wildlife, and this year’s current environmental issue: the benefits of grassland and
pastureland management.
Some high schools had more than one student team competing.
The first-place Kiski Area High School
team will go on to compete in the state
competition, to be held on May 22 and 23
at Susquehanna University and Camp
Mount Luther in Snyder and Union
counties, respectively.
The Westmoreland County Envirothon has
been hosted by the Westmoreland
Conservation District every year since
1986.
This year’s Westmoreland County
Envirothon received funding support from
the Pennsylvania Envirothon, Inc.; Apex
43
Energy, LLC; and Smithfield.
For more information on programs, initiatives and other upcoming events, visit the
Westmoreland County Conservation District website.
To learn more about Envirothon competitions statewide, visit the PA Envirothon website.
NewsClips:
High School Rowers Pull Together For Inaugural Boat Prom
Teacher, Wildlife Biologist Propose Wetland At Lewisburg School
Trash Becomes Student’s Recycled Art Treasure
SHINE Students Mark Earth Day With Cleanup In Luzerne County
Crable: Lancaster Sierra Club Awards Grants For Eco-Friendly Projects
Schneck: PA’s Darkest Sky Launches Stargazing Program In Cherry Springs State Park
Doylestown Library Opens New Outdoor Extension
Martins Creek Environmental Preserve Sold To Lower Mount Bethel Twp
Action Required:
Friends Of Allegheny Wilderness: Allegheny River & Watershed Cleanup May 12
The Allegheny River and Watershed Cleanup will

take place on May 12 starting at the Onoville Marina,
704 W. Perimeter Road, Steamburg, NY, just north of
the Allegheny National Forest in Warren County, at
8:00 a.m. where volunteers will sign-in and get trash
bags, gloves and other supplies.
Since 2008, more than 2,900 volunteers have
donated almost 24,000 hours and have removed
almost 450 cubic yards of trash from the watershed.
They have pulled out television sets;
microwave ovens; lawn chairs; refrigerators;
55-gallon drums; more than 1,600 tires and have
filled many bags of recyclable metal, glass, plastic and aluminum.
The positive effects of the annual Reservoir Clean-up are very apparent. As a result of
this annual "community conservation event" the shorelines and waters of the Allegheny
Reservoir are much safer and cleaner places for the wildlife and recreationalists who use them.
The last several years, cleanup teams have been joined by the Seneca Nation of Indians
and Cattaraugus County's Onoville Marina, who served as hosts for the activities and played key
roles in making the event the smashing success that it was.
The annual cleanup continues to be a cooperative effort involving the US Forest Service,
US Army Corps of Engineers, Warren County Adult Probation and Parole, and numerous other
agencies, organizations, and businesses.
44
For all the details and to register (encouraged), visit the Allegheny River and Watershed
Cleanup website.
More information on programs, initiatives and other upcoming events is available by
visiting the Friends Of Allegheny Wilderness website.
Sign up now for the 2018 Great American Cleanup of PA and set up your own cleanup
and beautification event through May 31.
NewsClips:
Annual Allegheny Reservoir Cleanup Set For May 12
Erie Hosts Tire, Electronics Collection Saturday
Mountain Of Refuse Piled Up In Monongahela Park After Misdirected Spring Cleanup
Related Stories:
Keep PA Beautiful, Elk County Host Municipal Waste, Recycling & Enforcement Forum May
31
Centre County Collects Over 76,000 Pounds Of Household Hazardous Waste
Action Required:
Keep PA Beautiful, Elk County Host Municipal Waste, Recycling & Enforcement Forum
May 31
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful and the Elk County

Solid Waste Authority are hosting a forum on May
31 for regional, state and local officials to share
ideas concerning the management of waste and
recycling and enforcement of illegal dumping and
littering in Pennsylvania.
Those who should attend include municipal and
county officials, recycling coordinators,
enforcement partners and interested community
stakeholders that are working to address proper
management of waste and recycling in their
communities.
The day’s agenda will include: a municipal waste and recycling regulatory overview and
municipal programs and their impact; a panel discussion focusing on enforcement of illegal
dumping and littering on public lands; KPB enforcement support tools and resources available to
local communities; and the role convenience centers play in ensuring universal access to
convenient and affordable trash disposal and recycling for everything from electronics to
household trash.
“We are thrilled that Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful has offered to make this event
possible, and we are encouraging anyone who has the shared goals of making our communities
beautiful places to live, work and visit to attend,” said Bekki Titchner, Recycling/Solid Waste
Coordinator.
45
“Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful supports universal access to convenient and affordable
trash disposal and recycling as a critical component of any plan to prevent litter and illegal
dumping. This forum is about building lasting partnerships across several agencies and
organizations and sharing resources, knowledge and expertise to help solve waste management
and dumping issues with greater ease and efficiency,” explained Shannon Reiter, President of
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. “Elk County Recycling already provides their residents with
multiple drop-off locations for a variety of materials including tires and appliances. We want to
look at what works and build on that.”
The Forum will be held at the Fox Township Volunteer Fire Department, Fire Hall, 381
Main Street, Kersey, Elk County from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP by May 23 to Barb Smerkar by sending
email to: bsmerkar@keeppabeautiful.org or by calling 724-836-4121.
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 KPB’s Electronics Waste website.
Sign up now for the 2018 Great American Cleanup of PA and set up your own cleanup
and beautification event through May 31.
(Photo: Illegal dumping caught by a surveillance camera loaned out by Keep PA Beautiful.)
NewsClips:
DEP Finds 8 Violations At IESI Bethlehem Landfill
Related Stories:
Action Required:
On April 27 and 28, the Centre County Recycling and Refuse

Authority collected over 76,000 pounds of household hazardous
waste from residents of 1,251 households.
In all, 1,136 vehicles brought hazardous chemicals. Residents from
34 of the county’s 35 municipalities participated. There were several
dozen people from six surrounding counties and from as far away as
Snyder County that came to participate.
46
In addition to the pesticides and other household hazardous waste, nearly four miles of
fluorescent tubes were accepted for recycling.
In addition to CCRRA employees, volunteers from Penn State Environmental Health and
Safety and Bellefonte Area Middle School were on-site to assist in checking vehicles.
The event was co-sponsored by Centre County Recycling & Refuse Authority, the
department of Environmental Protection and Agriculture.
MXI of Langhorne, PA was the contractor handing the waste collected.
“Two immature bald eagles soared above the collection for a time on Saturday as if to
nod their thanks.” said Joanne Shafer, Centre County’s Deputy Executive Director/Recycling
Coordinator. “I think that folks are really aware of their environment and they want to protect
the beauty of our county. Clean air and water are key to the economy of our area.”
“Many county residents were aware of their carbon footprint and combined trips and
helped neigHouse Billors,” added Shafer.
Collection and disposal costs of all 76,000 pounds will be split between the Household
Hazardous Waste Fund, DEP & CHEMSWEEP.
If you missed this collection, look for information next spring. The Centre County
Recycling & Refuse Authority will be holding another Household Hazardous Waste Collection
Event in 2019.
Centre County Recycling and Refuse Authority website.
NewsClips:
Related Stories:
31
Action Required:
PA Resources Council Holds First Hard-To-Recycle Collection Event May 12 In Allegheny

County
The PA Resources Council will hold the first of five

Hard-To-Recycle Collection Events on May 12 at the
Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills in Allegheny County from
9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Individuals can dispose of cell/home phones, CFL
bulbs, computer towers and peripheral equipment
47
(keyboards, laptops, mice, UPS/servers, Zip drives, etc.), expanded polystyrene packaging
material, microwave ovens, stereo equipment and video game consoles/DVD players at no cost.
Participants will pay a fee to drop off televisions, computer monitors, printers, alkaline
batteries, CDs/DVDs/floppy discs, fluorescent tubes, small Freon appliances, stereo speakers,
tires (with and without rims) and VHS tapes.
The other Hard-To-Recycle Events to be held in Allegheny County--
-- June 16: Bethel Park High School;
-- June 30: Quaker Valley High School, Leetsdale;
-- August 25: Century III Mall, West Mifflin; and
-- October 6: Settlers Cabin Park, Robinson Township.
This series of events is sponsored by Allegheny County Health Department, Colcom
Foundation, Duquesne Light Watt Choices, LANXESS, Municipality of Bethel Park, NewsRadio
1020 KDKA, NOVA Chemicals, UPMC and WPXI 11 Cares.
For complete collection event information, including a list of items accepted and
associated costs, visit PRC’s Hard-To-Recycle Collections webpage call PRC at 412-488-7490
x236.
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 PRC’s Events Calendar. Click Here to support their work.
NewsClips:
Related Stories:
PRC, Partners Hold Household Hazardous Waste Collection Events In Western PA
31
Action Required:
EPA Designates 5 Southeast Counties In Pennsylvania Nonattaiment For Ground Level

Ozone
On Monday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency designated 5 counties in Pennsylvania

marginal nonattainment areas for the federal 70 ppb ground level ozone standard. The counties
are: Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia.
In April of 2017 the Department of Environmental Protection recommended to EPA these
5 counties and Lebanon County be considered nonattainment areas.
48
Pennsylvania is not required to submit a plan for meeting the ozone standard for marginal
nonattainment areas, but must still meet the three-year maximum attainment date.
Click Here for copies of recommendations on nonattainment designations made to EPA
by DEP and EPA’s responses.
NewsClips:
Kummer: EPA: Philadelphia Fails To Meet Smog Standards
Hopey: Western PA Meets Smog Standard, Barely
More Money From Allegheny County’s Clean Air Fund Goes To Office Renovation
Hopey: Race, Gender, Location Disparities Found In Allegheny County Study Of Death Rates
Rep. Gainey, Advocates Call For Fleet Of Electric Buses In Pittsburgh Area
PA Should Transition To Electric Buses, Advocacy Group Says
PA, 16 Other States Sue Over Plan To Scrap Federal Car Emission Standards
EPA Ozone Designations Raise Concerns Of Political Influence
Op-Ed: State Officials Need To Protect PA From Trump’s EPA, Joe Minott, Clean Air Council
Related Story:
DEP Removes 8 Western PA Counties From Nonattainment With 2015 EPA Ozone Standard
Action Required:
DEP Invites Comments On Transcontinental Quarryville Loop Pipeline, Compressor

Station Permits
The Department of Environmental Protection

published notice in the May 5 PA Bulletin it
is now reviewing Chapter 102 Erosion and
Sedimentation Control permits for the
Transcontinental gas Pipe Line Company
Quarryville Loop Project in Lancaster County
and associated compressor station changes in
Chester County, part of its Northeast Supply
Enhancement Project. (PA Bulletin, page
2721).
DEP will accept comments on the permit
applications through June 5. Read the PA Bulletin notice for all the details. (PA Bulletin, page
2721)
NewsClips:
49
Action Required:
DEP Now Accepting Applications For $5 Million In Alternative Fuels Incentive Grants
The Department of Environmental Protection is now accepting applications for $5 million in

Alternative Fuels Incentive Grants for innovative, advanced fuel, and vehicle technology projects
that will result in cleaner advanced alternative transportation within the Commonwealth.
The application period formally opens May 4 at 4:00 p.m. and will remain open
throughout 2018. DEP will collect and review applications received by 4:00 p.m. on July 13 and
4:00 p.m. on December 14.
“Transportation grants such as these provide support for schools and other entities to cut
down on their carbon footprints and improve the air we breathe, all while saving money,” said
Patrick McDonnell, DEP Secretary. “It is important to look to all of the vehicles on the road, so
this year we are giving priority to projects for emergency vehicles.”
New this year, AFIG will give priority to projects that include the use of the funded
vehicles by emergency personnel in emergency responses, rescues, and evacuations.
The AFIG Program can assist school districts, municipal authorities, nonprofits,
corporations, LLCs, and partnerships registered to do business in Pennsylvania in offsetting the
costs of implementing alternative fuel using transportation projects.
The AFIG Program is funded by annual gross receipts tax on utilities.
DEP is offering grants in the following project categories:
-- Vehicle Retrofit or Purchase: To offset the incremental cost of purchasing alternative fuel
vehicles or retrofitting existing vehicles to operate on alternative fuels.
-- Alternative Fuel Refueling Infrastructure: To assist in the costs to purchase and install
refueling equipment for fleet and workplace, home or intermediary refueling.
-- Innovative Technology: To support research, training, development, and demonstration of
new alternative fuels and alternative fuel vehicles.
DEP is instituting changes to the grants awarded for vehicle purchase and retrofit
projects:
-- For new CNG, LNG, biodiesel vehicles using a blend greater than B20, Electric Vehicles with
a battery system capacity equal to or greater than 20 kWh, and Hydrogen Fuel Cell vehicles,
applicants may request 100 percent of the incremental cost of the vehicle up to $40,000 per
50
vehicle.
-- For Electric Vehicles with a battery system capacity between 10 kWh and 20kWh, applicants
may request 75 percent of the incremental cost of the vehicle up to $20,000 per vehicle.
-- For Existing CNG, LNG, and biodiesel vehicles using a blend of B20 or greater, and Electric
Vehicles with a battery system capacity of less than 10 kWh, applicants may request 50 percent
of the incremental cost up to $20,000 per vehicle.
For the first time the AFIG program will be submitted online through the Electronic
Single Application system. Hardcopy applications will not be accepted.
More information is available at DEP’s Alternative Fuels Incentive Grants webpage.
NewsClips:
Sisk: As Transit Agencies Inch Toward Electric Buses, Environmental Groups Want More
Related Stories:
DEP Extends First Come, First Served Alternative Fuel Vehicle Rebates Thru June 30
New Transit CNG Fueling Station Opens In Crawford County
Action Required:
FirstEnergy Utility Customers Offered $3,000 Rebate On All-Electric Cars By Nissan In

PA
FirstEnergy Wednesday announced its Pennsylvania customers will be able to take advantage of
special $3,000 rebates for all-electric cars from Nissan through June 30, or while supplies last.
FirstEnergy utilities in Pennsylvania include-- Met-Ed, Penelec, Penn Power and West
Penn Power.
The rebate is in addition to the manufacturer incentives. The purchaser could also qualify
for up to $7,500 in federal electric vehicle tax credits. FirstEnergy customers can use the special
offers to buy cars off the lot or by ordering a vehicle.
To qualify for the savings, customers should show their FirstEnergy utility bill to
participating Nissan dealerships.
"Electric vehicles are becoming more popular as people recognize the environmental and
sustainability benefits they offer," said Mark Julian, vice president, Utility Operations,
FirstEnergy. "These types of rebates offer an incentive for those customers who want to support
this environmentally friendly technology."
The advantages of driving an all-electric vehicle include:
-- No gasoline – at the current U.S. national average price of 12.5 cents per kilowatt hour,
electricity is roughly equivalent to gasoline at $1 a gallon.
-- No oil changes
-- Vehicle charging at home overnight
-- Virtually silent operation at low speeds and on highway
51
-- No emissions.
For more information on energy conservation programs, visit the FirstEnergy website.
NewsClips:
Related Stories:
Action Required:
Officials from PennDOT, Trillium CNG, and the

Crawford Area Transit Authority Thursday marked the
start of CNG fueling at the new facility at 13227
Dunham Road in Meadville.
“This latest CNG fueling station represents continued
progress for our innovative P3 program,” Gov. Wolf
said. “The benefits include more efficiency, cleaner
burning fuels and lower fuel costs for our transit
agencies.”
Through the $84.5 million statewide P3 project,
Trillium is designing, building, financing and will operate and maintain CNG fueling stations at
29 public transit agency sites through a 20-year P3 agreement.
Other stations will be constructed over the next five years, and Trillium is also making
CNG-related upgrades to existing transit maintenance facilities.
As part of the conversion, the Crawford Area Transit Authority will convert five full-size
buses to CNG.
The authority estimates saving more than $50,000 annually based on current diesel costs
and their diesel usage of roughly 40,000 gallons per year. The authority now has three CNG
buses.
52
PennDOT’s overall P3 project includes CNG fueling accessible to the public at six transit
agency sites, with the option to add to sites in the future.
PennDOT will receive a 15 percent royalty, excluding taxes, for each gallon of fuel sold
to the public at public sites, which will be used to support the cost of the project.
Click Here for more information on the CNG Fueling Station P3 Project.
NewsClips:
CATA Deploys New CNG Vehicles
Related Stories:
Action Required:
Frick Environmental Center In Pittsburgh Achieves Living Building Challenge

Certification
The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Wednesday

announced the Frick Environmental Center in
Pittsburgh has achieved the prestigious Living
Building Challenge Certification, one of only 21
buildings worldwide and the first municipal
building open to the public.
The certification was achieved after more
than a year of extensive sustainability work by the
Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and the City of
Pittsburgh.
To qualify, the Environmental Center must
produce as much energy as it consumes annually, eliminate toxic and harmful chemicals, and
collect and treat its own water.
The nonprofit Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy partnered with the City of Pittsburgh,
architect Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, landscape architect LaQuatra Bonci Associates, and
construction manager P.J. Dick Incorporated to make this “net zero” energy and water facility a
reality.
“What a great accomplishment for the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and the City, said
Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto. “Together, we are continuing our leadership in green building
standards and environmental education for all.”
Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy President and CEO Jayne Miller says, “We are proud to
have one of the greenest buildings in the world that also functions as a tremendous resource for
53
our community. It is truly a regional treasure.”
The 16,000 square-foot Frick Environmental Center which is located on the edge of the
644-acre Frick Park, was completed in 2016.
It was named a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum
building in November 2017, and teams have since worked to complete the intense Living
Building Challenge.
The Environmental Center is the second Living Building Challenge Certified building in
the city and state, sharing that honor with the Phipps Center for Sustainable Landscapes.
However, the Frick Environmental Center is the first building in Pittsburgh and
Pennsylvania to meet the designation under v2.1 of the Living Building Challenge.
“No building in western Pennsylvania has ever been built according to such rigorous
performance standards,” said PJ Dick Project Manager Noah Shaltes. “By the project’s end, we
had impressed the importance of sustainable building on more than 100 members of the building
and construction industry. The team’s commitment to vetting materials was key to successful
certification.”
This week Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy’s Sustainability Coordinator Maureen Olinzock
will travel to Portland, Ore., to receive the official Living Building certification at the Living
Future Unconference.
This is yet another accolade for the Frick Environmental Center, which has garnered
almost a dozen awards.
The Frick Environmental Center was made possible by more than 1,000 individuals
involved in the public visioning and planning process since 2011 and the more than 600 donors
and funders whose generosity helped this project come to fruition.
The Environmental Center represents a continued partnership between the nonprofit
Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and the City of Pittsburgh to provide a free facility that allows
learners of all ages to partake in environmental education in a cutting-edge space.
The Environmental Center serves as the gateway to Frick Park and as a space for
environmental classes, events and programs.
Click Here to watch a short video about the Center.
Please contact Jenn Dailey, Director of Marketing Communications by sending email to:
jdailey@pittsburghparks.org or calling 412-682-7275 x234 (work) or 281-658-4008 (cell) for
more information.
For more information on the building and programs offered, visit the Frick
Environmental Center webpage.
Visit the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy website for more information on programs,
initiatives and other upcoming events.
Visit the Sustainable Pittsburgh website for more information on green projects and
initiatives. Click Here to sign up for regular updates. Like them on Facebook, Follow them on
Twitter. Click Here to support their work.
To learn more about green innovation in the Pittsburgh Region, visit the Pittsburgh Green
Story website.
NewsClip:
Related Story:
Phipps Center For Sustainable Landscapes Earns Net Zero Energy Certification
54
Action Required:
By David Kubarek, Penn State News
Nikhil Bharadwaj had an ingenious idea for

improving the tailgating experience for him and his
friends at Penn State football games.
Drawing from his love of renewable energy,
the senior majoring in energy engineering in the
College of Earth and Mineral Sciences began drafting
plans for a small-scale solar box capable of charging
cell phones and powering devices while tailgating at
Beaver Stadium.
But when Hurricanes Irma and Maria
pummeled Puerto Rico, dismantling power on about
80 percent of the island home to approximately 3.3 million people, Bharadwaj had a better idea.
He began working on creating what he refers to as “Solar Saver” boxes for Puerto Rico,
to assist the nearly 50,000 residents who were as of April 17 still without power, according to the
U.S. government.
As president of the Penn State Student Chapter of the American Solar Energy Society
(ASES), Bharadwaj tapped the club for help with the Solar Saver boxes.
Much like commercial installations, the group calculated energy needs to create wattage
and storage requirements and assessed the solar energy potential for Puerto Rico. Those
calculations shaped the design process that resulted in a 30-watt and 16-amp-hour box capable of
each day charging about 35 phones.
Through contacts there, he found out that indoor lighting and communicating with
families was a top priority for residents dealing with disaster.
“Our focus was on bringing back technology to the residents,” Bharadwaj said. “We
wanted to help families communicate with each other, and have power for light. You can even
run power tools off of these boxes. Just basic stuff to get their lives back in order. The idea is to
have it placed in central locations in communities where people can just have access to power.”
Bharadwaj and other club members had plenty of help. They were given more than
$4,500 in funding from the Alternative Energy Development Group, the company that’s building
a two-megawatt solar array near Mount Nittany Medical Center; Lions Pride; and crowdsourcing
donations through GoFundMe.
Michael Rybacki, who owns and operates the local solar-energy business Red Stone
Renewables, offered planning and construction guidance.
Javier Camacho, a YouTube blogger and engineer who lives in Puerto Rico, helped
distribute the boxes once they arrived. They also found help building larger, more powerful
boxes through Enactus, a nonprofit group dedicated to creating a more sustainable world.
55
“ASES has not only been an avenue for me to learn about solar technologies, but also a
productive platform where our work can directly impact the way people live,” said member
Shreya Iyer, a first-year student who is seeking to enter the energy engineering program.
Ellis Driscoll, president of Enactus, said the Solar Saver project was a great display of
groups working together toward a common goal and students learning throughout the process.
“Solar Saver is a great showcase of the Penn State community coming together. Not only
did two student organizations come together, but they also involved Penn State alumni, business
partners and the State College community in the project. All this to help those in need through
sustainable technology,” Driscoll said. “It was great to see students dedicating time to make a
lasting impact on the world.”
Bharadwaj said thinking sustainably is something that’s now in his blood.
“Penn State’s energy engineering program is the best thing that’s happened to me,”
Bharadwaj said. “If you ask me who I am, I start talking about energy. There’s nothing else to
me anymore. I’ve just imbibed energy, sustainability and climate action into who I am. It’s
become my religion. I am grateful to Penn State for giving me that platform.”
NewsClips:
Related Stories:
Action Required:

The Public Utility Commission Thursday issued for comment a

proposed policy statement inviting fixed utilities to explore alternative
ratemaking methodologies in distribution base rate proceedings which
further promote federal and state policy objectives, provide incentives
to improve system efficiency and ensure that fixed utilities receive
adequate revenue to maintain safe and reliable service.
The Commission voted 5-0 to adopt a motion by Vice Chairman
56
Andrew G. Place that presents utilities with a broad range of considerations in developing future
rate designs-- including but not limited to performance-based incentives; various levels of
decoupling; and variations of demand-based and time-of-use pricing options, such as critical
peak pricing.
“Given the evolution of energy markets, I believe it is vital to also evolve approaches to
rate design that particularly address energy efficiency trends, as well as increasing demand for
electric vehicles, distributed energy resources, such as solar and combined heat and power, and
microgrids,” Vice Chairman Place stated. “Future rate designs should anticipate and support
utility technological and economic efficiencies while minimizing long term rates for customers.”
In his motion, Vice Chairman Place highlighted that the changing energy landscape
necessitates rate designs that avoid a “one-size-fits all” approach, and are based on the following
first-order principles:
-- Policies must support the continued efficient use of all energy resources.
-- The evolution of a distributed energy environment requires substantial and well-targeted
investment in distribution infrastructure.
-- Policies must encourage least-cost solutions, with cost recovery based on long-term cost
causation.
-- Rate design should embrace, where feasible, the additional capabilities enabled by smart meter
deployment.
As noted by the Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA), “costs are variable in the long
run.” Therefore, it may be appropriate for energy utilities to design rates in a manner that
minimizes the long-term costs of serving existing and new loads.
Given the substantial and ongoing Long-Term Infrastructure Improvement Plan (LTIIP)
spending by the electric and natural gas utilities, a long-term approach to rate design may be
appropriate.
“Today the Commission takes its next step in deliberating the future of utility rates,”
added Chairman Gladys M. Brown in a supportive statement. “The utility landscape is evolving
rapidly, none more rapidly than the electricity industry. I am interested in consideration of rates
by our electric utilities which can work to increase distribution system capacity utilization in an
effort to foster system efficiency, and, insulate customers from rate increases.”
Chairman Brown further noted that in exploring alternative ratemaking policies, the
electricity industry may utilize new technologies - such as advanced metering, advanced grid
monitoring, energy efficiency, demand response and smart thermostats - to better accommodate
the evolving demand profiles created by the new energy landscape.
Interested parties have 60 days from the date of publication of the proposed policy
statement in the Pennsylvania Bulletin to file written comments referencing Docket No.
M-2015-2518883 with the Public Utility Commission, Attn: Secretary Rosemary Chiavetta,
Commonwealth Keystone Building, Second Floor 400 North Street, Harrisburg, PA 17120.
Comments may also be filed electronically through the Commission’s e-File System.
NewsClips:
2 Northeast PA Natural Gas Power Plants Totaling 1,805 MW To Go Operational By June 1
Man Accused Of Threatening To Shoot West Penn Power Employees, Students
Don’t Get Snookered Into Switching Electric Suppliers
No Rate Change For National Fuel Residential Customers
Prices Unchanged For Erie Natural Gas Customers
57
PPL Electric Rates Dropping, A Little
FirstEnergy Disputes Report Grid Won’t Be Affected By Nuclear Plant Closures
Storage Plan For Spent Fuel Adds To U.S. Nuclear Debate
Frazier: PJM Will Study Fuel Security Of Electric Grid As Natural Gas Use Rises
PJM Grid Operator Throws Cold Water On Trump Nuclear, Coal Bailout
PJM Will Test U.S. Mid Atlantic/Midwest Power Grid For Resiliency
PJM: Closing FirstEnergy Reactors Will Not Destabilize Grid, Launches Probe Into Fuel
Security
New York Grid Operator Floats Carbon Pricing Proposal
Related Stories:
Action Required:
PJM Interconnection Announces Next Phase Of Grid Resilience Initiative
The PJM Interconnection regional electric grid operator Monday announced the next steps in its
initiative to ensure future fuel security for electricity generation on its power system serving 65
million people.
Fuel security, defined by PJM as risks to the fuel supply and delivery to critical
generators, is at the forefront of resilience, as a combination of public policies, lower fuel prices
and technology improvements alter the traditional mix of generation resources serving
customers.
The PJM grid remains reliable even with the resource retirements analyzed to date and
investment in new, increasingly more efficient gas-powered generation sources.
While the grid also remains fuel secure given these changes, the potential for continued
evolution of the fuel mix underscores concerns, raised by PJM in a March 2017 report, about the
need to examine the long-term resilience of the grid.
In the 2017 report, PJM's Evolving Resource Mix and System Reliability, PJM concluded
that the system could remain reliable with the addition of more natural gas and renewable
resources, but that "heavy reliance on one resource type" raises potential resilience risks beyond
existing reliability standards.
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To address longer-term questions of fuel security, PJM will initiate a process, starting
immediately, to analyze fuel security vulnerabilities and establish criteria to assess areas in the
PJM system that could face future fuel security issues.
The criteria will be the means to value and price fuel security. Those criteria could then
be incorporated into PJM's existing market mechanisms to promote competition among different
resource types to meet any fuel security needs in a particular location, with reforms to be in place
for next year's capacity auction, if necessary.
"Competitive markets remain the best mechanism to maintain a reliable and fuel secure
system at the lowest reasonable cost to customers," PJM President and CEO Andrew L. Ott said.
"We have the ability to identify risks to the system and to put a value on resources that offset that
risk."
The process will involve three phases:
-- Identify system vulnerabilities and determine attributes such as on-site fuel requirements,
dual-fuel capability or others that ensure that peak demands can be met during extreme
scenarios.
-- Model those vulnerabilities as constraints in PJM's capacity market, similar to existing
transmission constraints, allowing for proper valuation of needed attributes in the market.
-- PJM will continue to work with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S.
Department of Energy, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, states, stakeholders and
others to ensure that the results are consistent with identified security needs in the PJM footprint,
including service to key military installations and other identified security concerns.
The intent of the vulnerability assessment is to stress-test the system under various fuel
supply disruption scenarios, to better understand potential future reliability concerns.
PJM anticipates completing the study within the next six months, and the results will be
discussed with PJM stakeholders, including state and federal agencies.
Click Here for available information on the new process.
For more information on programs, initiatives and upcoming events, visit the PJM
Interconnection website.
NewsClips:
59
Security
Related Story:
Action Required:
FirstEnergy: PJM Study Ignores Value Of Nuclear Plants In Zero-Carbon Emissions

Generation
FirstEnergy Solutions, a competitive generation

subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., Monday responded
to a reliability study issued by PJM Interconnection,
the regional transmission organization.
The study was undertaken following FES's March
28, 2018, notification that it would deactivate its
three nuclear plants, two in Ohio and one in
Pennsylvania, over the next three years.
As it signaled in public statements following the
FES notification, PJM said it does not expect the
plant deactivations to adversely affect the reliability of its transmission system.
What was new in the study was PJM's revelation that to maintain reliability, it must carry
out "a combination of remedial measures" to prevent overloads of transformers and transmission
lines and other strains on its system associated with the withdrawal of the FES plants from
service.
Don Moul, president of FES Generation Companies and chief nuclear officer, issued the
following statement:
"PJM's reliability finding was not a surprise, but it was a disappointment. The results of
the PJM reliability study highlight that their review ignores the value that these units offer the
grid in terms of fuel diversity and zero-carbon emissions generation.
“The 4,048 megawatts of capacity that these plants provide amounts to 14 percent of
Ohio's overall generation capacity and 7 percent of Pennsylvania's overall generation capacity.
That gap will have to be filled overwhelmingly by carbon-fueled generation.
"PJM did not provide a dollar estimate for the upgrades its system will need to cope with
the loss of our units, but those remediation costs will be passed along to Ohio and Pennsylvania
consumers in the form of higher electricity bills.
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"We again call on legislative and regulatory officials to work with us on policy solutions
to enable our plants to continue to play their critical role in the reliability, fuel-diversity and
resilience of our regional grid.
“When calculating the cost of operating relief for our units, we ask policy makers to do
all the math: Factor in the value of zero-carbon emissions for so great a portion of Ohio and
Pennsylvania's generation needs, factor in the contributions that our facilities and their
employees make to local and regional economies, and factor in the cost of the PJM upgrades that
consumers must bear if our capacity is retired.
"In mid-2019, we will begin facing decisions on each of these plants as to whether to
refuel them or shut them down. Without operating relief, they will be permanently lost."
The retirement schedule of the nuclear plants is as follows:
-- Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station, Oak Harbor, Ohio, by May 31, 2020
-- Beaver Valley Power Station Unit No. 1, Shippingport, Pa., by May 31, 2021
-- Perry Nuclear Power Plant, Perry, Ohio, by May 31, 2021
-- Beaver Valley Power Station Unit No. 2, Shippingport, Pa., by October 31, 2021
The closure of the plants will affect about 2,300 plant employees.
(Photo: Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Plant, Beaver County.)
NewsClips:
Security
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Nuclear Energy Caucus Hearing: The Federal Government Is Not Going To Act In Time To
Save Nuclear Power Plants
Action Required:
PA Environmental Council In Case You Missed It In April Now Available
The PA Environmental Council In Case You Missed It In April is now available featuring stories
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on--
-- One Generation Plants The Trees, Another Gets The Shade
-- Eye In The Sky - Measuring Methane Emissions From Space
-- The Future Is Calling, Will PA Answer? Electric Vehicle Legislation
-- Return Of The Osprey In Bucks County
-- Governor’s Awards Dinner - Recognizing Excellence
-- Podcast: 4 States, One Source - Delaware River Watershed Initiative
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 PEC’s Audio Room for the latest podcasts.
Action Required:
Sen. Yudichak Kicks Off 165-Hike On Delaware & Lehigh Trail May 8
Sen. John Yudichak (D-Luzerne) will kick

off his Senator Takes a Hike on the
Delaware & Lehigh Trail May 8 with a
press event featuring DCNR Secretary
Cindy Adams Dunn, D&L National
Heritage Corridor Executive Director
Elissa Garofalo, and state and local
officials.
Sen. Yudichak made a promise that
if the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super
Bowl, he would hike the 165-mile long
Delaware & Lehigh Trail.
Throughout his hike, which will take place over several days this spring and summer,
Sen. Yudichak will be celebrating heritage tourism in Pennsylvania, increasing the awareness
about the value of the D&L Trail in Pennsylvania communities, and celebrating the 250th
Anniversary of Anthracite and the 30th Anniversary of U.S. Congress establishing the D&L
National Heritage Corridor.
Click Here to watch a video about the walk with Sen. Yudichak and Secretary Dunn.
Click Here to learn more about the D&L Trail.
After the press event May 8, the Senator will hike the first segment of the trail between
Bristol and Morrisville-- six miles, ending at Falls Township Community Park, 9050 Mill Creek
Road, Levittown.
The press event will be held at the Delaware River Waterfront (Bristol Wharf) in Bristol,
Bucks County starting at 1:00.
Sen. Yudichak serves as Minority Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and
Energy Committee.
Visit the Sen. Yudichak Takes A Hike On The D&L Trail webpage for more information.
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Questions should be directed to Carly Simpson by calling 717-787-7105 or sending email to:
carly.simpson@pasenate.com or Brad Hurley 570-952-5629.
To learn more about trails in Pennsylvania, visit the Explore PA Trails website.
NewsClips:
Editorial: Delaware & Lehigh Trail Project Worthy Of Diamonds
Sheepskin Trail Construction To Begin Connecting Fayette County, WV Trails
Outdoorsman Puts Elbow Grease To Hiking Trails, Forests
DCNR Now Accepting Teens For New Youth Ambassador Program At State Parks,
Forests
Department of Conservation and Natural

Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn
Thursday announced applications are being
accepted from teenagers for the new Youth
Ambassador Program at Pennsylvania state
parks and forests.
The deadline to apply is June 1. Youth
Ambassadors will begin their 10-month
opportunity July 1.
“Youth Ambassadors will volunteer for 10 months to develop a connection with one or
more Pennsylvania state parks or forests, and will then help highlight and promote the
recreational opportunities, volunteer work, and experiences available at the locations to other
young people,” Dunn said. “It’s a great way for teens who appreciate the outdoors to give back
to their communities and the environment.”
The first nine host sites for Youth Ambassadors will be:
-- Chapman State Park, Warren County
-- Clear Creek State Forest, Clarion County
-- Forbes State Forest, Westmoreland County
-- Little Buffalo State Park, Perry County
-- Neshaminy State Park, Bucks County
-- Point State Park, Allegheny County
-- Tiadaghton State Forest, Lycoming County
-- Tobyhanna State Park, Wayne County
-- Weiser State Forest, Schuylkill County
Youth Ambassadors must be at least 14 years old, and should not graduate from high
school before the end of the program.
“DCNR is looking for new and different ways to involve young people in conservation
and outdoor recreation, and it seemed that one way to introduce those opportunities to teenagers
would be for them to hear about it from other teenagers,” Dunn said.
They will complete a checklist of activities during the 10 months, including:
-- Use their social media networks to share experiences with the hashtag #DCNRAmbassador
63
-- Attend park/forest programs to assist staff and communicate with the public
-- Assist with volunteer projects such as maintaining trails or removing invasive species
-- Act as a liaison with youth-related organizations
The program will provide young people with experience for college applications and
senior projects; networking opportunities; and recognition of their services.
For more information and an application, visit DCNR’s Youth Ambassadors webpage.
NewsClip:
Related Stories:
Action Required:
The Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission, with support from the
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, is now accepting applications now through
June 15 for the Southern Alleghenies Regional Greenways Mini-Grants Program.
The Mini-Grants Program is open to planning, technical assistance, development and
bicycle and pedestrian projects located within the Southern Alleghenies Region of: Bedford,
Blair, Cambria, Fulton, Huntingdon, and Somerset counties.
This program aims to fund projects that support implementation of the overall purpose
and goals identified in the Southern Alleghenies Greenways and Open Space Network Plan
(bottom half of page) along with the Southern Alleghenies Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan.
Any municipality, council of government, conservation district, land trust, non-profit
organization, designated heritage area, or redevelopment authority is eligible to submit an
application.
Eligible projects are required to support the goals of the region’s Greenways and Open
Space Network Plan, including: conserve important natural resources, expand recreation
opportunities, celebrate cultural heritage, bolster economic development, increase pedestrian and
bicycle mobility, and promote healthy lifestyles or the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan to: bolster the
region’s bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, ensure its maintenance, plan initiatives
surrounding bike and ped. and educate the region of bicycle and pedestrian transportation
initiatives.
The SAP&DC Mini-Grants program is possible because of funding provided by DCNR
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through the Community Conservation and Partnerships Program.
Click Here for all the details on how to apply. Questions should be directed to Katie St.
Clair, SAP&DC’s Community Development Planner, by calling 814-949-6532 or send email to:
kstclair@sapdc.org.
Related Stories:
South Mountain Partnership Now Accepting Applications For Mini-Grant Program
Action Required:
Western PA Conservancy Opens ADA-Accessible Garden In Pittsburgh
Government, nonprofit and faith leaders gathered

Tuesday in Shadyside to open Pittsburgh’s first
ADA-accessible community flower garden.
This new Western Pennsylvania
Conservancy-owned community flower garden,
located at the First United Methodist Church of
Pittsburgh, will provide and expand gardening
opportunities for people with disabilities or other
physical limitations.
Along with event attendees, eight students
from The Day School at The Children’s Institute of
Pittsburgh placed the first flowers, nearly 100 blooming pansies, within the six raised
wheelchair-accessible flower beds located at the site.
These raised beds are connected by crushed limestone rock pathways that align the
garden.
An expansion of the existing community flower garden at this site, this new garden will
feature various native perennials and annuals that will provide colorful blooms during growing
seasons.
A $28,000 grant from the Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD) funded the
expansion to make the garden accessible.
“RAD places a high priority on making sure that regional assets are for everyone and
encourages the assets to make accommodations for those who otherwise would not be able to
participate,” said Daniel J. Griffin, RAD board chair. “For many years, RAD has provided grants
to improve spaces with accessible doors, restrooms and playgrounds. We’re thrilled to help fund
this new accessible garden that eliminates barriers and makes it possible for people of all abilities
to garden together.”
As part of their outdoor classroom and nature curriculum, students from the institute will
65
make regular site visits to assist garden steward Deb Shearer with ongoing care, planting, and
weeding during the current and upcoming school years.
The Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh CEO Wendy Pardee said it was a natural fit for
their students to get involved in this project.
“As an organization whose mission is driven by the needs of special children, we
celebrate the opening of Pittsburgh’s first ADA-accessible garden beds and look forward to our
Day School students helping to maintain them,” said Pardee. “Working at this garden site will
not only provide a form of physical therapy and real-life instruction for our students, but it will
also lend them a tangible connection to the soil, the seasons and the City of Pittsburgh. For that,
we thank the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, which has been a great partner to The
Children’s Institute as we continue to look for ways to engage our students with the communities
we all call home.”
The existing community flower garden was first established at this site by the
Conservancy in 1996 and is financially supported by the church, RAD, and UPMC.
Grant funding also was also used to purchase specialty gardening tools to help volunteers
with disabilities, arthritis or other physical limitations.
These tools, which include long-reach hoes, trowels and forks, are equipped with
arm-support cuffs and easy-grip handles to make planting and accessing flower beds easier,
convenient and safer.
The tools are available for use by volunteers who want to plant at any garden site in
Allegheny County.
“This is the first community garden of its kind in the City of Pittsburgh and we are
extremely grateful to the church for making its property available for this undertaking,” said
Tom Saunders, president and CEO of the Conservancy. “We are very appreciative to all of the
project partners, but especially to RAD for funding this special venture and tools to ensure that
people from all walks of life can enjoy the beauty, pride and camaraderie through community
gardening.”
The Conservancy invites community members with disabilities and physical challenges
to volunteer at garden planting and pull-out events each spring and fall.
For more information about volunteering in this or any of the Conservancy’s 132
community gardens, please contact Lynn McGuire-Olzak at 412-586-2324 or send email to:
gardens@paconserve.org.
More information is available on programs, initiatives and special events at the Western
PA Conservancy website. Click Here to sign up for regular updates from the Conservancy, Like
them on Facebook, Follow them on Twitter, add them to your Circle on Google+, join them on
Instagram, visit the Conservancy’s YouTube Channel or add them to your network on Linkedin.
Click Here to support their work.
NewsClips:
Related Story:
PA Horticultural Society Gardening & Greening Contest Now Accepting Entries
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Spring Native Plant Sale Set For May 19-20 In Berks County
Brodhead Watershed Assn. Native Plant Sale June 1-2 In Monroe County
Action Required:
66
The PA Horticultural Society is now accepting entries in the

2018 PHS Gardening and Green Contest recognizing gardeners
in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. The deadline for
entries is June 8.
The contest invites backyard gardeners, community gardeners,
and all who are passionate about greening public spaces to
enter.
Participants can include: home gardeners with in-ground,
combination, container or specialty gardens; children’s gardens,
maintained by school-age children under the supervision of an
adult; community gardeners with vegetable and flower gardens,
garden blocks, public-space plantings, and parks; and, businesses that have beautified their
properties.
The ten contest categories are:
-- Children’s Garden: A home garden, a plot within a community garden, or a garden on school
grounds that is maintained primarily by school-age children, usually under adult supervision.
-- Combination Garden: Any size garden with both vegetables and flowers, minimum of 30%
in either vegetables/flowers.
-- Container Garden: A garden where most plants are grown in containers, pots, or window
boxes.
-- Flower Garden: Any size garden containing mostly flowers and/or trees and shrubs. This
includes community flower gardens cared for by three or more people.
-- Specialty Garden: A flower garden including pollinator gardens, native gardens, rain gardens,
or other gardens highlighting specific plants.
-- Garden Block: A commercial or residential block with container plantings, hanging baskets,
and/or in-ground plantings.
-- Public Space (Plantings or Parks): Gardens located in public spaces such as parks, libraries,
churches, hospital grounds, train stations, traffic islands, businesses, memorial gardens, etc.
-- Urban Farm: An entrepreneurial garden that grows and sells fruit, vegetables, and flowers
and donates a percentage of the produce to a food cupboard.
-- Vegetable Garden: Any size garden with mostly vegetables, cared for by an individual, or a
community vegetable garden cared for by three or more people.
Entries from throughout the region will be judged on maintenance and horticultural
practices, as well as the variety, color, and suitability of plantings. Design and total visual effects
and imaginative ideas will also be considered.
Volunteer judges will be chosen for their expertise and achievements.
Gardeners whose projects are chosen for recognition will be invited to an awards
reception, where photos of the winning gardens will be showcased. As a thank you for
participating, PHS invites all contestants to enroll in their upcoming gardening programs and
67
workshops at reduced costs.
For all the details and to enter, visit the PHS Gardening and Green Contest webpage.
Questions should be directed to 215-988-8897, or send email to: ggcontest@pennhort.org.
For more information on programs, initiatives and upcoming events, visit the PA
Horticultural Society website, Like PHS on Facebook, Join PHS on Instagram and Follow on
Twitter. Click Here to sign up for regular updates from PHS. Click Here to become a member.
NewsClips:
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Action Required:
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Berks County will host

its annual Spring Native Plant Sale, displaying a wide
variety of Pennsylvanian plants and flowers, on
Saturday, May 19 and Sunday, May 20.
It will take place in the Visitor Center parking lot from
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The sale is open to the public,
and all proceeds benefit Hawk Mountain's
conservation and education programs.
In addition to the sale, visitors can browse the gardens
and chat with garden volunteers for free.
The sale will feature nearly 300 species of
Pennsylvania native wildflowers, vines, grasses, ferns, shrubs, and trees.
The Sanctuary’s group of garden volunteers will help visitors select which plants are best
for their home landscape. The volunteers will also help make the sale enjoyable, educational, and
as convenient as possible; they will carry purchases to buyers' cars, store them until the end of
the day's visit, and offer great gardening tips.
The bookstore also offers a year-round selection of native plant gardening books for
those interested in learning more.
The two-acre wide Hawk Mountain Native Plant Garden is located just next to the Visitor
Center and trailhead entrance, and it holds a vast variety of plant species that attract more than 40
species of butterflies and countless birds.
There are ponds abundant with wildlife and surrounded by discreet seating areas to
encourage lingering.
The garden volunteers work to tend and improve the garden year-round in order to
propagate the best natives for the sale.
68
For more information on programs, initiatives and upcoming events, visit the Hawk
Mountain Sanctuary website or call 610-756-6961. Click Here to sign up for regular updates
from the Sanctuary, Like them on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, visit them on Flickr, be part of
their Google+ Circle and visit their YouTube Channel. Click Here to support Hawk Mountain.
NewsClips:
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Action Required:
The Brodhead Watershed Association will hold

its annual Native Plant Sale June 1-2 at the
Pocono Township Fire Company's Carnival
Building on Route 611 in Tannersville, Monroe
County.
The Sale will give gardeners what they asked for:
beautiful and environmentally responsible
flowers and shrubs, with even more variety and
inventory than in previous years.
“This year’s sale will be the biggest and best. We’ll have over 93 different varieties of
perennials totaling over 1,000 plants,” said Deb Mattie of Paradise Township, sale organizer.
“Thirty-three will be new to the line-up, and we’ll have more shade plants also.”
There will also be a selection of trees and shrubs.
Almost every gardener in the Poconos wants deer-resistant plants, and the BWA won’t
disappoint them. “The majority of the plants are deer resistant,” Mattie said.
“As usual, our informative signs will answer your questions and give you all the
information you need,” Mattie said.
Expert gardeners will also be available to answer questions and help choose the
appropriate plants for your garden.
The sale will run run from 5:30 to 7:30 on Friday, June 1 and from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
on Saturday.
Cash, checks and credit cards will be accepted. For information, printable plant lists and
suggested native plant garden designs, visit the Native Plant Sale webpage or call 570-839-1120
or send email to: info@brodheadwatershed.org with questions.
Brodhead Watershed Association website.
(Photo: Suggested design for a Sunny Native Plant Garden.)
69
NewsClips:
Related Stories:
Action Required:
When DCNR celebrates its 25th anniversary in

2020, its citizen advisory council will be sharing
the celebratory cake.
The Conservation and Natural Resources
Advisory Council (CNRAC) was established in
1995 with the formation of DCNR to provide a
voice for the citizens in matters pertaining to the
conservation and stewardship of the
Commonwealth’s natural resources.
For more than two decades, 18 members of the
public representing various interests,
backgrounds, and ideas have met at least six times a year to address issues and concerns facing
the agency.
Throughout the years, the council has tackled issues to help bolster DCNR’s positions,
and, at times, has pushed back on a direction the agency was headed.
Council Members Reflect On Roles
As a council member for the last 15 years, and now its current chair, Gary Kribbs
believes the council has helped the department focus direction and areas of development by
relating their goals to the public.
“This diverse group helps bring sound advice and the public’s concerns to the attention of
DCNR and the legislature and the governor,” Kribbs said. “They (citizens) need a group they can
be completely frank and honest with. Over the years, we have had many very frank and
sometimes difficult discussions in our field trip public meetings.”
Providing Stakeholder Engagement
Stakeholder engagement in DCNR’s strategic planning has been a primary role of the
council over its lifetime, from holding regional meetings to gain citizen feedback on the strategic
direction of the agency during the Rendell administration, to providing a forum for citizens to
share their input on the state forest resource management plan in 2016.
The council plans to play a coordinating role in stakeholder engagement in the upcoming
development of strategic plans for the bureaus of state parks and forestry later this year and next.
Cliff David, the council’s longest serving member and a former chair, has witnessed
70
many changes to the council and the issues it faced. But one thing he believes is constant:
“CNRAC provides that sounding board for the secretary and senior staff, and it represents and
acts as a conduit for the public interfacing with the department. It is there to ask questions that
may not be considered by DCNR staff.”
Influencing DCNR Policy, Strategy
CNRAC’s impact on policy and strategic direction over the last two decades has been
tied to some of the more controversial issues affecting the agency.
For more than 10 years, council member and former chairperson Walt Peechatka has kept
his eye on the use and protection of the Oil and Gas Lease Fund, a key special fund intended to
restore and protect the lands DCNR manages.
“While we have not achieved our goal of total restoration of the original purpose, we
have gotten the attention that the issue deserves,” said Peechatka.
In 2002, DCNR found itself embroiled in a controversy stemming from the leasing of
state forests lands for the drilling of natural gas in the Trenton Black River formation.
While the conventional drilling was a common practice during a 50-year history on state
forest lands, the proposed lease size and lack of public involvement in the decision raised the
immediate attention of CNRAC.
Citing concerns raised by CNRAC in a letter to John Oliver -- the DCNR secretary at the
time-- the agency halted the leasing process and opened a series of public meeting across the
state.
Institutional Knowledge
Having served on council for nearly two decades, Cliff David believes one of the greatest
values to DCNR is the institutional knowledge that the council provides during changes in
administrations.
In transitions between governors, CNRAC outlines its major concerns and issues that
they believe the next governor should consider as he/she appoints senior leadership and makes
policy decisions.
In the transition document to the Wolf Administration in 2015, CNRAC outlined the Oil
and Gas Lease Fund, resource extraction, parks and forest infrastructure, trails development,
DCNR’s grant program, and biodiversity as being priority issues.
Experiencing Work In The Field
In addition to bi-monthly public meetings in the Rachel Carson Building in Harrisburg,
once a year, council members make a trek into the forests and fields of Pennsylvania to learn
firsthand about the work of DCNR and its partners.
A 2016 trip to the Pennsylvania Wilds region exposed CNRAC to the impact DCNR has
on the economic development and prosperity of that region, from timber operations, to artisan
work, to nature-based tourism.
Last year’s trip centered around DCNR’s role in natural resource protection and heritage
and nature tourism in the Laurel Highlands conservation landscape.
“CNRAC’s role is to bring public thoughts and ideas to light for consideration of DCNR
leaders and staff,” said Rocco Ali, a 12-year council member. “Our field trips allow for this, as
does the vast experience of the members of the council.”
Bringing Diverse Interests To The Table
Council members bring diverse interests and experiences to the table. Representing
everything from land conservation, to community recreation, to timber interests, council
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members share their unique perspectives and decades of experience in their fields.
Newly appointed member Meredith Graham believes CNRAC represents a cross section
of the general public and DCNR’s constituency. “Our role is to provide DCNR staff with a
‘citizen’s perspective’ on various issues.”
For council member Bob Kirchner, that perspective is motorized recreation.
“The opportunity to have a seat at the table to provide a citizen perspective with regard to
department policies motivated me to seek appointment," said Kirchner. "The role of the
department in outdoor recreation is growing and opportunities abound for the department to
make a difference in citizen experiences as well as the economies of areas impacted by
department operations."
Kirchner currently leads CNRAC’s work group on motorized recreation, which will be
submitting a report to the agency this year on how to improve opportunities for the motorized
constituency.
Looking To The Future
As the council looks to the future, it hopes to gain more relevance with Pennsylvanians
and elected officials, and to assist DCNR in addressing issues of most importance to the agency.
For Kirchner, that means council should put their efforts into helping to shape the
policies that will form the basis for citizens' changing demands on our finite natural resources
from a conservation, recreation, and economic perspective.
“We need to be good stewards of what we have and enjoy the abundant opportunities it
provides through sound management practices,” he said.
For Graham, a future top priority should be “helping DCNR to ensure that visitors to state
parks and state forests have a great experience every time. This is the most ‘visible’ aspect of
DCNR’s work.”
Interested In CNRAC?
CNRAC currently is seeking new members for open seats. For more information about
the council, visit DCNR’s CNRAC webpage. Questions should be directed to Gretchen Leslie at
717-772-9084 or send email to: gleslie@pa.gov.
Related Stories:
Action Required:
(Reprinted from the May 2 DCNR Resource newsletter. Click Here to sign up for your own
copy.)
The May 2 edition of the Resource newsletter is now available
72
from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources featuring articles on--
-- Long-Standing DCNR Advisory Council Seeks New Members For Open Seats
-- DCNR Secretary Congratulates Student Participants In Cumberland County Envirothon
-- DCNR Honors Parks In Allegheny, Delaware Counties With Green Park Award
-- Collaboration Finds A Way To Preserve Fmr Girl Scout Camp
-- DCNR, DCED Celebrate Entrepreneurship At 2018 PA Wilds Conference, Awards
-- Video Recap Of Earth Day Celebration At Governor’s Residence
-- DCNR Partners With Arborists, City Of Lancaster For Arbor Day Of Service
-- College Students Take Advantage Of Opportunities To “Think Outside”
-- Good Natured Pennsylvanian: Biology Teacher Pamela Ulicny In Dauphin County (photo)
-- Families Can Learn To Fish At Fish & Boat Commission Festivals
-- Conservation Tip: Native Plants For Mother’s Day
-- New Manager Appointed At Memorial Lake State Park Complex Lebanon County
DCNR’s website, Visit the Good Natured DCNR Blog, Click Here for upcoming events, Click
Here to hook up with DCNR on other social media-- Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.
Related Stories:
Action Required:
Tinicum Conservancy Helps Preserve 57-Acre Farm In Bucks County
With the assistance of the Tinicum Conservancy, Carl

Kwartnik and Maureen Santina recently conserved their
57-acre farm in Durham Township through the Bucks
County Agricultural Open Space program and the PA
Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program.
The property sits on the upper southern slope of the
Cooks Creek watershed, which is a Pennsylvania
exceptional value stream, and borders Lehnenberg Road
for 1,600 feet, with scenic views of the nearby
mountains.
The area is notable for its complex geology. The Monroe Border Fault runs through the
southern portion of the property and its underlying bedrock, part of the Hardyston Formation,
dates back to the Precambrian era.
The property features a variety of gneisses, including horneblende, felsic, and mafic.
The path to protecting this beautiful farm started five years ago when the owners
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purchased the land and then approached the Tinicum Conservancy. They wanted to know what
their options were to protect the property’s rich soils, agricultural heritage, and natural resources.
While there was quick consensus on how to protect the property, funding for the
conservation easement proved more challenging. Several funding sources that the farm qualified
for had recently run out of funding or had changed their priorities.
“It’s unusual when we’re not able to pull together funding for an important land
protection effort like Carl and Maureen’s farm,” explained Tinicum Conservancy Executive
Director Jim Engel.
But Carl and Maureen refused to give up, and with Tinicum’s guidance, they applied for
a grant from the Bucks County Agricultural Open Space program.
There was only one problem: qualifying properties needed to be actively farmed for at
least three years prior to acceptance, and although the property contained an abundance of fertile
soil, more than two decades had passed since it had last been farmed.
At one point, a large subdivision had been considered; before that, the land was used as a
training site for hunting dogs.
Carl and Maureen were undeterred. They immediately set about removing invasive
plants, including large stands of autumn olive, and returning the fields to their original state.
Over the next three years, they established an alpaca operation and leased a portion of the
land for livestock, which enabled their application to finally be approved.
Today, they are thrilled that their beautiful property has regained its former glory and
they love the idea that it will continue to be farmed for generations to come.
“We couldn’t have done it without the help of the Tinicum Conservancy,” said Maureen.
For more information on programs, initiatives and upcoming events, visit the Tinicum
Conservancy website.
NewsClips:
Action Required:
(Reprinted from the PA Land Trust Association website.)

Gifford Pinchot's Grey Towers Hosts May 30 Program On The Spotted Lanternfly In Pike
County
The Pike County Conservation District, Northern Tier

Hardwood Association and Gifford Pinchot's Grey Towers
National Historic Site in Milford will host a program on the
Spotted Lanternfly on May 30 from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.
The Spotted Lanternfly is a threat to the general
public, the forest products industry, as well as all commerce
74
in Pennsylvania.
There is currently a quarantine in place for 13 counties in southeastern Pennsylvania to
try to stop the movement of the invasive pest. The SLF is a native of China, and could possibly
work its way into our region.
This destructive insect feeds on a variety of over 70 species of plants including hardwood
trees, grapes, apples, peaches, ailanthus, hops and certain ornamental plants. There is a serious
threat of the SLF spreading due to the fact that it lays its egg masses on any flat surface.
The May 30 meeting will cover general information about the Spotted Lanternfly
including: initial detection, biology and life cycle, current distribution, impacts of pest feeding,
recorded damage, pathways for spread, and control methods.
It will also cover quarantine expansion, compliance agreements, and what to do if you
find a Spotted Lanternfly.
Sarah Hall-Bagdonas, Program Manager at Northern Tier Hardwood Association, will be
the presenter at a free Spotted Lanternfly.
There will also be a testing session by the Department of Agriculture for people who will
need permits to conduct business, travel, or transport in the quarantined area.
The meeting will be held in the Cornelia Room on the second floor at Grey Towers
National Historic Site, 122 Old Owego Turnpike, Milford, PA 18337.
The meeting and testing are free, but reservations are required and can be made by
sending email to: nthapa@nthardwoods.org. Questions should be direct by email to:
nthapa@nthardwoods.org or call 570-265-7753.
Click Here to learn more about the Spotted Lanternfly in Pennsylvania from the
Department of Agriculture.
For more information on programs, initiatives and other upcoming events, visit the Grey
Towers Heritage Association. Click Here to sign up for updates from the Association, Like them
on Facebook, Follow them on Twitter, visit their YouTube Channel, become part of their
Google+ Circle and follow them on Instagram.
Also visit the Grey Towers Historic Site website and the Pinchot Institute for
Conservation website for information on its conservation research and policy programs. Click
Here to sign up for the Institute’s regular updates.
(Photo: Sarah Hall-Bagdonas, Program Manager at Northern Tier Hardwood Association,)
NewsClips:
Related Stories:
Penn State Extension, Agriculture Officials Look To Slow Spread Of Spotted Lanternfly
Agriculture Budget Includes Proposed $1.6 Million To Combat Spotted Lanternfly
Agriculture Expands Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine Area To 13 Whole Counties, 6 New
Agriculture Reports Nearly 1,500 Properties Infested With Spotted Lanternfly Populations In
Eastern PA
Action Required:
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Piping Plovers Return To Presque Isle For 2nd Year In Erie, Public Asked to Respect
Nesting Area
The Game Commission Friday announced for the second

consecutive year, a pair of federally endangered piping
plovers is courting on Presque Isle State Park’s Gull Point in
Erie.
In 2017, the same pair, identified by leg bands, nested,
hatched three piping plover chicks and ultimately raised two,
the first Pennsylvania has ushered into the wild since Dwight
D. Eisenhower was president.
Remarkably, that nest wasn’t the Commonwealth’s only
piping plover nest. Another, on the same beach, had four eggs
rescued when strong waves threatened to carry them into Lake Erie.
Those eggs hatched two more chicks that were released last August on Lake Superior
after being raised at the University of Michigan Biological Station piping plover captive-rearing
facility.
Mary Birdsong, shorebird monitor for Erie Bird Observatory, has been keeping tabs on
Gull Point’s beach bird activity from an observation deck. She reported the female plover was
first observed May 3. The male was first seen on April 21.
“That both birds are back from the nest that reared two chicks last year is great news,”
explained Cathy Haffner, a Game Commission biologist who has been involved in Great Lakes
piping plover recovery efforts since 2001. “We’ll keep our fingers crossed that the pair from the
failed nest also returns.
“There’s always some chance piping plovers won’t return; survival is never guaranteed to
a bird that weighs less than a deck of cards and migrates every spring and fall,” Haffner said.
“Last year’s nest failure also could compel the other plovers to nest elsewhere.”
One of the rarest birds in the Great Lakes region, the piping plover is slightly larger than
a sparrow and found in three geographically separated populations: Atlantic Coast and Northern
Great Plains (protected as threatened) and the Great Lakes (protected as endangered). The world
piping plover population numbers a little over 4,000 pairs.
Shortly after a territorial male was observed there in 2005, the Game Commission,
working with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, developed a Presque Isle
Piping Plover and Common Tern Partnership aiming to bring back to Pennsylvania both
beleaguered species.
Other partners include U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Army Corps of Engineers,
Audubon Pennsylvania, Erie Bird Observatory and Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.
A 2007 Pennsylvania piping plover recovery assessment, completed by Haffner,
recommended woody and invasive vegetation removal along the Gull Point Natural Area
shoreline to improve recolonization potential, among other strategies.
A USFWS Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant, administered by the Game
76
Commission, enabled the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and DCNR’s Presque Isle State
Park to start an annual vegetation-control program within 33 acres of the Gull Point Natural Area
in 2011.
“DCNR is very excited about this special species returning to Presque Isle State Park
following the nesting success last season,” DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said. “The
partners involved have worked tirelessly to plan and coordinate activities to encourage this
success. From creating a recovery plan, to performing invasive species control, to on-the-ground
monitoring, this is a credit to the conservation efforts by all involved.”
Never abundant, but still somewhat common within suitable breeding habitat on Great
Lakes shorelines in the early 1900s, the Great Lakes piping plover population bottomed out in
the late 1980s, when only 17 breeding pairs-- confined to Michigan’s shoreline-- were recorded.
At one time, Pennsylvania likely hosted up to 15 pairs at Presque Isle State Park-- the only
suitable breeding habitat in the state.
But steep declines in piping plover populations through the 1940s and ’50s--
accompanied by increasing interference from development and human traffic on beaches and
predation – endangered the Great Lakes population.
“The best news is that piping plovers have returned to Presque Isle a year after they
successfully nested and reared young there,” emphasized Game Commission Executive Director
Bryan Burhans. “But it’s important to remember their comeback is still in its infancy. The birds
need time.”
Piping plovers are highly vulnerable to disturbance during all phases of the nesting
season. They could leave the area or abandon a nest or chicks. Disturbance or harassment carries
federal and state penalties.
“As a federally endangered species, every piping plover matters,” emphasized Burhans.
“With fewer than 80 pairs in the Great Lakes, it’s imperative that we ensure they have the space
they need to be successful.”
To ensure the plovers remain undisturbed, they are protected by a restricted area.
Restricted areas are designated by signage and fences. Disturbing nesting piping plovers carries
fines and penalties.
Visitors to Gull Point can help the plovers and other shorebirds by keeping pets leashed,
and leaving nothing behind but footprints. Visitors also are asked not to feed wildlife.
Drones are not allowed at Presque Isle State Park. In addition, the Gull Point Natural
Area is closed to human traffic from April 1 to Nov. 30 and boats cannot moor within 100 feet of
the Point.
If the Gull Point Trail is open, visitors may visit the observation platform. No one is
permitted to leave the trail.
“Decades of efforts by landowners, organizations and government agencies are paying
off,” said Vince Cavalieri, USFWS Great Lakes piping plover recovery coordinator. “We-- and
the plovers-- are grateful and ask for continued partnership to help this endangered shorebird
reach and maintain full recovery.”
The USFWS reports the first piping plover nests of the 2018 nesting season in the Great
Lakes should be found shortly.
Upon their return to breeding grounds in March and April, males set up and defend
nesting territories. They create pre-nests, called scrapes, that are small depressions in the sand
lined sometimes by small stones or shell fragments.
77
The female will use one to lay her eggs, after which the pair will take turns incubating the
eggs for about a month.
Once hatched, the chicks are up and running, feeding on small insects and invertebrates
in the intertidal zone. They are most vulnerable during the first five days, after which their
chances for survival start to increase.
Over the next few weeks, their wings develop and they learn to fly. Until that time,
chicks respond to vehicles, predators, and pedestrians by “freezing” and crouching down in the
sand to hide, becoming almost perfectly camouflaged.
Click Here to watch a short video on the new piping plovers on Presque Isle from last
season.
For more information, visit the Game Commission’s Piping Plover webpage.
NewsClips:
Peregrine Falcons To Be Removed From Downtown Pittsburgh Building
AP: Developer Seeks To Relocate Young Falcons From Downtown Nest
Schneck: That’s All Folks From Hanover Bald Eagle Nestcam
Related Story:
Endangered Piping Plovers Returned To Presque Isle State Park In Erie
Deer Fawns More Likely To Survive In Agricultural Landscapes Than Forest
By Jeffery Mulhollem, Penn State News
The cruel truth is that throughout the white-tailed

deer's range only about half of all fawns live to see
their first birthday-- most are killed by predators.
However, they have a much better chance
of surviving if they are born in farmland rather
than in forest, according to Penn State researchers,
who collaborated with Game Commission deer
biologists.
They estimated fawn survival in four
different study areas in Pennsylvania. In addition,
they combined fawn-survival estimates from
published data from 29 deer populations in 16
states throughout North America to look at landscape patterns in fawn survival.
Landscapes with mixed forest and agricultural cover had lower rates of mortality due to
predators, when compared to forested landscapes, according to adjunct professor of wildlife
ecology Duane Diefenbach, whose research group in the College of Agricultural Sciences
conducted the work.
He noted that it is the first large-scale study to link predation of fawns to habitat
characteristics.
Researchers modeled fawn survival relative to percentage of agricultural land cover. The
estimated average survival to six months of age was about 41 percent in contiguous forest
landscapes with no agriculture.
78
For every 10 percent increase in land area in agriculture, fawn survival increased by
almost 5 percent.
"Coyote predation was a greater source of mortality than black bear or bobcat predation,
especially in the southeastern U.S," said Diefenbach, who is leader of the Pennsylvania
Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Penn State. "But black bears accounted for
similar, or greater, proportions of mortality compared to coyotes in several studies we reviewed."
From 2015 to 2016, researchers radio-collared 98 fawns in two study areas in
Pennsylvania. They monitored fawn survival and cause-specific mortality in part of the
Susquehannock State Forest in Potter County, and in parts of the Rothrock and Bald Eagle state
forests in Centre, Mifflin and Huntingdon counties.
Researchers classified mortality as human-caused-- killed by agricultural machinery and
vehicle collisions; natural-- excluding predation; and predation. They used the categories of
agriculturally dominated, forested, and mixed farmland and forest landscapes.
Predation was the greatest source of mortality in all landscapes.
Although landscapes with agricultural cover and mixed agriculture and forest cover had
lower proportions and rates of mortality due to predators compared to forested landscapes, the
ag-influenced areas had greater proportions and rates of human-caused mortalities, noted lead
researcher Tess Gingery, who recently graduated with a master's degree in wildlife and fisheries
science.
"Natural sources of mortality such as starvation and abandonment occurred in similar
proportions across all landscapes, and human causes were the smallest source of mortality," she
said. "We failed to detect any relationship between fawn survival and deer density."
To accomplish the study, which was published recently in the Journal of Wildlife
Management, researchers had to closely track pregnant does and fawns, Gingery noted.
They monitored survival of radio-collared fawns via ground-based telemetry twice daily
from capture until mid-August, one to seven times weekly from mid-August through early
December, and one to three times weekly thereafter, until mortality or collar failure.
"We investigated all fawn mortality within 24 hours of signal detection and noted
vegetative disturbance, carcass condition, presence of predator scat or prints and any
predator-specific kill characteristics to identify the likely predator species," she said.
"Carcasses were collected for necropsy at Penn State's Animal Diagnostic Laboratory,
where the cause of death was finally classified."
The findings likely explain some of the movement researchers see with female deer,
when a few leave forested areas and go to farmland habitat to have fawns, Diefenbach pointed
out. The animals seem to sense they have greater success rearing fawns in agricultural areas, he
believes.
"It seems that predators are not as efficient at finding fawns in grasslands or croplands,"
he said. "And, in a camera-trapping research project we have in progress now, we are seeing
fewer predators in farmland habitat than in forests."
Noting that the Pennsylvania component of the study showed fawn survival is slightly
higher in the Keystone State than similar landscapes in other parts of North America, Diefenbach
suggested the research's findings are important because they will help wildlife managers across
the country understand why fawn survival varies.
The findings have management implications, he believes, because the results of the
meta-analysis indicate that efforts to alter fawn survival to increase overall deer numbers will be
79
challenging.
Although predation is the largest source of mortality and occurred at the greatest rates,
predator control efforts are difficult and often unsuccessful.
"Managers looking to influence fawn mortality by increasing habitat diversity and
maintaining a landscape structure with a mix of agriculture and forest may observe less fawn
predation," he said. "However, reduced antlerless harvests may be more effective at achieving
deer population objectives than attempts to manipulate the factors that influence fawn mortality."
Contributing to the research were Christopher Rosenberry, supervisor of the Game
Commission's deer and elk section, and Bret Wallingford, Game Commission deer biologist.
The Game Commission, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Pennsylvania Cooperative
Fish and Wildlife Research Unit supported this work.
Action Required:

Bay Journal: Retired PA Forester Dan Devlin's 37-Year Career With Trees Bore Much
Fruit
By Donna Morelli, Chesapeake Bay Journal
When you spend nearly 40 years working for the same

employer, you are bound to experience change.
Dan Devlin, who served in several positions in the
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources over 37 years, including State Forester, said
he will have more time to canoe now that he has retired.
Dan Devlin, Pennsylvania’s state forester and director of
the Bureau of Forestry, retired in March with four
decades’ worth of observations about protecting and
managing public forests.
During his career, he navigated fundamental changes in
the philosophy and science of forest management, as
well as grappling with a game changer that few people saw coming: the surge of drilling for
natural gas using a controversial technique known as fracking-- including wells in state forests.
“We’ve come a long way,” Devlin said. “The forestry profession and forests are going to
become more and more important as time goes on.”
The drilling boom in Pennsylvania, focused on tapping gas in the Marcellus Shale
formation, put the state in the national spotlight and the integrity of 2.2 million acres of state
forest squarely in Devlin’s lap.
“We just weren’t ready for it,” Devlin said. “But I said, ‘we had no choice in this but
we’re going to do the best damn job we can.’ We all struggled, personally and professionally.”
Devlin was appointed bureau director and state forester in 2008, after three years as
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assistant state forester and nearly 30 years in other state forestry roles.
As state forester, Devlin was responsible for the oversight of all of state forest lands, as
well as conserving native plants; managing forest fires; protecting forests from insects and
disease; and promoting the conservation of both private and state-owned forests.
He faced drilling questions almost as soon as he was appointed.
Gov. Edward Rendell saw value in the drilling boom, which hit while Pennsylvania was
facing its worst budgetary crisis in decades. The energy industry wanted to lease state land for
drilling, and the revenue was needed.
The state legislature approved the drilling and applied most of the $168 million made on
the first lease to the gaping hole in the budget.
The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources leased out nearly 700,000 acres
of state forests of the 1.5 million that are underlain with Marcellus Shale formations.
It wasn’t the first time the forests have been drilled; state land has been leased for
conventional drilling for years. In fact, the decision was made to open up previously drilled land
for the first lease.
But the hydraulic fracturing technique was new to the state, with a different method,
infrastructure needs and the footprint of well pads.
Well pads measured in acres were cleared from deep forest and were accompanied by
more acres of wastewater ponds and pipelines.
The bureau wasn’t ready for the scale and scope of the industry, Devlin said. It had to
learn the basics and then catch up as the industry took off.
Devlin said the lack of knowledge was so great that they didn’t think it would be a
problem to have a rig set up in the Pine Creek Valley, an area where the viewshed is protected
from development.
The staff didn’t know that the standard fracking rig is approximately 125 feet tall and
would extend well above the tree line.
Devlin said the bureau could make trade-offs and choices by selecting where the drilling
pads and pipelines could be located.
“We had to err on the ecological side of caution when faced with a choice,” Devlin said.
Cynthia Adams Dunn, secretary of the DCNR, which oversees the bureau, said that
Devlin was adept at managing difficult situations.
“When we talk about our role as managers of state forest lands we always mention
balancing different values and uses, and I think providing balance is where Dan has shone,”
Dunn said.
The approach to forest management also changed dramatically during Devlin’s career.
When he started his first position with the state in 1981, at what was then called the Department
of Environmental Resources, most foresters were primarily trained to manage forests-- including
state forests-- for the production of timber.
Devlin was part of a new generation interested in broader ecosystem management,
maintaining forests to also ensure clean headwater streams and biodiversity.
Recreational uses have changed, too, from a small number of hikers or anglers who didn’t
expect visitor services to a growing population of diverse users that includes ATV riders, horse
riders, kayakers and mountain bikers.
“Dan was instrumental in establishing an ecosystem management approach to protect
biodiversity while incorporating human uses of our public lands,” Dunn said. “He is a true
81
conservationist and public servant.”
Those early years were frustrating, Devlin said. He was a progressive in a department full
of traditional foresters. While some “got it” he said, most were heading toward retirement and
less interested in learning about ecosystem management or data analysis software.
“Dan kept up with all that stuff. He was young enough to be modern but old enough to
know what it was like in the old days,” said James Grace, state forester when Devlin came on
board. “At that time, there was no such thing as an ecological services section. Or forest rangers.
Or a remote sensing group. And no Marcellus gas. He’s bridged that very, very well.”
Devlin spent time in the planning department, where he wrote guidance on topics such as
climate change and forest management.
One of his favorite projects was the development of the Pine Creek Rail Trail-- a 62-mile
route in rural, Northcentral Pennsylvania and the first Rails to Trails project in the state. The trail
was developed for its spectacular views in an area of gorges, coldwater streams and
sweet-smelling forest referred to as Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon.
It took a lot of charisma and persuasion to convince the small local governments of the
benefits the trail would bring-- including people from Philadelphia.
“Most didn’t want it. They worried that it would bring people in from Philly, and they
would wreck things, throw garbage about and murder people,” he said with a chuckle. “Now the
same people who were against it love it.”
Today, the Pine Creek trail is a well-known attraction for hikers, bicyclists and horseback
riders from all over the country and beyond. It is prominently featured on the region’s tourist
websites and brochures that aim to attract an urban crowd with thick wallets.
Devlin said he has done some thinking about how he will spend his time during
retirement. He has a son who opened a mirco-brewery recently and has been trying to him to get
involved.
And he’s leaving just in time for trout season, so maybe he’ll throw a few flies into a
creek or two.
But he expects to keep thinking about the future of “Penn’s Woods.” Invasive species?
He finds that problem in northeastern forests analogous to the wildfires in the western
states. His thoughts also linger on fragmented forests, as parcels of private forest are carved into
smaller and smaller lots.
And then there is climate change. Devlin said the impacts won’t be as dramatic in
Pennsylvania as in coastal areas, but they will more insidious-- something you have to learn to
manage and live with.
“I had a wonderful career,” Devlin said. “There are plenty of challenges ahead. I’m sure
the younger generation is going to handle it just fine. There are a lot of good folks in this
profession. It’s not a job, it’s a passion.”
Click Here to learn more about Pennsylvania’s State Forests.
NewsClips:
82
Related Stories:
DCNR State Forester Dan Devlin Retiring After Nearly 40 Years Of State Service
Action Required:
(Reprinted from the Chesapeake Bay Journal.)

Help Wanted: Western PA Conservancy Watershed Technician Riparian Forestry,

Chesapeake Bay Watershed
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, in conjunction with the Department of Conservation

and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry, is seeking an experienced and outgoing individual to
fill a Watershed Technician position to assist with the advancement of riparian forest buffer
implementation, restoration and maintenance in the Chesapeake Bay watershed in Pennsylvania.
Efforts will focus on increasing landowner participation in riparian forest conservation
and riparian buffer plantings, especially through USDA’s CREP program.
Individuals will promote riparian best management practices and provide technical
assistance for riparian buffer implementation and establishment.
The position will be based in DCNR Bureau of Forestry office in Harrisburg.
Click Here for all the details and to apply. Applications will be accepted through May
18.
Action Required:
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 the 2018 meeting schedules for its advisory committees and boards.
83
May 5-- Audubon Society of Western PA. Habitat Restoration Project In Butler County. 148
Thompson Road, Sarver, Butler County. 9:00 to Noon.
May 5-- Brodhead Watershed Association. Walk and Talk Hike In Search Of Imperiled
Golden-Winged Warbler In Monroe County. Barrett Paradise Friendly Library, 6500 Route 191,
Cresco. 9:00
May 7-- Public Utility Commission Workgroup On Universal Service & Energy Conservation
Programs. Keystone Building, Executive Chambers, Harrisburg. 1:00 to 3:00.
May 8-- Registration Open. 2018 PA Groundwater Symposium. Ramada Inn in State College,
Centre County.
May 8-- DEP Keystone Energy Education Workshop For Teachers. DEP Northwest Regional
Office, Meadville, Crawford County. 8:30 to 3:00. Click To Register.
May 8-10-- PA Section American Water Works Association. 70th Annual Conference. Kalahari
Resort and Convention Center at Pocono Manor, Monroe County.
May 9-- Agenda Posted. DEP Water Resources Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105
Rachel Carson Building. 9:30. DEP Contact: Diane Wilson 717-787-3730 or send email to:
diawilson@pa.gov.
-- Improving Wetlands Mapping Layers
-- Simplified Water Obstruction & Encroachment General Permit Process
-- Agricultural Operations Inspections
-- Chesapeake Bay Program Update
May 9-- NEW. Agenda Posted. DEP Aggregate Advisory Board meeting. 10th Floor, Rachel
Carson Building. 10:00. DEP Contact: Daniel Snowden, 717-787-5103, dsnowden@pa.gov.
Available by conference call: 650-479-3208, Access Code 646 312 485, Password:
GeoEnviro$600.
-- Discussion of Non-Coal Mining Proposed Fee Increases
May 9-- DEP Keystone Energy Education Workshop For Teachers. Westmoreland County
Conservation District Office, Greensburg, Westmoreland County. 8:30 to 3:00. Click To
Register.
May 9-- PUC Hearing On Transource Power Line Project. Airville Volunteer Fire Department,
3576 Delta Road, Airville, York County. Hearings at 1:00 and 6:00.
May 9-- NEW. Darby Creek Valley Association. Making A Difference Through Green
Infrastructure Workshop. Haverford CRED, 9000 Parkview Drive, Haverford, Delaware
County. 6:00 to 8:00.
May 10-- Agenda Posted. DEP Oil and Gas Technical Advisory Board meeting. Room 105
84
Rachel Carson Building. 10:00. DEP Contact: Todd Wallace 717-783-9438 or send email to:
twallace@pa.gov. Click Here to attend the meeting online via WebEx.
-- Discussion Of Proposed Oil & Gas Permit Review Fees, Well Plugging, Air Quality General
Permits
May 10-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission holds a hearing on water withdrawal requests,
changes to fee schedule and proposed records retention policy. Room 8E-B East Wing Capitol
Building, Harrisburg. 2:30 to 5:00. Contact: Jason Oyler, General Counsel, 717-238-0423, Ext.
1312, fax 717-238-2436. (formal notice) Click Here for more.
May 12-- Cumberland County Penn State Master Gardeners. Adams Ricci Butterfly Garden
Grand Opening & Education Event. Adams Ricci Park, 100 E. Penn Drive in Enola,
Cumberland County. Noon to 3:00.
May 12-- NEW. Friends Of Allegheny Wilderness. Allegheny River & Watershed Cleanup.
Starting at the Onoville Marina, 704 W. Perimeter Road, Steamburg, NY. 8:00.
May 12-- NEW. PA Resources Council. Hard-To-Recycle Collection Event. Galleria at
Pittsburgh Mills, Allegheny County. 9:00 to 1:00.
May 14-- PUC Hearing On Transource Power Line Project. Airville Volunteer Fire Department,
3576 Delta Road, Airville, York County. Hearings at 1:00 and 6:00. Click Here for more.
May 15-- CANCELED. PUC Hearing On Transource Power Line Project. Airville Volunteer
Fire Department, 3576 Delta Road, Airville, York County. Hearings at 1:00 and 6:00. Click
Here for more.
May 15-- Pike County Conservation District. Stormwater Management Field Tour. Pike County
Training Center, 135 Pike County Boulevard,Lords Valley. 10:00 to 3:00.
May 16-- Agenda Posted. Environmental Quality Board meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson
Building. 9:00. DEP Contact: Laura Edinger, 717-772-3277, ledinger@pa.gov.
-- Proposed Unconventional Well Permit Review Fee Increase
-- Proposed Changes to Surface Mining Regulations
May 16-- Agenda Posted. DEP Citizens Advisory Council meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson
Building. 10:00. Contact: Executive Director Lee Ann Murray, 717-787-8171,
leemurray@pa.gov. Meeting available by conference call: 717-612-4788 or 855-734-4390, PIN:
083399
-- Presentations On Water Programs, Bureau of Safe Drinking Water
-- DEP May Report To Council
May 16-- NEW. Delaware River Basin Commission hearing on a variety of policies and water
withdrawal requests. West Trenton Volunteer Fire Company, 40 West Upper Ferry Road, West
Trenton, NJ. 1:30. (formal notice) Click Here for more details.
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May 17-- Agenda Posted. DEP Storage Tank Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel
Carson Building. 10:00. DEP Contact: Kris Shiffer 717-772-5809 or send email to:
kshiffer@pa.gov. (formal notice)
May 17-- NEW. Agenda Posted. DEP Chesapeake Bay Watershed Planning Steering
Committee. Room 105 Rachel Carson Building. 9:00 to Noon. Click Here to join the meeting
by WebEx, pre-registration required. Click Here for more.
May 17-- DEP Keystone Energy Education Workshop For Teachers. King’s Gap Environmental
Center, Carlisle, Cumberland County. 8:30 to 3:00. Click To Register.
May 19-- Foundation for Sustainable Forests. Loving The Land Through Working Forests Field
Conference. Floraroze Forest near 9201 South Creek Road, Girard, Erie County. 7:30 to 4:00.
May 19-- Delaware Highlands Conservancy. Milford Experimental Forest Native Plants Walk.
Milford, Pike County. 9:00 to Noon.
May 19-- Capital Region Water. DeHart Dam Reservoir Public Tour. Dauphin County.
May 19-20-- NEW. Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. Spring Native Plant Sale. Visitor Center Parking
Lot at the Sanctuary, Berks County.
May 22-- PUC Hearing On Transource Power Line Project. New Franklin Fire Department
Social Hall, 3444 Wayne Road, Chambersburg. Franklin County. Hearings at 1:00 and 6:00.
May 22-- CANCELED. DEP Environmental Justice Advisory Board meeting. Rescheduled for
May 29. DEP Contact: John Brakeall, 717-783-9731 or send email to: jbrakeall@pa.gov.
(formal notice)
May 22-- DEP Hearing On Sunoco Marcus Hook Terminal Air Permit. Marcus Hook
Community, 7 W. Delaware Avenue, Marcus Hook, Delaware County. 6:00 to 8:00.
May 22-23-- Choose Clean Water Coalition. 9th Annual Clean Water Conference. Lancaster
Marriott.
May 23-- House Consumer Affairs Committee holds a hearing on House Bill 2075 (Charlton-R-
Delaware) replacement of lead water and damaged sewer laterals (sponsor summary). Room
B-31 Main Capitol. 10:00. Committee meetings are typically webcast through the PA House
Republican website.
May 23-- PUC Hearing On Transource Power Line Project. New Franklin Fire Department
Social Hall, 3444 Wayne Road, Chambersburg. Franklin County. Hearings at 1:00 and 6:00.
May 23-24-- Penn State Extension Healthy Trees, Healthy People Program. Frick Environmental
86
Center, 2005 Beechwood Boulevard, Pittsburgh.
May 24-- DEP Small Water Systems Technical Assistance Center Board meeting. Room 105
Rachel Carson Building. 9:00. DEP Contact: Dawn Hissner 717-772-2189 or send email to:
dhissner@pa.gov.
May 26-- Audubon Society of Western PA. Backyard Habitat Organic Garden Solution
Workshop. Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve, 614 Dorseyville Road, Pittsburgh. 10:00.
May 29-- DEP Environmental Justice Advisory Board meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson
Building. 9:00. DEP Contact: John Brakeall, 717-783-9731 or send email to: jbrakeall@pa.gov.
(formal notice)
May 30-- DEP State Board for Certification of Sewage Enforcement Officers meeting. Room
105 Rachel Carson Building. 10:00. DEP Contact: Kristen Szwajkowski 717-772-2186 or send
email to: kszwajkows@pa.gov.
May 30-- Public Utility Commission. Combined Heat and Power Working Group meeting.
Forest Room, Keystone Building, 400 North Street, Harrisburg. 1:00. A call-in number will be
published, Click Here. Contact: Joe Sherrick 717-787-5369 or send email to:
josherrick@pa.gov. (formal notice)
May 30-- NEW. Pike County Conservation District. Northern Tier Hardwood Association.
Spotted Lanternfly Program. Grey Towers National Historic Site, Milford, Pike County. 2:00 to
5:00. Click Here for more.
May 30-31-- Penn State Energy Days. Penn Stater Conference Center, State College, Centre
County.
May 31-- Philadelphia Air Management Services Public Hearing [If Requested] On Proposed
State Air Quality Implementation Plan Revisions RACT Controls For VOCs, NOx. Spelman
Building, 321 University Avenue, 1st Floor Conference Room, Philadelphia. 6:00.
May 31-- NEW. Keep PA Beautiful. Elk County Solid Waste Authority. Municipal Waste,
Recycling & Enforcement Forum. Fox Township Volunteer Fire Department, Fire Hall, 381
Main Street, Kersey, Elk County. 10:00 to 3:00
June 1-2-- NEW. Brodhead Watershed Association. Native Plant Sale. Pocono Township Fire
Company's Carnival Building, Route 611, Tannersville, Monroe County.
June 5-- House Agriculture and Rural Development Committee holds a hearing on Senate Bill
792 (Alloway-R-Adams) regulating the application of lawn fertilizer. Room 205 Ryan Building.
9:00. Committee meetings are typically webcast through the House Republican Caucus website.
Click Here for more.
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June 5-- DEP Board Of Coal Mine Safety meeting. DEP Cambria Office, 286 Industrial Park
Road, Ebensburg. 10:00. DEP Contact: Peggy Scheloske 724-404-3143 or send email to:
mscheloske@pa.gov.
June 5-- CANCELED. DEP Storage Tank Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel
Carson Building. 10:00. DEP Contact: Kris Shiffer 717-772-5809 or send email to:
kshiffer@pa.gov. (formal notice)
June 6-- DEP Coastal Zone Advisory Committee meeting. 10th Floor Conference Room,
Rachel Carson Building. 9:30. DEP Contact: Stacey Box 717-772-5622 or send email to:
sbox@pa.gov.
June 7-- CANCELED. House Game and Fisheries Committee holds a hearing on Chronic
Wasting Disease. Room 60 East Wing. 10:00. Committee meetings are typically webcast at the
House Republican Caucus website.
June 7-- DEP Solid Waste Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson Building.
10:00. DEP Contact: Laura Henry 717-772-5713 or send email to: lahenry@pa.gov.
June 10-14-- Rails-To-Trails Conservancy. Delaware & Lehigh Trail Sojourn. Eastern
Pennsylvania.
June 12-- DEP Weathering The Storm Stormwater Education Workshop. Alumni Room of the
Waldron Campus Center, Gannon University, 109 University Square, Erie. 8:30 to 3:30.
June 13-- DEP State Board For Certification of Water and Wastewater Systems Operators. 10th
Floor Conference Room, Rachel Carson Building. 10:00. DEP Contact: Edgar Chescattie,
717-772-2814 or eschescattie@pa.gov.
June 13-- DEP Weathering The Storm Stormwater Education Workshop. Winnie Palmer Nature
Reserve, Saint Vincent College, 744 Walzer Way, Latrobe, Westmoreland County. 8:30 to 3:30.
June 13-- NEW. Delaware River Basin Commission business meeting on a variety of policies
and water withdrawal requests. West Trenton Volunteer Fire Company, 40 West Upper Ferry
Road, West Trenton, NJ. 10:30. (formal notice) Click Here for more details.
June 14-- House Game and Fisheries Committee holds a hearing on Chronic Wasting Disease.
Room 60 East Wing. 10:00. Committee meetings are typically webcast at the House Republican
Caucus website.
June 14-- DEP Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson
Building. 9:15. DEP Contact: Kirit Dalal, 717-772-3436, kdalal@pa.gov. (formal notice)
June 14-- PUC En Banc Hearing On Supplier Consolidated Billing By Electricity Suppliers.
Hearing Room 1, Keystone Building, 400 North Street, Harrisburg. 1:00.
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June 15-- Susquehanna River Basin Committee business meeting. Radisson Hotel Baltimore.
9:00.
June 16-- NEW. PA Resources Council. Hard-To-Recycle Collection Event. Bethel Park High
School, Allegheny County. 9:00 to 1:00.
June 20-21-- Registration Open. 20th Anniversary PA Abandoned Mine Reclamation

Conference. Ramada Conference Center, State College.
June 23-- Audubon Society of Western PA. Backyard Habitat Flowers And Feathers, The
Connection Between Plants and Birds Workshop. Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve, 614
Dorseyville Road, Pittsburgh. 10:00.
June 30-- NEW. PA Resources Council. Hard-To-Recycle Collection Event. Quaker Valley
High School, Leetsdale, Allegheny County. 9:00 to 1:00.
July 11-- DEP Technical Advisory Committee On Diesel Powered (Mining) Equipment. DEP
New Stanton Office, 131 Broadview Road, New Stanton. 10:00. DEP Contact: Peggy Scheloski,
724-404-3143 or mscheloske@pa.gov.
July 25-- DEP Small Business Compliance Advisory Committee meeting. 12th Floor
Conference Room, Rachel Carson Building. 10:00. DEP Contact: Nancy Herb, 717-783-9269 or
nherb@pa.gov. (formal notice)
July 25-27-- Registration Open. Professional Recyclers of PA. 28th Annual Recycling &
Organics Conference. Best Western Premier Hotel, Harrisburg.
July 28-- PA Resources Council. Recycling Bin Distribution Event In Pittsburgh. Point Breeze
Distribution Event, URA’s Parking Lot on Meade Street. 8:00 to 2:00. Click Here to register.
July 28-- Audubon Society of Western PA. Backyard Habitat Gardening for Pollinators and
Butterflies Workshop. Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve, 614 Dorseyville Road, Pittsburgh.
10:00.
August 11-- PA Resources Council. Recycling Bin Distribution Event In Pittsburgh. Fairywood
Distribution Event, B Keppel Trucking, 100 Beechnut Drive, Pittsburgh. 8:00 to 2:00. Click Here
to register.
August 20-23-- U.S. Biochar Initiatives Conference. Chase Center on the Riverfront,
Wilmington, Delaware.
August 25-- NEW. PA Resources Council. Hard-To-Recycle Collection Event. Century III Mall,
West Mifflin, Allegheny County. 9:00 to 1:00.
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September 6-9-- Delaware Highlands Conservancy. Educational Retreat For Women Forest
Landowners. Highlights Workshop Facility in Boyd’s Mill, Milanville, Wayne County.
September 20-- DEP Solid Waste Advisory Committee & Recycling Funding Advisory
Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson Building. 10:00. DEP Contact: Laura Henry
717-772-5713 or send email to: lahenry@pa.gov.
September 22-- Joint meeting of DEP Recycling Fund Advisory Committee and Solid Waste
Advisory Committee. Room 105 Rachel Carson Building. 10:00. DEP Contact: Laura Henry,
717-772-5713, lahenry@pa.gov.
September 23-- Audubon Society of Western PA. Backyard Habitat Trees and Shrubs,
Supporting Wildlife In Winter Workshop. Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve, 614 Dorseyville
Road, Pittsburgh. 10:00.
September 28-- DEP Low-Level Waste Advisory Committee meeting Room 105 Rachel Carson
Building. 10:00. DEP Contact: Rich Janati, 717-787-2147, rjanati@pa.gov.
October 1-3-- Engineers’ Society of Western PA. PA Brownfield Conference. Sands Bethlehem
Casino, Bethlehem.
October 6-- NEW. PA Resources Council. Hard-To-Recycle Collection Event. Settlers Cabin
Park, Robinson Township, Allegheny County. 9:00 to 1:00.
October 17-21-- Passive House Western PA. North American Passive House Network 2018
Conference. David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh.
October 18-- DEP Radiation Protection Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel
Carson. 9:00. DEP Contact: Joseph Melnic 717-783-9730 or send email to: jmelnic@pa.gov.
November 1-2-- PA Water And Wastewater Technology Summit. Penn Stater Conference
Center Hotel, State College.
Visit DEP’s Public Participation Center for public participation opportunities. Click Here to sign
up for DEP News a biweekly newsletter from the Department.
Sign Up For DEP’s eNotice: Did you know DEP can send you email notices of permit
applications submitted in your community? Notice of new technical guidance documents and
regulations? All through its eNotice system. Click Here to sign up.
DEP Regulations In Process

Proposed Regulations Open For Comment - DEP webpage
90
Submit Comments on Proposals Through DEP’s eComment System
Proposed Regulations With Closed Comment Periods - DEP webpage
Recently Finalized Regulations - DEP webpage
DEP Regulatory Update - DEP webpage
March 3, 2018 DEP Regulatory Agenda - PA Bulletin, Page 1374
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 (February 2018) - 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 DEP’s Advisory Committee webpages.
DEP Calendar of Events DCNR Calendar of Events
Senate Committee Schedule House Committee Schedule
You can watch the Senate Floor Session and House Floor Session live online.
Grants & Awards
This section gives you a heads up on upcoming deadlines for awards and grants and other
recognition programs. NEW means new from last week.
May 15-- Manada Conservancy Short Story Writing Contest

May 15-- PA Anthracite Section SME Student Scholarships
May 18-- CFA Alternative & Clean Energy Funding
May 18-- CFA Renewable Energy-Geothermal & Wind Funding
May 18-- CFA Solar Energy Funding
May 18-- CFA High Performance Building Funding
May 23-- SBA Flood Assistance Clearfield, Washington, 8 Other Counties
91
May 31-- CFA Act 13 Watershed Restoration Grants
May 31-- CFA Act 13 Abandoned Mine Drainage Abatement, Treatment Grants
May 31-- CFA Act 13 Orphaned Or Abandoned Well Plugging Grants
May 31-- CFA Act 13 Baseline Water Quality Data Grants
May 31-- CFA Act 13 Sewage Facilities Program Grants
May 31-- CFA Act 13 Flood Mitigation Grants
May 31-- CFA Act 13 Greenways, Trails & Recreation Grants
June 1-- NEW. DCNR Youth Ambassador Program At State Parks, Forests
June 1-- REAP Farm Conservation Tax Credits
June 1-- South Mountain Partnership Land Conservation, Recreation Mini-Grants
June 3-- Goddard Student Leadership Legacy Institute Camp Program
June 8-- Keep PA Beautiful Great American Cleanup Of PA Video Contest
June 8-- Keep America Beautiful National Youth Advisory Council
June 8-- NEW. PA Horticultural Society Gardening & Greening Contest
June 15-- NEW. Southern Alleghenies Regional Greenways, Recreation Mini-Grants
June 21-- DEP Mariner East II Pipeline Water Quality Project Grants
June 30-- DEP Alternative Fuel Vehicle Rebates (first come, first serve)
June 30-- NEW. FirstEnergy Utilities All-Electric Vehicle Rebate From Nissan
July 13-- NEW. DEP Alternative Fuels Incentive Grants
July 20-- CFA Alternative & Clean Energy Funding
July 20-- CFA Renewable Energy-Geothermal & Wind Funding
July 20-- CFA Solar Energy Funding
July 20-- CFA High Performance Building Funding
September 5-- PA Parks & Forests Foundation Photo Contest
September 15-- CFA Alternative & Clean Energy Funding
September 15-- CFA Renewable Energy-Geothermal & Wind Funding
September 15-- CFA Solar Energy Funding
September 15-- CFA High Performance Building Funding
September 28-- DEP Calendar 2017 Recycling Performance Grants
October 31-- PA Resources Council Gene Capaldi Lens On Litter Photo Contest
December 14-- NEW. DEP Alternative Fuels Incentive Grants
December 31-- DEP County Act 101 Waste Planning, HHW, Education 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.
92
The latest environmental NewsClips and news is available at the PA Environment Digest Daily
Blog, Twitter Feed and add PaEnviroDigest Google+ to your Circle.
Politics
AP-Levy: Wagner As Governor Spurs Questions Of Business Conflicts
Esack: Wagner’s Zero-Based Budgets May Not Add Up For Governing
Gubernatorial Candidate Mango Meets With LNP Editorial Board
Republican Mango Running Hard For Governor
Republican Candidate For Governor Ellsworth Sits Down With LNP Editorial Board
Republican Ellsworth Runs Her First TV Ad For Governor
Murphy: Candidates For Governor Spent $15.6 Million So Far
Air
Kummer: EPA: Philadelphia Fails To Meet Smog Standards
Hopey: Western PA Meets Smog Standard, Barely
More Money From Allegheny County’s Clean Air Fund Goes To Office Renovation
Hopey: Race, Gender, Location Disparities Found In Allegheny County Study Of Death Rates
Op-Ed: State Officials Need To Protect PA From Trump’s EPA, Joe Minott, Clean Air Council
Alternative Fuels
Awards & Recognition
Biodiversity/Invasive Species
Budget
93
Esack: Pennsylvania’s Revenue Picture Looking Up
Wage Growth Boosts Pennsylvania Finances
April State Revenues Exceed Estimates By $33.3 Million, For The Fiscal Year Still Up $164.1
Million
Chesapeake Bay
Pay
Citizen Action
Climate
Bill To Adopt 2018 Energy Saving Building Code Moves Forward In Philadelphia
This Pittsburgh Program Is Tackling Climate Change One Light Bulb At A Time
Op-Ed: If We Walk Away From The Clean Power Plan, We Walk Away From The Future
Op-Ed: Gasoline Vehicle Standards Won’t Fix Climate Change
Penn State Researchers Join International Effort To Study Antarctic Doomsday Glacier
Coal Mining
Op-Ed: It’s Time To Modernize America’s Coal Power Plant Fleet
Security
Compliance Action
94
Delaware River
Drinking Water
Bradford: Officials Highlights Importance Of Drinking Water
Earth Day
Economic Development
Earth Conservancy: Fmr Coal Land Attracting Commercial Projects
Editorial: The Way It’s Supposed To Work, Reusing Industrial Site
Education
Crable: Lancaster Sierra Club Awards Grants For Eco-Friendly Projects
Doylestown Library Opens New Outdoor Extension
Emergency Response
Strong Winds Cause Damage In Erie Region
Op-Ed: Townships Talk Volunteer Crisis, Costly Mandates On Local Government
Oil Spill Reported In Macungie’s Swabia Creek
Energy
95
Security
Energy Conservation
Bill To Adopt 2018 Energy Saving Building Code Moves Forward In Philadelphia
This Pittsburgh Program Is Tackling Climate Change One Light Bulb At A Time
Environmental Justice
Op-Ed: King’s Legacy Also Tied To Environmental Justice Movement
Farming
Flooding
State Officials Deliver $1.4 Million More For Solomon Creek Flood Project
No Update On West Pittston Inflatable Flood Protection Dam
Forests
Geologic Hazards
Pittsburgh Wants To Build $1 Million Landslide Toolbox
Green Infrastructure
Pay
96
Hazardous Site Cleanup
Lake Erie
Great Lakes Researcher To Talk Perils Of Plastic In Erie
Land Conservation
North Branch Land Trust Focus Is The Future
Lower Macungie Twp. Votes Thursday On Biggest Land Preservation Move Yet
Land Recycling
Editorial: The Way It’s Supposed To Work, Reusing Industrial Site
Litter/Illegal Dumping
Mine Reclamation
Earth Conservancy: Fmr Coal Land Attracting Commercial Projects
Earth Conservancy Working Toward Goal Of Repurposing Former Mine Land
Oil & Gas
Cusick: House Panel OKs Bill To Gut Environmental Standards For Conventional Drillers
Legere: House Advances Bill To Ease Rules For Conventional Oil & Gas Drillers
Cabot Ramping Up Gas Production In Susquehanna County
Sisk: Gasoline Reached $3/Gallon In PA, Why So Expensive?
AP: Get Ready For The Most Expensive Driving Season In Years
Barletta: Government Regulation Killing Refineries
West Virginia Grappling With Cost, Benefit Of Natural Gas Industry
Permitting
House Passes Bills Changing Regulation, Permit Process In Ways That Promote Disagreement,
Conflict, Deadlock, More Bureaucracy
97
Pipelines
Radiation Protection
Security
Recreation
Keystone State Park Youth & Family Outdoor Show Sunday
Op-Ed: Presque Isle Offers Needed Change Of Pace
Editorial: Delaware & Lehigh Trail Project Worthy Of Diamonds
Sheepskin Trail Construction To Begin Connecting Fayette County, WV Trails
Corps Of Engineers Renews Focus On Boating Safety
Free Boat Safety Inspections In Pittsburgh
Frye: Choosing A Canoe A Matter Of Fit And Function
Recycling/Waste
98
Regulations
House Passes Bills Changing Regulation, Permit Process In Ways That Promote Disagreement,
Conflict, Deadlock, More Bureaucracy
Renewable Energy
Susquehanna River
Frye: Susquehanna River Smallmouth Bass Disease Identified, Scientists Worry It May Spread
Sustainability
Wastewater Facilities
PA American Water Buys Chesco Sewer Systems For $9.25 Million
Watershed Protection
Mehoopany Creek Watershed Assn Requests Wyoming County Funding For Stream Work
Pay
Great Lakes Researcher To Talk Perils Of Plastic In Erie
Click Here to subscribe to the Chesapeake Bay Journal
Wildlife
Peregrine Falcons To Be Removed From Downtown Pittsburgh Building
AP: Developer Seeks To Relocate Young Falcons From Downtown Nest
Schneck: That’s All Folks From Hanover Bald Eagle Nestcam
99
Schneck: Mange Epidemic In PA Bears Under Attack By Research Team
Schneck: Families Can Learn To Fish At Fish & Boat Commission Festivals
Frye: Susquehanna River Smallmouth Bass Disease Identified, Scientists Worry It May Spread
Shad Can Run, But They’re Still Being Caught In The Delaware
In-Season Trout Stockings Still Going Strong, Wild Trout Offer A Change Of Pace
Fishing Regulations Lifted On York County’s Lake Williams
Frye: Choosing A Canoe A Matter Of Fit And Function
It’s Bear Season: Bruin Spotted At Bird Feeder In Richland
Schneck: 29 Dangerous Creatures And Plants In PA
West Nile/Zika Virus
Federal Policy
EPA’s Pruitt Seeks To Divert Blame For His Ethics Woes
Editorial: EPA’s Pruitt Seems Bent On Harming The Environment
Click Here For This Week's Allegheny Front Radio Program
Regulations, Technical Guidance & Permits
No new regulations were published. Pennsylvania Bulletin - May 5, 2018
Sign Up For DEP’s eNotice: Did you know DEP can send you email notices of permit
applications submitted in your community? Notice of new technical guidance documents and
regulations? All through its eNotice system. Click Here to sign up.
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
March 3, 2018 DEP Regulatory Agenda - PA Bulletin, Page 1374
Technical Guidance & Permits
Note: The Department of Environmental Protection published 60 pages of public notices related
to proposed and final permit and approval/ disapproval actions in the May 5 PA Bulletin - pages
2662 to 2722.
100
The Department of Environmental Protection published notices in the May 5 PA Bulletin of the
proposed annual air quality monitoring network plan for Allegheny County and Philadelphia for
public comment.
The Fish and Boat Commission published notices in the May 5 PA Bulletin of proposed
additions and revisions to the Classification Of Wild Trout Streams and proposed changes to the
list of Class A Wild Trout Waters.
The Susquehanna River Basin Commission published notices in the May 5 PA Bulletin of
approved consumptive uses of water, approved minor modifications and projects rescinded (PA
Bulletin, page 2744) in March.
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 (February 2018) - 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
Visit DEP’s Public Participation Center for public participation opportunities. Click Here to sign
up for DEP News a biweekly newsletter from the Department.
DEP Facebook Page DEP Twitter Feed DEP YouTube Channel
Click Here for links to DEP’s Advisory Committee webpages.
DEP Calendar of Events DCNR Calendar of Events
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Issue #723 ​Crisci Associates​, Harrisburg, PA May 7, 2018

PA Environment Digest Blog​ ​Twitter Feed​ ​PaEnviroDigest Google+

The House Tuesday passed 5 Republican bills

DEP Fines Mariner East 2 Pipeline Additional $355,000 For Violations

House Republicans Unexpectedly Delay Final Vote On Bill Weakening Standards

House Republicans Wednesday delayed a final vote on ​House Bill

Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward Program Receives Governor’s

Penn State Extension's ​Master Watershed Steward

(Reprinted from ​Penn State News​.)

PA Water Companies Honor FERC Commissioner Robert F. Powelson With James

The ​National Association of Water Companies PA

By Harry Campbell, PA Executive Director, ​Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Larry Herr walks along the stream buffer that will

(Reprinted from the ​Chesapeake Bay Journal​.)

The stage is now set for the great salamander

Report On Delaware Estuary And Basin Cause For Celebration, Concern

The ​Partnership for the Delaware Estuary

On Thursday Rep. Kate Harper (R-Montgomery)

Senate/House Bills Moving Last Week

Alternative Ratemaking:​ ​House Bill 1782​ (Delozier-R-Cumberland) relating to alternative

Cap On Number Of Regulations:​ ​House Bill 209​ (Phillips-Hill-R-York): Establishes the

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

Committee Meeting Agendas This Week

The following bills of interest were introduced last week--

125th Anniversary:​ ​House Resolution 901​ (Harper-R-Montgomery) recognizing the 125th

May​ 21, 22, 23

News From The Capitol

House Passes Alternative Ratemaking Bill To Encourage Conservation, Renewable Energy

House Committee Reports Out Local Clean Energy Financing Bill

Gov. Tom Wolf Monday announced he is backing

News From Around The State

Citizens Advisory Council Reviews DEP Drinking Water Program May 16

PA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Planning Steering Committee Meets May 17

The ​latest quarterly newsletter​ from the ​Penn State

Delaware River Basin Commission May 16 Hearing, June 13 Business Meeting

The ​Darby Creek Valley Association​ and partners

Tree Pittsburgh Sets Goal To Distribute, Plant 4,000 Trees In 2018

While Pittsburgh’s three rivers have improved in

Department of Community and Economic

Westmoreland Conservation District Announces Winners Of 2018 Envirothon

The team from Kiski Area High School

Friends Of Allegheny Wilderness: Allegheny River & Watershed Cleanup May 12

The ​Allegheny River and Watershed Cleanup​ will

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful​ and the ​Elk County

Centre County Collects Over 76,000 Pounds Of Household Hazardous Waste

On April 27 and 28, the ​Centre County Recycling and Refuse

PA Resources Council Holds First Hard-To-Recycle Collection Event May 12 In Allegheny

The ​PA Resources Council​ will hold the first of five

EPA Designates 5 Southeast Counties In Pennsylvania Nonattaiment For Ground Level

On Monday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ​designated 5 counties in Pennsylvania

DEP Invites Comments On Transcontinental Quarryville Loop Pipeline, Compressor

The Department of Environmental Protection

The Department of Environmental Protection is now accepting applications for $5 million in

FirstEnergy Utility Customers Offered $3,000 Rebate On All-Electric Cars By Nissan In

New Transit CNG Fueling Station Opens In Crawford County

Officials from PennDOT, Trillium CNG, and the

Frick Environmental Center In Pittsburgh Achieves Living Building Challenge

The ​Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy​ Wednesday

By David Kubarek, ​Penn State News

Nikhil Bharadwaj had an ingenious idea for

(Reprinted from ​Penn State News​.)

PUC Issues Proposed Policy Statement On Alternative Ratemaking

The ​Public Utility Commission​ Thursday issued for comment a

PJM Interconnection Announces Next Phase Of Grid Resilience Initiative

Issue #723 Crisci Associates, Harrisburg, PA May 7, 2018

PA Environment Digest Blog Twitter Feed PaEnviroDigest Google+

House Republicans Wednesday delayed a final vote on House Bill

Penn State Extension's Master Watershed Steward

(Reprinted from Penn State News.)

The National Association of Water Companies PA

By Harry Campbell, PA Executive Director, Chesapeake Bay Foundation

(Reprinted from the Chesapeake Bay Journal.)

The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary

Alternative Ratemaking: House Bill 1782 (Delozier-R-Cumberland) relating to alternative

Cap On Number Of Regulations: House Bill 209 (Phillips-Hill-R-York): Establishes the

125th Anniversary: House Resolution 901 (Harper-R-Montgomery) recognizing the 125th

May 21, 22, 23

The latest quarterly newsletter from the Penn State

The Darby Creek Valley Association and partners

The Allegheny River and Watershed Cleanup will

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful and the Elk County

On April 27 and 28, the Centre County Recycling and Refuse

The PA Resources Council will hold the first of five

On Monday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency designated 5 counties in Pennsylvania

The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Wednesday

By David Kubarek, Penn State News

(Reprinted from Penn State News.)

The Public Utility Commission Thursday issued for comment a

FirstEnergy Solutions, a competitive generation

The PA Horticultural Society is now accepting entries in the

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Berks County will host

The Brodhead Watershed Association will hold

The May 2 edition of the Resource newsletter is now available

With the assistance of the Tinicum Conservancy, Carl

(Reprinted from the PA Land Trust Association website.)

The Pike County Conservation District, Northern Tier

By Jeffery Mulhollem, Penn State News

(Reprinted from Penn State News.)

By Donna Morelli, Chesapeake Bay Journal

(Reprinted from the Chesapeake Bay Journal.)

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, in conjunction with the Department of Conservation

June 20-21-- Registration Open. 20th Anniversary PA Abandoned Mine Reclamation

DEP Facebook Page DEP Twitter Feed DEP YouTube Channel

Click Here for links to DEP’s Advisory Committee webpages.

DEP Calendar of Events DCNR Calendar of Events

Senate Committee Schedule House Committee Schedule

PA Environment Digest Blog Twitter Feed PaEnviroDigest Google+

May 15-- Manada Conservancy Short Story Writing Contest

PA Environment Digest Blog Twitter Feed PaEnviroDigest Google+

No new regulations were published. Pennsylvania Bulletin - May 5, 2018

DEP Facebook Page DEP Twitter Feed DEP YouTube Channel

Click Here for links to DEP’s Advisory Committee webpages.

DEP Calendar of Events DCNR Calendar of Events

PA Environment Digest Blog Twitter Feed PaEnviroDigest Google+

PA Environment Digest is edited by David E. Hess, former Secretary Pennsylvania Department

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