March 21, 2014

March 24 PA Environment Digest Now Available

The March 24 PA Environment Digest is now available.  Click Here to print entire Digest.

Rep. Seth Grove (R-York) Wednesday introduced House Bill 2115 designed to undo the Act 13 drilling law court decision eliminating the preemption preventing local governments from regulating the drilling industry under the Environmental Rights Amendment, Article I, Section 27 of the Pennsylvania Constitution.
The Independent Fiscal Office Thursday issued a report comparing state and local taxation rates of natural gas producing states that found Pennsylvania had the lowest natural gas extraction taxation rates of any state, nearly one-third the rates in Texas.
The Commonwealth Financing Authority has begun accepting applications for 8 different grant programs to fund water and sewage system improvements, sewage system planning, watershed restoration, abandoned mine drainage abatement and treatment, orphan or abandoned well plugging, baseline water quality data monitoring, flood mitigation and greenways, trails and recreation programs.
The Commonwealth Financing Authority has begun accepting applications for 3 energy-related programs to support alternative energy, renewable energy and green building projects.  The deadline for applications is noted below with each program--
DEP Executive Deputy for Administration Jeff Logan told the DEP Citizens Advisory Council Tuesday the number of filled staff positions has been nearly level the last three years hovering around 2,580 inspite of cuts in overall staff complement.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation-PA is urging its members to oppose House Bill 1576 (Pyle-R-Armstrong) that if passed could change stream classifications and protections in Pennsylvania for native brook trout and rare, threatened and endangered species in Pennsylvania.