The March 6 PA Environment Digest is now available. Here are just a few of the headlines--
Acting DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell answered questions before the House Appropriations Committee for 2 hours and 30 minutes Monday on DEP’s budget request touching on deficiencies EPA pointed out in the state’s Safe Drinking Water Program because of budget cuts, permit reviews, the regulation of pipelines, penalty assessments, going beyond federal requirements and meeting Pennsylvania’s obligations under the Chesapeake Bay Program. Click Here for a summary of DEP’s written budget testimony.
In comments at the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing Monday on the Department of Agriculture’s budget, Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming), Majority Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, expressed concerns about whether the state was doing enough to meets its obligations to cleanup the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
By Harry Campbell, Pennsylvania Director, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Now is the time for Pennsylvanians to stand up for clean water and let elected officials know they should make reducing pollution a higher priority.
Because of a new narrative of stewardship, Pennsylvania farmers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed will be persuaded to look at conservation not as something they have to do but rather something they want to do.
That’s one of the key conclusions in a just-released report from a conference that brought together farmers, representatives of farm and environmental groups, and local, state and federal government officials to find new collaborative strategies for reducing excess nutrients from agriculture flowing into the Chesapeake Bay.
DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn this week appeared before the House and Senate Appropriations Committees on the proposed FY 2017-18 budget requested for DCNR. Click Here for a summary of DCNR’s written budget testimony.
The Northeast Environmental Partners are now accepting nominations for the Northeastern PA Environmental Partnership Awards; the Thomas P. Shelburne Award and the Emerging Environmental Leader Award. The deadline for nominations is June 16.
USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is now accepting proposals for up to $75,000 in funding through the Conservation Innovation Grants Program to promote the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies in Pennsylvania.
Laura Legere, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Power Source, reported Friday that Acting DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell responded to a letter from three Senate leaders questioning DEP’s authority to adopt methane emission controls on the oil and gas industry.
The 2017 Great American Cleanup of PA began March 1 and ends on May 31, but Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Wednesday reminded Pennsylvanians there is still time to register events and get free trash bags, gloves, and safety vests from PennDOT district offices, as supplies last.
The Public Utility Commission Thursday took steps to encourage additional comment from key stakeholders to further explore potential benefits or shortcomings of alternative rate methodologies, along with issues or concerns that may be unique to particular utility sectors. The Tentative Order was approved 5-0 by the Commissioners.
The winners of the 11th annual PA Parks & Forests Foundation Awards were announced Monday in the Spring issue of Penn’s Stewards.
To read the Digest, visit: www.PaEnvironmentDigest.com. Click Here to print the entire Digest.
PA Environment Digest is edited by David E. Hess, former Secretary Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and is published as a service of Crisci Associates.
PA Environment Digest was the winner of the PA Association of Environmental Educators' 2009 Business Partner of the Year Award.
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