Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Insurance Dept.: Stay Protected With Flood Insurance During Flood Awareness Week

On March 18,  the Insurance Department and the PA Emergency Management Agency reminded consumers about the importance of
flood insurance to protect consumers from the costly repairs often associated with flood damage and urged property owners to consider purchasing flood insurance to protect their homes, businesses and possessions.

All of Pennsylvania's 67 counties have seen destructive flooding, yet just about 1 percent of households in the state are currently insured against flooding.

"After flooding disasters, PID hears devastating stories from residents who thought they were covered for flood damage through their homeowners' insurance policy but were not," said Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Michael Humphreys. "As we begin Pennsylvania's Flood Awareness Week, we want to help consumers understand that flood insurance is generally not included in a standard homeowners' or renters' insurance policy. We encourage consumers to consider flood coverage to protect against potentially costly repairs."

Humphreys, chair of the Flood Insurance Premium Assistance Task Force that was established by Act 22 of 2023, which Governor Shapiro signed into law, added, "Our Task Force has been laser-focused on how to potentially reduce flood insurance costs for Pennsylvanians and strategies to raise flood insurance awareness. My colleagues at the Departments of Banking and PEMA, Senators Baker and Santarsiero, and Representatives Warren and Zimmerman have been focused on these very issues that PID is highlighting today as the Task Force works towards a set of recommendations that will be made to the Governor and the General Assembly this summer."

PID reminds consumers that just one inch of rain can cause $25,000 of damage to a home, and even Pennsylvanians who do not live in a Special Flood Hazard Area (an area with a higher chance of experiencing a flood), or areas where flood insurance is required, should consider purchasing flood insurance.

"You're more likely to experience a flood in your home than you are a house fire," said PEMA Director Randy Padfield. "Flood insurance can give you the peace of mind that your losses could be covered in the event that you experience a flood."

Flood insurance, available through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and private insurers, can be purchased to cover almost any building and its contents, including rental property and condominiums. 

Renters also can buy flood insurance protection for their possessions.

Flood insurance policies may not be active immediately. To combat the purchase of flood insurance as a storm is headed in the direction of a property, Congress implemented a 30-day waiting period before a policy goes into effect. 

There are some exceptions, such as making, increasing, extending or renewing a mortgage.

Information on both the NFIP and private flood insurance is available on the Insurance Department's one-stop Flood Insurance webpage.

The Flood Insurance Premium Assistance Task Force has been holding public meetings since February, with the next meeting set for April 3. 

More information on the Task Force's meetings can be found on PID's website.

Consumers with questions or wishing to file a complaint can contact PID's Consumer Services Bureau, or by calling 1-877-881-6388.

[Posted: March 19, 2024]  PA Environment Digest

DCNR Conservation & Natural Resources Advisory Council Meets March 27 To Hear Update On Grant Programs, State Budget

DCNR's
Conservation and Natural Resources Advisory Council is scheduled to meet on March 27 to hear a presentation on the state budget and to get an update on the Community Conservation Partnership Grant Program.

Michael Walsh, Deputy Secretary of Administration and Xia Wang, Director of Administrative Services will provide the update on the budget.

Josh VanBrakle will give an overview of the C2P2 grant program.

A panel discussion on grants will feature Doug Knauss from Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County and Anne Harnish and Kate Gonick from the Lancaster Conservancy.

ATV Pilot Comments

After its fall field trip to the ATV Regional Connector Pilot, CNRAC issued a memo to DCNR outlining its observations and recommendations. 

At the end of the year, DCNR issued its report on the pilot to the General Assembly, and on January 18 announced it will operate the ATV Regional Trail Connector through the 2025 riding season.

Public Comment

There will be two opportunities for public comment at the meeting.  

If you are interested in presenting comments, please advise by email to nfaraguna@pa.gov  no later than 5 p.m. on March 26.  

You can provide comments at the beginning of the meeting or at the end of the meeting.  

You may also provide comments or questions after the meeting by emailing the same address or through the Council's webpage.

Joining The Meeting

The meeting will be held in person in Room 105 of the Rachel Carson Building in Harrisburg starting at 10:00 a.m.

There is also an option to join the meeting online via Microsoft Teams.  Click Here to register.

For more information, visit DCNR's Conservation and Natural Resources Advisory Council webpage.

[Posted: March 19, 2024]  PA Environment Digest

Monday, March 18, 2024

Monday PA Environment & Energy NewsClips - 3.18.24

“The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania's public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.”

-- Article I, Section 27 Pennsylvania Constitution  [It’s Not A Suggestion]


Senate next voting day March 18, 19, 20, April 8, 9, 10, 29, 30

-- Committee Schedule

House next voting day March 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, April 8, 9, 10

-- Committee Schedule


TODAY’s Calendar Of Events 


TODAY 10:00: House Environmental Resources & Energy Committee hearing on solar energy and economic development.  Room G-50 Irvis Building. 10:00 a.m.  Click Here to watch online.


March 19-- House Environmental Resources & Energy Committee meets to consider House Bill 254 (Merski-D-Erie) leasing certain areas of Lake Erie for wind energy development (sponsor summary); House Bill 597 (Kim-D-Dauphin) authorizing a county recycling and waste management fee (sponsor summary); House Bill 1166 (Steele-D-Allegheny) prohibit use of Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in asphalt pavement sealers (sponsor summary). Room 205 Ryan Building.  9:30 a.m.  Click Here to watch online.


March 19-- House Consumer, Technology & Utilities Committee meets to consider House Bill 1842 (Schweyer-D-Lehigh) authorize a community solar energy facility program [Read more here]. Room G-50 Irvis Building. 10:00 a.m.  Click Here to watch online.  


March 19-- Agenda Posted. DEP Oil and Gas Technical Advisory Board meeting.  Room 105 Rachel Carson Building. 10:00 a.m. Visit the Board webpage for options to join the meeting remotely.  Contact: Todd M. Wallace, at twallace@pa.gov  or (717) 783-6395.  Read more here on agenda.


March 19-- House Game & Fisheries Committee informational meeting on Fish & Boat Commission’s 2023 Annual Report.  Room 523, Irvis Building. 9:00 a.m. Click Here to watch online.


March 20--  Senate Game and Fisheries Committee meets to consider House Bill 1409 (Kulik-D -Allegheny) renew the authority of Fish and Boat Commission to set its own fees for 10 years (House Fiscal Note & Summary). Room 8E-A East Wing. 9:30 a.m.  Click Here to watch online.


March 20-- House Game & Fisheries Committee informational meeting on Game Commission’s 2023 Annual Report.  Room 523, Irvis Building. 9:00 a.m. Click Here to watch online.


-- March 18 PA Environment Digest Now Available  [PaEN]


-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - March 9 to 15  - Home Explosion; 140 More Abandoned Conventional Wells; Methane In Water Supply; Porcupine Causes Wastewater Spill  [PaEN]


-- DEP Cites Conventional Oil & Gas Well Operators For Abandoning, Not Plugging 140 More Wells Last Week; Total Now 380 Wells This Year  [PaEN] 


-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - March 16 [PaEN]


-- DEP Posted 76  Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In March 16 PA Bulletin  [PaEN] 


-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: Shapiro Has Work To Do To Win Senate Republicans’ Support For His Energy/Climate Plan


-- Observer-Reporter Letter: Shale Gas Fracking Leaves A Trail Of Destruction - By Megan McDonough


-- Inside Climate News: A Window Into Persistent Inequities Of Environmental Policy - Clairton Coke [Coal] Works In Allegheny County


-- CONSOL Energy Releases 2023 Corporate Sustainability Report


-- Republican Herald: Pine Grove Junior ROTC Students Clear Tires From Illegal Dump Site In Schuylkill County


-- Centre Daily Times: Recycling: Why Isn’t Centre County A Single Stream Program?  Recycling Rules In The County


-- Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition Highlights Jennings Environmental Ed Center Beavers; March 25 & April 8 Eclipse; More Activities  [PaEN]


-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Programming Planned At City Parks 


-- Inquirer: Don’t Fear The Wild Mushroom, PA Woman Wants To Demystify Mycology  


Train Derailments


-- Warren Times Editorial: Don’t Wait For The Next Train Derailment


PA Politics - Everything Is Connected

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: Shapiro Wants To Add Money To Home Repair Program; Attack PA’s Housing Crisis

-- Post-Gazette: Pittsburgh-Area High Schoolers Try To Get Peers Registered To Vote, Stay Engaged In Politics

Click Here for latest PA Environmental News

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[Posted: March 18, 2024]  PA Environment Digest

Sunday, March 17, 2024

March 18 PA Environment Digest Now Available

“The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania's public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.” 

-- Article I, Section 27 Pennsylvania Constitution  [It’s Not A Suggestion]


Click Here To View Or Print The Entire March 18 PA Environment Digest


120 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA


Weekly List Of PA Environment & Energy Articles & NewsClips By Topic


In Memoriam: Joanne Denworth, Environmental Leader And Attorney


Retired Environmental Hearing Board Chief Judge Thomas W. Renwand To Receive PA Bar Assn. Environmental & Energy Law Section Lifetime Achievement Award


Gov. Shapiro Unveils Cap-And-Invest PA Climate Emissions Reduction Initiative To Reduce Carbon Pollution From Power Plants; Update Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards To Diversify Electric Generation, Improve Reliability


Gov. Shapiro Joins Industry, Labor, Environmental, Consumer Leaders To Highlight New Energy Plan To Create Jobs, Lower Costs For Pennsylvanians


Gov. Shapiro On Republican Reaction To His Energy Plan: They’ve Done Nothing And Power ‘Plants Have Closed On Their Watch;’ They’re ‘Used To Doing Nothing;’ ‘Doing Nothing Is Not Acceptable’


Senate Republicans Reject Gov. Shapiro’s Offer To Work On Legislation To Make The Electric Grid More Reliable, Diversify Our Energy Sources, Lower Energy Costs For Ratepayers, Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions


Pennsylvania’s Electric Grid Is Dependent On One Fuel To Generate 59% Of Our Electricity; Market Moving To Renewables + Storage


US EIA Report Shows How Winter Storms Have Reduced US Natural Gas Production, But Disruptions Can Happen Any Time Of The Year


EPA: Pennsylvania One Of 45 States, MSAs To Submit Priority Climate Action Plans As Part Of $5 Billion Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program


DEP Invites Comments On Proposed Changes To General Air Quality Permit Authorizing Coal Mine Methane Flares


Shapiro Marks Plugging 200th Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Well: These Companies Will Do Anything To Avoid Paying For Plugging; It’s Not Okay Some In The Legislature Are Shielding Them; Text Well Locations


DEP Cites Conventional Oil & Gas Well Operators For Abandoning, Not Plugging 140 More Wells Last Week; Total Now 380 Wells This Year


PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - March 9 to 15 - Home Explosion; 140 More Abandoned Conventional Wells; Methane In Water Supply; Porcupine Causes Wastewater Spill


DEP Issues Violation To Blackhill Energy, LLC Shale Gas Driller For Contaminating Groundwater, 3 Water Supplies With Methane In Springfield Twp., Bradford County


The Derrick: Public Utility Commission Starts Investigation Into Possible Order For Another Utility To Permanently Acquire Venango Water Company Impacted By Conventional Oil Well Spill


DEP Issues Violation To CNX Gas Company For Withdrawing Over 1.8 Million Gallons Of Water For Fracking For 22 Days Without Permission


PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - March 16


Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approves 30 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use General Permits In Bradford, Clearfield, Lycoming, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wyoming Counties


Advocates For Clean Water In Delaware River Watershed Visit Capitol Hill In Washington To Urge Support Of Conservation Measures


Interstate Commission On Potomac River Basin Publishes A New Plan For A Fresh Path Forward For The Potomac River


Stroud Water Research Center UpStream: Student Stewardship; Stream Restoration Investments; World Environmental Ed Congress; Starting A Watershed Organization; World Water Day March 22; More!


PennVEST To Hold Local, In-Person, Online Educational Events To Share Information On Unprecedented Water Infrastructure Funding Opportunities, Starting March 21


Volunteers Needed For 24-Hour Tree Planting Relay April 5-6 Organized By The Alliance For The Chesapeake Bay


Penn State Extension, Partners Host Volunteer Tree Plantings April 13 - Lebanon County, April 16 - Lancaster County


March 20 Penn State Extension Webinar On Defining Nature's Worth From A Health And Economic Perspective


Federal Office Of Mine Reclamation Opens New Round Of Watershed Cooperative Agreement Program Grants


Mountain Watershed Assn. Will Install Warning Signs Around Wastewater Outfall Of MAX Environmental Technologies Yukon Facility In Sewickley Creek, Westmoreland County


DEP Sets April 17 Hearing On Alternatives For Dealing With PFAS 'Forever Chemical' Contamination At The Newberry Twp. PFC Site In York County


Penn State: Inaugural PA Partners For Climate Smart Ag Commodities Summit Held In State College


Penn State Extension: April 8 Webinar On Private Water Supply Education And Water Testing


Huntingdon Daily News: Coalition To Save Old Crow Wetlands Appeals DEP Permit For New Rutters Store In Smithfield Twp.


WeConservePA: Environmental Advisory Council Conference Smashes Attendance Records; Fall EAC Gathering Being Planned


DEP Environmental Justice Update Highlights Governor’s New STEM Fellowship; Grant Deadlines; May 14 Environmental Justice Advisory Board Meeting


EPA Recognizes Bimbo Bakeries USA In Reading As One Of Most Energy-Efficient Manufacturing Plants Of 2023


Penn State Extension Energy Essentials: Federal, State Energy Efficiency Programs For Farms And Businesses; Balancing Carbon, Forest Health Other Goals


PA Solar Center Hosts March 22 Webinar Unpacking Solar Energy Interconnection With Electric Grid In PA


EPA Awards Funding To Student Teams For Innovative Solutions To Environmental, Public Health Challenges; Widener University Receives Funding


PA Resources Council Western PA Schedule Of Household Chemical, Hard-To-Recycle, Electronics Waste Collection Events


Calling All Volunteers! Participate In Perkiomen Stream Cleanup On April 13 In Montgomery County


DCNR, State Fire Commissioner Warn Of Increasing Risk Of Seasonal Wildfires; 1,900 Wildfires Burned 9,186 Acres, Caused 3 Deaths In 2023


Biorenewables Symposium To Be Held April 18-19 In State College On Biobased, Energy, Products, Materials


Penn State Extension Community Trees Update: 59th Annual Shade Tree Symposium March 25-26 In Lebanon


Penn State Master Gardeners Of Cambria County Host Dr. Doug Tallamy April 11 - Nature's Best Hope, A New Approach To Conservation That Starts In Your Yard


Penn State Extension, Partners Host April 16 Online Mini-Workshop - Choosing Native Plants


Fish & Boat Commission Announces First Round Of Boating Facility Grants


Cameron County Chamber: Sinnemahone Paddle Race Set For April 13 - First Event In The 2024 Sinnemahone Triple Crown


Earth Conservancy, Industrial Archives & Library Announce Landmark Agreement To Preserve, Provide Access To Key Piece Of America’s Anthracite Coal History - Glen Alden Coal’s Records


Clean Air Council Names Alex Bomstein, Esq. New Executive Director


Environment & Energy Educational Opportunities For Students & Adults


DCNR State Parks March Environmental Education Newsletter Puts Spring In Your Educational Steps!


Clean Air Council, Moms Clean Air Force, Earthworks Host March 20 Webinar On Federal Waste Oil & Gas Emission Charges


News From PA House & Senate


The Feds


EPA Issues Final Rule On Reducing Emissions Of Harmful Ethylene Oxide Found At 5 Facilities In PA


Public Participation Opportunities/Calendar Of Events


Grants & Awards


PA Bulletin Public Notices


Stories Invited - About PA Environment Digest


Supporting Member PA Organization For Watersheds & Rivers; PA Outdoor Writers Assn.; PA Trout Unlimited


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[Posted: March 17, 2024]  PA Environment Digest

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