DCNR Increases State Park, State Forest Fees For 2010

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources published notice of fee increases for use of State Park and State Forest facilities effective January 1.
The new schedule includes a new pricing structure for State Parks Nature Inns along with some changes to utility prices for campgrounds and organized group cabin camps, instituting ranges for certain facilities to allow for market based pricing and adding some new miscellaneous fees.
The remaining changes are needed to compensate the Bureau of State Parks for increased utility costs at our electric campsites and fine tune our existing rate structure. For example, the changes to the boat launch and firewood permits are needed to conform to the current fees of the Fish and Boat Commission and the Bureau of Forestry.
The camping fee changes include both increasing and decreasing fees at specific campgrounds that reflect market conditions and are comparable with surrounding states current pricing practices.
DCNR said it would post a comparison of the old and new fees online.
For more information and reservations at State Parks, visit the DCNR fee webpage.

Friday NewsClips

Consol to Resume Discharging Wastewater Into Dunkard Creek
Studies Possible Costs Of Natural Disasters In Lackawanna, Luzerne Counties
Growers Pleased With Christmas Tree Crop
Utilities Under Gun To Push Cuts In Electricity Use
Allentown To Unplug PPL, Buy Lower Priced Power Elsewhere
Divide On Climate Change Makes Action Difficult
Op-Ed: We Must Invest In Homegrown Green Energy Industries
Physicist Probes Response To TMI Leak
Bald Eagles Spotted In Allentown Area
Bradford County Seeks To Document Impact Of Gas Industry On Crime
SRBC To Start Monitoring Network To Detect Pollution From Drilling
Monitors To Check Streams In Gas Drilling Areas
Engineering Students Cook Up Green Ideas
Property Owners Seek Solution To Building Moratorium Along Susquehanna
$2.5 Million Grant Will Fund Green Generator At Geisinger
EPA Cap And Trade Tyranny Is On The Way
EPA: No Urgent Concern Over Crumb Rubber Field Surfaces

Susquehanna River Basin Receives Donation To Start Marcellus Shale Monitoring

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission this week announced it will begin installing a monitoring network to continuously measure and report water quality conditions of smaller rivers and streams located in northern tier Pennsylvania and southern tier New York in early 2010.
SRBC will receive the data collected by the network and will make it available to other resource agencies and the public through its web site. The data will help agency officials track existing water quality conditions and any changes in them on an ongoing, real-time basis.
East Resources, Inc., a natural gas company based in Warrendale, Pennsylvania, announced it will be contributing $750,000 to SRBC for the water quality monitoring network.
“Environmental organizations and local watershed groups have expressed concerns over the potential impact of Marcellus Shale natural gas development on public water supplies and water quality in the Upper Susquehanna River Basin,” Terry Pegula, president and CEO of East Resources, noted. “We firmly believe that the Marcellus Shale can be developed with little impact on water resources. This new monitoring system will provide a valuable service to citizens, communities and watershed groups in the region by informing them about local water quality conditions and helping state and federal agencies respond more rapidly if water quality impacts occur.
“East Resources has substantial leasehold interests and a major stake in the Upper Susquehanna watershed, and we are committed to the development of the Marcellus Shale in a way that protects the environment. Our contribution to the SRBC reflects East’s long-term commitment to the economic vitality and environmental quality of the region," said Pegula.
“The Commission truly appreciates this substantial contribution from East Resources. It will allow us to cover the cost of installing the initial monitoring stations in the targeted areas," said Paul Swartz, SRBC Executive Director. With this contribution, the Commission has now secured a commitment of the financial resources needed to proceed with the project sooner than planned. If winter weather cooperates, we could begin installing equipment as soon as January 2010.”
“With the current concerns about the natural gas drilling activities occurring in the Susquehanna basin, SRBC believes that a data collection effort is critically important as the basis for making future decisions,” said Swartz, SRBC.
SRBC will initially set up 30 water quality monitoring stations in the regions where drilling in the Marcellus shale is most active, as well as other locations where no drilling activities are planned so SRBC can collect control-data.
The monitoring network will provide constant data collection with instruments sensitive enough to detect subtle changes in water quality on a frequency that will allow background conditions and any changes to them to be documented throughout the year. This level of data collection would not be feasible without the use of advanced technology.
Each of the monitoring stations will be equipped with water quality sensors and a transmitter to continuously monitor and report water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, conductance (ability to conduct electricity) and turbidity (water clarity). The water depth also will be recorded to establish a relationship with stream flows.
The monitoring of conductance is key to detecting impacts associated with natural gas activities if they occur; this constituent in water produced by the natural gas industry is generally 200 times greater than normally measured in streams in the Susquehanna River Basin, allowing it to be a leading indicator.
The monitoring network will provide early warnings to help environmental protection officials respond more rapidly and better pinpoint causes if water quality conditions change. It will also help local public water suppliers, local watershed groups and communities stay informed.
Swartz said, “The Commission’s overarching objective of this monitoring network is to apply good science in order to track changes in water quality conditions over time and to allow for timely responses in the case of pollution events. The Commission will rely on the know-how and expertise it has gained through an existing early warning system program and nearly 24 years of continuous monitoring to ensure the successful set up and operation of this expanded remote monitoring effort.”
Other objectives are to reduce the cost of data collection by using advanced technologies, form partnerships, enhance water supply protection through source water monitoring and be responsive to public concerns.
SRBC has already reached out to local government officials, colleges and universities along with watershed organizations to gauge their interest in assisting SRBC staff on the project.
For more information, visit SRBC’s water quality monitoring network webpage.

Thursday NewsClips

Rendell Warns Of More State Layoffs
Gov Warns Of More Layoffs As PA Revenues Lag
Rendell Raises Possibility Of Additional State Layoffs
State Cuts Affect Local Programs, Mandates In Clearfield
Dec. 10 EPA Meeting On Chesapeake Bay To Be Webcast
PA Gets Flunking Grade In Chesapeake Stormwater Program
Municipalities Partner With Watershed Conservancy On Stormwater
PUC Officials Tout Electric Competition
Failure To Collect Water Bills Costs Philadelphia Millions
Long Message Riles Philadelphia Recycling Patrons
PSU Panel To Review All Climategate Emails
Editorial: World Needs To Act On Climate In Copenhagen
Editorial: The Battle For Planet Earth
Lycoming Expected To Support Financing For Landfill Energy Project
Feral Pigs Run Wild In PA, Mid-Atlantic States
Bill Would Protect Land, Gas, Water Royalties
Editorial: Another Climate Summit In NE PA
Drilling Solutions Proposed
Wayne, Pike Lawmakers Back Natural Gas Production Tax
Lawmaker, Group Push To Bolster State's Gas Drilling Laws
Allegheny National Forest Drilling Case Still Pending

Nearly $20 Million In Federal Funds Available For Wind Energy Projects In PA

Gov. Rendell announced today $19.8 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding is now available for large-scale wind projects that will generate clean energy, spur new orders for the Keystone State’s green energy manufacturers, and put Pennsylvanians back to work.
Applications are due December 31. Click here for full announcement.

Wednesday NewsClips

Dem Gubernatorial Candidates Call For Natural Gas Production Tax
Duquesne Professor's Research Earns Green Grant
Electricity Suppliers To Compete For Customers
Pricing Mechanisms For Electricity About To Change
Knox Calls For Extension Of Electric Rate Caps
Editorial: EPA & CO2, Suicide By Government
Ed: PA Will Dispose Of Delaware River Muck
Delaware Dredging Battle Goes To Court
Christmas Bird Counts In Central PA

Thomas M. Gerusky, Former Director Bureau Of Radiation Protection Passes

Former Director of the DER Bureau of Radiation Protection Tom Gerusky passed away this week at the age of 74.
As Director of that Bureau Tom helped direct the Commonwealth's response to the March 1979 accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant and then the following cleanup of the damaged Unit 1 reactor.
He remembered the events surrounding the accident at TMI in a special column developed for the 20th anniversary.
Tom also provided national leadership in developing programs to detect and deal with the health hazards in homes, businesses and schools from naturally-occurring radon gas.
In 1984 radon was a relatively unknown threat to public health, but monitoring at a Pennsylvania power plant lead to its discovery in homes all across the state. In this article, Tom outlines how the problem was discovered and Pennsylvania's response.
Click here to read published obituary.

Tuesday NewsClips

Dimock, PA - Dark Side Of A Natural Gas Boom
Millions In U.S. Drink Dirty Water, Records Show
Crackdown On Greenhouse Emissions To Hit PA Hard
Copenhagen Summit Is Destination For Pittsburgh Lawyers
Op-Ed: Forests A Part Of Climate Fix
PJM Plays Essential, Controversial Role In Electricity Pricing
DEP Fines Chesapeake Appalachia, Schlumberger For Drilling Acid Spill
DEP Fines Chesapeake Appalachia For Acid Spill
A Trash Coal-lection Tradition
Harrisburg Incinerator Gets Some Good Ink
Harrisburg Incinerator Debt Complicates City Budget
Grant To Support Penn State Research On Climate, Infectious Disease
Geisinger To Install A New Generator And Boiler

Federal Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Bill Will Generate Millions In Revenue For PA Farms

A new analysis of the nutrient trading program contained in the proposed federal Chesapeake Clean Water Act-- HR 3852/S 1816-- has determined that Pennsylvania farmers could be paid as much as $117 million annually to reduce nitrogen pollution, creating jobs and bolstering the agricultural economy.
The analysis by the World Resources Institute, an international leader in market based environmental programs, found that water quality trading could potentially double conservation funding compared to what is currently available in the federal Farm Bill.
"The Chesapeake Clean Water Act puts farmers squarely in the driver's seat – directing significant public and private market dollars to farmers to address the problems," said Chesapeake Bay Foundation President Will Baker. "Even without this legislation, pollution from all sources including agriculture, local communities and future growth, will have to be reduced."
Farmers could be paid for adopting conservation practices that will strengthen their ability to produce over the long-term; for example, by planting cover crops that will help keep top soil in its place.
Water quality trading for nutrients, or "nutrient trading," makes it possible to achieve reductions efficiently and cost-effectively, and offers a new revenue source for those able to sell "nutrient credits."
The trading program works like this: once a farm has met and exceeded environmental requirements, the farmer is eligible to sell credits for additional pollution reduction.
Reducing pollution from agriculture is more cost effective than from other sources, so farmers will be able to sell the credits, for example to a municipality, for significantly less than that local government would pay to reduce a pound of pollution from stormwater.
This means that an urban center in Maryland or Virginia could fund conservation efforts on Pennsylvania farms that improve local streams that drain to the Chesapeake Bay.
With the proper safeguards, pollution trading can accelerate the reduction of pollutants that degrade many local streams and the Chesapeake Bay. It can save taxpayer money and provide vital income to farmers while dramatically reducing water quality pollution locally and regionally.
"WRI works to identify cost-effective ways to achieve environmental goals, and our analysis supports the concept that there is a significant market for nutrient trading in the region," said WRI President Jonathan Lash.
"The creation of a market for nutrient reductions would allow farmers to earn a reasonable return for making choices that benefit the Bay and its millions of users."
Because there is no significant interstate nutrient trading underway today, the WRI analysis looked at the current Pennsylvania market for credits, and then assessed the impact of increasing demand as a result of growth and the need for municipalities to reduce pollution from stormwater runoff -- the most expensive source of pollution to control.
The results showed that in today's market in Pennsylvania, approximately $18 million in annual revenue could be available. After pollution caps are put in place in 2010, the WRI analysis estimates demand driven by the need to reduce stormwater pollution and growth across the watershed could generate as much as $117 million annually for Pennsylvania farmers.
Congress is now considering the Chesapeake Clean Water Act, which proposes an inter-state trading program, complementing Pennsylvania's ongoing program, to reduce pollution through the marketplace. The bill also includes no less than $96 million, and possibly substantially more, for technical assistance to farmers, as well as $75 million for a new "Stewardship Grants" program to fund pollution reduction activities, and $1.5 billion to help local governments reduce stormwater runoff.
"We all are responsible for the Bay's poor condition, and we all must take responsibility for its revival – including farmers, local communities and future residents. This legislation has the provisions to ensure we have profitable farms and a restored Chesapeake Bay, because we believe you can't have one without the other." said Matt Ehrhart, Pennsylvania executive director for CBF. "In fact, the Chesapeake Clean Water Act will hold the federal government and states responsible for providing agriculture with the resources that have been insufficient and sporadic over the past twenty years."
"The technical assistance the proposed legislation will provide is critical, and has been lacking for many years," said Chesapeake Bay Commission Executive Director Ann Swanson. "This bill will provide funding for state and local governments, colleges, soil conservation districts and others to advise and assist farmers in developing and maintaining conservation practices."
The Chesapeake Clean Water Act sets scientifically-based standards for pollution reduction from local governments, sewage treatment plants, industries, farms, and others. It gives the states flexibility in how to reach these goals, while providing tools to help reach them. Click here for a copy of the WRI report.