Feb. 23 PA Environment Digest Now Available

Feb. 23 PA Environment Digest Now Available.  Click Here To Print Entire Digest

DEP To Replace All Members Of The Oil & Gas Technical Advisory Board

DEP’s Citizens Advisory Council Tuesday approved a list of three recommended candidates to serve on DEP’s five-member Oil and Gas Technical Advisory Board which will now be refocused on advising the agency on unconventional oil and gas drilling regulations and policy.  DEP is also planning to add several ad hoc members to the Board.  DEP will pick one of the three names recommended by Council to serve on the Board.

PA Environmental Council Supports Nominations Of Quigley At DEP, Dunn At DCNR

The PA Environmental Council has sent letters to Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming) and Sen. John Yudichak (D-Luzerne), the Majority and Minority Chairs of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, supporting the nominations of John Quigley for DEP Secretary and Cindy Dunn as DCNR Secretary.

Keep PA Beautiful Earns Recognition At National Conference

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful received top honors at Keep America Beautiful’s National Awards Dinner at the 2015 KAB National Conference in Washington, D.C. for its outstanding promotion of KAB’s mission statewide and for its program support for local affiliates in Pennsylvania.

CBF-PA Tells DEP Act 162 Stream Buffer Requirements Should Apply To All Streams

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation-PA submitted comments this week to DEP saying Act 162 passed by the General Assembly last year requires stream buffers along all waterways when developers are applying for an NPDES permit, not just in Special Protection Watersheds.

CBF-PA’s comments were directed at an interim final technical guidance document DEP is using to implement Act 162.

C.O.G.E.N.T. Blog Post: Concerned About The Severance Tax? You Betcha!

By: Emily Krafjack, President

Connection For Oil, Gas & The Environment In The Northern Tier

The announcement of the Governor’s proposal for severance tax probably got more news bytes than any other news articles this week.  Most of these news bytes were beyond the shale. Why is that?

Exelon: EPA Clean Power Rule Can Be Implemented Using Existing Market Mechanisms

The electric industry can achieve the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s goal to reduce carbon emissions from existing power plants on schedule and at a minimal cost to consumers without harming grid reliability or compromising the efficiency of existing energy markets, Exelon said Thursday.