March 30 PA Environment Digest Now Available

The March 30 PA Environment Digest is now available.  Here are just a few of the headlines--

DEP Budget Hearing: Pennsylvania Not Meeting Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Commitments

Acting DEP Secretary John Quigley told the Senate Appropriations Committee Wednesday Pennsylvania is not meeting its commitments to clean up the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and that a “reboot” is needed to get the program back on track.

He said there is a lack of resources for the program and he is working directly with Acting Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding to take a fresh look at the program.

PA Must Install Practices To Meet 2017 Stream Cleanup Milestone In Next 641 Days

Pennsylvania has 641 days to put the best management practices on the ground needed to eliminate 10 million pounds of nitrogen and 212 million pounds of sediment from going into our rivers and streams to meet the 2017 Chesapeake Bay cleanup milestones.

Simple math shows Pennsylvania will not have a chance to meet those milestones with the current level of effort to improve water quality.

5 Things We Learned From Senate And House Hearings On DEP’s Budget

The Senate and House Appropriations Committee hearings on Gov. Wolf’s proposed budget for the Department of Environmental Protection are now complete.  Here are five things we learned as a result of those hearings--

DEP Declares Drought Watch For 27 Northeast, Northcentral, Western Counties

Below-average groundwater levels have caused the Department of Environmental Protection to issue a drought watch for 27 counties across Pennsylvania Tuesday.

DEP Supports New Ozone Standard At 70 ppb Or Below

The Department of Environmental Protection sent comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on March 17 formally supporting setting a new ozone pollution standard at 70 ppb or below, but noted EPA’s studies do not show adverse impacts at the 60 ppb level.

CFA To Accept Applications For Business In Our Sites, Including Brownfields

Department of Community and Economic Development Acting Secretary Dennis Davin Friday announced the Commonwealth Financing Authority will open the Business in Our Sites Program for applications beginning April 1.

DEP Sets May 5 Hearing On Air Permits For Shell Ethane Facility In Beaver County

The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the March 28 PA Bulletin saying it is now accepting public comments on the Air Quality permits required for the Shell ethane facility in Beaver County.  (PA Bulletin page 1518)

To read the entire Digest, visit: www.PaEnvironmentDigest.com.  Click Here to print the entire Digest.