On-Demand Webinar: Creating A Healthy Home And Community With Shale Gas Development In Your Neighborhood

The Center for Coalfield Justice, the Environmental Health Project, Physicians for Social Responsibility, FracTracker Alliance, and Mountain Watershed Association hosted a webinar on October 25 on Creating A Healthy Home And Community With Shale Gas Development In Your Neighborhood.

The webinar is now available on-demand.

Viewers can learn more about what you can do to protect your family’s health with shale gas development in your neighborhood and how you can help advocate for healthy communities with thriving economies.

Presenters/Resources

The presenters and resources from the webinar included--

-- Mountain Watershed Association: If you live in or around the Youghiogheny Watershed and have concerns about fracking, coal, and/or public health you can contact Stacey Magda, stacey@mtwatershed.com or by calling (724) 455-4200, at Mountain Watershed Association to get involved with the wonderful work they are doing. Stacey can also support requests for soil sampling. 

-- The Center for Coalfield Justice: If you live in Washington or Greene Counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania and have concerns about fracking, coal, and/or public health you can contact Heaven Sensky, heaven@centerforcoalfieldjustice.org  or by calling 724-229-3550, at The Center for Coalfield Justice. You can contact us as well if you are interested in water testing. 

-- Protect PT: If you live in or around Penn Trafford in Allegheny and/or Westmoreland Counties, you can reach out to Protect PT by emailing info@protectpt.org  or calling 724-392-7023. You can also access their reporting resource here.

-- FracTracker Alliance: Erica Jackson presented from FracTracker Alliance. Erica can be reached at jackson@fractracker.org  or via (412) 229-7514. You can access the FracTracker map of development near you on their website.

-- Environmental Health Project: Makenzie White presented from The Environmental Health Project, and she can be reached via mwhite@environmentalhealthproject.org  or by calling 724-260-5504.

For more information on programs, initiatives, upcoming events and how you can get involved, visit the participating organizations’ websites: Center for Coalfield Justice, the Environmental Health Project, Physicians for Social Responsibility, FracTracker Alliance, and Mountain Watershed Association.

(Photos: Natural gas infrastructure across Pennsylvania, courtesy of Bob Donnan.)

Related Education Workshops:

-- Protect PT Hosts 4-Part Online Living Near Shale Gas Community Training Workshops Starting Nov. 10 - Documenting Complaints  [PaEN]

-- PA League Of Women Voters, University Of Pittsburgh Graduate School Of Public Health Host 2022 Shale Gas & Public Health Conference Online Nov. 15-16

Related Articles - Oil & Gas Health Impacts:

-- Environmental Health News: A Guide To Environmental Health In Southwestern PA

-- Environmental Health Project Blog: 7 Questions You Should Ask Every Candidate About Shale Gas Development And Public Health

-- Senate Hearing: Body Of Evidence Is 'Large, Growing,’ ‘Consistent’ And 'Compelling' That Shale Gas Development Is Having A Negative Impact On Public Health; PA Must Act  [PaEN]

-- Environmental Health Project: PA’s Natural Gas Boom - What Went Wrong? Why Does It Matter?  What Can We Do Better To Protect Public Health?  [PaEN]

-- Creating New Brownfields: Oil & Gas Well Drillers Notified DEP They Are Cleaning Up Soil & Water Contaminated With Chemicals Harmful To Human Health, Aquatic Life At 272 Locations In PA  [PaEN]

-- Environmental Health Project: Setback Distances And The Regulations We Need To Protect Public Health From Oil & Gas Facilities  [PaEN]

-- Study: Industry Data Shows Hazardous Air Pollutants Are ‘Ubiquitous’ In The Natural Gas Transmission System; More Justification For Robust Leak Prevention Programs

-- Washington County Community Meeting Updates Residents On PA Health & Environment Studies, Discusses Health Impacts Of Shale Gas Development

-- Preliminary Results From New Penn State Study Find Increased Cancer, Health Risks From Road Dumping Conventional Drilling Wastewater, Especially For Children  [PaEN]

-- DEP: Potential For Environmental Impacts From Spills Or Leaks Of Radioactive Oil & Gas Waste Materials Is Real; Health Dept. Not Aware Of All Chemicals In Oil & Gas Wastewater Making Risk Assessment Difficult   [PaEN]

-- DEP: PA Fracking Operations Sent Nearly 236,000 Cubic Feet Of Radioactive TENORM Waste To Low-Level Radioactive Waste Facilities For Disposal In 2021 - 811,070 Since 2016

-- Penn State Study: Potential Pollution Caused By Road Dumping Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater Makes It Unsuitable For A Dust Suppressant, Washes Right Off The Road Into The Ditch  [PaEN]

-- The Science Says: Spreading Conventional Drilling Wastewater On Dirt & Gravel Roads Can Harm Aquatic Life, Poses Health Risks To Humans - And It Damages The Roads  [PaEN]

-- Environmental Health Project - Part 1: Personal Narrative Of Environmental, Health Impacts From Oil & Gas Drilling On Siri Lawson, Warren County [PaEN]

-- Environmental Health Project - Part II: Personal Narrative Of Environmental, Health Impacts From Oil & Gas Drilling On Siri Lawson, Warren County  [PaEN]

-- University Of Pittsburgh School Of Public Health Recruiting Families In Southwest PA For Study Of Childhood Cancer, One Of 3 Studies Of Potential Health Impacts Linked To Shale Natural Gas Development [PaEN]

Related Articles This Week:

-- DEP Permit Notices -- Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities  [PaEN]  

-- Gov. Wolf Signs Massive, 20-Year Taxpayer Subsidies Into Law For Natural Gas, Hydrogen And Petrochemical Industries With No Public Accountability Or Environmental Safeguards  [PaEN]

-- York Dispatch Editorial: Energy Companies Are Reporting Record Profits, PA Lawmakers Don’t Need To Give Them More Tax Breaks  [PaEN]

-- Gov. Wolf Signs Bill Creating Well Plugging Grant Program; Again Fails To Address Woefully Inadequate Conventional Well Plugging Bonding; Fails To Report On Bonding Petitions; Or Issue Conventional Drilling Compliance Report  [PaEN]

-- DEP: PA General Energy Cited For More Water Pollution Violations, Blocking The Whole Width Of Loyalsock Creek At Gas Pipeline/Water Withdrawal Construction Site In Lycoming County [PaEN]

-- Independent Fiscal Office Estimates CY 2022 Drilling Impact Fee Will Generate Record $274.8 Million In Revenue At Lowest Tax Rate On Record  [PaEN]

-- PA Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Will Accept Applications Starting Nov. 1 [PaEN]

-- A Study Finding Microplastics In 100% Of Exceptional Value, High Quality, Class A Trout Streams Sampled In PA Is Disturbing To Wildlife Advocates  [PaEN]

-- Scranton Times/Republican Herald Editorial: Legislators Like Plastics, Expect More  [PaEN]

[Posted: October 31, 2022]  PA Environment Digest

Penn State Extension Hosts Nov. 9 Webinar On Methane Emission Fees Under New Federal Climate, Energy Act And Impacts On Oil & Gas Industry

 Penn State Extension hosts a November 9 webinar on Methane Emission Fees Under the New Federal Climate, Energy Act and its Impacts on the Oil and Gas Industry from Noon to 1:00 p.m.

Participants will hear from Penn State Dickinson Law Professor Mohamed Rali Badissy, who, for over the past decade, has led energy sector reforms in dozens of markets in partnership with host governments, multilateral institutions, civil society organizations, and industry leaders and continues to serve as an advisor to both public institutions and private developers. 

He will examine and discuss the new fees levied on methane emissions under the recently passed “Inflation Reduction Act” and some potential impacts on the oil and gas industry. 

Click Here to register or for more information.

Resource Link:

-- Congressional Research Service: Inflation Reduction Act Methane Emissions Charge

(Photo: Washington County pipeline compressor station methane leaks, FracTracker Alliance/ EarthWorks.)

[Posted: October 31, 2022]  PA Environment Digest

Penn State Extension Hosts 5-Part Pennsylvania Forest Webinar Series Starting Nov. 8

The Pennsylvania Forest Webinar Series from Penn State Extension is starting back up and will be offered monthly starting September 2022 through June 2023. 

This series covers a variety of topics, such as forest and wildlife management, water conservation, wood products, legacy planning, and more.

Private forest landowners, general interested public, and forestry professionals are all encouraged to register!

The webinars will be held at Noon and 7:00 p.m. on each of these dates--

-- November 8: Dormant-Season Invasive Plant Management in Forests. Learn about the types of plants that can be controlled during the dormant season using proven methods and techniques. Click to Register

-- December 13: The History of Pennsylvania's Forests. Explore the ins and outs of the ecological history behind Pennsylvania forests. Discuss human culture and the future of our forest health. Click to Register

-- February 14: Why Care About Trees. Learn why trees are so important to our health and environment. Click to Register

-- April 11: How Exotic Shrub Berries Alter Plumage of Birds. Learn how to recognize the berries from exotic honeysuckle, the species of birds that eat these berries, and the consequences such as altered plumage coloration.  Click to Register

-- June 13: Wildlife Adaptations. Learn about the wildlife that endures limited resources, extreme weather, and predators. We will also discuss how some species have adjusted to stay alive. Click to Register

Reprinted from the Penn State Extension Forestry and Wildlife Team - Woods and Wildlife News and Notes.  Click Here to sign up for your own copy.)

Related Articles:

-- Penn State Extension: 5-Part Woodland Stewardship - Guided Engagement With Your Land Starting Oct. 12

-- Penn State Extension Hosts 9-Part Woods In Your Backyard Webinar Series Starting Jan. 11

-- DCNR Blog: New Resources Available For Forest Landowners And Managers For Climate Change Resilience

-- Forests For The Chesapeake Bay: October Newsletter - Forests For The Bats Stories; Fall Tree Plantings In PA; Monster Trunk Tally Photo Contest Winners

[Posted: October 31, 2022]  PA Environment Digest

Gov. Wolf Releases $40 Million In Capital Budget Funding, Including 3 Projects To Redevelop Brownfields, Recycle Plastics

On October 31, Gov. Tom Wolf announced the approval of$40.1 million in funding for ten redevelopment and community improvement projects that will revitalize communities and provide new opportunities across the Commonwealth.

The Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program funding for environment and energy projects include--

-- Allegheny County: Almono Limited Partnership, $3 million – funding will support continued development and infrastructure for the Mill District of Hazelwood Green to accommodate the University of Pittsburgh’s BioForge facility and Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Innovation Center. This phase of the development includes construction of a parking garage, roadways, utilities, stormwater conduits, and environmental remediation.

-- Erie County: IRG Erie, Inc., $5 million – funding will support development of a $200 million waste plastic recycling facility on 25-acres in a high-unemployment area of Erie City.

-- Northampton County: ArtsQuest, $7 million – funding will support a project to redevelop the abandoned Bethlehem Steel Corporation plant to create a facility for entertainment programming, cultural attractions, science displays, and community events. The facility will include a commercial kitchen with bathroom facilities.

Click Here for the complete announcement.

For more information on this program, visit the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program webpage.

[Posted: October 31, 2022]  PA Environment Digest