Environment & Energy Educational Opportunities For Students & Adults

Opportunities to learn more about environmental and energy issues affecting Pennsylvania for students and adults--

-- Senate Overwhelmingly Confirms Richard Negrin As Secretary Of DEP  [PaEN]

-- Environmental Quality Board Meets July 11 To Consider Changes To Water Quality Standards; DEP Reports Law Limiting Its Authority To Change Conventional Oil & Gas Well Bonding May Be Unconstitutional [PaEN]

-- Children’s Health Defense News: For Decades He Railed Against Fracking In Washington County - Now His Wife Has A Type Of Cancer Linked To Fracking Chemicals

-- House Democratic Leadership Blocks Environmental Committee Action On Bills Increasing Safety Zones Around Natural Gas Facilities, Cryptocurrency Permit Moratorium  [PaEN] 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: PA House Committee Unexpectedly Drops Gas Infrastructure Safety Zone Expansion, Cryptocurrency Permit Moratorium Bills

-- DEP Citizens Advisory Council Meets July 11 On Programs To Promote Use Of Electric Vehicles; Chapter 105 Environmental Assessment Alternatives Analysis  [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Air Quality Permit For Cryptocurrency Power Generation Facility By Diversified Production, LLC At A Shale Gas Well In Elk County  [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Proposed Air Quality General Permit For Coal-Mine Methane Enclosed Flares  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Invites Comments On Individual Stormwater Permit For 4,000 Acre ‘Conservation’ Housing Development Next To Hickory Run State Park In Carbon County  [PaEN]

-- House Passes Bipartisan Bill Establishing Grant Program To Support Solar Energy Facilities At Schools  [PaEN]

-- Capital & Main-Audrey Carleton: PA Could Be A Model For Solar-Powered Schools - If It Can Get Past Political Divisions 

-- PA Capital-Star: Solar Energy Grant Program For PA School Districts Gets Bipartisan Support In PA House

-- Capital & Main - Audrey Carleton: Who Is Blocking Climate, Oil & Gas Bills In Pennsylvania? 

-- WeConservePA Webinar: Pennsylvania's Solar Future - Utility Scale Facilities, Oct. 25  [PaEN] 

-- TribLive: North Huntingdon Twp. Gives Preliminary OK For Lithium-Ion Battery Farm 

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Solar Energy A Budget Solution For PA Schools - By Micki Dutrow, Retired Superintendent Of West Branch Area School District, Clearfield County

-- House/Senate Vote To Extend I-95 State Disaster Proclamation Until Nov. 1, 2023 [Senate Resolution 136]  House passed a resolution extending it one year to June 12, 2024, Republicans opposed.   [House Resolution 154]

-- Delaware Currents: Sojourning On The Schuylkill River - Celebrating The River And How Much Outdoor Recreation Contributes To PA’s Economy 

-- NextPittsburgh: Rail Trail Expansion Builds Dreams That Freeport And Kittanning Could Rival Great Allegheny Passage Trail Destinations

-- July PA Township News Packed With Articles On Parks, Trails, Recreation, Grid-Scale Solar Facilities, Electric Vehicle Charging Stations, More  [PaEN]

-- PA Environmental Resource Consortium Names Penn State Graduate Isabella Briseno 2023 Campus Sustainability Champion 

-- York Dispatch: Storm-2-Street Art Contest Raises Awareness Of Stormwater Pollution And Boosts Local Artists

-- Brodhead Watershed Assn.: July 15 Creek Snorkeling For Students In The Upper Brodhead In Monroe County

-- Penn State Extension: Meadow Repository - Resources For Planning, Planting Meadows  [PaEN]

-- Willistown Conservation Trust & Natural Lands Receive $25,000 Grant From Cornell Lab Of Ornithology To Reverse The Decline Of Grassland Birds In Chester County  [PaEN]

-- Inquirer: On The Hunt For Pennsylvania’s Elusive Fireflies

-- Penn State Researchers Document Chesapeake Logperch Fish In Lower Susquehanna River

-- Explore Jefferson County: PA Great Outdoors - Improvements To Gallagher Run

-- Lehigh Valley-based Wildlands Conservancy Highlights Bushkill Creek, Tunkhannock Creek Restorations; Seeking Volunteers For Stream Team! June Is Rivers Month

-- Warren Times: Audubon Nature Center Little Explorers To Study Amphibians July 8

-- Capital RC&D, PA Grazing Lands Coalition To Host July 18 Rotational Grazing Pasture Walk In Northampton County  [PaEN]

-- Delaware River Watershed Land Protection Group In-Person Summer Meeting July 21 In Bucks County  [PaEN]

-- PA Sustainable Community Development Network: July 25 Webinar On Activating Municipal Sustainability Teams To Attract Funding  [PaEN] 

-- Manada Conservancy Aug. 26 Aquatic Bugs & Other Stream Life Kids Program, Camp Catherine, Hershey, Dauphin County 

-- Registration Open! PA Assn. Of Environmental Professionals 2023 Annual Conference Sept. 20-22 In State College  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Extension Sept. 26 Webinar: How Community Forests Provide Critical Environmental & Societal Services, Buffer Local Heat And Moisture Swings  [PaEN]

-- Erie Times - Brian Whipkey: 3 Agencies Partner To Raise, Stock Freshwater Mussels In Pennsylvania 

-- Partnership For The Delaware Estuary News: Microplastics Are Forever; Growing Big, Strong Freshwater Mussels; Predicting Sea Level Rise; Much More!

-- Call For Presentations: PA State Association Of Township Supervisors 2024 Conference On April 14-17 In Hershey  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Soliciting Extensions Of Expired Vouchers For Driving PA Forward’s Onroad Cleaner Diesel Vehicle Rebate Program  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Extends Application Period, Increases Rebate Amounts And Expands Healthy Electrified Commercial Kitchen Rebate Program To Restaurants  [PaEN]

-- Wall Street Journal: Cheaper Natural Gas Prices In Store This Summer; Earlier Price Spikes Driven By Europe’s LNG Imports

-- Bloomberg: Natural Gas Power Plants, Now The Top Source Of Electricity In U.S., Are To Blame For One Of The Grid’s Biggest Vulnerabilities When Weather Gets Rough

-- Vermont State Police: Joint Investigation Into June 1 Natural Gas Tanker Fire Finds Truck Was Destroyed And Damaged U.S. Route 7 In Ferrisburgh Was The Result Of Mechanical Failure

-- The Guardian: Solar Helps Texas Carry Energy Load As Heatwave Puts Power Grid To Test; Atypically Large Number Of Coal, Natural Gas-Fired Power Plants Have Failed Amid Temperature Spikes

-- Inquirer: POWER Interfaith Pushing PECO To Use More Renewable Energy

-- WHYY: Climate Activists Target PECO’s Next Power Purchase Plan: ‘Replace Fossil Fuels’

-- Inquirer Guest Essay: PECO, Philly’s Energy Provider, Relies On Fossil Fuels And Aging Infrastructure, Adding More Renewables Would Cut Utility Bills - By Vote Solar

-- Reuters: Jobs In US Energy Grew 3.8% In 2022, Led By Work In Clean Energy

-- Inferse.com: Making Cryptocurrency: How Waste From Old Coal Mine Is Powering Bitcoin Mine In Carbon County

-- Post-Gazette: Former Ohio Republican House Speaker Sentenced To 20 Years In Prison For Role In $60 Million FirstEnergy Nuclear Plant Bailout Bribery Scheme 

-- Wall Street Journal: Ask Big Oil Executives How Much Oil The World Will Need By 2050 And You Will Get Very Different Opinions

-- EPA AirNow Forecasts Code YELLOW Air Quality Day For SATURDAY, July 1

-- DEP: Pennsylvania Experienced Code RED Air Quality Conditions Friday, June 30

-- The Guardian: Tiny Flying Bugs Arrive In New York City Along With Wildfire Smoke From Canada

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Raging Fires In Canada Demand Action On Air Quality, Environment

-- DEP Declares Statewide Code ORANGE Air Quality Action Day Friday, June 30 

-- TribLive: Lingering Wildfire Smoke Affects More Than Just At-Risk Groups: ‘It’s Unhealthy For Everyone’

-- AP: Expect A Hot, Smoky Summer In Much Of America, Here’s Why You’d Better Get Used To It

-- DEP Declares Code RED Air Quality Day For Entire State Of PA THURSDAY, June 29 due to Smoke From Canadian Wildfires

-- TribLive: Smoke From Canadian Wildfires Prompts Events To Move Indoors

-- TribLive: Doctors Emphasize Caution Amidst Poor Air Quality In Western PA

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Allegheny County’s Industry Told To Cut Back On Emissions As Smoke Hits Region

-- DEP Declares Code RED Air Quality Action Day For All Of Pennsylvania TODAY, June 28 Due To Smoke From Canadian Wildfires 

-- EPA AirNow Forecasts Code RED Air Quality Action Day In Erie, Indiana County, Johnstown, Allegheny County + Liberty-Clairton Area, Mercer County; Code ORANGE Day In Altoona, State College 

-- DEP Declares Code RED and Code ORANGE Action Days Wednesday, June 28 In Multiple Areas Of Pennsylvania Due To Smoke From Canadian Wildfires

-- The Allegheny Front: What You Can Do To Protect Yourself From Wildfire Smoke

-- AP: Canadian Wildfires Causing Unhealthy Air Quality Again In Chicago, Other Parts Of US

-- AP: Billions Are Being Spent To Turn The Tide On The U.S. West’s Wildfires - It Won’t Be Enough

-- PUC Highlights Summer #SaveInPA Opportunities To Help Manage Summer Energy Usage, Utility Bills

-- Inquirer: A Philly Woman Answered The Door For Energy Salespeople - That Decision Cost Her 

-- PennTAP Hosts July 20 Webinar On Funding And Incentives For Energy Efficiency Improvements At Your Facility  [PaEN]

-- PA Capital-Star: Report: Shell Petrochemical Plant Hasn’t Delivered Economically For Beaver County 

-- TribLive: Report: Shell Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County Has Not Spurred Economic Growth

-- Ohio River Valley Institute: A Cautionary Tale Of Petrochemicals From Beaver County, PA - Still Failing To Spur Economic Growth

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Train Derailments Bode Poorly For Public Health Amid Planned Petrochemical And Hydrogen Hubs - By Sen. Katie Muth (D-Chester), Alison Steele, Environmental Health Project

-- PA Wilds Center: Explore PA Wilds Made Products, Services, Branded Goods, Local Shops In 2023 Buyer’s Guide

-- Dept. Of Agriculture: Results Of Crop Samples Show No Contamination On PA Farms Near Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

-- Penn State Extension Woods & Wildlife News: Eastern Hemlock Health Update; Restoring PA’s Game Birds; Fire In The Woods; More!

-- Warren Times: Allegheny 100 Challenge Draws Hikers From Across The Country

-- Warren Times: Allegheny National Forest Centennial Geocaches Placed On Centennial GeoTrail

-- OnlyInYour State: One Of PA’s Most Underrated Nature Areas - Vincent DeFilippo Nature Preserve In Cumberland County

-- PA Parks & Forests Foundation Blog: Dark Skies In The Keystone State

-- TribLive: Hampton Resident Promotes Coexisting With Coyotes In Allegheny County

-- Williamsport Sun: Region Faces Third Spongy [Gypsy] Moth Outbreak

-- The Allegheny Front: Preparing For The Arrival Of The Invasive Spongy [Gypsy] Moth

-- PennLive: Where Are The Spotted Lanternflies? Just Wait, Expert Says

-- Reading Eagle: USDA Fighting The Spotted Lanternfly With New 5-Year Plan

-- June 30 Take Five Fridays With Pam, PA Parks & Forests Foundation  [PaEN]

-- June 23 Take Five Fridays With Pam, PA Parks & Forests Foundation  [PaEN]

-- WESA: Climate Change In PA Is Increasing Risk Of Lyme Disease, Other Tick-Borne Illnesses 

-- Courier Times: Tick-Borne Illnesses, Including Lyme Disease, On Rise In PA

-- Williamsport Sun - Bill Bower: Reflections In Nature - With Summer’s Arrival Comes Plenty Of Insects

-- Williamsport Sun - Tiadaghton Audubon: Not All Migratory Birds Are ‘Neotropical’

-- Warren Times: Local Woman Wins 2023 National Audubon Photo Contest 

-- WPost: First Street Foundation Finds Climate Change-Fueled Increases In Rainfall Means 100-Year Floods Can Now Be Expected Every 8 Years

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Get Soaked The Last Few Days?  Philly’s Extreme Rains Might Be Just Getting Started, According To New Report

-- AP: Warming Causes More Extreme Rain, Not Snow, Over Mountains; Scientists Say That’s A Problem

-- WPost: Climate Change Is Fueling An Insurance Crisis And There’s No Easy Fix

-- The Economist: How Misfiring Environmentalism Risks Harming The World’s Poor

-- EPA Announces New Framework To Prevent Unsafe New PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ From Entering The Market

-- Inside Climate News: Study Details Efforts By Makers Of PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ To Hide Their Harms: ‘Profit Over The Public’s Health’

Visit the PA Parks & Forests Foundation’s Events webpage and DCNR’s Calendar of Events for activities happening near you.

Visit DEP’s Teaching Green webpage to learn about more environmental education resources.

Visit the PA Environment Digest Calendar Of Events for more opportunities.

[Posted: July 2, 2023]  PA Environment Digest