105 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

Here are 105 new stories in the PA Environment Digest about individuals, groups, local governments, farmers, businesses, watershed groups and many more working all across Pennsylvania to restore and protect the environment and show others the beauty that surrounds us.

Thank you for your leadership!

-- Sen. Comitta: Let's Work Together To Address Climate Change, But Stop Rehashing The Same Old Arguments Against RGGI That Are Not Protecting Our Planet And Our People  [PaEN]

-- Courier Express: Fmr. Black Bear Biologist Gary Alt Honored By Game Commission

-- PA Parks & Forests Foundation Blog: Keith Russell - His Quest For Urban Conservation Through Bird Watching 

-- Altoona Mirror: Penn State Altoona Read-In Lauds Black Ecology, Environmental Writers 

-- TribLive: Outdoor Inclusion: Pittsburgh Nonprofit Creates Recreation Opportunities For People Of Color: ‘There Needs To Be Somebody That Looks Like Me’  

-- LancasterOnline - Ad Crable: 25 Years Of Sleeping In The Snow In PA’s Wildest Place 

-- TribLive: Westmoreland’s Larry Larese Recognized By Export Boro For Contributions To Conservation, Development 

-- In Memoriam: Edna Mae George, The Better Half Of The Late Rep. ‘Bud’ George, Long-Time Chair Of The House Conservation Committee 

-- PUC Consumer Energy Shopping Campaign Honored For Creative, Innovative Public Outreach

-- Utility Dive: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission OKs Cold Weather Reliability Standards [Driven In Large Part By Natural Gas Infrastructure Failures In 2021]

-- Reuters: US Regulators To Review Power System Performance During Recent Winter Storms

-- Natural Gas Intelligence: 76% Increase In LNG Natural Gas Export Capacity Already Under Construction; US Group Fears Buildout Will Hurt American Businesses Urge ‘US Consumers First’ Policy  [PaEN]

-- Bloomberg TV: Canada’s Energy Minister: Period Of Using Natural Gas As Transition Fuel Should Be Short; Gas Should Not Replace Renewables; Canada Has Adopted Controls On LNG Exports The US Has Not  [PaEN]

-- Reuters: European Union Says Biden’s Pause On Approvals Of New LNG Natural Gas Export Facilities Will Have No Effect On US LNG Supplies To Europe Over Next 2 or 3 Years  [LNG Exports Are Expected To Double By 2030 On Already-Approved Projects] 

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: A Political Battle Brews Over Natural Gas Exports Over Impacts To Gas Prices, Climate, Demand For Gas

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Feb. 10 to 16 - 31 More Conventional Abandoned Well NOVs - 103 For Year; Pipeline Land Slips; Water Supply, Stray Gas Complaints [PaEN]

-- TribLive Guest Essay: A Fossil Fuel Export Economy Is Wrong For America - By Tyson Slocum, Public Citizen

-- Marcellus Drilling News: National Fuel Gas Lawsuit Alleges Fraud, Counterfeit Parts Used At Natural Gas Compressor Stations  [PaEN]

-- The Guardian: Certified Natural Gas Is ‘Dangerous Greenwashing Scheme,’ US Senators Say

-- Capital & Main - Audrey Carleton: Private Equity Kept Aging Homer City PA Coal Power Plant Open, Then Closed It With No Plan For Workers And Community 

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Carbon Dioxide Storage Hub Landmen Seek 80,000 Acres Across Western PA, Ohio, WV 

-- Marcellus Drilling News: NAPE Speakers Say Carbon Capture & Sequestration A Risky Business

-- DEP Approves PennEnergy Resources 1.5 Million Gallon/Day Water Withdrawal For Shale Gas Drilling From Big Sewickley Creek In Beaver County; Citizens Group Opposes DEP Decision  [PaEN]  

-- Beaver County Times: DEP Approves PennEnergy’s Request To Drain Water From Big Sewickley Creek 

-- TribLive: Beaver County Man Sues Shell Petrochemical Plant, Claims Plant Spews Pollution 

-- The Energy Age Blog: Resident Files Lawsuit Against Shell Petrochemical Plant, Claims Plant Spews Pollution

-- PA Taxpayers To Give $130.9 Million In Tax Credits To Subsidize Shell Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County; Total Expected To Be $1.17 Billion Thru 2042; No Regard For Environmental Compliance Record  [PaEN]

-- The Energy Age Blog: Dangerous Workplaces - US Drilling, Fracking Operations - 1,566 Workers Have Died In US

-- Yale360 - Jon Hurdle: How A Legal Clean Air Law Loophole Allows Natural Gas Leaks To Keep Flowing  [Aggregation Of Air Emissions Issue]  

-- EPA Objects To Allegheny County's Air Quality Permit For The US Steel Edgar Thomson Plant  [PaEN]

-- WESA/The Allegheny Front: EPA Orders Allegheny County To Include Stronger Testing In US Steel Thomson Plant Permit

-- WHYY - Sophia Schmidt: New EPA Soot Standard Could Bring Healthier Air To Parts Of Philly Region

-- The Allegheny Front - Reid Frazier: What You Need To Know About Soot, US Steel And Pittsburgh’s Air 

-- WTAE: Monitors Find High Levels Of Toxic Benzene Near Clairton Coke [Coal] Plant In Allegheny County 

-- WHYY - Sophia Schmidt: New EPA Soot Standard Could Bring Healthier Air To Parts Of Philly Region

-- The Allegheny Front - Reid Frazier: What You Need To Know About Soot, US Steel And Pittsburgh’s Air 

-- CFA, Dept. Of Education To Begin Accepting Applications For 2 Grant Programs To Help Public Schools Make Environmental Repairs, Improvements  [PaEN] 

-- Coalition For Community Solar Access Thanks House Consumer Protection, Technology & Utilities Committee For Hearing, Calls For Vote On House Bill 1842  [PaEN]

-- The Center Square: Community Solar - A Path To Renter-Friendly Solar Power Sited, Again

-- PennEnvironment Report Finds PA Lags Behind Many States In Rooftop Solar Facilities, Recommends Policies For Improving Growth  [PaEN] 

-- Penn State: Stable Profits, Land Preservation Matter To Farmers Debating Solar Energy Facility Leases  [PaEN] 

-- Tribune-Democrat: Cambria County Prison Board Considering Solar Energy Conversion 

-- PUC Invites Comments On Williams Natural Gas Pipeline Co. Proposal To Construct 2 Solar Energy Facilities To Provide Electricity To Compressor Stations In Columbia, Wyoming Counties  [PaEN] 

-- PA Solar Center, Partners Host Feb. 23 Webinar On Solar Energy For Municipalities And Water Authorities  [PaEN] 

-- Penn State Hosts Feb. 19 EarthTalks Webinar: The Economic Impact Of Carbon Emission Trading Scheme On Building Retrofits  [PaEN]

-- Utility Dive: Grid-Enhancing Technologies Could Facilitate 6.6 GW Of Clean Energy In PA, 4 Other PJM States Saving $1 Billion A Year  [PPL included]

-- DEP Climate Change Advisory Committee Meets Feb. 20 To Review 2024 Climate Impacts Assessment, PA Greenhouse Gas Inventory, Climate Action Plan  [PaEN] 

-- Ohio River Valley Institute Feb. 22 Webinar To Announce A Roadmap For Industrial Decarbonization In Pennsylvania  [PaEN]

-- Southwest PA Municipal Project Hub Will Help Municipalities In 10 Counties Apply For Historic Federal Funding To Develop Clean, Sustainable Economic Development Projects, Communities  [PaEN]

-- The Allegheny Front: New ‘Hub’ To Help Local Governments In Pittsburgh Region Bring In Historic Federal Clean Energy Funds 

-- My Chester County: Smart Energy Initiative’s Annual Briefing Sheds Light On PA’s Energy Future

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Capitalism Requires Giving Americans A Real Choice For Clean Energy - By Natural Resources Defense Council

-- TribLive Letter: Renewable Energy Investments Protect Jobs, Public Health - By Patrick Dooling

-- Inquirer: Philly Needs More Electric Vehicle Charging Stations, How A Grant And Local 98 Could Make It Happen

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Electric Vehicles To Charge Ahead In 2024 - By Duquesne Light

-- PA Business Report: FirstEnergy Awards $85,000 Grant To Energy Innovation Center Institute For Workforce Training

-- DOE Invests $17 Million In 3 Projects To Strengthen Critical Minerals Supply Chain: 1 In PA, Another To PA Company, Both Coal-Related  [PaEN] 

-- York Dispatch Guest Essay: Foreign Polluters Should Pay [Wildfires, Carbon] - By Citizens Climate Lobby

-- 100+ Business, Religious, Community, Public Health, Elected Officials, Environmental Leaders: Pennsylvania Needs a Sustainable, Inclusive Economic Development Plan  [PaEN] 

-- Bay Journal - Ad Crable: More Than 100 Groups Protest PA Governor’s Support Of Natural Gas Energy

-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: PA Environmental, Religious And Other Groups Criticize Shapiro Plan For Ignoring Climate Change 

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Why Is The Governor’s Team PA Group Still Pushing DNA Dirty Hydrogen Hub Without Federal Funding? By PennFuture 

-- Penn State Extension Energy Essentials: Unraveling Hydrogen Rainbow; Renewable Energy On The Farm; Carbon Markets, Climate-Smart Forestry  [PaEN]

-- House Republican Leader Bryan Cutler Expresses Opposition To Proposed Susquehanna River Hydropower Project

-- WITF/LancasterOnline: Con. Smucker Joins State, Local Officials To Oppose $2.5 Billion Susquehanna River Hydroelectric Project

-- Ohio River Basin Alliance, National Wildlife Federation Report Identifies Community Concerns, Priorities For Local Waters In Ohio River Watershed  [PaEN] 

-- LancasterOnline: Plain Sect Lancaster County Farms Gain $2.2 Million In State Conservation Funds 

-- WFMZ: Montgomery County Working On Plan To Mitigate Flood Damage Centered On 4-County Perkiomen Creek Watershed

-- The News-Item: Shamokin Creek Restoration Plan Should Be Ready By Summer

-- Scranton Times: River Advocates, Enthusiasts Wonder If Reservoir Construction Project Muddied Waterways Could Have Been Prevented

-- Scranton Times: Lackawanna Commissioners Want Criminal Probe Of PA American Water Dam Project That Polluted Roaring Brook, Lackawanna, Susquehanna Rivers With Sediment 

-- Scranton Times: DEP To Study Water Samples  From Roaring Brook, Lackawanna River Muddied By Dam Project

-- Scranton Times: Fish Commission Cancels Trout Stocking In Lower Roaring Brook Because Of Muddied Water From Dam Project

-- Scranton Times: Mayfield Logistics Park To Still Receive Nearly $15 Million In Federal Funds For Mine Reclamation, Funding Source Changing

-- Call For Abstracts/Posters: Villanova Urban Stormwater Partnership 2024 Stormwater Symposium Oct. 16 & 17  [PaEN] 

-- Reminder: PA Lake Management Society Annual Conference Feb. 28-29 In State College  

-- Penn State Extension March 19 Webinar: Five Steps For A Healthier Farm Pond, Noon

-- PA American Water Now Accepting Applications For Water & Environment Grants  [PaEN]

-- PUC Invites Comments On Enhanced Public Notification and Application Review Procedures For Acquisitions Of Municipal Or Authority-Owned Water & Wastewater Systems  [PaEN]

-- DEP: Interim Report On A Full Year Of Sampling Finds No Evidence Of Contamination In Western PA Related To Norfolk Southern Train Derailment  [PaEN] 

-- WPXI: No Evidence Of Contamination Found In PA From Norfolk Southern Train Derailment, DEP Says

-- PennLive: A Year After Norfolk Southern Train Derailment, Pair Monitor Waterways: ‘There’s Still Something Going On’

-- The Daily Item: Consultant Takes Legal Action Against Encina Chemical Recycling Company For $550,000+ In Unpaid Invoices For Proposed Northumberland County Project 

-- Beaver County Times: Tire Collection Event April 13 Hosted By Beaver Conservation District

-- DCNR State Parks February Environmental Education Newsletter Gets To The Heart Of Winter Educational Experiences  [PaEN] 

-- Asbury Woods Environmental Center: Maple Festival March 2-3 In Erie 

-- Post-Gazette - Mary Ann Thomas: PA State Park Visits Rise, Presque Isle Beaches, Trails Are No. 1 Draw

-- DCNR To Hold Feb. 29 Public Information Meeting To Unveil Initial Ecological Restoration And Site Improvement Plans For Susquehanna Riverlands State Park In York County  [PaEN] 

-- MCall: The Extreme Outdoor Adventure Challenge That Helps Legendary Allentown-based Guitar-Maker C.F. Martin Grow As A Company 

-- Altoona Mirror: Recreational Trail Supporters, Users Urge Blair County Commissioners To Create Trail Authority 

-- Discover NE PA: Take On The Winter Challenge With PA Environmental Council

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Ad Crable: PA’s Last Large Private Mountain Preserved For Public Use [Miller Mountain, Wyoming County]

-- WNEP: Trail Race Coming To Miller Mountain In Wyoming County

-- WeConservePA: Trust For Public Land Program Transforming Schoolyards In PA

-- Agriculture Invests $5.8 Million To Protect 1,519 Acres On 22 Farms From Future Development  [PaEN]

-- Save PA Forests Webinar Feb. 28: Get To Know Elk State Forest, Noon

-- WeConservePA Now Accepting Applications For Grants For Resource Management Planning For Forest Land In Conservation Easements In Chesapeake Bay Watershed [PaEN]

-- Natural Areas Association: Feb. 27 Webinar Creating An Assessment Method For PA Old-Growth Forests.  Noon.

-- Republican Herald: Schuylkill Environmental Education And Outreach Coordinator Starting New Program

-- DCNR Awards $444,000 In Wild Resource Conservation Program Grants To Support 12 Projects; Hellbender License Plates Available  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Extension: March 7 Webinar: Countdown To Plant Sale: Native Plants, Garden Inspirations & New Directions

-- WESA/WVIA: Flying Squirrels - The Search For An Endangered Species 

-- Warren Times: Audubon Community Nature Center - In Defense Of Nature’s Rodents

-- WHYY: ‘Bird Town’ Media Borough Hoping To Embrace Its New Designation

-- WHYY, Academy Of Natural Sciences Host Discussion On Endangered Sturgeon

Visit the PA Environment Digest website to learn more.

Going The RIGHT WAY:

-- 105 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 87 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 138 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA 

-- 76 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA 

-- 101 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 92 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 92 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 35 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 4,258 Stories In 2023 - Environmental & Conservation Leadership, Significant Events In PA  [PaEN]

-- 3,190 New Stories In 2022 - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership [PaEN] 

[Posted: February 18, 2024]   PA Environment Digest