Environment & Energy Educational Opportunities For Students & Adults

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

Awards/Recognition

-- Penn State Extension Center For Agricultural Assistance Training Recognizes Sen. Martin,  Sen. Yaw For Ag Conservation Leadership  [PaEN] 

-- Keep PA Beautiful: Sen. Comitta, Rep. Williams Honor Shakira Davis Of Coatesville, Chester County With Community Pride Award [PaEN] 

-- Litter Love: 50 Volunteers Collected 170 Bags Of Litter In Coatesville, Chester County [PaEN]

-- NorthPennNow.com: Towamencin Named 16th PA Bird Town In Montgomery County By Audubon Society

Grants

-- PA Capital-Star: PA, Other States ‘Ordered’ By US Education Dept. To Certify School Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Ban Compliance By All K-12 Schools In State Or Lose Funds

Upcoming Events

-- PA Resources Council Blog: Join Celebration Of Earth Month By Attending April Events 

-- PEMA, Delaware River Basin Commission Hosting 3 Middle Delaware Flood Hazard Mitigation Webinars Starting April 9  [PaEN]

-- Williamsport Sun: Susquehanna University Freshwater Institute Director To Speak April 9

-- Sustainable Pittsburgh: April 10 Webinar On Tracking Federal Policy Shifts & Funding Opportunities For Sustainability Initiatives  [PaEN] 

-- WHYY: Want To Help Make Philly Greener? Big Spring Tree Planting Is Coming Up April 11-14

-- Volunteers Needed!  PA Forestry Assn. Sproul State Forest Tree Planting Ramble April 12 In Centre County  [PaEN] 

-- TribLive: Raptor Presentation, Free Picnic Lunch Part Of Earth Day Event At Bradford Woods Reserve April 26 In Allegheny County 

-- Pike Conservation District: April 26 Hikes In Pike Spring Hike On Fossil Trail At Pocono Environmental Education Center

-- PA Environmental Professionals Host April 29 Webinar On Flood Alert System For Grafius Run In Lycoming County, Noon 

-- The Nature Conservancy PA: Celebrate Earth Month With A Trash-Tastice Cleanup!  Meet Nature Renaissance Man George Gress; Celebrate Migratory Bird Day May 10 With TNC

-- Reading Eagle: Registration Open For 2025 Schuylkill River Sojourn

-- Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Highlights April Events, Beginning Of Spring Migration Hawkwatch April 1

-- Planet Philadelphia Radio Show: April 4 - Will We Be Stuck With Dirty Fossil Fuel Forever? 4:00 p.m.

Public Participation

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - April 5 [PaEN] 

-- DEP Posted 83 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In April 5 PA Bulletin  [PaEN] 

-- DEP To Use General Permit To Implement New Federal Oil & Gas Facility Methane Reduction Regulation  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Citizens Advisory Council Meets April 8 On Climate Action Plan, Solar Panel Recycling, Chesapeake Bay Updates  [PaEN]

-- DEP Climate Change Committee Meets April 22 On Microgrids, Abandoned Oil & Gas Well Plugging, Update On Federal Clean Energy, Climate Funding Programs  [PaEN]

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission April 24 Hearing On Water Withdrawal Requests, Including Renewal Of 2 Shale Gas Water Projects  [PaEN] 

-- EPA To Hold May 6 Virtual Hearing [If Requested] On Proposed Permit For A Sandstone Development Oil & Gas Wastewater Injection Well In Lafayette Twp., McKean County  [PaEN]

-- Bradford Era: Another Oil & Gas Wastewater Injection Well Proposed In McKean County; Hearing Will Only Be Held By Public Request  [PDF of Article]

-- Environmental Quality Board Invites Comments On Spill Notification Regulation Changes; May 15 Virtual Hearing  [PaEN] 

-- Guest Essay: The Real Waste In Pennsylvania Government - Criticizing The Right Of Citizens To Petition Their Government For Change - By Terrie Baumgardner, Resident Of Aliquippa, Clean Air Council Outreach Coordinator [PaEN]

Programs/Information

-- WPSU: Nearly 2,000 Top Scientists, Including Some From Penn State, Decry President’s ‘Assault’ On Science 

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: How Pennsylvania Is Imagining What Our Energy Future Could Look Like 

-- MCall: Bethlehem Area School District Keeps Clean Energy Rolling With Electric Buses

-- Williamsport Sun - Bill Bower: Reflections In Nature: Forest Fire Wardens Become Busy In Spring

-- TribLive: Trout Opener Boosts Economy, Outdoor Fun

-- PublicNewsService.org: Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership To Plant 90,000 Trees This Spring Toward Its Goal 

-- DCNR Prepares For Busy Summer Season At State Parks, State Forests As Federal Cuts Close Federal Recreation Areas

-- PA Capital-Star: With Federal Cuts At Federal Recreation Areas, Plans For ‘Record-Breaking Summer’ For State Parks, Forests

-- DCNR Resource Highlights New Forests For All Plan; Explore PA State Parks, Forests Recreation Options; Expanding PA Outdoor Corps; Tips-Trout Season Opens April 5  [PaEN] 

-- PA Dept. Of Agriculture Expands Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine Area To Bradford, Sullivan, Venango, Wyoming Counties  [PaEN]

-- Stroud Water Research Center Highlights: Salt Rising In NYC Source Water; Farmland May Be  Source Of PFAS Chemicals In Fish; World Water Day Attracts 160+ Visitors

-- Pike Conservation District: The Connection Between Groundwater And Geology

-- Keep PA Beautiful Updates Popular Litter Education Series: Open Your Eyes To Litter In A Watershed  [PaEN] 

-- Wilkes-Barre Guest Essay: Earth Action Day - Unleashing Our Power For Our Planet - By Susan Bass, EarthDay.org 

-- Erie Times: Tom Ridge Environmental Center Foundation Names Barbara Chaffee CEO 

Background On Issues

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - March 29 to April 4 - Failed To Restore 3MG Water Impoundment; Failed To Get Pipeline Permits; Nearly 7 Years Without Conventional Well Spill Cleanup  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Shale Gas Driller Failed To Restore 3 Million Gallon Water Impoundment, Well Site For Nearly 8 Years In Clinton County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Nearly 7 Year Struggle Continues To Cleanup Multiple Conventional Oil Well Spills At Site In Economy Borough, Beaver County [PaEN] 

-- Environmental Health Project Releases New White Paper: PA's Shale Gas - What We Can Do Now To Better Protect Public Health  [PaEN] 

-- Environmental Health Project: Lois Bower-Bjornson Shares Her First-Hand Experiences With Shale Gas Health, Environmental Impacts In Washington County  [PaEN] 

-- Inside Climate News - Jon Hurdle: PA Health Advocates Say Gov. Shapiro Has Let Residents Down On Shale Gas Fracking Protections

-- PA Capital-Star Guest Essay: Still Room For Frontline Community Protections From Shale Gas Impacts In Gov. Shapiro’s ‘Lightning’ Energy Plan - By Alison Steele, Environmental Health Project 

-- 7 Years Ago, People From Over 70 Households Gave First-Hand Accounts Of How The PA Shale Gas Industry Impacted Their Health, Lives And Communities To A State Grand Jury Describing The ‘Sometimes Harsh Reality’ Of These Operations  [PaEN]

-- Environmental Hearing Board Denies EQT Shale Gas Motion To Exclude Evidence Of Medical Conditions, Toxicology Reports Related To A Landowner Appeal Of A DEP Water Supply Contamination Determination  [PaEN]

-- DEP: Shale Gas Driller Failed To Restore 3 Million Gallon Water Impoundment, Well Site For Nearly 8 Years In Clinton County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Nearly 7 Year Struggle Continues To Cleanup Multiple Conventional Oil Well Spills At Site In Economy Borough, Beaver County [PaEN] 

-- DEP To Use General Permit To Implement New Federal Oil & Gas Facility Methane Reduction Regulation  [PaEN]  

-- House Environmental Committee Meets April 7 On Bill To Establish DEP Environmental Justice Permit Review Program To Analyze, Consider Cumulative Impacts Of Pollution From Some New Facilities  [PaEN] 

-- TribLive: Decision On 2nd Oil & Gas Wastewater Injection Well In Plum Boro, Allegheny County To Come In June, Zoning Board Says 

-- The Center Square: Critics: Climate Change Lawsuit Against Oil & Gas Companies On Tenuous Legal Grounds  [Bucks County Example]

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Karl Blankenship: Report Says Pennsylvania Poised To Be Geothermal Energy Leader

-- The Center Square: Report: Pennsylvania Energy Affordability Lagging With Current Electric Generation Profile  [New Generation Just Serving Data Centers Doesn’t Help]

-- The Allegheny Front: Amendment To PA Solar Bill Puts Industry On Edge 

-- TribLive: Solar Projects Go Commercial, Growth Up, Power Costs Down 

-- Scranton Times: Scranton Zoners Approve City’s First Solar Energy Facility

-- TribLive: East Huntingdon Twp. Solar Farm  Ordinance Faces Court Challenge From Erie-Based Company In Westmoreland

-- Scranton Times: EHB Rules DEP Erred When Approving Keystone Landfill Expansion Without Addressing Leachate, Odor Issues

-- WNEP: Environmental Hearing Board: DEP Erred Approving Keystone Landfill Expansion In Lackawanna County

-- Scranton Times: Dummore Councilwoman Raises Concerns About Keystone Landfill To Shapiro, Criticizes DEP

-- DEP Issues Temporary Extension To Keystone Landfill Permit After Environmental Hearing Board Decision Saying DEP Erred In Reviewing The Landfill’s Permit

-- Scranton Times: Keystone Landfill Tour Spurs Both Confidence, Concern

-- EPA To Finalize Water Quality Standards To Protect Critical Fish Species, Clean Up The Water In The Delaware River   [PaEN]

-- WHYY: EPA Announces Commitment To Finalize Delaware River Water Quality Standard To Protect Fish [Consistent With President’s Executive Orders]

-- Inside Climate News: Faith Leaders Push Back After EPA Head Disparages Climate Action As ‘Religion’  [Includes PA] 

-- York Daily Record: J&K Salvage Hit With Intent To Sue Notice Over Alleged Pollution To Codorus Creek From Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper

-- WESA: Pittsburgh Youth Respond To US Supreme Court Denying Youth Climate Lawsuit Appeal 

-- Tribune-Democrat: Johnstown Tree With Bald Eagle Nest Topples In Storm, Birds Survived, Warden Says

-- WESA: Great Horned Owls Make Their Home At Schenley Park In Pittsburgh

-- Patch: Doylestown Environmental Advisory Council Urging Property Owners To Turn ‘Lights Out’ For Migratory Birds In Bucks County 

Federal Funding Cuts, Freeze

-- PASA Sustainable Agriculture Begins Staff Furloughs; Federal Funding To Support Farmers Still Frozen [PaEN] 

-- PA Capital-Star: Hundreds Of Laid-Off Federal Workers Seeking State Jobs, PA House Committee Hears

-- AP: Federal Court Ruling To Reinstate Provisional Federal Workers From 18 Agencies Does Not Apply In Pennsylvania 

-- Wilkes-Barre Times Letter: Federal Employees Write Open Letter To Republican Cong. Bresnahan

-- Sustainable Pittsburgh: April 10 Webinar On Tracking Federal Policy Shifts & Funding Opportunities For Sustainability Initiatives  [PaEN] 

-- WPost: FEMA Canceling Plans To Award States Grants To Prepare Against Future Disasters; Disaster Recovery Aid Could Also Be In Jeopardy 

-- WTAE: Hundreds Of CDC Workers Laid Off In Pittsburgh Region: ‘The Work That Was Done Here Is To Keep Everybody Safe’

-- AP: Voices From Coal Country Say Closures Of Federal Mine Safety & Health Administration Offices Will Endanger Mine Safety

-- Appalachian Voices Blog: President Cutting Vital Health And Safety Services for Miners 

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Federal Mine Safety Research, Respirator Certification Staff At NIOSH Being Cut ‘To Make America Healthier’

-- WESA: Federal HHS Layoffs Hit NIOSH Mine Safety Research Facility Near Pittsburgh

-- TribLive: Mass Firing Of Federal Health Workers Includes Pittsburgh Region [Mine Safety Research]

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Federal National Institute Of Occupational Safety & Health’s Pittsburgh Mining Research Division Lays Off 200 Employees; Studies Worker Safety, Health Issues In Mining Industry

-- Federal Agency Fires Staff, Guts $378 Million In Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Funding; PA Says It Has Funding To Finish Current Season; Next Year In Doubt  [PaEN]

-- Utility Dive: President Guts $378 Million In Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Funding To States Already Approved By Congress 

-- AP: Federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program Staff Fired

-- Erie Times: International Recycling Group Cancels Plans For Plastics Recycling Plant In Erie Citing President’s Tariffs, Pause In US DOE Funding Commitment  [PaEN]  

-- DCNR Reports Campsite Reservations Up 30% As People Try To Find Alternatives To Federal Recreation Facilities Closed By Staff Cuts; Gift Certificates Available  [PaEN]

-- DCNR Prepares For Busy Summer Season At State Parks, State Forests As Federal Cuts Close Federal Recreation Areas

-- PA Capital-Star: With Federal Cuts At Federal Recreation Areas, Plans For ‘Record-Breaking Summer’ For State Parks, Forests

-- WITF/StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: State Parks Attracting More Campground Reservations As Federal Recreation Sites Close Due To Staff Cuts 

-- Inquirer: After DOGE Cuts Shutter Federal Campgrounds In PA, State Parks See Surge In Reservations

-- KYW: EPA Grant Cuts Leave Philadelphia Community Projects At Bartram’s Garden, Elsewhere In Limbo

Visit the  DEP Calendar of Events;  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: April 6, 2025]  PA Environment Digest