Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Registration Is Now Open For The 2015 Great American Cleanup Of PA
Keep PA Beautiful Tuesday announced registration is now open for the 2015 Great American Cleanup of PA which runs from Marcy 1 to May 31.
This annual event is held in conjunction with Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup and in partnership with support from the Department of Environmental Protection, PennDOT, PA Waste Industries Association, the PA Food Merchants Association, Weis Markets, Inc., Wawa, Inc., Sheetz, ShopRite and The Fresh Grocer.
Additional 2015 event supporters include: Steel Recycling Institute, Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority, Giant Eagle Inc., Giant Food Stores, Inc., Republic Services and Wegmans Food Markets.
“We are so grateful to our volunteers and sponsors who help make the Great American Cleanup of PA possible.” said Shannon Reiter, President of Keep PA Beautiful. “We are hoping to get even more Pennsylvania’s to make the Great American Cleanup of PA an annual event.”
“DEP is proud to sponsor this annual cleanup event that does so much good for Pennsylvania’s environment,” DEP Acting Secretary John Quigley said. “By getting involved in a local cleanup, volunteers help us protect our roadsides and waterways from pollution, and improve our quality of life.”
During the cleanup, registered events can get free trash bags, gloves, and safety vests from PennDOT district offices, as supplies last. Events can be litter cleanups, illegal dump cleanups, beautification projects, special collections, and educational events and must be registered through the Great American Cleanup of PA website to receive free cleanup supplies.
As part of this event, the Department of Environmental Protection and PA Waste Industries Association are sponsoring Let’s Pick It Up PA – Everyday.
During the Pick It Up PA Days, registered event coordinators will be able to take the trash collected during their cleanup to participating landfills for free disposal. The Let’s Pick It Up PA – Everyday event will begin on April 11th and end on May 4th. The focus day will be April 25th.
All 67 counties in Pennsylvania were represented in the 2014 Great American Cleanup of PA. In total, there were 5,349 events with 136,507 volunteers.
Volunteers collected 6,359,872 pounds of trash. They cleaned 13,603 miles of roads, railroad tracks, trails, waterways, and shorelines, and 9,113 acres of park and/or wetlands.
Additionally, volunteers planted 31,406 trees, bulbs, and plants in an effort to keep Pennsylvania beautiful.
A copy of the 2014 Great American Cleanup of PA final report is available online.
Since the inception of this event in 2004, 1,565,967 volunteers removed 80,575,227 pounds of litter and planted 136,321 trees, bulbs, and flowers.
For more information or to register your events, visit the Great American Cleanup of PA website or contact Michelle Dunn, Great American Cleanup of PA Program Coordinator, at 1-877-772-3673 ext. 113 or send email to: mdunn@keeppabeautiful.org.
Keystone Clean Water Team Receives National Designation
The Keystone Clean Water Team, a Pennsylvania non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health, safety, and welfare of our community and the environment based in Carbon County, recently received national recognition from the Nebraska-based Groundwater Foundation, which designated the organization as a Groundwater Guardian Community.
This is the 15th consecutive year the group has received the award.
“Our ROA, results oriented activities, in 2014 included the development of a social media program, Citizen Groundwater Database, and Private Well Owner Informational Workshops in Pennsylvania,” said Brian Oram, president of the Keystone Clean Water Team’s board of directors. “There is no better place to get the facts and learn from other citizens about our water resources and about protecting the health, safety and welfare of our community.
Oram said that one of the greatest risks residents face stems from a general lack of awareness of the problems that, if left unchecked, can threaten the health and safety of their families.
“Information is our greatest asset and our new site will allow us to share it more efficiently and with more people than ever before,” Oram said. “We can help area residents keep their drinking water safe and learn more about conservation efforts that will protect this important natural resource for future generations.”
For more information, visit the Keystone Clean Water Team website.
DEP Hearing Feb. 17 On Operating Permit For Sunoco Pump Station In Lebanon County
The Department of Environmental Protection will hold a public hearing on February 17, to accept comments on an operating permit for a natural gas liquids pump station in West Cornwall Township, Lebanon County.
The 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. hearing will be at the Quentin Volunteer Fire Company Hall, 20 South Lebanon St., Lebanon.
“This hearing will provide an opportunity for the public to make comments about the operations and proposed permit conditions at this particular pump station,” DEP Southcentral Regional Director Lynn Langer said. “All written and oral comments received will be considered with the final review of the permit application.”
Sunoco has proposed to construct and operate a pump station along an existing pipeline that the company operates. A pump station monitors the flow, adjusts the pressure and pumps the liquid gas along the pipeline.
The potential emissions from the facility, including emissions from equipment leaks and operation of an enclosed flare, are estimated at 0.25 tons per year of Volatile Organic Compounds, 0.01 tons per year of Nitrogen Oxide and 0.2 tons per year of Carbon Monoxide.
The low level of emissions qualified the pump station for a Request for Determination (RFD) approval which allowed for the installation of equipment without a DEP air quality construction permit.
Nevertheless, at the time of the RFD approval, DEP determined that the facility should also obtain a State Only Operating Permit (SOOP) to cover the ongoing operation of the equipment.
The purpose of the SOOP is to ensure emission limits, work practice standards, and recordkeeping and reporting requirements are followed at the pump station in accordance with air quality regulations.
The RFD for the installation was approved on April 3, 2014. Sunoco submitted its SOOP application on May 22, 2014, and DEP released a draft permit for public comment on Sept. 20, 2014.
At the public hearing, attendees will have an opportunity to present oral testimony, up to five minutes per person. To ensure that all speakers have a fair and equal opportunity to present their testimony, relinquishing of time to other speakers will be prohibited, and groups are asked to designate one speaker. All presenters should bring two copies of their comments and exhibits for submission to DEP.
Those who wish to present testimony during the hearing are asked to register in advance by contacting Eileen Bitting in DEP’s Southcentral Regional Office at 717-705-4703. Individuals who register in advance will be given priority on the agenda. If time permits at the hearing, those who did not register in advance will be given the opportunity to testify.
Individuals who are in need of an accommodation for the hearing as provided for in the Americans with Disabilities Act should contact Bitting at the number provided above or make accommodations through the Pennsylvania AT&T Relay Service at 1-800-654-5984 (TDD).
Those who prefer to present their comments in writing or are unable to attend the hearing may submit written testimony by 4 p.m. on February 24 to Thomas J. Hanlon, DEP South-central Regional Office, Air Quality Program, 909 Elmerton Ave., Harrisburg, PA 17110.
DEP will provide a written response to all relevant testimony and comments provided during the public hearing and public comment period, and will consider relevant comments in its review of the application.
The permit application, DEP review memo and draft permit are available for review on DEP’s Southcentral Regional Office webpage.
Range Resources Withdraws 3 Well Pad Permits In Washington County
Range Resources Tuesday withdrew three conditional use permit applications for unconventional well pads in Mt. Pleasant Township, Washington County, the morning before another hearing was scheduled to consider the applications.
Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future has represented residents opposed to the pads, two of which would have been located within one mile of the Fort Cherry school campus in a residentially-zoned district.
JoAnne Wagner, an area resident and mother with children at the school, expressed relief at the company's decision.
"Gas drilling is a heavy industrial operation that does not belong everywhere in our township. It certainly doesn't belong near schools where our vulnerable children spend so much of their time," said Ms. Wagner. "As a mother and school board member, it keeps me awake at night thinking how we could possibly assure other parents that their children are safe, with drilling so nearby."
George Jugovic, Jr., PennFuture's chief counsel, emphasized that Mt. Pleasant Township faces the same challenge as many municipalities around Pennsylvania – how to strike a balance between shale gas development and protection of the environment and the public's health and safety.
"The Supreme Court has made clear that municipalities cannot allow non-conforming uses in residentially-zoned districts – and there can be no question that shale gas development is not a residential land use," Jugovic said.
"Mount Pleasant citizens got involved in the permitting process in order to exercise their constitutionally protected right to ensure their children will have clean air, land and water. Natural gas drilling, with the accompanying truck traffic and diesel generators, is an industrial activity that does not belong near their homes and schools," said John Norbeck, acting president and CEO of PennFuture.
Mt. Pleasant Township modified its land use ordinance to allow natural gas development across all zoned districts prior to enactment of the state natural gas law (Act 13). In the Robinson Township case, the Supreme Court struck down those portions of Act 13 that compelled local municipalities to allow natural gas development across all zoned districts. Mt. Pleasant Township is in the process of revising its land use ordinance.
Electronic Waste Recycling Events Upcoming In Southeast PA
The PA Resources Council has posted the schedule of electronic waste recycling events for Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia for the coming months. The events will be held--
-- Bucks County
PRC East has been organizing "boutique" electronic waste collection events since 2012. These small events, hosted by local municipalities, made it convenient for community members to recycle their televisions, printers, and other electronics in compliance with Pennsylvania's Covered Devices Act.
Other types electronics were collected at these events as well, removing thousands of pounds of unwanted material from landfills all across the region!
Currently, PRC East's collection effort is on hold due to regional changes in the market. We strongly encourage residents to recycle their hard-to-recycle items in this transitional time, and ask that you please utilize the following county-wide list of recycling offices.
These large events may include slightly longer lines, but the satisfaction of recycling this waste remains the same!
February ePRC Newsletter Now Available From PA Resources Council
The February issue of the ePRC newsletter is now available from the PA Resources Council featuring articles on--
-- Winning Entries In The 2014 Lens On Litter Photo Contest
-- Calendar of PECO Smart Energy Conservation Ideas Events
-- Calendar of Upcoming Electronic Waste Recycling Events
-- Click Here to sign up for your own copy (middle of the page).
Help Wanted: PA Resources Council Pittsburgh Recycling Outreach Interns
The PA Resources Council is seeking students to fill two Recycling Outreach positions in Pittsburgh from June 1 to August 23. Click Here for all the details.
Motion Denied: PA Environmental Defense Foundation Reconsideration On Transferring Oil And Gas Fund Monies
Commonwealth Court Tuesday denied an application by the PA Environmental Defense Foundation to reconsider its January 7 ruling upholding the state’s ability to shift funds out of DCNR’s Oil and Gas Fund to balance the state budget.
The reconsideration asked the court to reconsider because the judges did not address its fundamental claim: that the state failed to perform its constitutional duty to evaluate the likely environmental impact before leasing tens of thousands of acres of state forests for natural gas extraction and transferring the money out of the conservation fund controlled by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
The FY 2014-15 state budget still anticipates another $95 million in revenue will be pulled from the Oil and Gas Fund to balance the budget.
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