PA Environment Digest Blog

Friday, May 1, 2015

PA Environmental Council Cites Concerns, Opposes Senate Bill 724

Ahead of a scheduled May 6 hearing by Senate Republican Policy Committee on Senate Bill 724 (Vogel-R-Beaver), the PA Environmental Council sent this letter to all members of the Committee citing concerns with the bill and urging opposition to the legislation. The text of the letter follows--

“In advance of the Senate Republican Policy Committee’s planned hearing on Senate Bill 724 (P.N. 730), the Pennsylvania Environmental Council would like to share our concerns with this legislation. While, on its face, SB 724 appears to further Pennsylvania’s ability to meet its commitment to cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, in reality this legislation may only benefit impractical pollution management practices.

“The Total Maximum Daily Load credit purchase process outlined in the bill will only attract large, capital-intensive treatment systems. Farmers who desperately need assistance to install best management practices to control nutrient and sediment runoff will not have the resources to participate in the proposed RFP process.

“In addition, the bill does not require those participating in the RFP process to have their management practices approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Chesapeake Bay Program, nor does it require the “credits” generated by the process to meet EPA or Department of Environmental Protection regulations.

“As a result, Pennsylvania could be forced to overpay for “credits” that are not approved and do not count toward our Chesapeake Bay commitments; taxpayers would be left holding “credits” that cannot be traded to any facility or developer because they do not meet regulatory standards. The bill also offers no funding for the Department to undertake the RFP process or to buy the “credits” created under the bill.

“Pennsylvania is facing a 2017 deadline to install on-the-ground practices to meet specific milestone commitments to clean-up the Susquehanna basin. If we do not meet those milestones, the EPA has the authority to step in and impose measures that may prove undesirable to many communities and citizens. We already have the tools on the books to promote least-cost, effective conservation practices. We need to fully support them, and to do so now.

“Senate Bill 724 would promote unproductive practices at significant potential cost, and should be opposed as currently written. We would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Senate GOP Policy Committee Holds May 6 Hearing On SB 724

Chesapeake Bay Foundation-PA: SB 724 Could Derail Clean Water Efforts In PA

May 28 Regional Keystone Energy Education Program Workshop In Philadelphia

The Department of Environmental Protection invites middle school teachers, administrators and building managers to a May 28 training workshop in Philadelphia on the Keystone Energy Education Program (KEEP) to teach and track energy efficiency in school buildings and homes.

The workshop is offered free of charge and will be from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, 500 West Willow Grove Ave., Philadelphia. Pre-registration is required by May 21.

KEEP is primarily for teachers of grades 4 through 8, administrators, and building maintenance managers. Workshop participants will explore energy conservation, efficiency, energy basics, student energy teams, and benchmarking the school building using the free Energy Star Portfolio Manager program through presentations, tours, and hands-on activities.

Participants will have the opportunity to integrate high-level, standards-based energy education into their formal curriculum. This could include lesson plans, curricular modules, energy benchmarking through EPA’s Energy Star Portfolio Manager, or hands-on student-led energy efficiency assessments leading to improvements that reduce energy consumption.

The workshops are based on Pennsylvania’s Academic Standards and Assessment Anchors for Environment and Ecology, Science and Technology and Engineering Education. Participating teachers will receive background information, standards-based curricular materials and energy conservation kits that contain a Kill-a-Watt meter, light meter, multimeters, power conserving plug-in wall switches, and thermometers (each kit valued at $75).

Participating teachers will be eligible for 6.5 Act 48 credit hours. Participants should bring their lunch.

Space is limited, so registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The next workshop is scheduled for June 17 at the Ferguson Township Elementary School in Pine Grove Mills, Centre County.

For more information and to register, visit DEP’s KEEP Program webpage.

Environmental Issues Forum Features PA Trout Unlimited May 11

The May 11 Environmental Issues Forum hosted by the Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee will feature a presentation by Brian Wagner and Katy Dunlap from PA Trout Unlimited.

The presentation will update members on PA TU’s activities in the state and on its eastern waters project.

The Forum will be held in Room 8E-A of the Capitol East Wing at Noon.

Sen. Scott Hutchinson (R-Venango) serves as Chair of the Committee.

DCNR To Add 17,000 Acres To Elk State Forest In McKean County

Acting Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn Friday announced the department is adding more than 17,000 acres of wooded land and waterways to the adjacent Elk State Forest with the acquisition of about a 27-square mile property in Norwich and Sergeant townships near the town of Clermont in southern McKean County.

The state invested $7.2 million to purchase the land, which came a fund from mitigation payments for rights-of-way and other transactions that is intended for the acquisition of new state forest lands.

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy facilitated the purchase with additional funds from the Richard King Mellon Foundation.

“This property will be open to the public for hunting, fishing, hiking and other recreational activities, expanding the tremendous recreational opportunities that attract visitors to the Pennsylvania Wilds every year who support the local economy through tourism,” Dunn said. “It will forever protect a number of high quality tributaries to the East Branch Clarion River and habitat for several species of concern, such as the timber rattlesnake.”

This is the largest land addition to the state forest system in 65 years.

The property was purchased from Forest Investment Associates. The company will retain the timber rights for 35 years and continue harvesting timber – supporting local forest management companies and sawmills – under an agreement that requires sustainable forest management practices.

The timber rights will revert to DCNR in the future, which will continue to ensure it is well-managed for the health of the forest and to support jobs that pay in the forest products industry.

“This property is magnificent, and is the largest acquisition in the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy’s history. We are excited to add it to the state forest system,” said WPC President and CEO Tom Saunders. “It has extensive forest and rich conservation values, and builds on the Conservancy’s legacy of protecting the region’s most important places. We also are so pleased that this brings the Conservancy’s land protection work to a quarter million acres.”

DCNR will now evaluate the property for additional opportunities for public access, trails and other forest recreation amenities.

The Commonwealth compensates local governments on an annual basis as payment-in-lieu of taxes for public lands. This is meant to replace taxes that would have been generated if these land holdings were in private ownership.

Conservation of these lands also will ensure that municipalities will not have to bear costs associated with development.

Pennsylvania has 2.2 million acres of state forest land managed for multiple purposes including protecting habitat for wildlife and native plants, and providing an array of public recreational opportunities such as hiking, hunting and wildlife watching.

The well-managed state forests also provide a steady, continuous supply of quality timber to the market, supporting thousands of jobs in Pennsylvania’s wood products industries.

Elk State Forest derives its name from the great numbers of elk that once thrived in the area. Located mainly in Elk and Cameron counties, it now comprises more than 200,000 acres of northern hardwood forest.

Today, visitors can once again see elk in the meadows and openings scattered throughout the state forest. The forest features the Elk Country Visitor Center and a portion of the Elk Scenic Drive.

The first purchase of land for the Elk State Forest was a 3,487-acre tract in Middle Jerry Run bought from D.R. Fullerton on May 31, 1900. Originally called Forest Reservations, these lands were purchased to re-establish a forest that had been nearly eliminated by cutting and burning.

The Pennsylvania Wilds is a 12-½ county conservation landscape helping to revitalize rural communities through sustainable tourism development and inspire a stewardship ethic in residents and visitors.

Senate GOP Policy Committee Holds May 6 Hearing On SB 724 Which Could Derail PA Clean Water Efforts

The Senate Republican Policy Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on May 6 on Senate Bill 724 (Vogel-R-Beaver) the Chesapeake Bay Foundation-PA says threatens to derail current clean water restoration efforts and divert critical funding from proven science-based practices, while favoring proprietary, corporate-backed and costly manure technologies.

The list of witnesses scheduled to appear include: Ed Schafer, Chairman, Coalition for an Affordable Bay Solution and Executive Vice Chairman of Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc., the company behind Senate Bill 724; Ron Kreider, President, Kreider Farms where the Bion manure treatment facility is located; Phil Durgin, Executive Director Joint Legislative Budget and Finance Committee; Mike McCloskey, Member, National Milk Distributors Association; and Elliott Keller, General Manager for JBS Souderton, Inc.

The hearing will be held in Hearing Room 1 of the North Office Building starting at 9:30.

Sen. David Argall (R-Schuylkill) serves as Chair of the Committee.

DEP Awards $2.05 Million In West Nile Virus Grants To 25 Counties

The Department of Environmental Protection Friday awarded $2.05 million in West Nile Virus Control grants to 25 counties.

West Nile Virus is most commonly transmitted to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes. DEP annually partners with counties to cover the costs associated with surveying and controlling mosquitoes that can carry WNV.

DEP and county programs use a combination of education, surveillance, source reduction, and environmentally responsible insecticides to reduce the risk of WNV.

“DEP is committed to preventing the spread of West Nile Virus,” said DEP Secretary John Quigley. “We are proud to partner with local governments each year in order to protect the public from this health risk.”

The grants, funded by the General Fund, were developed in consultation with county officials and are largely based on the historic risk of WNV.

Most people infected with WNV will never exhibit any symptoms, but one in five may develop a fever with symptoms such as fatigue and body aches. While there is currently no vaccine for WNV, most people completely recover from the fever. Less than 1% percent of people infected with WNV will develop a serious neurological illness, such as encephalitis.

DEP encourages Pennsylvanians to remove standing water from their property and use insect repellents outdoors to prepare for mosquito season and prevent infection.

In the summer of 2014, DEP detected 1,240 mosquito samples, 17 avian specimens, one horse, and 17 humans infected with WNV, including a Philadelphia man in his 80s who succumbed to the neurological form of the virus.

Birds can be carriers of WNV, and DEP tests dead birds for WNV to determine the virus’ presence in the environment.

To report a dead bird, file a mosquito complaint, or for more information about WNV, visit the West Nile Virus website or call 717-346-8243.

Dominion Awards $135,000 In Grants Supporting Environmental Initiatives In PA

Dominion Resources is making grants totaling $1.2 million available to fifty-two organizations in eight states as part of its competitive program designed to support specific, short-term projects that improve the environment.

In Pennsylvania, Dominion awarded grants to: PA Environmental Council- $100,000 for the Western PA Environmental Awards Program and $35,000 to the Western PA Conservancy for its Watershed Mini Grants Program.

The grants are made available through the Dominion Foundation, the company’s philanthropic arm. The program has been expanded since it was piloted in Virginia in 2013.

"Expanding the program to include additional communities this year was an exciting prospect," said Hunter A. Applewhite, president of the Dominion Foundation. "The response from the nonprofit community during the last two years of the pilot in Virginia was remarkable, and the result is that an even wider variety of programs promoting environmental stewardship received much-needed funding."

These organizations will receive financial support for programs that protect and preserve natural habitats, monitor and enhance water quality, prevent pollution and improve open spaces, make nature accessible, and educate the public about environmental stewardship.

Since 2003, the Dominion Foundation has given more than $20 million in support of environmental initiatives.

The list of all grants awarded is available online.

For more information, visit the Dominion Foundation’s Environmental Grants webpage.

DCNR Signs Gas Leases Covering 282 Acres Of Submerged Lands For Nearly $1 Million

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources published notice in the May 2 PA Bulletin on the execution of six oil and gas leases for 282 acres of publicly-owned streambeds returning $972,000 to the agency.