Wednesday NewsClips

Lack Of Snow, Rain Prompt PA Drought Concerns
Editorial: Keystone Fund Delivers Value
All Counties With Producing Marcellus Wells Adopt Fee
Drillers, Lawmakers Want To Join Impact Fee Lawsuit
Senate Bill Addresses Drilling Law Impact On Doctors
Gas Drilling Spurs Jobs In Wildlife, Software
Residents Question Safety, Oversight Of Compressor Station
Chesapeake Bay Gets D+ In New Report Card
Krancer Rejects Request To List Susquehanna River As Impaired
Earth Day Baker Trail Cleanup Hosted By Watershed Group
Waynesboro Earth Day Celebration By Renfrew Institute
Feds: Wilkes-Barre Levee Minimally Acceptable
PA Gasoline Prices Are Dropping
Delta Closer To Buying Refinery In Trainer
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Landscape Conservation Cooperatives Include Three Covering Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is included in three of the national Landscape Conservation Cooperatives focusing on advancing a landscape level approach to natural resources conservation including the challenges of climate change and a wide variety of stresses acting on our natural resources at a large-scale level.     

            LCC’s covering Pennsylvania include the North Atlantic LCC which addresses part of SE Pennsylvania, the Appalachian LCC covering the vast majority of Pennsylvania, and the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes LCC which includes part of the Lake Erie watershed. 

            A recent national workshop on LCC’s brought together nearly 400 conservation professionals and highlighted the diverse work of this national network of 22 LCC’s such as analysis of species vulnerability, GIS tools for landscape modeling, conservation decision support tools, development of critical databases on conservation lands, and regional conservation approaches such as in the northeast that will provide critical support for Pennsylvania conservation planning.

            The national network of LCC’s was initiated by the Department of the Interior and includes a broad partnership of state natural resource agencies, a diverse array of federal agencies, non-governmental conservation organizations, and tribes.  All 50 state fish and wildlife agencies are involved in the LCC’s.  

            Each LCC is led by a steering committee that includes leaders from all major partner conservation organizations operating in the area of the LCC.  The LCC network covers all U.S. lands and works in areas as diverse at the Arctic tundra, the Caribbean coral reefs, deserts of the southwest and the distant islands of the south Pacific. 

             Important partnership with Canadian and Mexican conservation agencies help to address trans-border natural resource challenges.  

            A comprehensive fact sheet on LCC’s is available online and the national LCC coordinator, Dr. Doug Austen, formerly Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, can be contacted by sending email to: doug_austen@fws.gov.

Tuesday NewsClips

Susquehanna River, Tributaries Hit Drought Levels
Check U.S.G.S. Drought Monitoring Webpage
New Law Empowers Marcellus Gas Drillers
Controversy Abounds Over New Drilling Law
Editorial: Control Wastewater By All Sources
Forum On Vehicles Using Electric, Natural Gas Set For May 31
State Geologists Say Earthquake, Fracking Link Unproven
Park Foundation Spends Millions On Anti-Drilling Efforts
Drilling's Economic Impact
Consol Energy: Natural Gas Production Up 13 Percent
EPA Director Tours Lycoming Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Efforts
Students Turn Mine Waste Into Tie Dye
Celebrate Earth Day At PA's Wild And Scenic Film Festival
Helping Flood Restoration In Shickshinny
Methodist Team Help Rehab Flood-Ravaged Houses
Op-Ed: On Earth Day, Explore PA's Natural Resources
Eastern PA Forest Fire Under Control After A Week
Unlocking Seven Tubs Nature Area
Retired Doctor Says Black Spots On Fish Could Be Cancer
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Susquehanna U. To Host Canon International Envirothon In July, Sponsorships Available

2012 marks the 25th anniversary of Envirothon, the international competition in which teams of high school students from the U.S. and Canada test their knowledge of the environment.  And what better way to celebrate than to have the anniversary celebration in Pennsylvania where Envirothon started!

            The 2012 Canon Envirothon will be held at Susquehanna University in Sellinsgrove, Pa from July 22-27.
            In last year's competition, 54 teams represented almost every state and several Canadian provinces and were hosted by Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada.

            In Pennsylvania, high school teams compete at the county-level to represent the Commonwealth at the national Envirothon.  In 2011, Penncrest High School from Delaware County took the honors.

            Pennsylvania has won the national Envirothon 11 times in the last 23  national competitions-- 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2009.

            Sponsorship Opportunities

            Canon Envirothon and Pennsylvania Envirothon are seeking partners and sponsors for this historic event.  Opportunities include exhibit and display areas during the preliminary presentations.

            For details on this unique opportunity, contact Seleen Shives, District Manager, Fulton County Conservation District by calling 717-485-3547 ext. 121 or send email to: seleen_feed@pa.net.  Download a Partner/Sport form.  The deadline for sponsorships is April 30.

Monday NewsClips

Drilling Law Goes Into Effect Bringing Impact Fee, Regulations
More Water Protection From Marcellus Shale Suggested
Shale Industry Welcomes Military Skills
Stopping Illegal dumps Presents Daunting Challenge
Clarks Summit To Celebrate Earth Day Saturday
Doc Fritchey TU Chapter Launches Tree Planting
Phillies Go Green This Weekend
Water Test Reports Need A Translator
Just Don't Call It A Smart Meter
Call For Volunteers To Assist During Emergencies
Will 15 Percent Ethanol Gas Rev Up Engine Damage
Increases In Fishing License Sales Could Signal Trend
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Sunday NewsClips

Drilling Law Means New Money, More Regulations
Op-Ed: Go Beyond Drilling Law, Acknowledge Local Needs
Drilling For Jobs
Editorial: Drilling And Public Health
Residents Frustrated By High Flood Insurance Costs
Philly Comes Out To Cleanup
Gas Pump Prices Vary State-To-State
Warren Refinery Thrives While Importing Threatens Others
Volunteers Battle To Preserve Local Historic Sites
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Saturday NewsClips

DEP Releases Compressor Explosion Report
500 Gallons Of Drilling Mud Pollutes Greene County Stream
DEP Secretary Raps Wilkes University Report On Drilling
Obama Issues Executive Order Coordinating Fracking Oversight
Great NE PA Cleanup Begins
Lycoming County Stream Project To Help Chesapeake Bay
Deadlines Near For Federal Economic Injury Disaster Loans
Pittsburgh Water Authority OKs Study Of Flood-Prone Areas
Aqua PA Embraces Solar Power In A Big Way
Gasoline Prices Fall In Erie Region
Fire Warning Issued As Trout, Camping Seasons Open
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April 16 PA Environment Digest Now Available

April 16 PA Environment Digest now available.  Click Here to print this entire Digest.

Bradford County Adopts Drilling Fee, 97 Percent Of Marcellus Wells Now Covered By Fee

So far, 37 counties with a total of 4,853 natural gas wells (97.4 percent) have formally filed their intent with the Public Utility Commission to adopt a drilling impact fee under the Act 13 Marcellus Shale Law, including Bradford County which covers 1,008 Marcellus wells.

            This means 97.4 percent of the $211.1 million the Act is suppose to raise in revenue in 2012, or about $205.6 million, will be available so far.

            The counties include: Allegheny (9 wells), New- Armstrong (112 wells), Beaver (1 well), Bedford (1 well), New- Berks (0 wells), New- Blair (6 wells), New- Bradford (1,008 wells), Butler (109 wells), New- Cambria (6 wells), New- Cameron (14 wells), Carbon (0 wells), Clearfield (136 wells), Clinton (85 wells), Columbia (3 wells), Elk (58 wells), New- Erie (0 wells), New- Fayette (185 wells), Forest (6 wells), Greene (415 wells), New- Huntingdon (2 wells),  New- Indiana (43 wells), Juniata (0 wells), Lawrence (2 wells), Lycoming (473 wells), McKean (53 wells), Monroe (0 wells), Perry (0 wells), Montour (0 wells), New- Potter (76 wells), Sullivan (41 wells), Susquehanna (462 wells), Tioga- (693 wells), New- Venango (1 well), Washington (560 wells), New- Wayne (4 wells) and Westmoreland (191 wells), Wyoming (98 wells) counties.

            4,344 of the 4,982 producing Marcellus Shale wells in Pennsylvania are in just 11 counties: Bradford-1,008, Tioga-693, Washington-560, Lycoming- 473, Susquehanna-462, Greene-415, Westmoreland-191, Fayette-185, Clearfield-136, Armstrong-112 and Butler-109.  All have adopted the fee ordinance.

            For 2012, counties have until April 16 to adopt a drilling fee ordinance.            For more information, visit the PUC's Act 13 Drilling Fee and Drilling Fee Public Documents webpages.

Friday NewsClips

Natural Gas Impact Fee Passed In Bradford County
House Speaker Defends New Drilling Law
House Leader Condemns Hysteria Over Drilling Law
EPA Fines Gas Driller $160K Over Leaky PA Well
Gas Drilling Forum Finds Little Support In Bucks Audience
Cabot Plans CNG Station For Its Vehicles In Dimock
DEP Begins Black Fly Spraying In Southwestern PA
Lawsuit Over Stormwater Issues In Pittsburgh Threatens Project
Editorial: Approve State Historic Tax Credits
DEA Prescription Drug Take-Back Day April 28
Wind Energy Fans Say Tax Credit Vital
Exelon Seeks Power Uprate At Peach Bottom
Donation To Give Anglers Access To Yellow Breeches
Click Here for PA Capitol Digest NewsClips