Monday, February 29, 2016

IFO: PA Natural Gas Production Increased 13.4 Percent In 2015

The Independent Fiscal Office Monday released a new report showing natural gas production from Marcellus and Utica Shale wells increased production by 13.4 percent in 2015 and by 53.4 percent compared to 2013.
More than half the natural gas production was from wells opened in 2013 and 2014.  Only 20.2 percent of the wells drilling in 2015 started producing gas in 2015.  In comparison, of the wells drilled in 2013 and 2014, 89.7 percent and 67.6 percent began to produce gas.
The top 10 producing counties are (in order): Susquehanna, Bradford, Washington, Greene, Lycoming, Wyoming, Tioga, Butler, Sullivan and Westmoreland.
A copy of the report is available online.
Related Article:
IFO: DCNR Oil & Gas Lease Fund Revenues To Drop Nearly 40 Percent

March 10 Stormwater Management Workshop In Philadelphia

Saint Joseph’s University and The Lower Merion Conservancy will hold a Stormwater Management Workshop on March 10 with sessions of interest to citizens and local government officials.
The workshop will be held at the Campion Student Center on the Saint Joseph’s University campus in Philadelphia.
For more information and to register, visit the Stormwater Workshop webpage.

House Bill Would Require 50% Reduction In PA Greenhouse Gas Emissions By 2030

Rep. Steve Santarsiero (D-Bucks) Monday announced a plan that would set Pennsylvania on course for a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Rep. Santarsiero said that his legislation-- House Bill 2030 (not yet online)-- would put Pennsylvania in the lead of states addressing the goals of the United Nations COP21 agreement in Paris.
House Bill 2030 would require the Department of Environmental Protection to establish a plan for reducing the state’s greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors, and it would implement strong enforcement mechanisms including incentives for participation.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan, which would require Pennsylvania to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 32 percent by 2030 from power plants alone, could serve as the foundation for the state plan.
"Climate change continues to be a major threat to humanity, and much of the world is taking serious notice," Rep. Santarsiero said.
The 195 nations responsible for 97.5 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas pledged to prevent global temperatures from rising 2 degrees Celsius and, if possible, 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial era levels in Paris last year. The move is necessary to avoid catastrophic damage, according to research from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
"House Bill 2030 will put Pennsylvania on a course to lead the nation on reversing the damage being done to our environment while also establishing more incentives to invest in renewable energy jobs," Rep. Santarsiero said, adding that Pennsylvania until very recently was the at the top of the list of carbon producers. "We can’t allow partisan politics to break our resolve – now is the time to act.
"Our health, our economy and our future are threatened by climate change and our next generations will judge our resolve and our leadership today."
Rep. Santarsiero’s proposal seeks for the 50-percent reduction to be calculated compared with 2005 levels (consistent with EPA’s Climate Change Plan) and amend Act 70 of 2008, the Pennsylvania Climate Change Act.
Similar plans have been enacted in California and New York, which require a 40 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared with 1990 levels and Vermont, which requires 50 percent reductions by 2028 compared with 1990 levels.
Rep. Santarsiero’s plan would amend existing law to require a plan that would establish benchmarks for greenhouse gas reductions. The legislation calls for a collaborative effort between DEP and other agencies to embrace actions recommended by the Climate Change Advisory Committee.
The bill also would "grant those agencies teeth" to reduce emissions not only from power plants, but from agriculture, municipalities, businesses and residences, he said. The plan would leverage incentives to reduce emissions.
"Many believe in a false choice between protecting our planet and growing our economy," Rep. Santarsiero said. "We can leave our children cleaner air and water and offer good-paying jobs in a growing new energy sector while saving taxpayers money. If we work together, we can turn the battle against climate change into a win-win for our Pennsylvania."
A report last year, prepared for Pennsylvania DEP at the direction of the General Assembly, found that Pennsylvania has warmed 1.8°F in the past 110 years, and the warming will increase at an accelerated rate.
By 2050, Pennsylvania will be 5.4°F warmer than it was in the year 2000. By 2050, Philadelphia’s climate will be similar to current-day Richmond, Va., with Pittsburgh’s climate similar to current-day Washington, D.C., or Baltimore.
[Note: Rep. Santarsiero is running for Congress in Bucks County.]
For more background on climate issues in Pennsylvania, visit DEP’s Climate Change and DEP’s Climate Change Advisory Committee webpages.
Related Story:
DEP Climate Change Action Plan Update Comments Due March 30

Philadelphia Company Receives EPA Grant To Develop New Environmental Technology

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Monday announced eight contracts to small businesses to develop innovative technologies to protect the environment, funded through EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research Program.
The one grant awarded in Pennsylvania was to Environmental Fuel Research, LLC  in Philadelphia for developing a system to produce biofuel from grease trap waste.  Click Here for the project overview.
“The green technologies that these SBIR companies are developing will help us address some of today’s most pressing environmental and public health issues” said Dr. Thomas A. Burke, EPA’s Science Advisor and Deputy Assistant Administrator of EPA’s Office of Research and Development.
The phase II contracts announced today provide the companies $300,000 to further develop and commercialize their products and ideas. Phase II awards are only available to companies that previously submitted research proposals for their innovative technologies and were awarded phase I contracts up to $100,000.
For more information on this program, visit EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research Program webpage.

Susquehanna Greenway: Susquehanna River Sojourns Coming Up In 2016

The Susquehanna Greenway Partnership and its partners Monday released its schedule of river sojourns for 2016--
-- May 13-15: Sayer to Sugar Run;
-- June 12-17: Laceyville to Shickshinny; and
-- June 17-19: Shickshinny to Sunbury.
Click Here for more information on these activities.  For more information on programs, initiatives and coming events, visit the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership website.

Get Outdoors Poconos Hosts March 25 Promised Land State Park In Pike County

Promised Land State Park in Pike County is one of 25 “must-see” state parks in Pennsylvania, but there are plenty of ways to get off the beaten path in this popular place.
At 10 a.m. March 26, the “Get Outdoors Poconos” hiking series will lead the way.
A 2.5-mile loop starts at the Snow Shanty Boat Mooring Area, off Pickerel Point near the park office. Hikers here will see a mix of several kinds of oak, maple, healthy hemlocks and spruces, and hundreds of beech sprouts.
The often-rocky trail winds through many different terrains, uphill and down, passing from mixed hardwood forests to high-bush blueberries crowding around. Grouse, rabbits, fox, and other small creatures abound here, rustling in the underbrush.
A short, steep climb leads to an exposed rock ridge and an otherworldly scene — a rockscape of head-high boulders, dropped and tumbled and left behind with the ebbing of the last glacier.
Return to your starting point through a tunnel of black-green hemlocks running steeply downhill, toward swampy, ephemeral wetlands showing beaver activity.
You’ll return to civilization feeling grateful that this wilderness of almost 3,000 acres belongs to us all, open to everyone.
This is a moderate, family-friendly hike of about 2.5 miles at Promised Land State Park.
Hikers should meet at the parking area of Snow Shanty Boat Mooring Area, off Pickerel Point Road, directly across Route 390 from the Promised Land State Park office. Restrooms and maps are available at the office.
The hike is free, but registration is required.  Call 570-839-1120 or 570-629-2727 or send email to: info@brodheadwatershed.org (subject line “Promised Land hike”).
The Get Outdoors Poconos hike series is administered by Brodhead Watershed Association and supported by a grant from the William Penn Foundation.
For more information on other hiking opportunities, visit the Get Outdoors Poconos webpage.

House Budget: DCNR To Finalize $40 Fee For Natural Diversity Inventory Permit Reviews

DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn told the House Appropriations Committee her agency will finalize a $40 “convenience fee” for providing receipts for PA Natural Diversity Inventory online permit reviews in the coming year.
[Note: DCNR published notice in the March 5 PA Bulletin the $40 PNDI fee policy was finalized.]
Otherwise most of the questions asked by House Committee members were duplicates of the questions asked Secretary Dunn in the Senate.
Those duplicate issues included: zeroing out the PA Heritage Areas Program; using Oil and Gas Lease Fund revenue to support DCNR day-to-day operating costs; the status of submerged lands leasing to oil and gas companies under rivers and streams owned by the Commonwealth; the decline in natural gas royalties paid into the Oil and Gas Lease Fund; questions related to acquiring 25,000 additional areas of state forest land as noted in the Executive Budget book; general questions on the Green Ribbon Task Force On Forest Products; the status of DCNR’s Trail Cap Study; the status of DCNR’s State Forest Management Plan; the proposed state waste tipping fee increase by $1.75/ton to be deposited in the Oil and Gas Lease Fund to make up for lower natural gas royalties; use of ATV funds for trails and ATV safety (actually the near exact same words to the questions were used); and the PA Conservation Corps proposals.
Here is a quick summary of questions and answers for issues not raised in the Senate--
-- Increasing Sequestering Carbon In State Forests: Rep. John Maher (R-Allegheny), Majority Chair of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, asked for clarification of the goal to sequester more carbon by growing more trees.  Secretary Dunn said the goal is to sequester an additional 750,000 tons (annual accumulation) of carbon in state forests.  In 2015, she said, DCNR sequestered an additional 150,000 tons.
-- Study of South Newark Natural Gas Shales: In response to a question by Rep. Jeff Pyle (R-Armstrong), Secretary Dunn said the agency is on track to complete its report on the South Newark natural gas shales in Bucks and Montgomery counties in 2018 as required by an amendment to the 2012 Fiscal Code bill.
-- Status Of Fee Increases: Rep. Jeff Pyle (R-Armstrong) asked if the agency plans any fee increases in the coming year.  Secretary Dunn said DCNR will be proposing a $40 “convenience” fee for its PA Natural Diversity Inventory online permit review receipts and some increases in some State Park usage fees.
-- Position On Pipelines: Rep. Marguerite Quinn (R-Bucks) asked if DCNR has taken any position on proposed pipelines going through the state.  She noted one pipeline is proposed to go through the Delaware Canal State Park in her district.  Secretary Dunn said they do provide comments on specific pipeline proposals to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that involve DCNR-owned lands.  In addition, she noted DCNR was part of the Governor’s Pipeline Infrastructure Pipeline Task Force and made recommendations to the group based on experience DCNR had in overseeing natural gas leases on State Forest land.
-- Increasing Diversity In DCNR Employees: Several members asked about increasing diversity in DCNR’s workforce and a proposal to recruit staff from out-of-state.  Secretary Dunn said only 4 percent of DCNR’s workforce is nonwhite and they recognize they have an issue.  She said the agency has stepped up recruiting of minority candidates to fill positions.  One of the goals of out-of-state recruiting is not only to attract employees from other forestry schools with different education programs, but also to increase diversity.  Civil service rules, she noted, require workforce candidates to be Pennsylvania residents.
A copy of Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn budget testimony is available online.
This concludes Senate and House budget hearings on the proposed FY 2016-17 DEP and DCNR budgets.
A video of this House Budget hearing will be posted on the House Republican website. The Senate budget hearings are available on the Senate Republican website.
Related Stories:
DEP Tells House Committees Chesapeake Bay Program Faces Inadequate Resources, Data

Nature Conservancy PA Receives DCNR Grant For Kittatinny Ridge Land Conservation

The PA Chapter of The Nature Conservancy has been awarded funding from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to assist with efforts to preserve forest lands along the Kittatinny Ridge.
The awards, announced by Gov. Tom Wolf and DCNR Secretary, Cindy Dunn, are part of a statewide initiative to create new recreational opportunities, conserve natural resources and help revitalize local communities.
The Kittatinny Ridge, also known as the Blue Mountain, is a globally recognized migratory corridor for birds of prey, songbirds, butterflies, and many species of mammals. And it provides many people with a visual reference, as it is the prominent mountain ridge extending 185-miles through Pennsylvania from the Delaware Water Gap to the Susquehanna River Gap and south before stretching into Maryland.
“The Nature Conservancy would like to thank DCNR and Governor Wolf for this vital funding to help the Conservancy preserve these properties along the Kittatinny Ridge,” said Bud Cook, The Conservancy’s Northeast PA Director. “These are high-priority locations that might otherwise be developed and lost forever.”
The funding will be used toward the conservation of two very different, high-priority properties along the Kittatinny Ridge in Pennsylvania.
The first is a 193-acre ridge-and-valley parcel located along Cherry Valley Road in Smithfield and Stroud Townships in Monroe County, and the second, is a 352-acre ridgetop property overlooking the Susquehanna River in Rye and Penn Townships and Marysville Borough in Perry County.
The Conservancy plans to preserve the properties for open space, habitat protection, and for passive recreation such as walking, bird watching and wildlife viewing.
“These lands provide respite for migratory species, provide clean drinking water for millions of people, and help to clean our air,” said Mari-Beth DeLucia, Pennsylvania Land Conservation Manager for the Conservancy. “Unfortunately, they are also at serious risk of development.”
The Conservancy is partnering with six Pennsylvania land trusts to increase the amount of protected land on the Kittatinny Ridge by working with landowners who are interested in conservation.
“There are many options for landowners to consider,” said DeLucia. “Conserving one’s land is the most important thing a landowner can do to protect their property for future generations, for wildlife, and to help protect the Ridge.”
The Conservancy would also like to thank Audubon Pennsylvania, Central Pennsylvania Conservancy, Friends of Cherry Valley, Marysville Borough, Penn Township, Rep. Mark K. Keller (R-Perry), Senator Rob Teplitz (D-Dauphin), Stroud Township, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for their support.  
For more information on programs, initiatives and other special events, visit the PA Chapter of The Nature Conservancy website.  Click Here to sign up for updates from TNC, Like them on Facebook, Follow them on Twitter and Join them on Instagram.

DEP Tells House Committees Chesapeake Bay Program Faces Inadequate Resources, Data

DEP Secretary John Quigley told the House Environmental Resources and Energy and Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committees Monday, Pennsylvania’s Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Program is all about improving local water quality, but has been faced with inadequate resources and data on conservation practices to do its job.
Secretary Quigley also said the real-world water sampling results in the watershed show the reductions of nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment have been more than the Chesapeake Bay Model accounts for.  
His remarks were made during an information meeting held by the two committees on the Wolf Administration’s Chesapeake Bay Reboot Strategy.
On the issue of accurate information on conservation practices on the ground, Denise Coleman, Pennsylvania State Conservationist from USDA NRCS, told the Committees a recent NRCS survey in 5 counties, prompted by DEP, found twice as many conservation practices were actually on the ground than were recorded as cost-share projects.  NRCS hopes to release the survey results in April.
Secretary Quigley and Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding provided a joint written statement to the Committees on the Bay Program Reboot.
Also providing comments were Christopher Thompson, Executive Director of the Lancaster County Conservation District and representing the PA Association of County Conservation District and Dean Richard Roush of the Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
In opening comments Rep. John Maher (R-Allegheny), Majority Chair of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, said Pennsylvania started reducing nutrients going to the Bay 30 years ago and getting to where we want to go is what the meeting is about.
Secretary Redding noted agriculture has significant responsibility for reductions in nutrients and sediments going to the Bay.
Secretary Redding said for agriculture the goals of the Reboot Strategy are to improve water quality, but also to have viable farms.  He noted the Chesapeake Bay model is incomplete and does not capture many of the everyday good conservation practices farmers put on the ground to reduce pollution.
He said the farm community has already accomplished significant reductions, but clearly farmers need to do more.
DEP Secretary John Quigley told the Committees this is a conversation about improving local water quality and then the Chesapeake Bay.  Pennsylvania’s Clean Streams Law required the restoration and maintenance of water quality in the Commonwealth long before the Chesapeake Bay requirements were set.
Secretary Quigley noted DCNR Secretary Cindy Dunn was not at the meeting, but her agency will be responsible under the Reboot Strategy for increasing the installation of forested stream buffers, which, he said, is one of the cheapest ways available to reduce pollution.
Secretary Quigley said the Chesapeake Bay Program has been facing inadequate resources and inadequate data for a long time.  He explained there is inadequate information, in particular, about non-cost-share farm best management practices now on the ground that DEP hopes to rectify through a Penn State University-led survey of farmers in the watershed to identify their conservation practices.
Secretary Quigley said the real-world water sampling results show the reductions of nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment have been more than the Bay model accounts for.  
For example, actual water quality data released by  U.S.G.S. in October 2015 show a 25 percent reduction in nitrogen, 25 percent reduction in sediment and a 29 percent reduction in phosphorous.
The Chesapeake Bay Model shows a 6 percent reduction in nitrogen, 15 percent sediment reduction and a 25 percent reduction in phosphorus.
In a follow-up question from Rep. Maher, Secretary Quigley said the Bay Model will be recalibrated this year and DEP will be “arm wrestling” with EPA to make sure the Model reflects more reality.
Secretary Quigley added another important part of the Reboot Strategy is encouraging a “culture of compliance” in the farm community to meet farm conservation plan regulations that have been in place for years.
Rep. Martin Causer (R-Cameron), Majority Chair of the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, said he was glad the agencies were taking steps to give farmers the credit they deserve for installing conservation districts.  He asked if the county conservation districts were at the table in developing the new Strategy.
Secretary Quigley said there are 41 conservation districts in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and they were at the table to a “limited extent.”
He said the Reboot Strategy calls for paying districts for 50 farm inspections per technician per year rather than for 100 educational visits per year.  The program will be voluntary on the behalf of districts.  There will be two primary questions asked during the inspection visits: Does the farm have an erosion and sediment control plan and a manure management plan?  Both of which, he noted, have been required for years.
If districts don’t take on this responsibility, then DEP will have to find other ways to accomplish these inspections. Quigley said.  He also said any enforcement actions resulting from the inspections would be taken by DEP, not the conservation districts.
The reason DEP is looking to conservation districts is because DEP has fallen short of an EPA requirement to inspect 10 percent of the 33,600 farms in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed annually.  In 2014 he said DEP inspected only 1.8 percent of farms.
Secretary Quigley said a group of districts will be meeting in the near future to go over the details of the new Strategy.
Rep. Causer expressed concerns about shifting the role of conservation districts from helping farmers to being involved in enforcement actions.
In response to a question from Rep. Mike Carroll (D-Monore), Minority Chair of the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, Secretary Redding said there is no going forward to getting this job done on the Bay Strategy without conservation districts; they are that important.  He said they hope further discussions will iron out any difficulties raised so far.
Rep. Mike Tobash (R- Dauphin) asked about whether a competitive bidding process and new technologies could be used to achieve some of the pollution reductions required in the Chesapeake Bay Program.
Secretary Quigley said DEP has proposed changes to its Nutrient Credit Trading Program to make the program more viable by expanding it to stormwater management and possibly to interstate trading.
Secretary Quigley said there is a role for technology to reduce nutrients, but to be viable, many facilities would have to sell nutrient credits for $9 per pound, not the $1 per pound now being traded in PennVEST.  
He said forest buffers are much more cost effective “by a mile.”  He said the kinds of manure technologies used so far need significant subsidies by the public.
Rep. Maher said President Obama’s proposed budget cuts funding for the Chesapeake Bay Program and the Clean Water Revolving Fund to finance wastewater plant upgrades and asked what DEP is doing on those issues.
Secretary Quigley said he is worried first about the state’s own budget issues, but would share any communication he has with federal officials on the subject.
Rep. Dan Moul (R-Adams) asked if there is any scientific proof the nutrient and sediment reductions have made any difference in the Chesapeake Bay water quality.  Secretary Quigley said yes, there is data showing water quality improvement in the Bay.  
He noted again he is focused on improving water quality in Pennsylvania and water quality sampling results show 69 percent of sites have documented improved water quality going to the Bay.
Secretary Quigley said we are on the right track, but we have to keep going.  
During his comments, Dean Richard Roush of the Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences noted nutrient and sediment reduction is not only a problem in Pennsylvania, but globally and Penn State has many resources to deal with this issue.
Roush said Penn State is conducting a farm conservation survey of 20,000 farmers in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed as part of the reboot of the Chesapeake Bay Program.  Letters went out by mail and the survey is online.  In addition, Roush said 10 percent of the respondents will be visited to verify the survey results to help make its data more acceptable to environmental agencies.
He noted no individual information about farmers will be forwarded to DEP or any other agency.  It will be aggregated by county.
Roush said there is no doubt there should be an increase in farm conservation practices and said there is a meeting in Hershey March 1-3 on Strategies To Meet Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Commitments.
Roush also said the current state budget situation needs to be resolved highlighting the announcement the President of Penn State made Friday that he may have to lay off 1,100 employees from Penn State Extension, who help advise farmers and others on environmental issues, because of the unresolved budget.
Rep. Mark Keller (R-Perry) asked about surveying other possible sources of pollution, including developers and homeowners on lawn fertilizer, as well as surveying farmers.      
Roush said about one-third of nutrient runoff pollution comes from municipal stormwater runoff.  He said any further surveys would be a matter of resources.
Rep. Maher asked whether the Chesapeake Bay milestones are attainable with existing best management practices and without radical changes to Pennsylvania agriculture.  Roush said he is optimistic Pennsylvania agriculture “can make this all work” and put conservation practices on the ground.  He noted there have been some examples of livestock operations starting in counties outside of concentrated areas like Lancaster.
Christopher Thompson, District Manager, Lancaster County Conservation District and representing the PA Association of Conservation Districts, said whether you are in the Bay area or not clean water is important to everyone.
Thompson expressed a concern about the lack of contact between DEP and conservation districts on developing the Reboot Strategy, but there has been recent overtures on meetings with DEP.
In response to question from Rep. Maher, Thompson said the Strategy will change the role of conservation districts which are now a buffer between DEP and farmers.  Districts are like “conservation evangelists,” he said.
He said the Reboot Strategy will make conservation districts the “dirt police,” but Thompson quickly added, farmers will still want districts on the ground rather than DEP or other agencies.  Noting there are 66 districts, he said, and other districts will feel comfortable working within the new guidelines.
Thompson said DEP will be meeting with conservation districts on the details of the new program in the next few weeks.  One change already being made is the implementation date for the district portion of the Reboot Strategy is to be July 1 rather than January 1.
Thompson noted DEP’s budget has been cut significantly over the last few years.  He explained the more DEP’s budget is cut, the more those responsibilities fall on groups like conservation districts.
Denise Coleman, Pennsylvania State Conservationist from USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services, said her agency has provided over $200 million to support Chesapeake Bay-related conservation practices in Pennsylvania through the federal Farm Bill.
She said among the projects funded were 759 agricultural waste storage facilities and related manure management plans, 533 stream crossings and redoing 1million square feet of heavy animal use areas, installing conservation buffers, developing farm nutrient management plans and other practices.
Since 2009, NRCS has provided conservation districts and nonprofit organizations with $9 million to provide technical assistance to put conservation practices on the ground that equals about 50 employees, Coleman said.
On the issue of accurate information on conservation practices on the ground, Coleman said a recent NRCS survey in 5 counties, prompted by DEP, found twice as many conservation practices were actually on the ground than were recorded as cost-share projects.  NRCS hopes to release the survey results in April.
Coleman said her agency supports giving at least partial credit for farm conservation practices even if they do not meet NRCS standards.
Written Comments
Copies of written comments and presentations made to the Committee are available online--
-- Fact Sheet On Chesapeake Bay Reboot By DEP, Agriculture, DCNR;
-- Comments Of Christopher Thompson, Lancaster County Conservation District;
-- Letter To DEP, Agriculture on Reboot from Lancaster County Conservation District;
-- Comments of Denise Coleman, PA State Conservationist, USDA NRCS;
Rep. John Maher (R-Allegheny) serves as Majority Chair of the House Environmental Committee and can be contacted by sending email to: jmaher@pahousegop.com.  Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted by sending email to: gvitali@pahouse.net.
Rep. Martin Causer (R-Cameron) serves as Majority Chair of the House Agriculture Committee and can be contacted by sending email to: mcauser@pahousegop.com.  Rep. Mike Carroll (D-Luzerne) serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted by sending email to: mcarroll@pahouse.net.
For more information on the DEP, Agriculture Bay Strategy, visit the Chesapeake Bay Program webpage.
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CBF-PA: Wolf’s Budget Proposal Lacks Adequate Funding For Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Plan