Environment & Energy Educational Opportunities For Students & Adults

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

Awards/Recognition

-- PA Parks & Forests Foundation Announces 2024 Award Winners; Honorees Celebration Set For May 14  [PaEN] 

-- WeConservePA Honors Steven J. Schiffman, Esq. With 2024 Lifetime Conservation Leadership Award  [PaEN]

-- WVIA: Bernie McGurl, Lackawanna River Conservation Assn. - A Life Dedicated To The River's Flow  [PaEN] 

-- PA Council Of Trout Unlimited Blog: Nearly 190 People Attended Keystone Coldwater Conference In February - By Sigrid Sharif  [PaEN]

-- Daily American: Somerset County Chapter 603 Pheasants Forever Invested Nearly $900,000 Into Local Water, Wildlife Conservation Work Over 25 Years 

-- National Energy Technology Laboratory: Marshall Middle School Wins Western PA Science Bowl, Moves On To Nationals In April 

-- Scranton Times: Tunkhannock Area Schools Going All Out For Solar Energy Generation; Will Have Largest Solar Facility Of Any Public School [Wyoming County]

-- The Nature Conservancy-PA: Women In Conservation; I’m A Land Steward; Protecting Fresh Water 

-- Foundation For Sustainable Forests New Impact Report Highlight Accomplishments In 2023

-- Keep PA Beautiful Shares 2023 Annual Report Of Accomplishments; Updates On Young Ambassadors; Land & Water Stewards Program; More! 

Grants

-- EPA Opens Regional $1.5 Million Grant Competition For Pollution Source Reduction Projects  [PaEN]

-- DCNR Grants Newsletter: WalkWorks; Regional Grant Advisors; Together Outdoors Micro-Grants; Grant Tips

Help Wanted

-- TribLive: Loyalhanna Watershed Assn. Offers Youth Conservation Internships In Westmoreland

-- Delaware River Basin Commission Executive Director Steve Tambini Announces Retirement  [PaEN]

-- Help Wanted: Susquehanna River Basin Commission Assistant Legal Counsel, Grants Coordinator, Hydrologist, Summer Interns  [PaEN] 

-- Help Wanted: Pittsburgh-Based Landforce Director Of Wood Reuse  [PaEN] 

Upcoming Events

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission March 14 Meeting On Rulemakings, Water Withdrawal Requests, Including 8 Related To Shale Gas Development; And On Cooperative Fish Nursery General Permit  [PaEN]

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission: Reminder Of March 14 Quarterly Business Meeting

-- Southwestern PA Commission: March 14 Webinar - Saw Mill Run Green Boulevard Master Plan - Watersheds Of South Pittsburgh, 10:00 a.m. to Noon

-- PA Utility Law Project March 15 Webinar On Impacts Of LNG Gas Exports On Energy Costs For Pennsylvania Families; LNG Export Capacity To Double, Even With Permit Pause  [PaEN] 

-- Clairon Conservation District Will Hold Iron Oxide Art Workshops March 22, April 13, June 7 

-- PA Resources Council Hosts Backyard Composting Workshop March 23 In Delaware County [PaEN] 

-- Audubon Society Of Western PA, Partners Host March 28 Streambank Stabilization Workshop In-Person, Online [PaEN]

-- Tribune-Democrat: Johnstown Native Captures Beauty Of Nature In Photo Exhibition 

-- DCNR Blog: There Goes The Sun - April 8 Solar Eclipse At 2:00 p.m.

-- PA Environmental Professionals Host April 24 Webinar On Protecting PA’s Aquatic Ecosystems from Thermal Discharges In An Era of Climate Change  [PaEN]

-- Delaware Highlands Conservancy Holds 30th Anniversary Foods Of The Delaware Highlands Event May 4  [PaEN] 

-- Save The Date: Wildlife For Everyone Foundation May 17 Spring Celebration

-- PA Firefly Festival: Ticket Lottery Applications Now Available For 2024 PA Firefly Events In June  [PaEN] 

Programs/Information

-- DEP Newsletter Highlights Community Projects; Hazardous Sites Cleanup; Upcoming Events  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Chesapeake Bay Update: Conservation District 2023 Accomplishments; Grants Coming Up; County Accomplishments; Much More  [PaEN]  

-- Susquehanna Greenway Partnership:  Susquehanna River Water Trails Launches Logos & Branding With 2024 Programming  [PaEN] 

-- Chesapeake Bay Foundation: PA Photographers Invited to Enter Save The Bay Photo Contest   [PaEN]

-- The Allegheny Front: What’s The Future Of Restoring American Chestnut Trees After Program Hits Snag?

-- TribLive: Greensburg Salem To Move Forward On Part Of Outdoor Classroom Project

-- Tribune-Democrat: ‘In’ To Nature: Event Introduces Families To Outdoor Offerings Inside Indoor Setting

Public Participation

-- DEP Oil & Gas Advisory Board Meets March 19 On Drinking Water Supply Impacts From Drilling; New Financial Assurance Strategies To Prevent Abandonment; Draft Spill Policy; Injection Well Primacy; Much More  [PaEN]  

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - March 9 [PaEN] 

-- DEP Posted 69 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In March 9 PA Bulletin  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Invites Comments On Draft NPDES General Permit For Discharges Of Stormwater Associated With Construction Activities (PAG-2)  [PaEN]

-- EPA Region III Issues Formal Notice With Instructions On Appealing Penneco Oil & Gas Wastewater Injection Well In Allegheny County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Publishes Appeal Notice For 2023 Consent Order With Stronghold Digital Mining On Removal Of Coal Ash, Imposing $28,800 Penalty At Waste Coal Power Plant In Venango County  [PaEN]

-- Pike County Hosts March 13 Public Meeting On Open Space, Greenways, Recreation Plan, 6:30 p.m.

-- Game Commission To Host Regional Open Houses Starting March 19 

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Ad Crable: Public Comments Invited On Controversial Susquehanna River Hydroelectric Project In PA

-- LancasterOnline: Public Weighs In On $2.5 Billion Susquehanna River Hydroelectric Project

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Hearing Begin On Proposed Peoples Natural Gas Rate Increase Of Up To 21.4%

Background On Issues

-- DEP Imposed $422,365 In Penalties On 14 Conventional Oil & Gas Well Operators In 2023 For Abandoning Wells, Spills, Venting Gas; 93 Operators Cited For Abandoning 271 Wells  [PaEN]  

-- DEP Declares 101 Medina Res Dev Co. LLC Conventional Oil & Gas Wells Abandoned, Not Plugged In Crawford, Erie Counties On March 5  [PaEN] 

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Plugging PA’s Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Wells Is A Game Of Whac-A-Mole - By Rep. Greg Vitali, Majority Chair House Environmental Committee

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - March 2 to 8 - 119 Conventional Well Abandonment Violations; Pipeline Land Slips; Ignored Orders  [PaEN]

-- The Allegheny Front/PublicSource: Pittsburgh-Based EQT Gas Drilling Expansion In WV Sent 4 Families Reeling, While State Regulators Trusted The Company To Answer Their Complaints 

-- WTAE: Concerns Over Flaring, Fracking In Cecil Twp., Washington County 

-- The Energy Age Blog: What Flaring At A Shale Gas Well Pad Looks Like From Your Bedroom Window, Same As It Did 15 Years Ago  [Welcome To Washington County] 

-- New Reporting On The Uncontrolled Impacts Of Shale Gas Industry: The ‘Poisons Are Still Going Through My System;’ Roar, Fire From Gas Flares; Nothing Has Changed In 15 Years  [PaEN] 

-- WTAE: Concerns Mounting Over Gas Leaks In Cecil Twp. Columbia Gas System In Washington County 

-- Reading Eagle: Kutztown Post Office Evacuated After Gas Leak

-- Warren Times: Company Confirms Malfunction At United Refinery Releases ‘Silica Material’ Coating Homes, Vehicles  

-- Erie News Now: United Refining Release Of Silica Dust Causes Concern In Warren [Video]

-- The Rocket: Let’s Play Mineshaft - Forgotten Coal Mine Tunnels Under Slippery Rock University

-- DEP Reports Progress On Permitting Reform; Reduces Permit Backlog By 41%  [PaEN]

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: Shapiro’s Money-Back Guarantee For PA Permits, Licenses Is Working [DEP Used As Example]

-- DEP Took Action On 893 Permits, 97% Within Permit Decision Guarantee Deadlines; Conducted 1,634 Inspections; Responded To 8 Emergencies During Week Ending March 3 

-- US Senators Introduce Bill To Ban US LNG Gas Sales To Any Entity Under The Control Of Communist China To Protect US Jobs; Americans From Price Spikes; EQT Says We Have A ‘Duty’ To Provide LNG Gas To China; Where Do AMERICAN Interests Lie?  [PaEN] 

-- Marcellus Drilling News: ‘Selling Oil And Natural Gas To China?’ ‘It Simply Should Not Happen, Period’  [PaEN] 

-- Stars and Stripes Guest Essay: Pause On Permits For New LNG Gas Export Facilities Right Move For National Security - Rivals Like China Are Using US LNG To Build Influence - By Steve Anderson, US Army Brigadier General - Retired  [PaEN] 

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: A Rescue Plan For American Energy And The Environment- Unleash Gas Production, Expand LNG Exports - By Dave McCormick, Republican US Senate Candidate  [No Support For Limiting LNG Exports To China ]

-- WITF: PA’s Manufacturers Could Make A Dent In Carbon Emissions- If They’re Convinced It’s Good For Business

-- Community, Climate Advocates Petition To Intervene In PECO Rate Case Saying It Falls Short In Providing Renewable Energy And Addressing Environmental Justice Needs Of Residents  [PaEN] 

-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: ‘Fix The Mix’: Climate Activists Want PECO To Buy More Renewable Energy

-- Inquirer: PECO May Be Forced To Pick Between Fossil Fuels Or Renewable Energy Before Its Latest Plan Expires In 2025

-- WNEP: Amazon Spending $650 Million For Data Center At Talen Energy Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant In Luzerne County

-- ReImagine Appalachia: New Report Details Now Co-Ops In Appalachia Could Be Key To Harnessing Potential Of Investments In New Energy Economy  Webinar About Report

-- PennLive Guest Essay: PA Is Powered By Natural Gas, And It’s Better For Our Planet Than You Think - By American Conservation Coalition  [Young Conservatives Group]

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Seizing Western PA’s Unique Hydrogen Opportunity - By Western PA Business, Labor Representatives

-- Delaware RiverKeeper March 8 RiverWatch Video Report

-- DEP: All Counties Now Back To Normal Status, All Drought Watches, Warnings Lifted  [PaEN]  

-- TribLive: Westmoreland County Exits Drought Watch; Water Conservation continues For Beaver Run Reservoir Users 

-- Bay Journal - Karl Blankenship: Will Climate Change Add More Nutrient Pollution To Chesapeake Bay?  [Spoiler - Yes]

-- Centre Daily Times: Climate Watch: Winter Wildfires, Green Power Growth And Other Climate Topics Making News

-- PennLive - Charles Thompson: Winter 2023-24 Is One Of Central PA’s Warmest, Wettest

-- Erie Times: What Winter?  Erie Area Is ‘Abnormally Dry’ Due To Lack Of Snow, Rain

-- AP: February Was Hottest Ever Recorded, 9th Straight Broken Record

-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog: Our Streams In Winter - A Look Into The Challenges And Resilience Of Our Waterways Through The Season 

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Ad Crable: Long-Banished Use Of Controlled Burns Is Returning To Pennsylvania

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Investing In Pennsylvania’s Outdoor Economy - By Thomas Gilbert, PA Environmental Council

-- BNN: Revitalizing PA’s Economy Through Outdoor Recreation - Plans And Prospects

-- PA Center For Dairy Excellence: Creameries Encourage Pennsylvanians To Hit The 2024 PA Ice Cream Trail

-- WNEP: Singer Brady Sutliff Releases Ode To Shickshinny Music Video 

-- Altoona Mirror: Damaging Deer: Destruction Of Crops Costing Farmers Thousands Annually

-- TribLive: Woman Injured In Bear Attack In Butler County Neighborhood

-- Erie Times - Brian Whipkey: What You Need To Know To Fish For Trout This Spring In PA

-- Warren Times - Josh Cotton: Game Commission Land Purchases Prompt Warren County Planning Commission To Talk About Plan To Clamp Down On Public Land Expansion

-- Outdoor News - Mark Nale: Pennsylvania’s Wealth Of Public Land Questioned

-- Inquirer: Man Determined To Climb Trees In All 67 Counties In PA Conquered Philadelphia, Delaware County This Weekend

-- KDKA: US Steel Bald Eagles Welcome Second Egg Of The Year

-- Post-Gazette - John Hayes: After 50 Years Of Success, Federal Endangered Species Act Under Microscope Again

-- Post-Gazette - Mary Ann Thomas: How Piping Plovers Returned To Presque Isle In Erie

-- Post-Gazette - Mary Ann Thomas: After Near Extinction, Some Bats Are Coming Back Courtesy Of PA Biologists And Others

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: Frog’s Loud Call Lets World Know He’s Ready For Love [Vernal Pools]

-- Williamsport Sun - Bill Bower: Reflections In Nature - Just How Do Animals Sleep If They’re Prey?

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: March 10, 2024]  PA Environment Digest