Environment & Energy Educational Opportunities For Students & Adults

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

Awards/Recognition

-- Shapiro Administration Commends 3 PA Schools For Environmental Efforts As Green Ribbon Schools

-- Warren Times - Josh Cotton: Students Participate In Annual Warren Conservation District Envirothon Competition  

-- Lock Haven Express: Centre County Celebrates Envirothon Winners, Conservation District Week

-- Republican Herald: Team From Blue Mountain School District Takes Top Prize In 49th Schuylkill Conservation District Envirothon

-- LancasterOnline: Elizabethtown H.S. Envirothon Team Get Hands-On Science Lessons In Canoes

-- National Energy Technology Laboratory: Winners In Western PA, West Virginia Science Bowl Competed In National Science Bowl 

-- PA Solar Center Honors 5 Western PA Organizations Who Have Gone Solar  [PaEN]

-- Williamsport Sun: Eagle On The Mend Through Ashkar Students’ Efforts

-- Reading Eagle: Nolde Environmental Education Center Announces Winners Of Student Art Contest

-- The American Chestnut Foundation Now Accepting Entries In 2024 Photo Contest, Sept. 1 Deadline

-- Hatch: The Life Of Conservationist Bill Kodrich - Environmental Stewardship And A Good Piece Of Pie [Iron Furnace TU Chapter In Clarion]

-- Pennsylvania Celebrates Conservation District Week April 28 to May 4  [PaEN]

-- A Portion Of Clear Creek Forest McKeever Tract In Mercer County With 150 Year Old Trees Added To  Old-Growth Forest Network [PaEN] 

-- PA Resources Council Encourages Participation In 40th Anniversary Of Litter Photo Contest - The Earth Is Not Your Garbage Can  [PaEN]

Grants

-- Wildlife For Everyone Foundation Announces 5 Recipients Of 2024 Student Scholarships  [PaEN] 

-- WESA: Starting Today, PA Schools Can Apply For Up To $10 Million For Environmental Repairs

-- DCNR To Begin Accepting Applications For Wild Resource Conservation Grants May 6  [PaEN]

-- PA American Water Charitable Foundation Awards $267,000 In Water And Environment Grants To 15 Nonprofit Groups  [PaEN] 

-- Coalition For Delaware River Watershed Receives American Water Foundation Grant To Educate Utility Customers On Where Their Water Comes From  [PaEN] 

-- Clean Energy Funding Guide Now Available For Renters, Homeowners, Landlords, Nonprofits, Local Governments, Workforce Development  [PaEN]

-- PJM Interconnection, Penn State ISO-NE Awarded $815,959 US DOE Grant To Improve Wholesale Electricity Market Design

Help Wanted

-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: York Pilot Program Prepares Students For Green Energy Jobs 

-- Hollow Oak Land Trust Hosts May 22 Land Steward Kick-Off Meeting On Caring For Land In Conservation Easements In Allegheny County  [PaEN] 

Upcoming Events

-- Planet Philadelphia: May 3 - Efforts To Reduce Greenhouse Gases Globally, Nationally

-- Center For Coalfield Justice, Partners Host May 4 Book Signing In Washington County With Justin Nobel, Author of Petroleum 238: Big Oil's Dangerous Secret  [PaEN] 

-- May 10-12 Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Celebrates 90 Years; Global Raptor Conservation  Symposium May 11  [PaEN]

-- Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy Holds PA Native Plant Sale May 11-12 In Montgomery County  [PaEN]  

-- TribLive: Spots Limited For 10th Annual Sojourn On Loyalhanna Creek May 18

-- Hollow Oak Land Trust Hosts May 22 Land Steward Kick-Off Meeting On Caring For Land In Conservation Easements In Allegheny County  [PaEN] 

-- PA Interfaith Power & Light, Jewish Earth Alliance Host May 29 Webinar On Understanding Gov. Shapiro's New Energy/Climate Plans  [PaEN] 

-- Penn State Extension, PA Sea Grant Host June 7 Webinar On Aquatic Invasive Species  [PaEN] 

-- The Nature Conservancy-PA: Return Of Bog Events; Explore TNC Preserves; Federal Funding Benefits Philly Trees; Much More! 

-- Upcoming Events At The Van Scott Nature Preserve In Beach Lake, Wayne County 

-- Keep PA Beautiful 2024 Summit For Community Stewardship In Scranton Oct. 16-17  [PaEN]

Programs/Information

-- DCNR Launches 'Remake Learning Days' At State Parks To Support Global Learning Festival  [PaEN]

-- Stroud Water Research Center Celebrates Outdoor Classroom Day - Helping Young Minds Discover The Natural World As Scientists Do  [PaEN]

-- Asbury Woods Environmental Center Hosts Trout In The Classroom Release May 11 In Erie  [PaEN]

-- TribLive: Ligonier Valley Students Test Waters Of Fly Fishing In Trout Unlimited Program  

-- Republican Herald: Mentors Instruct First-Time Hunters Who Learn To ‘Shoot Like A Girl’ 

-- Delaware River Basin Commission, PEMA, Other Partners  Make Available Flood Loss Reduction Assistance Resources For Local Officials  [PaEN]

-- Delaware Highlands Conservancy: Protecting Your Land: Top 5 Frequently Asked Questions 

-- Republican Herald: Sensory Room Makes Hazleton Area Recreation Program More Inclusive 

-- Pike Conservation District: Pike County Ponds!

-- WNEP: Kindness Tree Dedicated At Marywood University

-- Penn State Extension Home Garden News: Changes In Fertilizer Law; Wildflower Seed Mixes; Creating A Stumpery

-- Inquirer: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater Is A PA Tourist Attraction; But You Can Spend The Night At His Lynn Hall In McKean County 

Public Participation

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - May 4 [PaEN] 

-- DEP Posted 73 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In May 4 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]

-- DEP: New Location For May 21 Meeting/Hearing On The Renewal Of The Air Quality Permit For Covanta Municipal Waste Combustion Units In Montgomery County  [PaEN]

-- PUC Public Hearings Set For May 21-22 On Proposed 15.79% Rate Increase For Columbia Gas

-- DEP Invites Comments At May 29 Hearing On Blythe Recycling and Demolition Landfill Permit Renewal In Schuylkill County  [PaEN]

Background On Issues

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - April 27 to May 3 - Hunting Abandoned Quaker State Wells; Conventional Well Dumpster Fire; Multiple Water Withdrawal Violations  [PaEN]

-- Maryland National Guard Abandons Proposal To Do Very Low-Level Aircraft Combat Training Over The Pennsylvania Wilds  [PaEN] 

-- Senate Republicans Pass Bill Authorizing An Authority To Take Over Permitting Large-Scale Energy Projects; Eliminating Public Comment; Waiving Any Regulation; Providing Immunity From Prosecution; Barbers Reviewing Permits?  [PaEN]

-- Bill Reported Out Of Senate Committee Would Allow Pipelines Like Mariner East To Apply For Waivers Of Any PUC Regulation, Law Or Policy  [PaEN] 

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Senate Committee Advances Bill To Allow Utility Companies To Request A Waiver For Any Law Or Regulation Enforced By The PUC [Senate Bill 1174] 

-- PennLive: PA Senate Republicans Pass Bill Allowing Large-Scale Energy Projects To Bypass State Agencies

-- DEP Posts New Permit Modernization Webpage To Track Progress In ‘Getting Stuff Done’ Without Sacrificing Environmental, Public Health Protection 

-- Capital & Main: US Oil/Gas Production Is Booming; So Are The Industry’s Donations To Its Republican Allies [PA Will See A ‘Flood Of Money From The Industry’]

-- PJM Interconnection Anticipates Adequate Electric Generation Resources To Meet Summer Demand Under 'Anticipated Conditions'  [PaEN]

-- Utility Dive Guest Essay: FERC, NERC Review Of Winter Storm Gas Infrastructure Failures Lacks Transparency, Provided Insufficient Scrutiny On Impacts - By Union Of Concerned

-- Conventional Oil & Gas Industry Says It’s A ‘Terrific Lie’ To Say It Is Responsible For Abandoning Thousands Of Wells; Industry To Change Definition So They Can Avoid Responsibility  [PaEN] 

-- Shapiro Marks Plugging 200th Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Well: These Companies Will Do Anything To Avoid Paying For Plugging; It’s Not Okay Some In The Legislature Are Shielding Them; Text Well Locations  [PaEN - 3.12.24]

-- EDF: US House Passes Bill To Locate Abandoned/Orphaned Conventional Oil & Gas Wells, Improve Well Plugging Technology [PaEN] 

-- TribLive: Bill To Improve Plugging Abandoned Gas Wells Passes US House

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Ad Crable: Pennsylvania Gets $156 Million To Boost Solar Projects In Low Income, Polluted Communities

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Philadelphia Begins Powering City Hall, Airport With Solar Energy Facility 100 Miles Away

-- WHYY: Adams Solar Energy Facility Powers A Quarter Of Philly’s City Buildings

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Do The Owners Of The Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant Have Enough Money To Decommission The Facility? - By Council To Modernize Governance 

-- The Allegheny Front: New Book Takes On Radiation Dangers In Oil & Gas Industry  [PaEN]

-- ABC27: Environmental Advocacy Groups Rally At Capitol For Action On Gas, Oil Industry

-- Sen. Muth, Environmental Advocates Join Author Justin Nobel At Capitol To Discuss Oil/Gas Industry Hazardous Waste

-- Better Path Coalition: On Demand: Brown Bag Briefing By Justin Nobel On His New Book Petroleum 238: Big Oil’s Dangerous Secret And the Grassroots Fight To Stop It

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Ohio AG Wants PA’s Austin Master Services CEO Jailed For Failing To Cleanup Oil & Gas Waste Plant In Martins Ferry 

-- The Allegheny Front: Ohio AG Wants PA Company Held In Contempt For Failing To Cleanup Radioactive Oil & Gas Waste 

-- Beaver County Radio: Study: PA Ranks High For Health Impacts Of Oil & Gas Flaring Emissions 

-- Scientific American: Gas Stove Pollution Lingers In Homes For Hours Even Outside The Kitchen

-- Fortune: Gas Stove Pollution Harms Poor And Minority Americans The Most, Due In Part To Different Home Sizes, Study Says

-- The Guardian: Gas Stoves Increase Nitrogen Dioxide Exposure Above Health Standards Disproportionately Affecting People Of Color and Low-Income People

-- Inside Climate News: Shell Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County Promised Prosperity, But To Some Residents It’s Become A ‘Shockingly Bad’ Neighbor  

-- Sustainable Pittsburgh Convened Revitalized Sustainability Practitioners Network

-- PA Environmental Council In Case You Missed It In April Now Available [PaEN]

-- DEP Launches Pilot Program In 10 Counties To Speed Up Processing Chapter 102 Erosion & Sedimentation Permits Starting May 1 [PaEN] 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: DEP Pilot Seeks To Quicken Pace Of Stormwater Discharge Permit Process

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Pennsylvania’s Permitting System Is Broken And Gov. Shapiro Needs To Fix It - By Conservative Commonwealth Foundation

-- Chesapeake Bay Model Estimates Decline In Nutrient, Sediment Pollution; PA, 4 Other Jurisdictions Did Not Meet 2023 Reduction Targets For Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Sediment  [PaEN] 

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: Environmental Groups Send EPA Notice Of Potential Lawsuit On Wastewater Plant Discharge Violations, Including In Bay Watershed

-- Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Federal Farm Bills Released By US House, Senate Could Benefit Chesapeake Bay Watershed  [PaEN]

-- Chesapeake Bay Foundation Applauds House Passage Of Bill To Prohibit Sale, Use Of Toxic Pavement Sealants

-- Inquirer: Dairy Cows Turned Into Major League Baseballs At Bradford County Meat Processing Plant 

-- PUC Offers 5 Simple Tips To Consumers On Dealing With Door-To-Door Energy Sales People  

-- TribLive Guest Essay: New EPA Protections Will Save Lives, Slash Climate Pollution From Coal-Fired Power Plants - By Moms Air Force 

-- The Daily Item Letter: EPA’s New Power Plant Rules Provide Critical Pollution Reduction - By Ben Hoskins  [Responds To Republicans Sen. Yaw, Con. Meuser]

-- LancasterOnline: Amid Air Pollution Concerns, Consumers Consider Electric Lawn Care

-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: Green Hydrogen: A Climate Change Solution Or Fossil Fuel Bait And Switch? 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Cryptocurrency Miner Mawson To Expand In Beaver County

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: State Agencies Aren’t Listening To The People Who Produce Energy As The Develop Policy - By Mark Caskey, Steel Nation [Gas Industry-Related Business] 

-- The Hill: Biden’s Pause On New LNG Gas Export Facility Permits Could Complicate Pennsylvania Strategy  [LNG Export Capacity Will Double During Pause; PA Shale Gas Coalition Wants To Export PA Gas To China, Our Competitor]

-- Williamsport Editorial: LNG Gas Permit Ban Is Simply Unreasonable  [The Pause-- Not Ban--  Is On NEW Export Projects, LNG Export Capacity Will Double During Pause; PA Shale Gas Coalition Wants To Export PA Gas To China, Our Competitor]  

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Philadelphia Begins Powering City Hall, Airport With Solar Energy Facility 100 Miles Away

-- WHYY: Adams Solar Energy Facility Powers A Quarter Of Philly’s City Buildings

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Pennsylvania Wants To Lead A National Rural Revival

-- Reuters: Texas Gas Producers Turn To Flaring To Dispose Of Excess Natural Gas Amid Weak Prices  [Will PA Producers Do The Same?]

-- White House Finalizes Reforms To Modernize Environmental Review, Accelerate Clean Energy Future

-- EPA Issues Consent Order To MAX Environmental Technologies To Ensure Compliance With Hazardous Waste Rules At Westmoreland County Facility  [PaEN] 

-- TribLive: EPA To MAX Environmental Yukon Landfill Operator: Fix Violations Or Face $73,000 A Day Fine

-- The Allegheny Front: EPA Consent Order Requires MAX Environmental Hazardous Waste Landfill In Westmoreland County To Submit To An Audit; Residents Say It’s Not Enough 

-- Chesapeake Bay Model Estimates Decline In Nutrient, Sediment Pollution; PA, 4 Other Jurisdictions Did Not Meet Reduction 2023 Targets For Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Sediment  [PaEN] 

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: Environmental Groups Send EPA Notice Of Potential Lawsuit On Wastewater Plant Discharge Violations, Including In Bay Watershed

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Flooded Basements Are More Dangerous Than They Seem - By Pitt Professors, Black Environmental Collective

-- DCNR Blog: Investing In Pennsylvania’s State Parks And Forests Provides Foundation For PA’s $17 Billion Outdoor Economy  

-- Republican Herald: West Nile Virus Monitoring Starts In Schuylkill County 

-- DCNR To Begin Spraying Forests In Spongy Moth Suppression Effort

-- WNEP: Spotted Lanternflies Hatching Out  

-- Centre Daily Times: Spotted Lanternflies Pose Major Threat To Vineyards; Wineries On Alert

-- Courier Times: Here’s Where Spongy Moths Will Be A Problem In Pennsylvania

-- WNEP: Some People Have Allergic Reactions To Spongy Moths; Here’s What You Need To Know

-- Williamsport Sun: Lycoming Commissioners, Health Experts Warn Public About Spongy Moths; Some People Experience Allergic Reactions

-- WHYY: Invasive Callery Pear Trees Can No Longer Be Planted In PA

-- Warren Times: US Forest Service Reminds Gardeners To Think Native Plants

-- Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans Resigns; Stephen Smith Named As Replacement

-- The Energy Age Blog: In 2016 Game Commission Employee Fined $75,000 By Ethics Commission For Having A Side Business Helping Landowners Negotiate Gas Leases While Negotiating Game Commission Gas Leases

-- Pocono Record - Brian Whipkey: Game Commission Executive Director Resigns Abruptly, Here’s Why

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Game Commission Head Resigns After Side Business Relationships Revealed

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Game Commission Headed Toward A Reckoning

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: Game Commission Executive Director Resigns Amid Questions Over Side Business

-- Post-Gazette - John Hayes: Game Commission Executive Director Resigns, Acting Replacement Appointed

-- TribLive Editorial: For A Change, Lawmakers Put Ethics At The Fore; Now They Should Look In The Mirror [Game Commission]

-- PA Capital-Star: Ban On Shooting Live Pigeons As Targets Advances In PA House For first Time Since 2011

-- Williamsport Sun: Baby Bird Season: Please Don’t Kidnap The Baby Birds

-- Williamsport Sun - Bill Bower: Reflections In Nature: Some Mammals Have Tough Time Raising Young

-- PennLive: It’s Snake Season In Pennsylvania, Here Are 3 Venomous Species To Be Aware Of 

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: May 5, 2024]  PA Environment Digest