Environment & Energy Educational Opportunities For Students & Adults

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

Awards/Recognition

-- EPA Now Accepting Nominations For 2025 Green Chemistry Challenge Awards, Deadline Dec. 13

-- Post-Gazette - Mary Ann Thomas: Teacher Transforms Into Scientist During Weeklong Mission Aboard Ship On Lake Erie

-- Volunteers Record Bee Biodiversity And Discover New Species In PA During Penn State Research Project  [PaEN] 

-- Altoona Mirror: Poet Todd Davis Draws Inspiration From The Environment

-- DCNR Celebrates Smokey Bear’s 80th Birthday At Mont Alto State Park, Franklin County

-- DCNR Celebrates Point State Park’s Fountain 50th Anniversary

-- TribLive: Point State Park Fountain Celebrates 50th Anniversary 

-- WESA: Wish A Happy 50th Birthday To Pittsburgh’s Point State Park Fountain

Grants

-- WHYY - Sophia Schmidt: New State Grant Program Means Solar Panels Could Bring Deeper Savings To Cash-Strapped Philly Schools

-- Observer-Reporter: Solar For Schools Program Introduced At Greene County Career & Technology Center

-- Conservation Innovation Fund, Kennett Twp., Chester County Receive Ground-Breaking Stormwater Permit Relying On Nature-Based Solutions  [PaEN]

-- NSF Grant To Fund Penn State, Universities Partnership Study Of How Quickly eDNA Degrades In Streams To Better Understand How It Can Be Used To Identify Aquatic Life  [PaEN]

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Penn State Gets $1 Million To Dig Into Critical Mineral Research Into Semiconductors

-- Appalachian Regional Commission Selects Job Training, Revitalization Groups For Communities Impacted By Coal, Power Plant Closures; Underserved, Marginalized Communities; 5 In PA Serving Coal, Oil & Gas Counties  [PaEN] 

-- Post-Gazette: 5 PA Foundations Selected For Job Training And Funding Program In Bradford, Fayette, Monroe, Susquehanna, Venango Counties

Help Wanted

-- Central PA Conservancy: Sept. 9 Webinar On Becoming A Volunteer Conservation Easement Monitor  [PaEN]

Upcoming Events

-- Warren Times: Household Hazardous, Electronics Waste Recycling Event Aug. 31 In Warren County

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: Get Rid Of Household Chemicals At 2 PA Resources Council September Collection Events In Western PA

-- Environmental Quality Board Meets Sept. 10 On Proposed Stream Redesignations, Laboratory Fee Review  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Citizens Advisory Council Meets Sept. 10 On Hydrogen, Food Processing Residuals  [PaEN] 

-- Hourglass To Host Sept. 10 Forum On Outdoor Recreation In Lancaster County [PaEN]

-- Penn State Extension Cumberland County Master Gardeners Host Sept. 10 Shade Gardening For Pollinators In Carlisle 

-- PA Organization For Watersheds & Rivers Hosts Sept. 11 PA Fertilizer Law, Homeowner Lawn Care For Healthy Watersheds Webinar  [PaEN]

-- Dept. Of Agriculture: Protecting Our Waterways Starts At Home With Watershed-Friendly Lawn Care

-- Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community Hosts Sept. 12 In-Person, Online Connecting Communities In The Fight Against Industrial Pollution  [PaEN]

-- Sept. 19 Webinar: A Year Later: Have Leaders Addressed Health Concerns From Natural Gas Development Raised In University Of Pittsburgh Public Health Studies?  [PaEN]

-- Allegheny County Conservation District, Partners Host 5-Part Building Vibrant Communities Workshops Starting Sept. 24  [PaEN] 

-- Eastern PA Consulting & Industrial Forester Conference Set For Sept. 26 At Dauphin County Conservation District  [PaEN] 

-- York County Master Watershed Stewards Host Sept. 26 Stormwater Management, Storm Drain Art Walking Tour; 2024 Art Winners Announced  [PaEN]

-- Western PA Conservancy Screening Of Seeing The Unseen - Aquatic Invasive Species & What’s At Stake Movie, Oct. 1 In Pittsburgh, 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. 

-- Save The Date: Indiana County Sustainability Summit VII: Sustainability Makes Cent$ Oct. 18  

-- Washington & Jefferson College To Host Pittsburgh Regional Carbon Capture Conference Oct. 22 In Washington County  [PaEN] 

-- PAEE Professional Development Courses: Design For Learning In Environmental Education; Introduction To Community Engagement  [PaEN] 

Programs/Information

-- Rosalie Haizlett Launches New Book: Tiny Worlds Of The Appalachian Mountains, An Artist's Journey  [PaEN] 

-- Shapiro Administration Announces Statewide ‘Recovery In Nature’ Initiative Across Nine State Parks In Conjunction With National Recovery Month  [PaEN] 

-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: PA Promotes State Parks For Helping Addiction Recovery

-- DCNR State Parks August Environmental Education Newsletter - Welcome Back To School Edition!  [PaEN] 

-- Reading Eagle: Fish & Boat Commission Highlights Safety Amid ‘Explosive’ Growth In Kayaking, Paddleboarding

-- York Daily Record: Boy Who Drowned In Yellow Breeches Was Not Wearing A Life Vest

-- DEP Releases 2023 Annual Report On Chesapeake Bay Watershed Celebrating Accomplishments Of Counties, Communities, State And Local Leaders  [PaEN]

-- PennLive: Fall In Pennsylvania To Be ‘Cooler-Than-Average’ This Year

-- Courier Times: Leaf Peeping Close To Home: Bucks County Rated No. 1 For Fall Foliage

-- LancasterOnline - Ad Crable: Appreciating Subtle Changes As Autumn Approaches In Lancaster County  [PDF of Article]

-- Warren Times - PA Master Gardeners: Plants Facing Transition As Signs Of Fall Appear

-- WHYY - Climate Fixers: Climate-Proofing Philly For A Warmer Growing Season

-- WHYY Climate Fixers: Philly’s Get Fresh Daily Wants You To Eat Your Veggies

-- WHYY - Sophia Schmidt: Philly Gets Federal Money To Explore ‘Cool Roofs’

-- Salamanders Are Surprisingly Abundant In Northeastern Forests, USGS, Penn State Study Finds 

-- Warren Times - Audubon Community Nature Center: Journey To Begin For Marvelous Monarchs  

-- WHYY: Conservationists Find Mussels Near Pennypack On Delaware River, Sign Of Good Water Quality

-- FOX29: Is Delaware River Water Quality Improving In Philadelphia? Freshwater Mussels Found

-- WPXI: Lyme Disease Becoming Year-Round Health Concern; Here’s What You Need To Know To Stay Safe

-- TribLive/AP: EEE, West Nile, Malaria: Know The Difference Between These Mosquito-Borne Diseases 

-- MCall: Carbon County ATV Rider Dies In Crash, Corner Says

-- TribLive: Ragweed Allergy Season Nears Peak In Western PA

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Sunday Hunting Ban Unfair, Hurts PA Economy - By Brian Pitell, Pittsburgh Chapter Safari Club International

-- Williamsport Sun: Birding For Beginners: A Gateway To Both Nature And Adventure

-- Game Commission Online Pennsylvania Elk Cam Now Available 24/7

-- PhillyVoice.com: PA Elk Cam Goes Live For Annual Mating Season

-- TribLive: Bigfoot Is Still Huge In Western Pennsylvania

-- Williamsport Sun - Bill Bower: Reflections In Nature - Cricket Chirping Comes From Males

Public Participation

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - August 31 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 66 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In August 31 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]

-- Reminder: DEP Sept. 3 Hearing On Proposed Change Of Land Use On 2 RES Coal LLC Mining Sites In Clearfield County

-- DEP Oil & Gas Technical Advisory Board Meets Sept. 5 On Strategies To Prevent Well Abandonments; Injection Well Primacy; Tracking Water Contamination; Other Topics  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Citizens Advisory Council Meets Sept. 10 On Hydrogen, Food Processing Residuals  [PaEN] 

-- USDA NRCS-PA: Cropland Farmers May Be Contacted During Conservation Effects Assessment Survey

Background On Issues

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - August 24 to 30 - Water Pipeline Blowout; 9-Year-Old Hits Conventional Gas Well; 5 Abandoned Shale Gas Wells  [PaEN] 

-- Range Resources Shale Gas Water Pipeline Suffers Blowout In Washington County  [PaEN]

-- 9-Year-Old Drives Tractor Into Conventional Well Causing Gas Leak  [PaEN] 

-- The Energy Age Blog: Court Case Sept. 4: ‘Sunoco Deliberately Misrepresented’ Having Eminent Domain Power For Mariner East Natural Gas Liquids Pipeline 

-- State, United Mine Workers Announce First-In-PA Registered Apprenticeship Program To Plug Oil And Gas Wells Abandoned By Conventional Well Owners; DEP Issued 711 Violations For Well Abandonment So Far In 2024  [PaEN]

-- Tribune-Democrat: Shapiro, Mineworkers Create Apprenticeship To Plug Oil & Gas Wells Abandoned By Conventional Well Owners

-- Wilkes-Barre Times: State Announces Apprenticeship Program To Plug Oil, Gas Wells Abandoned By Conventional Well Owners

-- TribLive: PA Apprenticeship Program Expands To Including Training To Plug Oil, Gas Wells Abandoned By Conventional Well Owners

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: State, United Mine Workers Partner On New Apprenticeship On Plugging Oil & Gas Wells Abandoned By Conventional Well Owners

-- Public News Service: Shale Gas Fracking Boom In PA Raises Health, Environmental Concerns

-- BCTV: Shale Gas Fracking Boom In PA Raises Health, Environmental Concerns

-- Bloomberg: Harris Rules Out Fracking Ban, Threading Needle On Fossil Fuels

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Ad Crable: Air Monitoring Study By CNX Resources Finds Fracking ‘Poses No Public Health Risk’; Environmental Groups Critical

-- Reuters: Canada Wildfires Last Year Released More Carbon Than Several Countries

-- DEP Permitting Efficiency: 19,639 Permits Since 11/2023; Decisions On 16,298;  One  Currently Eligible For PAyback Did Not Meet Decision Deadlines; No Application Fees Refunded [8.30.24]

-- Cooper-Booth Wholesale Co. Installs 1.17 GW Rooftop Solar Energy Facility In Lancaster County  [PaEN] 

-- DCNR: New Solar Energy Facility At Prince Gallitzin State Park In Cambria County To Reduce Electricity Costs $100,000 A Year; One Of 27 In State Parks 

-- Altoona Mirror: Prince Gallitzin Solar Array Dedicated

-- Clearfield Progress: Dunn Lauds Solar Energy At Prince Gallitzin State Park

-- Tribune-Democrat: DCNR Chief Tours Johnstown, Sees ‘Opportunities Big And Small’ In Project Plans

-- US DOE Awards Philadelphia $19.8 Million To Develop, Adopt Building Performance Standards To Reduce Energy Use

-- PennEnvironment: New US DOE Appliance Efficiency Standards Will Save PA Households $128 Annually [PaEN] 

-- Erie Times: Biden Climate Adviser Ali Zaidi, A General McLane Grad, Touts Clean Energy Sector In PA

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: EOS Energy Storage Meets Milestones For $30 Million 

-- The Guardian: US Leads Wealthy Countries Spending Billions In Public Money On Unproven ‘Climate Solutions’ Like Hydrogen, Carbon Capture

-- Pittsburgh Works Together Releases New Report: The PJM Grid In Peril: What Will Keep The Lights On?  [PaEN]

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Pittsburgh Works Report: Red Tape, New Power Plant Delays Put PJM Electric Grid ‘In Peril’

-- Sen. Yaw To Introduce Bills To Establish PA Baseload Energy Development Fund Based On Texas Model; And Have One Permit For Power Plants  [PaEN] 

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Natural Gas Subsidy Plan Rolled Out To Stabilize Grid [Sen. Yaw’s Energy Development Fund ]

-- Utility Dive: Texas Energy Fund Elects 17 Gas-Fired Power Plant Projects Totaling Almost 10 GW For Possible Loans 

-- Reuters: Texas Energy Fund Approves Gas-Fired Power Plants For Next Stage Of Consideration 

-- Utility Dive: PA Senator [Sen. Yaw] To Introduce Energy Fund Bill, Bill To Require One Permit With One  ‘Statute of Limitations’ For Power Plant Projects

-- Utility Dive: PJM December Electricity Auction Prices Could Jump 157% Over July Auction, Morgan Stanley 

-- Utility Dive Guest Essay: Getting Real About Electric Grid Reliability In PJM After July Capacity Auction - By Glen Thomas, Former Chair of the PA Public Utility Commission 

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Troubling Times Are Ahead For American Energy - By Commonwealth Foundation  [59% Of Energy On PA’s Electric Grid Comes From One Fuel]

-- WHYY/BillyPenn: PECO Customers Could Face Double-Digit Electricity Bill Increases Next Year; Experts Blame Growing Demand, Lagging Transition To Renewable Energy

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Biden Clean Power Plant Reboot Will Cripple PA’s Energy Affordability - By Sen. Greg Rothman (R-Cumberland)  [Need To Diversify Our Energy Generation Away From 59% Natural Gas To Prevent Price Spikes]

-- Ready For 100% Montgomery County: Communities With Half The County Population Support Clean Energy Future  [PaEN] 

-- Inside Climate News: US Appetite For Electricity Grew Massively In First Half Of 2024; Solar Power Rose To The Occasion

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: Saving The Allegheny: Advocates Host Kayak Tour To Highlight River Recreation

-- WESA: Politicians, Environmentalists Find Common Ground While Kayaking Allegheny River Lock And Dam

-- York Daily Record: York County Developer Sacrifices Profit To Save Rare Umbrella Magnolia

-- LancasterOnline: Nearly Half Of Lancaster County Residents Have Water With Elevated PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’

-- Williamsport Sun: Loyalsock Creek Men’s Club Does Work On Little Bear Creek

-- MCall Guest Essay: Sen. Boscola, PA Senate Should Advance Community Solar - By Monica Carey, Solar United Neighbors  

-- TribLive Letter: Pennsylvanians Will Benefit From Community Solar - By Monica Carey

-- Altoona Mirror: High Heat Spurs Hollidaysburg School District Early Dismissals 

-- WHYY: Heat Prompts Early School Dismissals, Lawmakers Call For More Funds For Public School Facilities

-- TribLive: Heat Prompts Pittsburgh Public Schools To Change Schedule At 37 Facilities Without AC

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Cleveland-Cliffs Butler Works Electrification Receives Praise From Sierra Club

-- The Daily Item Guest Essay: Carbon Capture - The Great Illusion - Karen Feridun, Better Path Coalition 

-- AP: The Worldwide Catastrophe Of Rising Seas Especially Imperils Pacific Paradises, UN Secretary-General Says

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: September 1, 2024]  PA Environment Digest