PA Environment Digest Blog: 156 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

Here are 156 new stories in the PA Environment Digest about individuals, groups, local governments, farmers, businesses, watershed groups and many more working all across Pennsylvania to restore and protect the environment and show others the beauty that surrounds us.

Thank you for your leadership!

-- PA Conservation Heritage Project Profile: Jack Winieski Dedicated His Professional Career To Improving Trees Through Genetics - By Wayne W. Kober [PaEN]

-- Pine Creek Headwaters Protection Group Update: Industrial Shale Gas Development In Tioga State Forest Prioritizes Industry Profit Over Constitutional Mandate To Preserve, Protect State Forest Lands [PaEN]

-- EPA, Justice Dept., DEP Announce $5.275 Million In Penalties, Plus $1.4 Million In Abandoned Well Plugging Funding Against Shale Gas Drilling Companies-- XTO Energy, Inc., Hilcorp Energy Company For Federal, State Clean Air Act Violations [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Exxon And Hilcorp Shale Gas Drillers Settle Environmental Violations With Millions In Fines And Promised Air Quality Benefits

-- CNHINews: Hilcorp Shale Gas Company One Of 2 Firms Facing EPA, DEP Penalties For Air Pollution

-- Oil & Gas Wastewater Release At Bear Lake Properties Injection Well In Warren County Went Unreported For 109 Days; More Contamination Discovered Along Related Wastewater Pipeline Route [PaEN]

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Bear Lake Shale Gas Wastewater Injection Well Leak Went Undiscovered For 109 Days [PDF of article]

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Nov. 16 to 22 - $5.257 Million In Penalties; Conventional Well Owners Issued More Violations Than All Of 2023; More Abandoned Wells; Failure To Submit Shale Gas Reports [PaEN]

-- DEP So Far In 2024: 6,907 Violations Issued To Owners Of Conventional Oil & Gas Wells - 153% More Than In 2021; 830 Violations For Abandoning Their Wells -- Exceeding All Of 2023 [PaEN]

-- DEP Oil & Gas Advisory Board Meets Dec. 5 On Methane Emissions Reduction; Federal Plugging Program; Injection Well Primacy; Financial Assurance; Drilling & Permitting Activity Impacts On DEP Budget [PaEN]

-- DEP Prints Corrected Notice Inviting Comments On New Air Pollution Permit For Revolution Natural Gas Cryogenic Processing Plant In Washington County; Plant Suffered Major Explosion, Fire In 2022 [PaEN]

-- National Review: Northeast Pennsylvania Needs Natural Gas - New Congress, New Federal Administration Should Overturn Delaware River Basin Commission Moratorium On Shale Gas Fracking - By Jason Adams [PDF of Article]

-- The Derrick: Aqua Pennsylvania Lifts Boil-Water Advisory For Fryburg Water Customers In Place For Six Days [One Of The Companies Involved In Venango County Conventional Well Spill Incident]

-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: Climate Activists Criticize Exclusion From Philadelphia Gas Works Budget Process, Propose New Rules

-- Erie Times Letter: A Boon? Consider The Price Pennsylvania Pays For Fracking - By Katie Jones, FracTracker Alliance, Johnstown

-- Environmental Health Project Releases 2024 Year In Review [Shale Gas Drilling Health Impacts]

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: PA Environmental Groups Urge Biden To Keep Block On LNG Gas Export Projects [PDF of Article]

-- The Allegheny Front: Fairmont, WV Residents Press Agencies On Explosion, Fire At Oil & Gas Waste Processing Site Last Year Owned By PA Company

-- Lancaster Farming: Game Commission’s New Plan To Spend Shale Gas Drilling Lease Royalties Applauded By Sen. Martin

-- EPA Accepting Comments On New Draft Framework To Advance Consideration of Cumulative Impacts On Communities [PaEN]

-- DEP Reduces Permit Backlog By 75%, Completely Eliminates Backlog For Oil & Gas Permits; You Can’t Blame DEP Anymore For Permit Delays [PaEN]

-- Guest Essay: Protecting Public Health Means Enforcing Environmental Regulations While Helping Businesses Thrive - By Jessica Shirley, Acting DEP Secretary [PaEN]

-- Gov. Shapiro Signs Executive Order Creating PA Permit Fast Track Program; Can't Blame DEP Anymore For Delaying Projects [PaEN]

-- PA Capital-Star: Shapiro Signs Executive Order Aimed At Streamlining Permitting Process For Infrastructure Projects

-- WNEP: Gov. Shapiro Highlights PA Permit Fast Track Program In Luzerne County

-- NFIB: Small Businesses Applaud Gov. Shapiro’s PA Permit Fast Track Program

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Shapiro’s New Permitting System Gives A Green Light To Economic Development

-- DCNR Speeds Up Endangered, Threatened Species Environmental Permit Review Times, ATV Permitting, Ginseng Certification [PaEN]

-- DEP Briefs Water Resources Committee On Proposed Changes To PAG-13 General Permit For Small Municipal Stormwater Dischargers; Latest Emerging Contaminants Sampling Results; Microplastics Study [PaEN]

-- DEP Publishes Updated Non-Regulatory Agenda Showing Technical Guidance Documents In Development [PaEN]

-- DEP Awards $2.55 Million In Federal Funding To Support 5 Local Abandoned Mine Reclamation Projects [PaEN]

-- TribLive: Major DEP Abandoned Mine Subsidence Report Project Set For Belle Vernon Area Impacting 230 Properties In Westmoreland County

-- Fish & Boat Commission Accepting Application For Stream Habitat Improvement Projects In Lancaster, York Counties [PaEN]

-- Penn State Center For Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training Seeks Input On Shaping Agenda For ACAP Ag Conservation Con 2025 In April [PaEN]

-- ClearWater Conservancy Receives $99,000 Grant To Install Forested Riparian Stream Buffers In Centre County; Next DCNR Grant Round Opens Jan. 21 [PaEN]

-- WTAJ: ClearWater Conservancy Receives $99,000 Grant To Install Forested Riparian Stream Buffers In Centre County

-- Chesapeake Bay Program: Chesapeake Bay Dead Zone ‘Near Average’ In 2024

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Karl Blankenship: Chesapeake Bay Water Quality Improved In Latest Assessment

-- Penn State Extension Master Watershed Stewards Accepting Volunteer Applications For Spring 2025 Training [PaEN]

-- Master Watershed Stewards Naturalize Stormwater Basin In York County [PaEN]

-- Master Watershed Stewards In York Introduce Urban Youth To Fishing [PaEN]

-- Lancaster Clean Water Partners Newsletter: Our Values In Action; News Around The Watershed; Recreation Access For All; Opportunities For All; New Podcast; Upcoming Events

-- Berks Nature: New Data On The Annual Economic Value Of Nature Documents $853 Million In Savings, $938 Million In Outdoor Recreation Benefits To Citizens of Berks County [PaEN]

-- Reading Eagle: Berks Nature Emphasizes Community Planning During State Of The Environment Breakfast

-- MCall: Plans For Route 512 Warehouses, Landfill Expansion Raise Traffic, Environmental Concerns

-- Spotlight PA: Penn State Will Pay More Than $564,000 For Cleanup After Investigation Into Drinking Water Contaminated With PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’

-- EPA Launches New Initiative To Tackle PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals,’ Identify Emerging Contaminants In Water

-- The Center Square: New US Dept. Of Defense PFAS ‘Forever Chemical’ Coordinator Will Connect Impacted Communities With Government Aid

-- WTAE: Pentagon Seeking To Incinerate PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ At Plant In East Liverpool, Oho On Ohio River

-- Lancaster Farming: What To Know About Coming Herbicide Label Changes

-- Spotlight PA: Local Leaders Want To Help State College Borough Water Authority Take Over Small, Troubled Rock Spring Water Company

-- Republican Herald: Why Are Some Water Bills So Excessive? Plum Creek Plans A Discovery Audit

-- Penn State Extension: Private Water Supply Education, Water Testing Accomplishments In 2024 [PaEN]

-- Spotlight PA: Paint, Pipes, Soil Can Expose PA Children To Lead, How To Stay Safe

-- PennLive: Chloronitramide In Drinking Water Could Be Toxic

-- The Allegheny Front: New ClearWater Conservancy Conservation Education Center In Centre County Lands Federal, State Funding

-- Republican Herald: New Schuylkill Conservation District Educator Aims To Get People Outdoors

-- Warren Times - Audubon Community Nature Center: Empathy Brings Hope For Sustainability - By Mac Dawson, Nature Educator

-- NextPittsburgh: Pittsburgh’s Indigenous Legacy Is Alive And Thriving

-- Nominations Now Being Accepted For Wildlife Leadership Academy Student Conservation Ambassadors Program [PaEN]

-- Applications Now Being Accepted For Rivers Conservation Fly Fishing Youth Camp June 15-20, Messiah University, Cumberland County [PaEN]

-- WESA: Carnegie Mellon University Announces Free Tuition For All Students Of Families Earning $75,000 Or Less

-- Chesapeake Bay Foundation Will Fight Preliminary FERC Permit Granted For Proposed Susquehanna River Pump Storage Hydroelectric Project In York County [PaEN]

-- LancasterOnline - Rachel McDevitt: FERC Gives Initial Approval To Contested Hydroelectric Pump Storage Project On Susquehanna River [PDF of article]

-- York Daily Record: Cuffs Run Gets Preliminary Permit For Massive Pump Storage Hydroelectric Project On Susquehanna River

-- York Dispatch: Susquehanna River Pump Storage Hydroelectric Project Gets Initial Federal Permit In York County

-- Delaware River Basin Commission Meets Dec. 5 To Consider Resolution To Preserve And Protect Water Supplies During Persistent Dry Conditions [PaEN]

-- MCall: How Recent Rains Impacted Lehigh Valley’s River, Drought Status

-- WHYY - Sophia Schmidt: Delaware River Basin Managers Could Take Conservation Efforts If Drought Worsens

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Delaware River Water Levels At 60% As Salt Front Increases Amid Drought

-- KYW: Officials Eyeing Delaware River Salt Levels As Philly-Area Drought Worsens

-- Courier Times: Part Of Bucks County Enters ‘Extreme Drought’ This Week Amid Worst Dry Spell In 22 Years

-- WNEP: Drought Impacts Lake At Beltzville State Park In Carbon County

-- New York Governor Declares 15 Counties In Drought Warning, Drought Watch Statewide

-- PennLive: Susquehanna River Level Drops Due To ‘Very Bad’ Drought Across Much Of Central PA

-- Citizens Voice: Drought Has Susquehanna River At Exceedingly Low Levels

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Meets Dec. 12 On New Fee Schedule; Water Withdrawals, Including 4 Shale Gas; New General Permit For Into-Basin Diversions [PaEN]

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approved 42 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use General Permits In October; 274 General Permits So Far In 2024 [PaEN]

-- WNEP: Aqua Pennsylvania Issues Mandatory Water Conservation Notice In Northumberland, Columbia, Schuylkill Counties

-- TribLive: Youghiogheny River Level Remains Low After Relatively Dry Summer, Fall In Westmoreland, Fayette Counties

-- Managing Your Well During A Drought, Tips From Penn State Extension [PaEN]

-- DCNR Lifts Open Burn Ban In State Parks, Forests

-- Game Commission Lifts State Game Lands Campfire Ban

-- WNEP: 60 Acre Wildfire Contained On Montage Mountain In Lackawanna County

-- Republican Herald: Berks Nature Hoping For Positive After Effects Of Neversink Mountain Wildfire

-- Williamsport Sun Editorial: Firefighters Take Service Across State To Fight Wildfires

-- Spotlight PA: Flood Damage That Destroyed Antietam Middle School Reveals Deep Divisions Between Berks County Communities Over How And Where To Continue Schooling Students

-- PA Emergency Management Agency, Delaware River Basin Commission: Nov. 26 Hazard Mitigation Grant Funding Webinar, 9:00 to 10:00 a.m.

-- WHYY: Philly Launches Flood Alerts For Eastwick Neighborhood: ‘A Long Time Coming’

-- Tribune-Democrat: Somerset County Eyeing Changes To Land Development, Stormwater Regulations

-- Citizens Voice: Cemetery Headstones Washed Away In 1972 Flood Found In Forty Fort

-- Appalachian Voices: Statement On Request For $98 Billion In Federal Disaster Funding

-- PUC Highlights National Critical Infrastructure Security And Resilience Month With A Focus On Utility Resilience And Security

-- PUC To Host Nov. 25 Technical Conference On Adequacy Of Electricity Supplies In Pennsylvania [PaEN]

-- Washington & Jefferson College Center For Energy Policy & Management: Distributed Energy Resources Can Provide Benefits For Electric Grid

-- DEP: Some Guidance Now Available To Apply For $396 Million In RISE PA Industrial Decarbonization Grants; Application Period Opens Early In 2025 [PaEN]

-- Inquirer: What Organizers Say They Learned From A Campaign To Create A Statewide Home Repair, Weatherization Program In PA

-- Dickinson College To Host Atmospheric Scientist Katharine Hayhoe To Discuss Finding Hope In The Face Of Climate Change During Public Talk Dec. 4 [PaEN]

-- TribLive Guest Essay: My School District Saved Over A Million Dollars In Energy Costs By Going Solar, With Solar For Schools Your District Could Be Next - By Carlisle Area School District

-- Altoona Mirror: Central Cambria School District Considering Solar Energy To Save Up to $500,000 Over Next 25 Years

-- Centre Daily Times: Centre County Solar Energy Facility Takes Big Step Forward As State College Area School District Commits To Project

-- PA Solar Center, Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services Release New Guidebook For PA Municipalities On Development Of Large-Scale Solar Facilities; Nov. 22 Webinar [PaEN]

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Eaton Rolls Out New Energy Storage Battery System

-- Green Building Alliance Invites New Kensington Commercial Property, Business Owners To 2030 District Launch and Energy Efficiency Info Session Dec. 4 In Westmoreland County [PaEN]

-- PUC Commissioner Kathryn Zerfuss Appointed To EPA’s Farm, Ranch And Rural Communities Advisory Committee

-- TribLive: Eureka, Citizens Gifted Eplugs To Fire Company To Thwart Electric Vehicle Dangers

-- Moms Clean Air Force Nov. 20 Webinar On Clean School Buses Funding For Pennsylvania, Noon to 1:00 p.m.

-- Financial Times: Restart Of Three Mile Island Tests US Appetite For Nuclear Revival

-- Post-Gazette/AP: Climate Change Increased Hurricane Wind Strength By 18 MPH Since 2019, Study Says

-- TribLive: Storm Blows Through Western PA Knocking Out Power To Thousands; Possible Tornado Being Investigated

-- TribLive: National Weather Service Confirms Tornado In Highland Park-Lemington-Belmar Area Of Allegheny County

-- WNEP: Homes, Businesses Struggle As Snow Knocks Out Power Across Susquehanna, Wayne Counties

-- AP: $300 Billion A Year Deal For Climate Cash At UN Summit Sparks Outrage For Some, Hope For Others

-- WESA/NPR: With Talks Teetering, UN Climate Negotiators Struck A Controversial $300 Billion A Year Deal

-- The Guardian: UN Climate Summit Agrees To $1.3 Trillion Climate Finance Deal But Campaigners Brand It A ‘Betrayal’

-- Financial Times: Kick-Start For Carbon Credit Market After Loose Rules Agreed To At UN Climate Summit

-- The Guardian: Huge Election Year Worldwide Sees Weakening Commitment To Act On Climate Crisis

-- PA Resources Council Spearheading Effort To Establish Permanent Recycling Center In Allegheny County; Asking Public To Sign Support Letter [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: A Better Answer For Pittsburgh’s Trash - By Adriana Ramirez, Pittsburgh Council Member

-- Wilkes-Barre Times: Volunteers Remove Thousands Of Tires Along Sugar Notch Trail [Organized By Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority, Eastern PA Coalition For Abandoned Mine Reclamation, Earth Conservancy, Luzerne County Conservation District, Keep Northeastern PA Beautiful]

-- Reading Eagle: Volunteers Cleanup Area Around Tulpehocken Creek In Berks

-- Reminder: Keep PA Beautiful Accepting Nominations For Litter Hawk Youth Award Thru January 31 [PaEN]

-- PA Recycling Markets Center Hosts Dec. 17 Webinar On Glass For A Sustainable Future [PaEN]

-- The Allegheny Front/WHYY: So Beautiful But So Terrible: Philly Exhibit Traces The Ecology Of Fashion

-- LancasterOnline: Financially Struggling Florida Plastic Recyclers Signs $52 Million, 15-Year Lease For Mega Warehouse In Lancaster County

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Pennsylvania Should Ban Single Use Plastic Bags - By Sedona Boyle, Lehigh University Student

-- EPA Announces National Strategy To Prevent Plastic Pollution

-- PA Resources Council What’s Up Watershed: Fireflies, A Magical Reason To Leave Your Leaves

-- Pennsylvania Firefly Festival Lottery For 2025 Festival & Glow & Know Campouts Will Start January 1 [PaEN]

-- PA Dept. Of Agriculture Issues Firewood Quarantine Order For Firewood From Outside The State Or Traveling Through The State Unless Heat-Treated To Prevent The Spread Of Invasive Species [PaEN]

-- WITF StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: Pennsylvania Sees Record Wildfires This Fall

-- Warren Times: US Forest Service Notes Danger Of Dead ‘Zombie’ Trees After Leaf Fall