DEP Citizens Advisory Council Meets Jan. 14 On Data Centers, Three Mile Island Unit 2 Nuclear Plant Decommissioning, Abandoned Mine Land Reforestation

On the agenda for the January 14 meeting of the DEP Citizens Advisory Council are presentations on the development of data centers, Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant Unit 2 decommissioning and abandoned mine land reforestation.

The Council will also hear an update on agency activities from Acting DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley.

Data Centers

Commissioner Kim belly Barrow, Vice Chair of the Public Utility Commission will provide a presentation to Council on the impact of data center development on electricity demands and the grid in Pennsylvania and the region.

The PUC held a technical conference on November 25 on the adequacy of electricity supplies in Pennsylvania, including the growing electricity demand from the development of data centers.

The PUC has a deadline of January 9 to submit follow-up comments on the issue to help the Commission identify issues and actions it can take to address supply and grid issues.

Click Here for more information.

TMI Unit 2 Decommissioning

The damaged Unit 2 nuclear power plant at Three Mile Island in Dauphin County is being decommissioned by TMI-2 Solutions, an Energy Solutions company.

The decommissioning is unrelated to the proposed restart of TMI Unit 1 to supply power to Microsoft data centers.

Joseph Lynch, Energy Solutions, will provide the presentation on the status of decommissioning activities.

Reforestation

Erie Oliver, mine Land Reforestation Specialist with the Green Forests Work, will provide an overview of reforestation initiatives.

Click Here for more background.

Public Comments

Individuals interested in providing public comment during the meeting must sign up 24-hours in advance of the meeting by contacting Ian Irvin at iirvin@pa.gov.  

Commenters are asked to limit comments to 5 minutes to accommodate other commenters and the rest of the agenda. 

Click Here for more information on providing comments.

Join The Meeting

The meeting will be held in Room 105 of the Rachel Carson Building starting at 12:30 p.m.  Click Here for options on joining the meeting via Microsoft Teams and by telephone.

For available handouts and more information on the meeting, visit the DEP Citizens Advisory Council webpage.  [To view the entire page, extend page to right.] Questions should be directed to Ian Irvin, Executive Director, iirvin@pa.gov or (717) 787-8171.

[Posted: January 5, 2025]  PA Environment Digest

Saturday PA Environment & Energy NewsClips - 1.4.25

NOTICE: Due To A Significant Family Health Issue, The Schedule For Publishing The PA Environment Digest Will Be Uncertain Thru At Least January 6.

“The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania's public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.”

-- Article I, Section 27 Pennsylvania Constitution  [It’s Not A Suggestion]

House Voting Schedule

January 7, 27, 28, 29

February 3, 4, 5

March 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26

April 7, 8, 9, 22, 23, 24

May 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 24

June 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30

-- Committee Schedule

Senate Voting Schedule

January 7, 27, 28, 29

Budget Hearings February 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, March 4, 5, 6

February 3, 4, 5

March 24, 25, 26, 31

April 1, 2

May 5, 6, 7, 12, 13

June 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

-- Committee Schedule

TODAY’s Calendar Of Events 

January 4-11-- Pennsylvania Farm Show. Harrisburg.

January 14-- Environmental Quality Board meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson Building.  9:00 a.m. Check webpage for options for joining the meeting remotely. Contact: Laura Griffin, laurgriffi@pa.gov  or (717) 772-3277.

January 14--  DEP Citizens Advisory Council meeting.  Room 105 Rachel Carson Building.  12:30 p.m. Check webpage for options for joining the meeting remotely.  Contact: Ian Irvin, Executive Director, iirvin@pa.gov or (717) 787-8171

January 14-- DEP Mining and Reclamation Advisory Board meeting.  14th Floor Rachel Carson Building. 10:00 a.m. Check the Board webpage for options to join the meeting remotely. Contact: Daniel E. Snowden at dsnowden@pa.gov or (717) 783-8846. (formal notice)

February 26-- House Appropriations Committee Budget Hearing: 1:00- Department of Agriculture.  House Floor.

February 27-- House Appropriations Committee Budget Hearing: 10:00- Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.  House Floor.

March 3-- House Appropriations Committee Budget Hearing: 1:00- Public Utility Commission.  House Floor.

-- PUC Urges Pennsylvanians To Prepare Now For Winter Storms  [PaEN] 

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

-- DEP Posted 103 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In January 4 PA Bulletin  [PaEN] 

-- The Allegheny Front: Ohio Investigating Shale Gas Well Pad Fire That Led To Evacuation Of Residents  

-- DEP To Hold Jan. 30 Hearing [Not Jan. 28] On Title V RACT 3 Air Quality Permit For Monroe Energy LLC Trainer Refinery In Delaware County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Sets Feb. 11 Hearing On Renewal Of Title V Air Quality Permit For Energy Transfer Marketing’s Marcus Hook Terminal, Delaware County  [PaEN] 

-- ​​Stroud Water Research Center ‘Cut The Salt’ Citizen Science Project Invites You To Test Your Nearby Stream For Salt  [PaEN]

-- Chesapeake Bay Watershed: Bay State Lawmakers Tackle Wide Range Of Green Bills

-- Post-Gazette: 2024 Was Pittsburgh’s Warmest Year On Record, Continuing Trend Of Unprecedented Weather

-- Jan. 3 Take Five Fridays With Pam, PA Parks & Forests Foundation  [PaEN] 

-- Centre Daily Times: Mifflin County Bike Shop Expanding To State College

6th Oil/Natural Gas Spike: True Energy Independence Means Renewables

[There Is No Limit To What Oil/Natural Gas Industry Can Make You Pay]

-- Reuters: US Winter Storms Could Cause Power Outages, Cut Natural Gas Supplies 

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $3.06   Ohio- $3.15    PA- $3.26

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs Same As Last Week - 15; Aug. 23 Was 21

PA Politics - Everything Is Connected

-- Observer-Reporter: Western PA Residents Played Large Role In Assault On US Capitol

-- WESA: Democratic Rep. Gergely Hospitalized Before Return Of Closely Divided House Adding Uncertainty

-- TribLive: Devastation, Relief Among Emotions In US Steel Sale After Biden’s Block

-- Post-Gazette: Biden’s Rejection Of US Steel’s Sale To Nippon Sends Shockwaves Through Pittsburgh And Beyond

-- Post-Gazette: How Politicians From Western PA And Beyond Reacted To Blocking Sale Of US Steel

-- TribLive: US Steel, Nippon Say Biden’s Decision To Block Sale Was ‘Political’

-- Post-Gazette Brandon McGinley: Blocking Nippon And The False Promise Of Post-Industrial Pittsburgh

-- TribLive Editorial: What Does Biden’s Block Mean For US Steel?

-- PA Capital-Star: Ex-State Trooper Charged With Taking Kickbacks In His Role With PA Skill Gambling Games Company

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: What The State’s Independent Colleges And Universities Bring - By Assn. Of Independent Colleges And Universities of PA

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[Posted: January 4, 2025]  PA Environment Digest

​​Stroud Water Research Center ‘Cut The Salt’ Citizen Science Project Invites You To Test Your Nearby Stream For Salt

Over the past 50 years, the use of road salt during winter has dramatically increased, impacting our streams, lakes, and rivers year-round, according to the Stroud Water Research Center..

It’s time to Cut the Salt. 

While road salt manages winter road conditions, it can have serious unintended consequences. 

High concentrations of salt disrupt aquatic life, damage plant growth, harm community infrastructure, and lead to the contamination of local waterways all year. 

You can make a difference by testing your local waterway! Order a free Freshwater Test Kit to measure salt levels and learn about the impacts of winter salt. Your data will help us better understand the problem and educate our communities.

Tag Stroud Water Research Center on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and share  your testing experience with the Stroud Center community using #cutthesalt.

Click Here to request your free water test kit.

For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the Stroud Water Research Center website, Click Here to subscribe to UpStream.  Click Here to subscribe to Stroud’s Educator newsletter.  Click Here to become a Friend Of Stroud Research,  Like them on Facebook, Follow on Twitter and visit their YouTube Channel.

The Chester County-based Stroud Center seeks to advance knowledge and stewardship of freshwater systems through global research, education, and watershed restoration.

Upcoming Events:

-- PA Organization For Watersheds & Rivers Hosts Jan. 16 Webinar On Winter Salting and Local Waterway Impacts: Opportunities To Work For Change  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Extension Hosts Jan. 29 Webinar On Ice Melter Impacts And Reduction Strategy  [PaEN] 

Resource Link:

-- Pike Conservation District: Sliding Into Winter! One 12 Ounce Mug Of Salt Is All You Need To Prevent Ice From Forming On A 20 Foot Driveway  [PaEN]

Related Articles:

-- PA Interfaith Power & Light Accepting Requests For Free Native Trees From Anywhere In PA  [PaEN]  

-- Pike Conservation District: Funding Available To Farmers Through Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program  [Check With Your County Conservation District] 

-- DEP Invites Groups To Submit Data Related To Stream Redesignation Evaluations Of 66 Wild Trout Streams In Berks, Blair, Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Columbia, Crawford, Cumberland, Elk, Erie, Franklin, Indiana, Jefferson, Lebanon, McKean, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Tioga, Venango Counties

-- DEP Extends Comment Deadline On Draft Guidance On Community Water Systems Design Standards To March 3

-- DEP Publishes Examination Schedule For Sewage Enforcement Officers

-- Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professionals: Level 1 Certification Training Registration Now Open  [PaEN]

-- Brodhead Watershed Association Water At Risk - Counting Our Blessings - By Carol Hillestad for Brodhead Watershed Association, Monroe County  [PaEN]

-- Brodhead Watershed Association: Protecting Clean Water Together - Become A Master Watershed Steward - By Carol Hillestad for Brodhead Watershed Association, Monroe County   [PaEN[]  

NewsClips:

-- Post-Gazette: Congress Passes Water Resources Bill That Could Mean Millions For Western PA: Abandoned Mine Cleanup, Environmental Infrastructure 

-- Scranton Times: Dolph Mine Fire Extinguished In Olyphant, Reclamation Work Underway In Lackawanna County 

-- Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Bipartisan Bill Signed Into Law To Extend Federal Chesapeake Bay Restoration Programs

-- Pike Conservation District: 2024 Water Quality Data Report Now Available

-- Pike Conservation District: From Source To Sink - Groundwater Education Workshop Series Starts Jan. 13

-- Pike Conservation District: Pike/Wayne Counties Contractor’s Workshop Feb. 11

-- Herald-Standard: Independence Conservancy On A Mission To Improve The Environment In Western PA 

-- HiddenCityPhiladelphia: Watershed Restoration Efforts Aim To Manage Stormwater

-- York Dispatch: Group Petitions FERC To Reconsider Permit For Susquehanna River Pump Storage Hydroelectric Facility In York County 

-- Tribune-Democrat: Officials Working To Track Down Source Of Fuel Spill In Somerset County

-- Lock Haven Express: Alternate Stream Water Testing Method Detects Emerging Contaminants, Penn State Extension

[Posted: January 4, 2025]  PA Environment Digest