PA Resources Council Hosts In-Person, Virtual Workshops On Backyard Composting In November

The PA Resources Council will host two workshops on the benefits of backyard composting in November, one in-person in Pittsburgh and one online.

The workshops will be held--

-- November 2: In-Person at PRC’s education center in Pittsburgh’s Northside, 828 W. North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15233 starting at 6:00 p.m.

-- November 16: Webinar starting at 6:00 p.m.

Creating well-balanced compost is very easy in the fall,” according to PRC Environmental Education Coordinator Emily Stein.  “As trees shed leaves there’s an abundance of both decaying and fresh leaves, which each add value to compost.”

In addition to leaves, pinecones and straw can be placed in the compost bin along with vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grounds, eggshells and other plant-based material, explains Stein.

“Anything that used to be alive and no longer is will break down and decompose,” she says. “Only certain things should go in a backyard bin because we don’t want to attract rodents or create odor problems, which is why we encourage people to take our class before establishing a compost system at home.”

Click Here to register and for more information.

For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the PA Resources Council website.  Click Here to sign up for regular updates, follow PRC on Twitter or Like them on Facebook.  Click Here for PRC’s Events Calendar.  Click Here to support their work.

PRC is Pennsylvania’s oldest grassroots environmental organization founded in 1939.  PRC has worked to protect resources for future generations through environmental education, recycling, waste diversion programs, anti-litter campaigns, watershed and other initiatives. 

[Posted: October 31, 2022]  PA Environment Digest

Independent Fiscal Office Estimates CY 2022 Drilling Impact Fee Will Generate Record $274.8 Million In Revenue At Lowest Tax Rate On Record

On October 31, the Independent Fiscal Office estimated the Calendar Year 2022 Act 13 Drilling Impact fee will generate a record $274.8 million in revenue at the lowest effective tax rate on record-- 0.7 percent.

CY 2022 revenue is a $40.4 million increase over CY 2021-- 17.2 percent.

The IFO said the reason for record revenues is due to the spike in natural gas prices in 2022 that results in a higher per well fee under the fee formula in Act 13 of 2012 as well as an increase in the number of new producing wells.

For CY 2022, the ETR is projected to decline to 0.7 percent. This reduction is due to a notable increase in the market value of natural gas that more than offsets the increase in estimated impact fee collections. 

Market value is projected to increase by 126% from the prior year, the strongest growth since the inception of the impact fee. This is entirely due to price increases, as statewide production growth for CY 2022 is projected to remain flat.

Click Here for a copy of the IFO fee report.

Related Articles:

-- TribLive: Homeowners Brace For Winter As Prices To Heat Homes Skyrocket, Biggest Spike Is For Natural Gas - More Than 34% Increase

-- PA PUC: Cost Of Natural Gas Provided By Major Utilities In PA Increased As Much As 154% Over Last Year [PaEN]

-- National Fuel Gas Requests PUC To Approve 9.2% Increase In Base Delivery Charge; Separate Cost Of Gas Up 127.8% Since May 2021 [PaEN]

-- PUC Approves 9% Increase In The Basic Monthly Bill For Typical PECO Natural Gas Division Customers; On Top Of An 103.2% Increase In Cost Of Natural Gas [PaEN]

-- PA Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Will Accept Applications Starting Nov. 1 [PaEN]

[Posted: October 31, 2022]  PA Environment Digest

PA Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Will Accept Applications Starting Nov. 1

On October 31, the Department of Human Services and Public Utility Commission announced the start of the annual Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) application process for the 2022-23 season-- from November 1, 2022, to April 28, 2023.

LIHEAP is a federally funded program administered by DHS that provides assistance for home heating bills so Pennsylvanians with low incomes can stay warm and safe during the winter months. Assistance is available for renters and homeowners. 

LIHEAP is distributed directly to a household’s utility company or home heating fuel provider in the form of a grant, so the individual or households do not have to repay assistance. 

While last season’s LIHEAP benefits were supplemented by additional American Rescue Plan dollars, this season’s benefits will return to more traditional amounts. 

The minimum LIHEAP cash grant is $300 and the maximum cash grant is $1,000. 

Those who need the LIHEAP crisis grant – the benefit for people who meet the poverty limits and are in jeopardy of having their heating utility service terminated, have already had their heating utility service terminated, or who are out of or have less than two weeks’ worth of deliverable fuel, such as fuel oil, propane, coal, or wood – will be eligible for a maximum of $1,000.  

The income limit for the program is 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Limit. For an individual, that is a gross income of $20,385 per year, and for a family of four, that is a gross income of $41,625 per year. 

Pennsylvanians do not need to know their own eligibility in order to apply for these programs. Those who have applied and were denied previously but have experienced a change in circumstances can reapply. 

Pennsylvanians can apply for LIHEAP and other public assistance programs online at www.compass.state.pa.us  or by phone at 1-866-550-4355. 

On-site County Assistance Office services are available if clients cannot access online services or need assistance that cannot be accessed through the COMPASS website, the myCOMPASS PA mobile app, or by calling the Customer Service Centers at 215-560-7226 for Philadelphia clients or 1-877-395-8930 for clients in all other counties. 

For helpful tips on keeping warm throughout the winter while saving money on utility costs, visit www.energysavers.gov.   

Visit the PUC’s PAGasSwitch and PAElectricSwitch websites to learn how you can shop for a competitive natural gas supplier.

Visit the PUC’s Utility Assistance Programs for information on programs available to help customers manage paying utility bills.

Related Articles:

-- TribLive: Homeowners Brace For Winter As Prices To Heat Homes Skyrocket, Biggest Spike Is For Natural Gas - More Than 34% Increase

-- PA PUC: Cost Of Natural Gas Provided By Major Utilities In PA Increased As Much As 154% Over Last Year [PaEN]

-- National Fuel Gas Requests PUC To Approve 9.2% Increase In Base Delivery Charge; Separate Cost Of Gas Up 127.8% Since May 2021 [PaEN]

-- PUC Approves 9% Increase In The Basic Monthly Bill For Typical PECO Natural Gas Division Customers; On Top Of An 103.2% Increase In Cost Of Natural Gas [PaEN]

[Posted: October 31, 2022]  PA Environment Digest

PA Organization For Watersheds & Rivers Hosts Nov. 15 Webinar On Technology & Tips For Volunteer Management

The Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers is hosting a learning webinar-- Technology and Tips for Volunteer Management-- on November 15 at 6:00 p.m. 

Please join your watershed colleagues for a presentation on volunteer management best practices including volunteer engagement methods, best online tools for tracking time and activities, volunteer coordinator job descriptions, and why tracking volunteer participation matters for donors and stakeholders!

This free webinar, presented by staff of Divine and Parker Consulting, will also include plenty of time for conversations and your questions about managing and tracking volunteer engagement.

Click Here to register today to make sure you get the Zoom link. Deadline to register is noon November 14.

Visit POWR’s Events webpage for recordings of past online events and educational sessions.

For more information on programs, initiatives, upcoming events and help available to community-based watershed organizations, visit the PA Organization for Watersheds and Rivers website.  Follow them on Facebook.

[Posted: October 31, 2022]  PA Environment Digest

Monday PA Environment & Energy NewsClips 10.31.22

Are You Telling Your Story?

Senate returns to session November 15 [Adjourn for year]

     -- Committee Schedule

House returns to session November 14, 15, 16 [Adjourn for year]

     -- Committee Schedule

TODAY’s Calendar Of Events 

 

-- October 31 PA Environment Digest Now Available [PaEN]

-- DEP: PA General Energy Cited For More Water Pollution Violations, Blocking The Whole Width Of Loyalsock Creek At Gas Pipeline/Water Withdrawal Construction Site In Lycoming County [PaEN]

 

-- WESA/The Allegheny Front - Reid Frazier: In PA U.S. Senate Race, Fetterman, Dr. Oz Change Views On Fracking, Trying To Match Voters

 

-- A Study Finding Microplastics In 100% Of Exceptional Value, High Quality, Class A Trout Streams Sampled In PA Is Disturbing To Wildlife Advocates  [PaEN]

 

-- Scranton Times/Republican Herald Editorial: Legislators Like Plastics, Expect More  [PaEN]

-- TribLive: Homeowners Brace For Winter As Prices To Heat Homes Skyrocket, Biggest Spike Is For Natural Gas - More Than 34% Increase

-- DHS To Announce PA Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Will Accept Applications Starting Nov. 1

-- Wilkes-Barre Times: Deadline To Apply For Property Tax/Rent Rebate Dec. 31 

-- Guest Essay: Summer Of 2022 Gave Us A Glimpse Into Our Climate Future - PA Should Heed The Warning, Flooding Biggest Threat - By Laura Fowler, Director, Penn State's Sustainability Institute  [PaEN]

-- WESA: Concerned About Daily Air Pollution? Experts Advise Against Looking At Only One Reading

-- TribLive Editorial: The Curious Case Of The Missing Sewer Manhole In Allegheny County

-- WHYY: Philly Sanitation Crews Prep For Mountains Of Trash From Celebrating Phillies Fans

-- Westminster College Student Symposium On The Environment Dec. 1; Student Entries Invited  [PaEN]

-- Reminder! PA Assn. Of Environmental Educators Annual Conference Proposals Due Nov. 11 

-- Nominate Someone Now!  PA Environmental Educators Annual Education Award Nominations Due Dec. 2 

-- Sign Up Now! PA Assn. Environmental Educators Schedule Of Professional Development Workshops

-- York Daily Record: Plant Converting Difficult-To-Recycle Plastic Waste Into New Concrete Additive Opens In York

-- TribLive: Youghiogheny River Cleanup Snags Nearly 700 Tires 

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Ad Crable: Pennsylvania, MD Add Tracts To Old-Growth Forest Network

-- WHYY: Limerick Twp., Montgomery County Proposes Tax Increase To Preserve Land Amid Rise In Development

-- TribLive: Hempfield, Westmoreland County Residents Could Have New Park On Land Bought From Excela Health

-- PennLive: Children’s Lake Drained As $4.3 Million Rebuilding Project Gets Underway In Boiling Springs

-- PennLive - Marcus Schneck: DCNR Set To Flood Tohickon Creek In Bucks County For Whitewater Boaters

-- Warren Times: Meet Audubon Nature Center’s New Birds Of Prey Nov. 5

 

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

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

 

-- Bloomberg: Update On Europe’s Energy Crunch; LNG Supplier Opposes Limits On Natural Gas Prices

 

-- The Economist: Europe’s Energy Crisis Is Very Far From Over, We War Game What Will Happen Next; Will Russia Decide To Wreck Europe’s Natural Gas-Import Infrastructure?

 

American Rescue Plan Funding

 

-- $11 Billion In Federal American Rescue Plan Funding To PA State Government, Local Governments Has Yet To Be Invested.  What’s Your Community Doing?

PA Politics - Everything Is Connected

-- Inquirer: Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano’s Ally Toni Shuppe Has A Plan To ‘Stop The Steal Of 2022,’ It’s Full Of Misinformation

-- LancasterOnline: Election Deniers Have Been Hard At Work, Here’s What They Have Previewed For The Midterm Elections 

-- TribLive/PennLive: ‘We Love Israel More Than Most Jews’: Mrs. Mastriano’s Response Draws Scrutiny

-- TribLive: ‘I’ll Be Much Better, But He Will Still Be A Fraud’: Fetterman Flips Own Health Struggles Against Dr. Oz

-- Spotlight PA: Why Undated Mail-In Ballots Are Such A Big Deal In PA?

-- PA Capital-Star Guest Essay: What’s The Real Cost Of Private Charter School Tuition For Taxpayers In PA?  It’s More Than You Think

-- TribLive: Pittsburgh Mayor Asks For Public’s Help To Get Guns Off Streets After Brighton Heights Shooting

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Pittsburgh Mayor Must Regain Momentum On Violence Prevention

-- Inquirer: 6 People Shot And Wounded Outside Philly Nightclub

-- Inquirer: They Accused Staff At Norristown State Hospital Of Abuse, But Who Would Believe Them?

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[Posted: October 31, 2022]  PA Environment Digest