PA Environment Digest Blog

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Thomas M. Gerusky, Former Director Bureau Of Radiation Protection Passes

Former Director of the DER Bureau of Radiation Protection Tom Gerusky passed away this week at the age of 74.
As Director of that Bureau Tom helped direct the Commonwealth's response to the March 1979 accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant and then the following cleanup of the damaged Unit 1 reactor.
He remembered the events surrounding the accident at TMI in a special column developed for the 20th anniversary.
Tom also provided national leadership in developing programs to detect and deal with the health hazards in homes, businesses and schools from naturally-occurring radon gas.
In 1984 radon was a relatively unknown threat to public health, but monitoring at a Pennsylvania power plant lead to its discovery in homes all across the state. In this article, Tom outlines how the problem was discovered and Pennsylvania's response.
Click here to read published obituary.

Tuesday NewsClips

Dimock, PA - Dark Side Of A Natural Gas Boom
Millions In U.S. Drink Dirty Water, Records Show
Crackdown On Greenhouse Emissions To Hit PA Hard
Copenhagen Summit Is Destination For Pittsburgh Lawyers
Op-Ed: Forests A Part Of Climate Fix
PJM Plays Essential, Controversial Role In Electricity Pricing
DEP Fines Chesapeake Appalachia, Schlumberger For Drilling Acid Spill
DEP Fines Chesapeake Appalachia For Acid Spill
A Trash Coal-lection Tradition
Harrisburg Incinerator Gets Some Good Ink
Harrisburg Incinerator Debt Complicates City Budget
Grant To Support Penn State Research On Climate, Infectious Disease
Geisinger To Install A New Generator And Boiler

Monday, December 7, 2009

Federal Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Bill Will Generate Millions In Revenue For PA Farms

A new analysis of the nutrient trading program contained in the proposed federal Chesapeake Clean Water Act-- HR 3852/S 1816-- has determined that Pennsylvania farmers could be paid as much as $117 million annually to reduce nitrogen pollution, creating jobs and bolstering the agricultural economy.
The analysis by the World Resources Institute, an international leader in market based environmental programs, found that water quality trading could potentially double conservation funding compared to what is currently available in the federal Farm Bill.
"The Chesapeake Clean Water Act puts farmers squarely in the driver's seat – directing significant public and private market dollars to farmers to address the problems," said Chesapeake Bay Foundation President Will Baker. "Even without this legislation, pollution from all sources including agriculture, local communities and future growth, will have to be reduced."
Farmers could be paid for adopting conservation practices that will strengthen their ability to produce over the long-term; for example, by planting cover crops that will help keep top soil in its place.
Water quality trading for nutrients, or "nutrient trading," makes it possible to achieve reductions efficiently and cost-effectively, and offers a new revenue source for those able to sell "nutrient credits."
The trading program works like this: once a farm has met and exceeded environmental requirements, the farmer is eligible to sell credits for additional pollution reduction.
Reducing pollution from agriculture is more cost effective than from other sources, so farmers will be able to sell the credits, for example to a municipality, for significantly less than that local government would pay to reduce a pound of pollution from stormwater.
This means that an urban center in Maryland or Virginia could fund conservation efforts on Pennsylvania farms that improve local streams that drain to the Chesapeake Bay.
With the proper safeguards, pollution trading can accelerate the reduction of pollutants that degrade many local streams and the Chesapeake Bay. It can save taxpayer money and provide vital income to farmers while dramatically reducing water quality pollution locally and regionally.
"WRI works to identify cost-effective ways to achieve environmental goals, and our analysis supports the concept that there is a significant market for nutrient trading in the region," said WRI President Jonathan Lash.
"The creation of a market for nutrient reductions would allow farmers to earn a reasonable return for making choices that benefit the Bay and its millions of users."
Because there is no significant interstate nutrient trading underway today, the WRI analysis looked at the current Pennsylvania market for credits, and then assessed the impact of increasing demand as a result of growth and the need for municipalities to reduce pollution from stormwater runoff -- the most expensive source of pollution to control.
The results showed that in today's market in Pennsylvania, approximately $18 million in annual revenue could be available. After pollution caps are put in place in 2010, the WRI analysis estimates demand driven by the need to reduce stormwater pollution and growth across the watershed could generate as much as $117 million annually for Pennsylvania farmers.
Congress is now considering the Chesapeake Clean Water Act, which proposes an inter-state trading program, complementing Pennsylvania's ongoing program, to reduce pollution through the marketplace. The bill also includes no less than $96 million, and possibly substantially more, for technical assistance to farmers, as well as $75 million for a new "Stewardship Grants" program to fund pollution reduction activities, and $1.5 billion to help local governments reduce stormwater runoff.
"We all are responsible for the Bay's poor condition, and we all must take responsibility for its revival – including farmers, local communities and future residents. This legislation has the provisions to ensure we have profitable farms and a restored Chesapeake Bay, because we believe you can't have one without the other." said Matt Ehrhart, Pennsylvania executive director for CBF. "In fact, the Chesapeake Clean Water Act will hold the federal government and states responsible for providing agriculture with the resources that have been insufficient and sporadic over the past twenty years."
"The technical assistance the proposed legislation will provide is critical, and has been lacking for many years," said Chesapeake Bay Commission Executive Director Ann Swanson. "This bill will provide funding for state and local governments, colleges, soil conservation districts and others to advise and assist farmers in developing and maintaining conservation practices."
The Chesapeake Clean Water Act sets scientifically-based standards for pollution reduction from local governments, sewage treatment plants, industries, farms, and others. It gives the states flexibility in how to reach these goals, while providing tools to help reach them. Click here for a copy of the WRI report.

State Forest, Parks Award Nominations Due

Celebrate the importance of parks and forests by nominating a park, forest, or friends group that you think represents the best of the best!
The PA Parks and Forests Foundation established an awards program in 2007 to recognize the outstanding service, programs and exemplary work being done at state parks and forests. Award Nominations are due by December 11.
Award Categories
Keystone Legacy Award: This is the top honor, given to a group, individual, or business-chosen at the discretion of PPFF.
President's Award: This award recognizes outstanding citizens or businesses who have made an impact in protecting opens space, conservation, outdoor recreation or volunteerism.
Government Award: This is given to a person or department at any level of government to recognize their work in the stewardship of Pennsylvania's state park and forest system.
Park of the Year: This award is designed to recognize a park for their exemplary or innovative work in any or all of the following: customer service; education; programming or recreation; stewardship of the natural, cultural, or historic assets; and/or accommodation of special needs of visitors.
Forest of the Year: This award is designed to recognize a forest district for its innovative and exemplary work in both forest management and recreation for a wide range of activities.
Friends Group Awards: Three awards are given for recognition of achievements made by friends groups. These include awards for volunteerism, improvement, and education.
We are especially looking for nominations for the Keystone Legacy and Government award. If you have someone you would like to nominate, or have a suggestion for a nomination, please visit the PPFF website or contact PPFF President Marci Mowery at (717) 236-7644 or mmowery-ppff@pa.net.

Monday NewsClips

Lawmakers Hope To Revive Bill To Ease Impact Of Electric Rate Cap Expiration
Electricity Costs To Increase Sharply When Rate Caps Expire
Why Your Electric Bill Will Shoot Up In 25 Days
PPL Smart, Lucky In Recovering Stranded Costs
Before Climate Meeting, A Revival Of Skepticism
Chesapeake Bay Restoration One Stream At A Time – Lititz Run
National Aviary Expansion Reduced By Half
Dec. 15 Chesapeake Bay Forum In Harrisburg
Help Wanted: WPCAMR Regional Coordinator
Deregulation Means PPL Customers Must Pick Power Providers
Pike Changes Recycling Program
Northampton Restores Environmental Coordinator To Budget
Easton Workshop Focus On Water Conservation, Urban Gardens
Pressure Mounts On Delaware Dredging
Editorial: Environmental Slope On Gas Drilling Tricky
Natural Gas Industry Asked PA To Skip County Regulators
Upper Delaware Council Asks For Assurances With Gas Well Spills
Solar Panels Cutting Costs In Springfield Twp.
Editorial: Climate Change Work Ahead

Sunday, December 6, 2009

The Nature Conservancy, Blue Source Launch Forest Carbon For Private Landowners

The Nature Conservancy-PA recently launched Working Woodlands, a model forest conservation program that aims to protect forests and fight climate change through an agreement with Blue Source to jointly develop market-based incentives that reward landowners who demonstrate exceptional forest management practices. Click here to watch video.
"Working Woodlands is a new model of conservation that puts the growing market for carbon credits to work as a means to promote high quality forest conservation strategies on private lands," said Dylan Jenkins, the Pennsylvania director of forest conservation for The Nature Conservancy.
Building on the Conservancy and Blue Source’s combined experience with land protection, forest certification and carbon finance, Working Woodlands uses an innovative combination of long-term working forest conservation agreements, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) forest management certification, and carbon market payments to make conservation a more attractive proposition for landowners.
The program is designed to eliminate out-of-pocket, up-front costs for landowners. The Conservancy will provide services for FSC certification, and Blue Source will provide financing for carbon credit development. The resulting offsets will be added to Blue Source’s portfolio and subsequently marketed to companies that have an interest in purchasing forest carbon credits as part of an effort to manage their net greenhouse gas emissions.
"This alliance provides a means for landowners in the U.S. to embrace forest conservation at no up-front cost and enables them to receive timber and carbon revenues as a result of their commitment to improved environmental stewardship," says Blue Source Vice President, Roger Williams. "We see this as an evolution in land conservation and have structured this program to make it easy for landowners to participate."
"There are many forest carbon offsets in existence, but the Working Woodlands model offers very credible offsets because they are tied to FSC certification," said Luke Dillinger, wood procurement forester at Domtar’s Johnsonburg paper mill, an FSC-certified facility and a major market for Pennsylvania forest products. The program offers a unique, market-based mechanism to allow forest landowners to manage for the long-term health of the forest, while maximizing the sustainable revenue stream off of their properties, he said.
The program was developed in Pennsylvania but is designed to spread to other Appalachian states, Jenkins said. “We’re at the forefront of creating a viable, high-quality forest carbon program. Our hope is that over the next two to three years we’ll demonstrate the kind of success that will make others want to adopt our model in their neck of the woods.”
"Working forests are a keystone of The Nature Conservancy's conservation efforts, here in Pennsylvania and around the world, " said Bill Kunze, state director of The Nature Conservancy’s Pennsylvania Chapter. "Harnessing the power of markets in service to the long-term ecological and economic health of our forests can yield so much benefit for both people and nature."
How it Works
-- The Conservancy will offer Working Woodlands to landowners in Pennsylvania who have forests of at least 250 acres in size where FSC certification would significantly advance the conservation goals of long-term forest protection and sustainable forest management.
-- Cooperating with private forest consultants, the Conservancy will develop forest management plans that are certified under the Forest Stewardship Council. These plans will then be coupled with long-term management agreements to protect lands from forest conversion or unsustainable management practices.
-- All forest products produced from Working Woodlands properties will be FSC certified, including conventional solid wood for veneer and timber, as well as low-grade pulp and woody biomass for paper and energy production.
-- Blue Source and the Conservancy will work to ensure that the long-term management agreements are structured such that the resulting increase in forest carbon sequestered on the land can be quantified, verified and sold.
-- Blue Source will work with landowners to finance projects and to market and sell carbon credits generated by long-term forest protection and the improvement in forest conditions that result from FSC management, giving landowners additional financial incentive to manage their forest in a sustainable manner.