The Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania extended the deadline for nominations for the 2013 Waste Watcher Awards until June 14. The awards recognize recycling, waste reduction, reuse and composting programs in the Commonwealth.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Wednesday NewsClips
House Republican Leadership will introduce a $28.3 billion state budget bill Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. in the Capitol Media Center. The event will be streamed live online.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
DEP Considers Expansion Of The Current Lake Erie Coastal Zone, Listening Meetings Set
The Department of Environmental Protection is considering an expansion of the current Lake Erie coastal zone to a larger, watershed-based area to encompass all Pennsylvania watersheds that flow into Lake Erie.
This June, DEP will seek public input on the proposed expansion during several public listening sessions in the Lake Erie watershed.
There are three listening sessions scheduled: June 18 at 9 a.m. in the Springboro Community Center, June 18 at 6:30 p.m. in the Girard Township Building, and June 19 at 3:00 p.m. in the Blasco Library in Erie.
“Expanding Lake Erie’s coastal zone would create new opportunities for grant-funded improvements in the Lake Erie watershed,” DEP Northwest Regional Director Kelly Burch said. “We are pleased to offer an opportunity for residents to comment on this important proposal.”
In 2011, the local Lake Erie Advisory Committee asked DEP’s Coastal Resources Management Program to study and consider an expanded watershed boundary. Since then, CRMP has been weighing the possibility of expanding the coastal zone.
Expansion of the coastal zone would allow grant funds to be used throughout the Lake Erie watershed. Currently, grant funds are restricted to smaller areas along the coastline and used for minor construction projects like fishing access areas, or for planning, research, public education and restoration projects.
The CRMP serves to protect and manage Pennsylvania’s two established coastal areas along Lake Erie and the Delaware Estuary. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration provides federal funding to the program under the Coastal Zone Management Act. The CRMP offers grant funding opportunities to Pennsylvania’s coastal communities to manage coastal resources and balance economic development with resource protection and conservation.
For more information, visit DEP’s Coastal Zone Management Program webpage.
York County Homeschool Wins 30th Pennsylvania Envirothon
The 30th annual Pennsylvania State Envirothon champions, scoring 550.67 points of a possible 600, are from the York County Homeschool located in York County. The York County team earned the honor to represent Pennsylvania at the North American Envirothon.
Rounding out the top 10 winners, with scores are:
Second Place – MMI Preparatory School, Luzerne County, with a score of 550.33;
Third Place – Penncrest High School, Delaware County, with a score of 543;
Fourth Place – Palmyra Area High School, Lebanon County, with a score of 498.67;
Fifth Place – Carmichaels Area High School, Greene County, with a score of 494.67;
Sixth Place – Sugar Valley Rural Charter School, Clinton County, with a score of 472;
Seventh Place – United Jr. Sr. High School, Indiana County, with a score of 470.67;
Eighth Place – Oley Valley High School, Berks County, with a score of 454.33;
Ninth Place – Redbank Valley High School, Clarion County, with a score of 453.33;
Tenth Place – Parkland High School, Lehigh County, with a score of 452.67.
The PA Envirothon awarded scholarships to the first, second, and third place teams. The scholarships were sponsored by Pennsylvania’s County Conservation Districts and PA Envirothon. Each of the top ten teams received a plaque and other prizes.
Top 10 Oral Component winners, with scores include:
First Place – General McLane High School, Erie County, with a score of 97.33;
Second Place – Palmyra Area High School, Lebanon County, with a score of 96.67;
Third Place – York Homeschool, York County, with a score of 96.67;
Fourth Place – MMI Preparatory School, Luzerne County, with a score of 92.33;
Fifth Place – Penncrest High School, Delaware County, with a score of 92;
Sixth Place – Carmichaels Area High School, Greene County, with a score of 90.67;
Seventh Place – Cumberland Valley High School, Cumberland County, with a score of 89.67;
Eighth Place – Oley Valley High School, Berks County, with a score of 89.33;
Ninth Place – Central Columbia High School, Columbia County, with a score of 88.67;
Tenth Place – Warren Area High School, Warren County, with a score of 88.33.
The PA Envirothon was held at Juniata College on May 21 and 22. High school students from 61 Pennsylvania counties participated in this year’s event.
At the Envirothon, five-member teams participate in a series of field-oriented tests that focus on five topic areas – soils and land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife, and environmental issues.
The 2013 current environmental issue focused on Grazing and Pastureland Management. The teams also prepare and deliver oral presentations to panels of judges who evaluate each team on its problem-solving capabilities, oral presentation skills and recommendations to help solve the specific environmental challenge, which relates to the current environmental issue.
Teams participating represent the best and the brightest of the thousands of high school teens who have competed in county Envirothon competitions sponsored by conservation districts across the state.
At the state level, the Envirothon is sponsored by Pennsylvania’s sixty-six conservation districts, the State Conservation Commission, and the PA Association of Conservation Districts. The program is managed by a board of directors representing those sponsors.
Technical expertise is provided by the following agency partners: Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Game Commission, Fish and Boat Commission, and the U.S.D.A. Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Sponsors of the 2013 Envirothon are PPL Corporation, Marcellus Shale Coalition, Shell Oil Co., Air Products Foundation, Bayer HealthCare, North American Envirothon, Department of Environmental Protection Office Environmental Education, PA Association of Conservation Districts, and State Conservation Commission.
The Hershey Company, Dwight Lewis Lumber, Lewis Lumber Products, PPL, and Cargill are “corporate station sponsors.”
The 2013 PA Envirothon champions will represent the Commonwealth at the 26th North American Envirothon competition planned for August 4–10 at Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana.
Pennsylvania has won the North American event in 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2009.
More than 45 states, eight Canadian provinces, and one Canadian territory have initiated Envirothon contests based on the program that was originally developed by Pennsylvania’s conservation districts.
For more information on the Envirothon program, contact your county conservation district or contact the Pennsylvania Envirothon by phone 814-623-7900 ext. 111, send email to: paenvirothon@pennswoods.net, or visit the PA Envirothon website.
Tuesday NewsClips
Monday, May 27, 2013
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Sunday NewsClips
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Saturday NewsClips
DEP’s Fracking Record-Keeping Blocks Transparency
DCNR To Hold Meeting On Possible Drilling In Loyalsock
DCNR To Hold Meeting On Possible Drilling In Loyalsock
Click Here for PA Capitol Digest NewsClips
Friday, May 24, 2013
May 27 PA Environment Digest Now Available
DEP Secretary: We Must Do A Better Job Communicating, Engaging Stakeholders
In a frank and open conversation this week at DEP’s Citizens Advisory Council, interim DEP Secretary Chris Abruzzo said his agency must do a much better job communicating with the public and engaging with all agency stakeholders saying, “we are sometimes our own worst enemy.”
Abruzzo said his agency in the past has been defensive about the work being done and he takes seriously the need to improve communication with the public and change how DEP has engaged with stakeholders.
Abruzzo noted he has already reached out to key partners and stakeholders like John Arway, Executive Director of the Fish and Boat Commission, local officials on onlot septic system review and Shawn Garvin, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region III Administrator.
He specifically cited the agency’s Marcellus Shale regulatory program describing the agency’s attitude in the past as “overly defensive.” He said the agency is doing good work and DEP has nothing to hide, but “we must do a better job communicating what we’re doing.”
“We have very high expectations on industry compliance (with environmental regulations), Abruzzo said, “Where good actors seek to be in compliance, we will help bring them into compliance. Where bad actors intentionally circumvent law or regulation, we will come down hard on those who don’t comply.”
Since coming to DEP six weeks ago from his position as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor, Abruzzo said he has been impressed with the caliber of the programs and the professionalism of the people at DEP.
He noted as a township supervisor himself, he has been on the “good side” and the “not so good side” of DEP’s involvement in local issues.
Abruzzo also made a personal commitment to Council to do everything he could to attend every one of their meetings and said he valued Council’s input on issues facing the Department.
In response to questions on specific issues, Abruzzo said--
-- Agency Budget: He understands well, from his position in the Governor’s Office, about how Cabinet Secretaries lobby for increases in budget and staff. He said DEP staff have been making the case for changes to him directly since he’s been there. He noted DEP has been particularly hard hit by reductions in the past. [Note: The Rendell Administration cut $1.4 billion in environmental funding and nearly 20 percent of DEP’s staff and left an 11,000 permit review backlog.]
-- Lower Susquehanna River Impairment: Shortly after he came to DEP, Abruzzo said he reached out to John Arway at the Fish and Boat Commission to see how the agencies and their technical staffs could work together to identify the specific causes for the die-off of smallmouth bass in the Lower Susquehanna and the issue of designating the area as impaired.
The result of that contact was to form a focused group of staff from both agencies to work specifically on that issue and he welcomed the Commission’s participation in the effort.
He said the rhetoric going back and forth between the two agencies over the last few months has not been productive when there are real problems to solve.
He said he did not want studies of this problem to go on forever, but there were scientific questions about the specific causes of the problem. The last thing, he said, any agency would want to do is impose restrictions that would have no impact on the problem.
-- Onlot Anti-degradation Rules: Addressing the controversy over proposed changes to onlot septic system module review requirements to incorporate anti-degradation reviews in High Quality and Exceptional Value watersheds, Abruzzo said DEP preferred a legislative fix to the problem. He said DEP has provided language incorporated into House Bill 1325 (Maloney-R-Berks) and Senate Bill 946 (Baker-R-Luzerne) which would address the issue.
He said if the General Assembly does not act, DEP will take the comments it received on the proposed regulation during an extended comment period ending June 3, develop final language and then put that language out for additional public review.
He also said he directed agency staff to meet with local and county officials in the areas most affected by the change to sort “fact from fiction” about the proposal so everyone had the same understanding.
He noted there is no substitute for this personal approach to issues.
-- Appointing a Secretary: Abruzzo said he did not know when the final decision on a new Secretary for DEP would be made or whether he or someone else would fill that position.
Click Here for more background on Acting Secretary Abruzzo.
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)