Vincent Brisini Named DEP Deputy For Waste, Air and Radiation Management

Vincent Brisini has been named Acting Deputy for Waste, Air and Radiation Management at the Department of Environmental Protection.

Prior to being named to this position, Brisini served as Air Resources Environmental Manager at RRI Energy, Inc. for 11 years and held a similar position at GPU Genco for five years.

In these positions he was responsible for air resources groups from Pennsylvania Electric Company, Metropolitan Edison and Jersey Central Power and Light to support generating assets in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. This included all aspects of air quality management including compliance, technical, regulatory, policy and advocacy.

He also served as Chair of the Electric Power Generation Association.

He served on DEP's Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee for many years and has a Bachlors Degree in Environmental Sciences from Slippery Rock University.

John Stefanko Named DEP Deputy For Mineral Resources

John Stefanko has been named as Acting Deputy Secretary for Mineral Resources Management in the Department of Environmental Protection.
John has been with DEP since 1987. Prior to his appointment he was Executive Assistant to Scott Roberts, the former Deputy Secretary for MRM, until his retirement in December 2010.
His prior service at DEP includes as a Project Designer for the Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation, Division of Acid Mine Drainage Abatement where he performed, assigned or reviewed the engineering designs of department mine reclamation, water supply replacements, mine fire control, subsidence control, abandoned mine lands projects and other associated facilities.
He also served as Chief of the Bureau of Office Services, Division of Contracts, Procurement and Bonding.
John is a native of Portage, Cambria County, PA and holds an Associate Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University, Altoona Campus and Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering Technology from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. He currently resides in Harrisburg, Pa.

Thursday NewsClips

Seven Flood Disaster Recovery Centers Open Wednesday
Editorial: FEMA Is Flooded With Disaster Relief Requests
Local Governments Look For Help Paying For Flood Repairs
Landfill Rules Relaxed To Speed Flood Cleanup
State Waiving Some Garbage Rules To Deal With Flood Debris
Flooding Puts Hurt On Midstate Farmers' Crops
Official: River Gauge Hit Its Limit
Marino Wants A Federal Hearing On Flood
Receding Water Leaves Mosquitoes, Waste, Nastiness Behind
Warning: Test Well Water Before Drinking
Chesapeake Bay Fouled By Susquehanna Flooding
Op-Ed: The Unpredictable Flood Of 2011
Adams County Asks State To Renew Growing Greener
Dallas Twp Signs Agreement On Gas Pipeline
Another Marcellus Conferences In Pittsburgh
Innovation Expo Highlights Marcellus Shale Technology
Beaver County Township Passes Drilling Ordinance
Green Space A Natural Fit At Point Park U.
Op-Ed: Why We Should Protect All Flight 93's Landscape
Click Here for PA Capitol Digest

Seven Flood Recovery Centers Opening Today

The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency opened centers at the following locations:

--Tunkannock Area Administration, 41 Philadelphia Ave., Tunkhannock;

-- Towanda Fire Department, 101 Elm St., Towanda;

-- Luzerne County Community College, 1334 S. Prospect St., Nanticoke;

-- Harrisburg East Mall, 3501 Paxton St., Harrisburg;

-- Lycoming County, 740 Fairfield Road, Montoursville;

-- Columbia County Agricultural Center, 702 Sawmill Road, Bloomsburg; and

-- Loyalsock State Forest District Office, 6735 Route 220, Laporte.

To qualify for aid you MUST FIRST REGISTER WITH FEMA.

You can register by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, or online at the FEMA Disaster Assistance website, or by web-enabled mobile device at m.fema.gov. People who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service call 1-800-621-3362.

FEMA also plans to set up disaster recovery centers in the affected counties where people can go to apply in person. Stay tuned to local media for location announcements.

The following information will be required to register: Social Security Number; Address of damaged property; Description of damage; Insurance information; Contact information; Mailing address; Bank account and routing numbers (if you want direct deposit); and Household income information.

After you complete the application for assistance, you will receive a FEMA application number. Keep your FEMA number for future reference and for checking the status of you application.

DEP Acts To Expedite Processing, Disposal Of Flood, Storm Debris

Department of Environmental Protection announced Wednesday it has taken multiple steps to expedite the cleanup of flood and storm-related debris.

The requirement for a waste hauler to display an authorized Act 90 sticker on the hauling vehicle has been temporarily waived statewide to allow facility operators to accept flood and storm debris waste from vehicles without Act 90 authorizations. Act 90 requirements are still in effect for vehicles hauling other municipal or residual waste.

“One of our top priorities is to properly remove and dispose of the debris left behind in our communities by the recent flooding and storms,” DEP Secretary Mike Krancer said. “Our staff is working to ensure that this can happen as swiftly and efficiently as possible through waiving Act 90 requirements, waiving state tipping fees, extending operational hours at waste management facilities, authorizing waste staging areas and increasing the daily volume of waste that these facilities can receive.”

The waivers will be effective for the 90-day duration of the Proclamation of Emergency Gov. Corbett declared August 26.

At the request of a municipal waste processing or disposal facility, including landfills, resource recovery facilities and transfer facilities, DEP may temporarily authorize the extension of operating hours and increases to daily volume of waste that may be received, processed or disposed of at the facility to expedite the disposal of flood- and storm-related debris.

To reduce the financial burden on home owners and municipalities during this disaster recovery period, DEP has waived the commonwealth tipping fees associated with the processing or disposal of flood- and storm-related debris.

For all other municipal or residual waste that is received, processed or disposed of at the facility, these fees continue to apply, as do the facility’s and host municipality’s fees.

DEP suggests that items such as propane tanks, refrigerators, heating oil tanks, electronic equipment, tires, gasoline or paints be separated and stored in a safe, dry location where practical for separate collection in the future. This will allow haulers to remove the most problematic flood-soaked debris and waste.

At the request of a municipality or a waste facility operator, DEP may also approve temporary waste aggregation and staging areas to allow waste to be accumulated and consolidated for transportation to waste transfer and disposal facilities. This will allow municipalities and haulers to concentrate efforts toward the removal of the most problematic flood-soaked debris and waste.

Facility operators may accept flood- and storm-related debris from counties that have not designated that processing or disposal facility in their County Plan. Facility owners and operators are encouraged to coordinate their proposed emergency response action with their host municipality and county.

Records must be maintained by the facility operator, including the amount of flood- and storm-related debris accepted and the difference between the flood and storm debris compared with other wastes that the facility accepts. Operators should continue to report wastes other than flood and storm debris in the usual manner.

Wednesday NewsClips

27 PA Counties Cleared For U.S. Disaster Aid
Here's How To Ask FEMA For Flood Help
More Budget Cuts As State Pays 25% Share Of Federal Disaster Aid
PA Reports Thousands Of Flood-Damaged Buildings
Years Of Development Contributed To Record Swatara Creek Flooding
Penn State Extension Resources On Flooding
Flood Waste Lands In Landfills, Salvage Yards
Storm Damage To Delaware Canal To Cost $1 Million+
Biden Will Visit West Pittston On Friday
Proposed Shell Natural Gas Refinery Could Create 17,000 Jobs
Judge To Rule On Peters Twp. Drilling Referendum
Lawsuit Pits Peters Against Taxpayers On Drilling Referendum
Lawmakers Eye Options To Battle Illegal Dumping
Panel Weighing Mandatory Trash Collection In PA
Ligonier OKs Mine Reclamation Project
Rain Gardens Grow As Smarter Way To Circulate Water
Wind Power Coming To Lycoming County
Point Park Unveils Its Village Green
Eleanor Morris, Pioneering Conservationist, Passes
Click Here for PA Capitol Digest

How To Obtain Federal Flood Damage Assistance

Residents and business owners in the 27 counties designated as a Federal Disaster Area can apply for federal assistance to recover from flooding caused by Tropical Storm Lee.

The counties include: Adams, Bradford, Bucks, Chester, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Montour, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Union, Wyoming and York counties.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured or underinsured property losses, and other programs to help people recover from the flooding.

To qualify for aid you MUST FIRST REGISTER WITH FEMA.

You can register by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, or online at the FEMA Disaster Assistance website, or by web-enabled mobile device at m.fema.gov. People who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service call 1-800-621-3362.

FEMA also plans to set up disaster recovery centers in the affected counties where people can go to apply in person. Stay tuned to local media for location announcements.

The following information will be required to register: Social Security Number; Address of damaged property; Description of damage; Insurance information; Contact information; Mailing address; Bank account and routing numbers (if you want direct deposit); and Household income information.

After you complete the application for assistance, you will receive a FEMA application number. Keep your FEMA number for future reference and for checking the status of you application.

Tuesday NewsClips

Corbett Appoints Central PA Flood Cleanup Task Force
5,400 Homes, Businesses Damaged In Flood In NE PA
Feds, State Tackling Flooding Woes
Flood's Toxic Threat Looms
USGS: Flood Gauge Functioned Properly
Editorial: Fix System For River Crest Projections
Op-Ed: Harrisburg's Early Flood-Damage Estimates Sobering
Can PA's State Forests Survive Additional Marcellus Drilling?
Gas Pipeline Firm Pulls Utility Application
State, Not Feds Should Regulate Marcellus Shale Drilling
Peters Council Heads To Court To Block Shale Referendum
Export Company Reaps Benefits Of Natural Gas Development
Ohio Hoping To Learn From PA's Fracking Mistakes
West Virginia Lawmakers Resume Work On Marcellus Rules
EPA Officials Inspect 62 Lancaster County Farms
Allegheny County To Seek Bids To Revise Air Pollution Codes
Duquesne Light Aims At Cutting Air Conditioner Use
Penn State Climate Prof Wins Heinz Award
Chester County Conservationist Eleanor Morris Passes
Flight 93 Heroes Finally Laid To Rest
Click Here for PA Capitol Digest

Coldwater Heritage Partnership Now Accepting 2012 Grant Applications

The Coldwater Heritage Partnership Monday announced the opening of the 2012 Coldwater Conservation Grants Program. The program provides two grant opportunities, which help to protect and conserve the health of Pennsylvania’s coldwater ecosystems.

Applications for grants will be accepted through December 16.

The two grant opportunities are:

-- Planning Grant: designed to help develop a conservation plan that identifies the values and threats that impact the health of our coldwater ecosystems that have naturally reproducing trout. The collected information can be used as a catalyst for more comprehensive planning or for development of watershed improvements projects.

-- Implementation Grant: designed to provide funding to projects identified in completed coldwater conservation plans. Potential projects must enhance, conserve or protect the coldwater stream for which the coldwater conservation plan was originally completed.

The Coldwater Heritage Partnership urges watershed groups, conservation districts, municipalities and local chapters of Trout Unlimited to apply.

The Coldwater Heritage Partnership provides technical assistance and funding support for the evaluation, conservation and protection of Pennsylvania’s coldwater streams. Grants averaging around $7,000, will beawarded to organizations to outline strategies and complete implementation projects that best conserve and protect our coldwater fisheries.

Besides offering grants, CHP works to: foster greater public understanding of watershed characteristics and how they affect coldwater ecosystems; identify special areas of concern, such as areas with exceptional water quality and high potential for impacts; and provide technical assistance and financial opportunities to organizations dedicated to protecting our coldwater ecosystems.

The CHP is a cooperative effort of PA Council of Trout Unlimited, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Fish and Boat Commission and the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds.

For more information, contact PATU Coldwater Resource Specialist Samantha Kutskel at 814-359-5233, or visit the Coldwater Heritage Partnership website.