Here are 79 new stories in the PA Environment Digest about individuals, groups, local governments, farmers, businesses, watershed groups and many more working all across Pennsylvania to restore and protect the environment and show others the beauty that surrounds us.

While PA Environment Digest’s priority is to highlight positive examples of environmental and energy leadership, 2022 is an election year which demands accountability to voters.

PA Environment Digest Is Putting The Best Links To Environment & Energy Articles and NewsClips Here.   Are You Telling Your Story?

A bipartisan group of Senate and House lawmakers, hunters, anglers, farm, environmental, recreation and conservation groups are working hard down to the wire to bring home a win on Growing Greener III funding as part of the next state budget.

On June 21, the Governor's Advisory Council For Hunting, Fishing and Conservation and the Governor's Youth Council for Hunting, Fishing and Conservation sent letters to state lawmakers urging them to support the Growing Greener III Environmental funding allocation from the federal American Rescue Plan.

On June 22, the Chesapeake Bay Program released its modeled estimate of pollution reduced in the Bay states which shows Pennsylvania achieved only 22 percent of nitrogen, 45 percent of sediment and 48 percent of the phosphorus 2025 goal.

Lancaster County Commissioners approved the allocation of $3.4 million in federal American Rescue Plan funding to support local Lancaster Clean Water Partners water quality improvement projects

By Game Commission

By Carolyn Heckman with Russ Collins, Doc Fritchey Chapter TU

This is it!  The week when the state budget gets done!  There’s always lots of mischief afoot, especially late at night, behind closed doors when bad environmental and energy things get added to the Administrative Code and Fiscal Code bills that accompany the budget without warning.

On June 20, House Republicans passed legislation blocking any increase in conventional oil and gas well plugging bonds, exempting pre-1985 wells (which is most of them) from any bonding leaving taxpayers liable for $5.1 billion in cleanup costs.

Residual Waste General Permit WMGR163, mandated by the General Assembly, allows “temporary” oil and gas liquid waste processing, storage and transfer facilities for unconventional oil and gas operations to “pop-up” within 300 feet of dwellings with no advanced public notice was published in the June 25 PA Bulletin as final. (formal notice)

On June 21, the Independent Fiscal Office updated its Act 13 Drilling Impact Fee revenue report saying per well fees collected next year will increase by up to $24.3 million to a new high of $258.7 million due to natural gas price spikes.

The PA Solar Center is inviting residents to sign the Energy Freedom For Pennsylvania Petition to let legislators know that it's finally time for Pennsylvania to diversify our energy market with more renewables that will stabilize electricity prices, protect us from volatile price swings of fossil fuels, and create a more reliable grid.

A New Muhlenberg College Pennsylvania Climate and Energy Survey found 77 percent of Pennsylvanians believe climate change is a serious or very serious problem

The 20th Anniversary of the Quecreek Mine Rescue will be celebrated on July 22 and 23 in Somerset County Mine Rescue Site and at related events, according to the Quecreek Mine Rescue Foundation.

Approaching the midway point of 2022, the Pennsylvania Resources Council announced the Traveling Glass Recycling Bin Collection Program has shattered its recycling record by collecting 420 tons in the first six months of the year.

Now that summer is upon us with more relaxed schedules, grab your cameras and mobile devices and photograph the worst or most unusual examples of litter in your Pennsylvania community.

Every business uses energy, and for many businesses energy consumption is one of their primary, on-going operational costs.

With the cost of natural gas and electricity rising in response to international energy market price spikes, your business can get one-on-one assistance from the Penn State Technical Assistance Program to help reduce energy costs and save money.

The PA Small Business Development Centers can help small businesses identify energy efficiency and energy cost reduction opportunities through free energy efficiency assessments as part of the Environmental Management Assistance Program.

The Penn State Technical Assistance Program will host a July 21 webinar on Financing Energy Improvements To Increase Efficiency and Save Money Within Your Facility from 11:00 a.m. to Noon.

The Southwest PA Energy Efficiency Roundtable and the PA Solar Center will host a July 28 Workshop on Solar Project Planning and Opportunities at the Community College of Allegheny County North Campus, Room 3002, 8701 Perry Highway in Pittsburgh from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.

On June 21, PJM Interconnection announced the successful procurement of resources in its annual capacity auction to meet electricity needs and ensure reliable service for the 2023/2024 Delivery Year.

On June 22, Public Utility Commission Chairman Gladys Brown Dutrieuille has been elected the new President of the Mid-Atlantic Conference of Regulatory Utilities Commissioners (MACRUC) – an organization that includes utility regulators from Delaware, the District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia and West Virginia.

On June 23, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn visited Gifford Pinchot State Park in York County for a park ranger commissioning ceremony honoring 2022 graduates of the department’s ranger trainee academy.

By Kristen Devlin, Penn State News

By Chris Mele for Brodhead Watershed Association, Monroe County

On June 24, Natural Lands announced the permanent preservation of a 15-acre property in Franklin Township, Chester County.

Opportunities to learn more about environmental and energy issues affecting Pennsylvania for students and adults--

On June 24, PA American Water announced the winners of its 20th Annual “Protect Our Watersheds” Student Art Contest, with a sixth-grade student from Cumberland County scoring top honors.

The 2022 Mine Land Reforestation Conference will be held on August 17-18 at the Wingate Hotel in Elkins, West Virginia

Penn State Extension is hosting another in its series of Water Cooler Talks July 27 on Pesticides and Water Pollution from Noon to 1:00 p.m.

The U.S Geological Survey PA Water Science Center, with the Department of Environmental Protection, samples 28 wells biannually to monitor ambient groundwater quality conditions throughout Pennsylvania.

The information you need to follow legislation in the House and Senate- starting with articles and NewsClips from last week--

On June 23, Republicans on the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee reported out House Bill 2331 (Gleim-R-Cumberland) that conflicts with federal MS4 Stormwater Program requirements and could risk $7 million in much needed funding to support DEP’s water quality permitting program.

On June 22, House Republicans passed  House Bill 2649 (Grove-R-York) by a vote of party line 110 to 89 that would amend the Regulatory Review Act to add two more legislative appointments by the Senate and House Majority Leaders to the five member Independent Regulatory Review Commission giving a majority of appointments to the Senate and House.

Articles and NewsClips about federal actions impacting Pennsylvania--

On June 24, the Biden Administration announced the first list of federal programs that are part of its Justice40 initiative, representing more than 200 programs and billions of dollars in federal spending.

Click Here for a list of public participation opportunities and a calendar of events.

Click Here for grants, awards, recognition programs and contest deadlines.

Highlights of the environmental and energy notices in the latest PA Bulletin--

Send your stories, photos and links to videos about your project, environmental issues or programs for publication in the PA Environment Digest to: PaEnviroDigest@gmail.com.

PA Environment Digest is a supporting member of the PA Organization for Watersheds & Rivers, PA Outdoor Writers Association, PA Council Trout Unlimited and the Doc Fritchey Chapter Trout Unlimited.