A new report by the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center this week confirms almost all of the companies involved in drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale formation do not pay Pennsylvania's corporate net income tax and recommended a well-structured severance tax on natural gas production to protect Pennsylvania taxpayers from shouldering the public costs that come with increased drilling.

Members and partners of the Tri-County Conewago Creek Association and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation organized a stream buffer planting last Saturday on the Jim Hess Farm near Palmyra, Pa.

Clean Water Action this week released a new survey which found 192 municipalities have adopted local ordinance requiring riparian buffers to protect streams, 30 perct of those ordinance require a buffer 100 feet or more in width.

Dave Miller, Advanced Solar Industries of Lancaster, Pa, talks about the solar and wind turbine installation his company recently made on the Jim Hess Farm near Palmyra, Pa.

The Independence Conservancy in Southwest PA sponsors a series of waste tire collection events each year that properly disposes of thousands of tires covering 25 communities in four counties.

These bills of interest saw action in the Senate or House this week--

The Senate this week passed Senate Bill 275 (D-White-R-Indiana) to establish a special review board to arbitrate coal bed methane well disputes. Currently, disputes between surface land owners and the holders of mineral rights for those properties are often resolved in county courts of common pleas.

The House Education Committee this week reported out House Bill 689 (Drucker-D-Chester) to provide incentives for school districts to construct cleaner and more efficient schools.

Rep. Camille George (D-Clearfield), Majority Chair of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, announced the introduction this week of legislation to provide basic safeguards to surface owners of properties where oil and gas drilling is proposed.

The Joint Legislative Budget and Finance Committee this week awarded a contract to the Wildlife Management Institute to conduct an audit of the Game Commission's Deer Management Program.

The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee will consider legislation on a variety of topics May 5 including: oil and gas well production reports, authorizing the Heritage Area Program in law, additional reporting from the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund, prescribed burning, additional protection for the Appalachian Trail and requiring a comment period on the proposed climate change plan.

On May 5 the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee meets to consider legislation creating a program to dispose of home-generated medical sharps and a bill authorizing county waste management fees. The bills include:

House Majority Appropriations Chair Dwight Evans (D-Philadelphia) this week said the state's budget deficit is likely to be $3 billion, instead of the $2.3 billion projected by Gov. Rendell and Friday he introduced Gov. Rendell's proposed 2009-10 budget.

Legislation to regulate prescribed burning practices to help ensure forest health is the focus of the April issue of the Environmental Synopsis published by the Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee.

Sewickley Creek Watershed Association partnered with Westmoreland Cleanways, the Borough of Youngwood, which included their volunteer fire department, recreation board and employees, and the PA Resources Council to celebrate The Great American Cleanup of Pennsylvania 2009 by picking up roadway litter and cleaning an illegal dump site.

The Centre County Solid Waste Authority, in cooperation with the Department of Environmental Protection, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania, is sponsoring a recycling competition between Bald Eagle, Bellefonte, Penns Valley & Philipsburg-Osceola High Schools.

Mayor Michael A. Nutter and the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability this week announced Greenworks Philadelphia, a comprehensive framework to make Philadelphia the greenest city in the United States of America by 2015.

Representatives of the Department of Environmental Protection this week outlined a plan for meeting the October 9 deadline for completing the state's Climate Change Action Plan without a meaningful opportunity for public comment until after the plan is completed and printed.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 3 is once again conducting an awards program to recognize individuals and organizations outside of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency who are making significant contributions to improving the environment in the mid-Atlantic region.

Active and abandoned mines present dangerous playgrounds that claim dozens of lives each year, but these tragic deaths can be avoided if residents stay away from mine and quarries, according to Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger.

Pennsylvania has made great strides in improving air quality to levels that protect the public's health in most of the state, according to a Department of Environmental Protection report released this week.

The Southwest Pennsylvania Air Quality Partnership, Inc. will celebrate the National Air Quality Awareness Week with an Alternative Transportation Festival, “Trip to the Strip,” on May 2 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parking lot next to the Firehouse Lounge at 2216 Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Strip District.

Gov. Rendell this week announced the state has applied for more than $11 million in grants through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for three innovative projects that will invest in clean diesel technology.

Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future,Pennsylvania Trout Unlimited and the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association this week urged the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to reverse a lower court decision and reinstate the Pennsylvania Mercury Rule.

As part of its commitment to environmental stewardship, Exelon dedicated nearly half of its employee-led volunteer work during National Volunteer Week to environmental projects. Overall, more than 1,300 employees across the Exelon family of companies participated in more than 80 community service projects.

A recent Penn State report finds that a statewide energy-conservation and energy-efficiency program offers a cost-effective method of reducing both energy consumption and past-due energy bills among low-income Pennsylvanians.

The Department of Environmental Protection is now accepting comments on a new grant program made possible through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help local governments and non-profit entities make shovel-ready, energy efficient or conservation projects a reality, DEP Secretary John Hanger said this week.

A report from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy this week said encouraging energy efficiency and conservation while making investments to develop more solar energy and alternative fuels will give Pennsylvania the opportunity to stabilize and reduce energy costs for consumers and create tens of thousands of jobs.

Amid the debates regarding climate change and the growing interest in renewable energy, PJM Interconnection is launching the Renewable Energy Dashboard-- a one-stop resource to better understand renewable energy resources on the PJM power grid.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this week released a list of the nation’s 50 top green power purchasers, including four organizations from Pennsylvania-- Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (12), University of Pennsylvania (19), Pennsylvania State University (39) and ING (45)

Allegheny Power announced this week the company has requested approval from the Public Utility Commission to further accelerate its power procurement schedule for residential customers.

Ohiopyle Borough and Ohiopyle State Park announced this week they have scheduled the kick-off meeting for the Ohiopyle Joint Master Plan and Implementation Strategy for May 6 at 6:30 p.m. in the Ohiopyle Community Center.

Preparing for a spring that may bring declining gypsy moth infestations in some counties and stronger populations in others, the state Bureau of Forestry will target 25 counties in its aerial spraying effort to suppress the woodland insect pest.

To protect Pennsylvania’s varied and valuable bat populations from the deadly white-nose syndrome, the state Bureau of Forestry will continue barring public access to three caves on state forestland in Fayette and Westmoreland counties where bats hibernate in large numbers.

Here’s a selection of NewsClips on environmental topics from around the state--

Read a sampling of NewsClips on watershed topics from around Pennsylvania.

The State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists published notice of continuing education requirements.