The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the April 27 PA Bulletin inviting comments on the renewal of a Municipal Waste Landfill Permit for Keystone Sanitary Landfill located in Dunmore and Throop Boroughs, Lackawanna County.  (PA Bulletin, page 2280) DEP received the application on April 3, 2024 and deemed it complete on April 11. The deadline for public comments is June 26 (60 days from this notice). Read the entire PA Bulletin notice for more information.  (PA Bulletin, page 2280) For more information on environmental programs in Pennsylvania, visit DEP’s w ..read more

The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the April 27 PA Bulletin announcing the availability of the Land Application of Manure Supplement to the Manure Management for Environmental Protection Manual.  [DEP ID: 361-0300-002] The supplement and Manual provide guidelines that comply with Department regulations concerning animal manures and agricultural process wastewaters. The criteria established in this technical guidance document are required to be followed by all operations applying manure or agricultural process wastewater, farms that pasture animals and farms m ..read more

The Department of Agriculture published notices in the April 27 PA Bulletin announcing it is now accepting applications for Agricultural Conservation Research Grants (formal notice) and Agricultural Research Grants (formal notice).  The deadline for applications is June 7. Ag Conservation Research The Department intends to make up to $1.5 million available for grants under the program. The notice included some suggested topics of research-- -- Quantify the impact of Manure Treatment Technologies (MTT) on water quality, -- Quantify the impact of precision feeding and review implications ..read more

“The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania's public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.” -- Article I, Section 27 Pennsylvania Constitution  [It’s Not A Suggestion] House next voting day April 29, 30, May 1, 6, 7, 8, 20, 21, 22, June 3, 4, 5 -- Committee Schedule Senate next voting day April 29, 3 ..read more

The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the April 27 PA Bulletin inviting public comments on a proposed declaration of an Exceptional Air Quality Event due to 2023 wildfires from Canada and New Jersey causing elevated levels of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds impacting ozone pollution in Pennsylvania. A successful Exceptional Event declaration approved by EPA will mean DEP can essentially exclude the bad air days caused by wildfires from their analysis of whether Pennsylvania meets or exceeds air quality health standards. EPA has specific guidance on dec ..read more

For the third time in the last eight weeks, DEP reported ZERO or only 1 shale gas well permit under review in its Oil and Gas Workload Report, which has huge implications for the funding needed to run its entire Oil and Gas Regulatory Program. DEP’s program that regulates conventional oil and gas and shale gas wells and their infrastructure is funded almost entirely by permit application fees. In three out of the last eight weeks, DEP has had either zero or 1 permit under review for the weeks ending--  March 1- 6 permits; March 8- 3 permits; March 15- 0 permits; March 22- 7 permits; Mar ..read more

On April 25, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn joined the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and members of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps Norristown crew planting trees along the waterway at Big Elk Creek State Park in Chester County to create wildlife habitat and improve local water quality and biodiversity. The planting is part of a more than 300-acre restoration project at Big Elk Creek State Park that was added to the state park system in 2022. Earth Day is April 22 and Arbor Day April 26. “Earth Week is the time to think about the difference each of ..read more

On April 22 - Earth Day - Heights Philadelphia and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency formally announced a new partnership to support Heights’ mission of creating student pathways to college and careers, especially for low-income, Black and Brown, and first generation to college students.  Furthering Heights' vision that all students achieve economic mobility through education and career success, the EPA will now offer opportunities for students supported by Heights in college programming and 19 School District of Philadelphia high schools to learn and gain first-hand experience i ..read more

On April 23, leaders from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Philadelphia Water Department, and Partnership for the Delaware Estuary  joined to celebrate Earth Week and highlight a new ad campaign, ‘Trash Free Waters Begin with YOU!’ appearing throughout the city at multiple SEPTA and PATCO stops. Focusing on the importance of keeping litter off streets and out of waters, EPA Deputy Regional Administrator Cathy Libertz, PWD Commissioner Randy E. Hayman, and PDE Executive Director Kathy Klein remarked on the importance of partnerships, the big impact of small actions, and the role ..read more

On April 25, four state agencies, legislators and two land conservancies celebrated portions of the Turtle Creek watershed in southeastern Union County being removed, or “delisted” from the federal Clean Water Act impaired waters list.  The participants included the Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources joined the Fish and Boat Commission, Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming), Sen. Scott Martin (R-Lancaster), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy, and the Chesapeake ..read more