+ Diaries Of The Diabolical

The Department of Environmental Protection is now accepting nominations for the 2023 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence .  The deadline for nominations is December 21. The Award is open to any Pennsylvania business, farm, government agency, educational institution, nonprofit organization and individual that has created, or participated in, the development of a project that promotes environmental stewardship in Pennsylvania. “With the 2023 awards, we’re looking to recognize the spirit of resilience demonstrated by individuals and entities who’ve transformed environmental obstacles into opportunities in pursuing environmental protection, education, and justice,” said DEP Acting Secretary Ramez Ziadeh. “I encourage all who’ve worked in this capacity to apply to be considered for an award. By nominating yourself or others, you help to highlight the many ways Pennsylvanians improve and protect the environment we all depend on.” Examples of eligible projects include, but are n...

On October 18, the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee reported out several bills, including legislation to deny counties Act 13 drilling impact fee revenue, if only 99% of the land in their county is available for shale gas drilling. Senate Bill 1331 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) would deny counties revenue from the Act 13 drilling impact fee if they ban fracking on county-owned lands.  This bill is in reaction to a ban Allegheny County enacted for its park land earlier this year which makes up less than 1 percent of the land area in the county.  But the big picture is this-- 99% of land remaining in the County could be leased for shale gas drilling, but that’s not enough, apparently.  Read more here . Sen. Carolyn Comitta (D-Chester), Minority Chair of the Committee, said, “I will be voting no. Local leaders who want to protect their natural resources, park lands and communities from the potential dangers of fracking should be able to do so without bein...

This editorial was first published on TribLive.com on October 19, 2022 --   Pennsylvania has built much of its history on energy, from the coal that fueled the steel industry to the first oil pumped from the ground to the natural gas being pried out today. That has built up the Keystone State. It also has left a legacy of environmental fallout that still consumes us. The energy industry continues to be an important part of the economy — balanced with ongoing ecological concerns. Most recently, that was represented in a negotiated settlement between the Department of Environmental Protection, Shell Pipeline Co. and Shell’s contractor, Minnesota Limited. DEP performed 67 inspections of the 45-mile Falcon pipeline while it was being built.  Even before operation, there were issues with leaks into waterways, including the Ohio River and Beaver County’s Ambridge Reservoir. The leaks weren’t negligible. They resulted in 48,000 gallons of drilling fluid polluting the waters. More imp...