Environment & Energy

Game Commission to Track Newly Hatched Peregrine Falcons in Harrisburg

Mary Wilson — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:21:29 +0000

The Pennsylvania Game Commission Tuesday affixed special tracking bands to the legs of peregrine falcons that have hatched atop a state office building in Harrisburg.

The agency has been monitoring the offspring of falcons nesting on the building ledge since 2000 as part of an effort to help the recovery of a bird that is on the state’s endangered species list.

Game Commission biologist Art McMorris said the falcon population may improve enough to come off that list in the next decade.

Poll Shows Support for a Drilling Moratorium in Pennsylvania

StateImpact Pennsylvania — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:24:19 +0000

A new poll out Tuesday shows strong support for a moratorium on natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania, despite showing general support for gas extraction.

The Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy at the University of Michigan, in conjunction with the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion, surveyed both Pennsylvania and Michigan residents on fracking. The survey shows general support for gas extraction in Pennsylvania. Forty-nine percent of respondents approve, and 40 percent oppose.

Green Stormwater Solutions from Washington D.C. to Pittsburgh

Heather McClain — Fri, 10 May 2013 23:28:45 +0000

Washington DC and Pittsburgh have a common trait of being build right by the water, with low lying areas and old infrastructure. When it became necessary for DC to improve its water and sewage systems - like Pittsburgh - the nation’s capital opted for a focus on traditional "gray" options. Tunnels and pipes were the main solution for Washington's sewage and storm water problems.

But George Hawkins, General Manager of DC Water has worked to convince the district and the EPA to embrace green infrastructure ideas. By reopening the EPA consent decree, DC is on track to becoming a model of sustainable infrastructure.

EPA Supports DEP Findings, Will Not List Susquehanna River As Impaired Waterway

StateImpact Pennsylvania — Fri, 10 May 2013 18:19:00 +0000

For years, both anglers and scientists have witnessed death and disease in the Susquehanna River’s smallmouth bass population.

The issue has gained national attention, yet two state agencies have clashed over how to handle the problem.

The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission disagreed over whether a 100-mile stretch of river’s main stem should be officially labeled as “impaired.”

New Book Documents Construction of Phipps 'Living Building'

Noah Brode — Tue, 07 May 2013 20:35:23 +0000

Phipps Conservatory is celebrating the release of a book that details the construction of its new Center for Sustainable Landscapes, a $23.5 million facility that produces all of its own water and energy.

Called "Building in Bloom," the book by Mary Adam Thomas is the first of a series commissioned by the Living Future Institute, an Oregon company that administers the ultra-green Living Building Challenge certification program for structures.

Pitt Study Finds Perceptions of Fracking Linked with Higher Stress Levels

Deanna Garcia — Mon, 06 May 2013 07:30:00 +0000

A small sampling of people living near Marcellus Shale development sites were found to have higher rates of perceived health problems and stress levels.

That’s according to a study done by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. This was not a clinical study, but researchers said it could provide insight into effects of stress.

Liberty-Clairton Air Quality Plan Won't Include Environmentalists' Demand for Stricter Controls

Noah Brode — Wed, 01 May 2013 21:14:12 +0000

A week after the American Lung Association declared that the Pittsburgh area has the seventh-worst air quality in the nation, the Allegheny County Board of Health approved an air quality improvement plan mandated by the federal government for the Liberty-Clairton area.

The vote of approval on Wednesday gave the go-ahead to the plan without including several local groups' suggestions for stricter pollution guidelines.

In Sunbury, Drilling Waste, Politics and a Pile of Dirt

StateImpact Pennsylvania — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:28:40 +0000

A pile of dirt has sparked controversy in the city of Sunbury, Northumberland County.

Recently, an otherwise civil city council meeting devolved into a shouting match. Councilman Joe Bartello and Mayor David Persing sparred over the city’s stormwater management rules.

“It’s already a law!” Bartello yelled. “Council doesn’t have to vote to get a stormwater plan!”

“Just bring us something that proves they need (a stormwater plan),” Persing fired back.

Hemlock Killer Makes Its Way to Western Pennsylvania

Tim Camerato — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 07:30:00 +0000

A small killer is making its way through Pennsylvania, leaving dead hemlock trees in its wake.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), the hemlock woolly adelgid has been detected in Cook Forest State Park in Clarion County and Clear Creek State Park in Jefferson County.

The hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) is an invasive beetle-like insect originating from southern Japan. The adelgid multiplies at the base of a tree and moves upward attaching itself to the underside of branches.

Don't Just Sit There, Do Something About Climate Change

Heather McClain — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 01:00:00 +0000

Ever more people are concerned about global warming and climate change but perhaps no group more so than women, since air quality issues caused by C02 emissions can have such damaging consequences on our children (asthma), babies and unborn children (mercury poisoning). We'll talk with Joylette Portlock who has launched DoSomethingAboutClimate.com, a humorous and informative volley to get people to listen, and act.

http://youtu.be/u2CxYT9_t2A

Industry Group Tries To Improve Drilling Trucks' Safety Record

Kevin Gavin — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 19:19:08 +0000

In June 2010, Pennsylvania State Police placed 250 trucks hauling wastewater or supporting shale drilling operations out of service along with 45 drivers.

Three months later, in the next “Operation FracNET,” troopers removed 208 trucks and 64 drivers from Pennsylvania roads for everything from faulty brakes and lighting to permit violations.

In the most recent crackdown on shale industry trucks, a two-day period in March 2011, troopers pulled 131 vehicles and 14 drivers off the road.

Now gas drillers and truckers are trying to further reduce those numbers.

House Dems, Environmentalists Seek to Block Drilling in Loyalsock State Forest

Mary Wilson and WESA Staff — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 19:14:37 +0000

State House Democrats and environmental advocates are asking the Corbett administration to block natural gas drilling in a state forest that straddles three counties in the thick of Marcellus Shale country.

Anadarko Petroleum owns subsurface rights to tens of thousands of acres of the Loyalsock State Forest, but it could only access the shale below by way of scattered chunks of land that also happen to be ecologically sensitive.

Now, some lawmakers want Anadarko’s request for an agreement that would allow drilling in the forest to be turned down.

Quaker Group to Protest PNC Mining Investments

Tim Camerato — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:12:23 +0000

The Earth Quaker Action Team (EQAT) is coming to Pittsburgh once again to challenge PNC’s financing of mountaintop mining.

The group made headlines last year as members set out on a 17-day walk from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh to protest during the annual shareholders meeting.

While they’re not walking this year, EQAT will be protesting at Tuesday’s meeting.

10 Years After Blackout, Power Grid Still Needs Updating

Emily Farah — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 07:30:00 +0000

As the weather warms, the chances increase for strong storms triggering power outages.

The last U.S. blackout was nearly a decade ago, when a portion of the nation's power grid was overloaded by re-routed electricity. It impacted 50 million people over two days in the northeast portion of the nation, and a small portion of Canada.

Recent storms, like Hurricane Sandy, have also caused extended power outages.

Pittsburghers Celebrate Earth Day and Pledge Continued Action

Deanna Garcia — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 07:30:00 +0000

Across the world, people are celebrating Earth Day in a variety of ways today, from trash clean ups to tree plantings.

Pittsburgh didn’t wait for the actual day, as Earth Day events started last week and will continue in the coming weeks and days.

On Friday ALCOSAN workers gathered at several spots in Allegheny County to pick up litter.

“All the litter we pick up has the tendency to blow into the rivers,” said ALCOSAN spokeswoman Nancy Barylak, “so that litter you see on the side of the road could easily end up in the rivers.”

Earth Quaker Action Takes Direct Action Against PNC

Heather McClain — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 06:59:00 +0000

The mission of the Earth Quaker Action Team, also known as EQAT, is to call attention to PNC Bank’s financial funding of coal companies engaging in mountain top removal coal mining. Last year they set out on a two-hundred mile walk from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh to protest at a PNC shareholders meeting. This year EQAT Board Member Ingrid Lakey is back in Pittsburgh, she talks with us about the actions they would like PNC's new CEO to take.

White-Nose Syndrome Wiping Out PA's Bat Population

Nick Jovonovich — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 07:30:00 +0000

Since February 2006 when it was first discovered, White-Nose Syndrome has caused the deaths of 5.7 million to 6.7 million North American bats, many of those in Pennsylvania.

Greg Turner is a wildlife biologist with the Wildlife Diversity Section of the Pennsylvania Game Commission. He counts and identifies hibernating bats and conducts migratory telemetry on our federally endangered Indiana bats.

When searching the abandoned Durham Mine in Bucks County, he found just 23 were alive and over 10,000 bats were dead.

Pittsburgh Opportunities for Green Infrastructure

Emily Farah — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 20:10:41 +0000

Syracuse, NY has invested $25 million on more than 100 green infrastructure projects and now it is being held up as a model for what other cities could be doing.

State Website Shows Where Marcellus Shale Impact Money is Going

Emily Farah — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 20:38:48 +0000

A year after Pennsylvania enacted an impact fee on the Marcellus Shale industry, the Public Utility Commission (PUC) launched a new website that would allow the general public and local governments to see where the revenues are going.

Allegheny Land Trust May Buy 180 Acres in Richland Township

Charlee Song — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 17:40:35 +0000

The Allegheny Land Trust is under contract to purchase 180 acres in Richland Township — land formerly owned by the Pittsburgh Cut Flower company but unused for the past 20 years.

There are about 10 acres of dilapidated greenhouses and other structures on the property. Some may be reused, but most will be removed.

PennDOT Seeks Volunteers for Spring Cleaning

Emily Farah — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 07:30:00 +0000

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is asking for volunteers to help "Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful."

Each year, PennDOT conducts the "Great American Cleanup of Pennsylvania" from the beginning of spring until the end of summer. It's a statewide effort to pick up roadside and shoreline litter and debris.

Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Plans Improvements to Panther Hollow Watershed

Charlee Song — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 18:09:11 +0000

Pittsburghers can remember boating, fishing and ice skating on Schenley Park’s Panther Hollow Lake in years gone by, but in recent years, storm water runoff has degraded water quality and filled the lake with silt.

The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy has developed plans to restore the 384-acre watershed.

With Donations, Pittsburgh Group Hopes to Save Ash Trees from Voracious Beetle

Charlee Song — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:04:01 +0000

The Emerald Ash Borer is an Asian beetle that arrived in the U.S. in 2002 through Detroit. With no natural predators, it may eventually kill most of the country’s ash trees, including Pennsylvania’s millions of native green and white species.

Philip Gruszka of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy said government agencies, nonprofits and individual donors have given money for pesticide treatments to save 350 ash trees in county parks and 158 in city parks for use in a future breeding program.

$30 Million CMU Grant to Allow for Expanded Energy Research

Tim Camerato — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 19:56:23 +0000

Carnegie Mellon University has received its largest private foundation grant in the school’s history.

A $30 million grant provided by the Richard King Mellon Foundation will go toward a new institute to coordinate the university’s energy activities.

CMU President Jared Cohon said all seven colleges of the university are working on the topic of energy in some form. He said the grant will allow more collaboration between those colleges and their work.

CMU Symposium Examines Implications of Shale Gas on Regional, US Economy

Deanna Garcia — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 19:28:13 +0000

The Department of Energy estimates that gas from shale is expected to account for roughly half of the country’s natural gas supply by 2040. Pennsylvania is playing a major role, thanks to development of Marcellus Shale.

A symposium at Carnegie Mellon University Thursday examined the role of shale gas in manufacturing, transportation and the environment.