PA Environment Digest Blog

Friday, April 19, 2024

DEP Invites Comments At June 10 Hearing On RACT 3 Air Quality Permit For Pixelle Specialty Solutions Paper Making Plant In York County

The Department of Environmental Protection will hold a June 10 hearing on the RACT 3 Air Quality Permit for the Pixelle Specialty Solutions, LLC paper making plant in Spring Grove Borough, York County. (PA Bulletin, page 2128)

DEP described this application as a “significant modification to its applicable Title V operating permit.”

The hearing will be held at the DEP Southcentral Regional Office, 909 Elmerton Ave. in Harrisburg starting at 10:00 a.m.

To register to speak at the hearing, please contact Thomas Bianca at 717-705-4863 or send email to: tbianca@pa.gov.

Speakers must pre-register in order to testify at the hearing. The last day to pre-register to speak at the hearing will be the Friday before the hearing.

All pertinent documents are available electronically for public review and copies can be requested by contacting Thomas Bianca at 717-705-4863 or by email to: tbianca@pa.gov.

Read the entire PA Bulletin notice for more information. (PA Bulletin, page 2128)

For more information on environmental programs in Pennsylvania, visit DEP’s website, Report Emergencies, Submit Environmental Complaints; Click Here to sign up for DEP’s newsletter; sign up for DEP’s eNotice; visit DEP’s Blog, Like DEP on Facebook, Follow DEP on Twitter and visit DEP’s YouTube Channel.

[Posted: April 19, 2024] PA Environment Digest

Susquehanna River Basin Commission Holds May 2 Hearing On Water Use Requests, Including 7 Shale Gas Drilling Uses In Lycoming, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wyoming Counties

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission will hold a hearing May 2 on water use requests, including seven shale gas drilling-related requests in Lycoming, Susquehanna, Tioga and Wyoming counties.

The requests are scheduled to be considered at the SRBC’s June 13 business meeting.

Click Here for the entire agenda for the hearing.

The shale gas drilling uses include--

-- BKV Operating, LLC (Meshoppen Creek), Washington Township, Wyoming County, PA. Application for renewal of surface water withdrawal of up to 2.160 mgd (peak day) (Docket No. 20190602).

-- BKV Operating, LLC (Susquehanna River), Washington Township, Wyoming County, PA. Application for renewal of surface water withdrawal of up to 2.914 mgd (peak day) (Docket No. 20190603).

-- BKV Operating, LLC (unnamed tributary to Middle Branch Wyalusing Creek), Forest Lake Township, Susquehanna County, PA. Application for renewal of surface water withdrawal of up to 0.648 mgd (peak day) (Docket No. 20190604).

-- EQT ARO, LLC (Pine Creek), McHenry Township, Lycoming County, PA. Application for renewal of surface water withdrawal of up to 1.500 mgd (peak day) (Docket No. 20190601).

-- Keystone Clearwater Solutions, LLC (Lycoming Creek), Lewis Township, Lycoming County, PA. Application for renewal of surface water withdrawal of up to 1.250 mgd (peak day) (Docket No. 20190608).

-- Seneca Resources Company, LLC (Tioga River), Richmond Township, Tioga County, PA. Application for surface water withdrawal of up to 3.000 mgd (peak day).

-- SWN Production Company, LLC (North Branch Mehoopany Creek), Forkston Township, Wyoming County, PA. Application for surface water withdrawal of up to 2.500 mgd (peak day).

Click Here to review all water use request applications and to make comments.

The deadline for submitting comments is May 13.

Attending The Hearing

The hearing will be held at the SRBC Offices, 4423 North Front Street in Harrisburg beginning at 6:30 p.m. Click Here for more.

The hearing is also being made available by conference call: dial (877) 304-9269 and then enter guest passcode 2619070 followed by #.

Read the entire PA Bulletin notice for more information.

Attending The Business Meeting

Click Here for more information on attending the June 13 business meeting.

For more information on programs, training opportunities and upcoming events, visit the Susquehanna River Basin Commission website. Click Here to sign up for SRBC’s newsletter. Follow SRBC on Twitter, visit them on YouTube.

(Photos: SRBC-approved shale gas drilling water withdrawal point on the Loyalsock Creek in Lycoming County under construction.)

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - April 6 to 12 - Rain Causes Multiple Landslides; Ignored Request To Clean Up Spill; Venting Gas [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - April 13 [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Proposed CNX Midstream Double 24-Inch, 14 Mile Long Gas Pipelines In Westmoreland County [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 63 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In April 13 PA Bulletin [PaEN]

DEP Invites Comments On Draft Stream Evaluation Reports In Chester, Fulton, Greene, Lancaster, Lycoming, Sullivan Counties; Including Loyalsock Creek

The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the April 20 PA Bulletin inviting comments on five draft stream evaluation reports for watersheds located in Chester, Fulton, Greene, Lancaster, Lycoming and Sullivan counties.

The stream evaluations are being done for these streams--

-- Loyalsock Creek, Lycoming & Sullivan County evaluation was conducted in response to a petition submitted by the Loyalsock Creek Watershed Association and accepted by the Board on February 19, 2008. Click Here for a copy of the report.

-- Chester Creek, Chester County evaluation is being conducted in response to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) partial approval of the Environmental Quality Board's (Board) adoption of the 2017 Triennial Review of Water Quality Standards. Click Here for a copy of the report.

-- Reynolds Run, Lancaster County evaluation is being conducted in response to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) partial approval of the Environmental Quality Board's (Board) adoption of the 2017 Triennial Review of Water Quality Standards. Click here for a copy of the report.

-- North Fork Dunkard Fork, Greene County evaluation was conducted as a result of routine Department monitoring efforts that suggested the existing use may be different than the current designated use. Click Here for a copy of the report.

-- Big Cove Creek, Fulton County evaluation was conducted in response to an existing use evaluation request by the Department's South Central Regional Office. Click Here for a copy of the report.

Click Here for a list of all ongoing DEP Stream Redesignation Evaluations.

Comments are due by June 4 via DEP’s eComment webpage or other methods listed in the PA Bulletin notice.

Read the entire PA Bulletin notice for more information.

[Posted: April 19, 2024] PA Environment Digest

Delaware River Basin Commission Holds Hearing May 8, Business Meeting June 5

The Delaware River Basin Commission is scheduled to hold a hearing on May 8 and a business meeting on June 5. (formal notice)

The May 8 hearing will start at 1:30 p.m. and is open to the public and will be available via Zoom.

The June 5 business meeting will start at 10:30 a.m. and will be held at the Tusten Theatre, 210 Bridge Street in Narrowsburg, NY.

Click Here for more information on the agendas as they are posted.

For more information on programs, initiatives and upcoming events, visit the Delaware River Basin Commission website. Click Here to sign up for regulator updates. Follow DRBC on Twitter. Visit them on YouTube.

[Posted: April 19, 2024] PA Environment Digest

PPL Utilities: 2023 Sustainability Report Highlights PPL’s Utility Of The Future Strategy

On April 18, PPL Corporation released its 2023 Sustainability Report highlighting the company's progress in executing its utility of the future strategy. The report details PPL's performance results in areas of safety, energy delivery, environmental stewardship, community engagement, responsible business practices and corporate governance.

"I'm very proud of what our PPL team accomplished in 2023," said PPL President and Chief Executive Officer Vincent Sorgi. "Our commitment to responsible business practices guides our efforts as we pursue a cleaner energy future while maintaining safe, reliable and affordable service for our customers and delivering long-term value for our shareowners."

As highlighted in the report, PPL's 2023 accomplishments included:

-- Achieving top-quartile reliability at each of the company's utilities and generation reliability in Kentucky was once again among the best in the nation.

-- Completing $2.4 billion in infrastructure improvements on time and on budget as the company continues to invest responsibly.

-- Delivering $75 million in operation and maintenance savings for the year through a strong, enterprise-wide focus on technology and business transformation to help keep energy affordable while investing in the company's clean energy transition.

-- Strengthening PPL's transmission and distribution systems and expanding the company's industry-leading use of smart grid, automation, data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) to build a smarter, more resilient, more reliable and more dynamic energy grid.

-- Engaging in more than 150 active research projects, with $100 million in active federal funding, to accelerate the development and commercialization of clean energy technologies needed to achieve a net-zero carbon future.

-- Remaining deeply committed to community involvement and donating more than $13.6 million through the company and affiliated foundations to improve lives, enable new growth and support economic development.

-- Ensuring transparency, accountability and ethical stewardship to deliver long-term value for shareowners, customers and the communities served by PPL.

Click Here to read a copy of PPL's 2023 Sustainability Report.

Click Here for a video on PPL’s Building The Utility Of The Future.

-- G.E.T. Solar Informational Webinar April 25 For Businesses, Schools, Municipalities & Nonprofits [PaEN]

-- PA Solar Center Hosts April 25 Webinar On Solar Workforce & Apprenticeship Opportunities [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- Rep. Fiedler: Labor, Environmental Leaders Join House Democrats To Announce Joint Blue-Green Legislative Agenda

-- PA Capital-Star: PA House Blue-Green Alliance Debuts Legislative Agenda; Labor And Environmentalists Are Talking

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Blue-Green Caucus Chases Job Growth And Climate Protection

-- The Center Square: Lake Erie Targeted For Wind, Solar Development

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Shapiro Energy Plan Keeps PA Interests Front And Center

[Posted: April 19, 2024] PA Environment Digest