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Let's Turn Down the Heat: Understanding why a 2°C warmer world must be averted    • Philadelphia, 05/18 A Watershed United: First annual meeting and conference of the Coalition of the Delaware River Watershed    • Lambertville, NJ, 06/10 Climate Change Advisory Committee meetings, 2013 Harrisburg open to the public; dates subject to change    • May 21    • July 2    • October 8

Senate stormwater bill on tap for House hearing
The House Local Government Committee, chaired by Rep. Tom Creighton, R-Lancaster, will hold a September 18 hearing on Sen. Ted Erickson's, R-Delaware, stormwater legislation that would allow local governments to create stormwater authorities. The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 1261 on March 26.

SB 1261 would help local governments address the significant problem of flooding and stormwater pollution across Pennsylvania and create an important option for them to manage the costs of complying with new regulatory requirements. Municipalities could also work together to form stormwater authorities to tackle flooding and stormwater issues on a watershed basis.

Be careful where you put your stuff
Big Spring Creek in Cumberland County is a renowned trout fishing stream. In 2001, then Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Dave Hess boldly pressured the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission to close the large hatchery at the stream's headwaters and, to its credit, the Commission did so. Relieved of regular doses of fish excrement, the stream's bug and trout communities have rebounded, to the delight of many anglers. The Commonwealth also has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in projects to improve the creek's fish habitat, and plans to invest more.

Unfortunately, there may be a new threat to the stream's resurgence on the horizon. As reported today, the Borough of Carlisle may start spreading "biosolids" — also known as sewage sludge — on a farm roughly a half mile from the Big Spring at the stream's headwaters. Though the headwaters are classified "Exceptional Value," the stuff that Carlisle would spread is not even rated by DEP as "Exceptional Quality Biosolids." Given the porous nature of the limestone formations that feed the Big Spring and the huge investment of public resources in alleviating the earlier excrement-related impairment, we hope the borough will recognize that this is not the right place to spread its stuff.

What did you do when you had the power?
An article in the Williamsport Sun-Gazette this week provided additional information on a recent Daze item on the threat from gas development to a very special part of Penn's Woods. Recent seismic testing shows that the heart of Loyalsock State Forest in Lycoming County could be developed, and that the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) may have legal and other tools at its disposal to protect much of this area from drilling. The question is whether and how DCNR will use these tools.

This part of the forest is home to the Old Loggers Path, a popular 27-mile hiking path that largely follows historic logging roads and railroads; the Devil's Elbow Natural Area, a remote plateau of rare plants, bogs, and hemlock forests; the Masten ghost town; and the sublime Rock Run, described by many as the single most beautiful stream in the Commonwealth.

The Responsible Drilling Alliance and other stakeholders, including PennFuture, will kick off the "Keep it WILD" campaign to protect the Rock Run and Old Loggers Path areas with an event tomorrow, Saturday, September 8, at 1:30 p.m. at the Ralston Fire Hall.

This train is leaving the station
Next week, the nation's best and brightest renewable energy leaders — including former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell; current Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, chair of the National Governors Association; Kathleen McGinty, former chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality; and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter — will be in Philadelphia to talk about the importance of making the Mid-Atlantic, and the Northeast, America’s Clean Energy Hub.

Can you afford to be left out? Absolutely not. The event will be small enough for you to be able to network with the speakers — a rare conference opportunity. And we’ll kick it off with a private tour of the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficient Buildings Hub at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

Don't wait — this clean energy train is leaving the station and you need to be along for the ride. Register today, and we'll be there to greet you in Philadelphia on September 13 and 14!

PennFuture's Session Daze is designed to be a brief, informative and occasionally humorous look at public policy in Pennsylvania. Please visit our website for more information about PennFuture.

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