PECO, FirstEnergy and PPL Utilities are working together on an environmental project that will help Pennsylvania residents lower their energy usage — and get rid of clunker appliances.

The energy and utility companies announced today that they have set up an appliance recycling center at JACO Environmental Inc. in Hatfield where they will turn in old, energy-gobbling refrigerators or freezers or inefficient, but working window air conditioning units.

The companies will collect the outdated appliances from customers, who will get paid — $35 for a junker refrigerator, and $25 for an old AC unit — and haul it away for free. About 80 percent of Pennsylvania’s residents are served by these utilities and will qualify to participate.

State law requiring energy companies to help customers reduce energy use is the impetus behind the project. Customers who quit running an unneeded extra fridge can expect to save, on average $150 a year on their home energy bills. In the aggregate, if power consumers reduce their usage, they can help the utilities achieve the energy reductions mandated by Pennsylvania’s Act 129.

That law requires all state electric utilities to help customers reduce energy use by 1 percent by May 31, 2011 and 3 percent by May 31, 2013.

Utilities also must reduce energy demand during the 100 highest use hours of the year by 4.5 percent by May 31, 2013, according to PECO.

Find out more at the PECO website on “Smart Ideas,” an array of programs designed to help customers save energy and money.

The energy efficiency programs cost residential customers about $1.50 additional on their monthly energy bills. The new appliance collection program is expected to create 40 new green jobs.

Image: state.pa.us

A combination of federal and private sector funding will be the basis of Pennsylvania’s $48 million Green Energy Revolving Loan Fund, providing money for energy-saving and renewable energy projects in existing, non-residential buildings around the state.

The Recovery Act will contribute $12 million to the fund, while The Reinvestment Fund, TRF, will add $36 million and will serve as the program’s manager. Governor Edward Rendell cited TRF’s track record of investing in green and sustainable energy as key elements in the selection process.

Federal guidelines require any potential manager to contribute at least $18 million to the fund. TRF doubled that commitment.

The $48 million total investment is projected to support 500 jobs on projects designed to reduce energy consumption by nearly 800 billion British Thermal Units — enough to power more than 23,000 average homes in Pennsylvania for one year.

Prior to the new commitment, TRF has financed more than 2,526 projects in the Mid-Atlantic region, delivering $939 million. The Department of Environmental Protection and TRF are in the process of finalizing the fund’s guidelines.

“President Obama and Congress had the foresight to make renewable energy and energy conservation a key part of the federal Recovery Act because these are areas that are critically important to the nation’s future,” Rendell said. “This new revolving loan fund is the latest opportunity to be born of that wise decision and, under TRF’s management, the program will put hundreds of people to work incorporating green technologies into buildings that ultimately, will save consumers millions of dollars each year.”

Even after monumental clean-ups that rescued the Great Lakes from acid rain and industrial dumping in the 20th Century, these national water resources continue to suffer environmental assaults.

Sewage overflows into the lakes — some 25 billion gallons of untreated sewage from 20 cities in 2008 — have resulted in waters that periodically test positive for dangerous levels of E coli in 2008, according to a report by the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Asian Carp (Photo: US Fish and Wildlife Service.)

Lately, too, the lakes are under threat from the large and destructive Asian carp, an invasive species that has been making its way up rivers to Lake Michigan, where scientists say it could annihilate whole populations of native fish, creating havoc in the Great Lakes, and depleting food and fishing jobs. (The carp were imported decades ago by catfish farmers to clean their stock ponds; they escaped during Midwestern floods.)

Today, the EPA officially unveiled a five-year plan to help restore the Great Lakes, which supply 30 million people with water and support billions in fishing and recreational businesses.

“We have an historic opportunity to restore and protect these waters. This action plan outlines our strategy to protect the environmental, human health, and economic interests of the millions of people who rely on the Great Lakes,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “We’re committed to creating a new standard of care that will leave the Great Lakes better for the next generation.”

State governors were, predictably, pleased. Said Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, co-chair of the Council of Great Lakes Governors, “Wisconsin is defined by the Great Lakes, and one of our greatest responsibilities is to preserve this important freshwater resource for future generations. This action plan sets a strong course of action as we confront tremendous challenges to not only protect, but also restore the Great Lakes.”

“We must protect and preserve our lakes for our families and outdoors enthusiasts, as well as the industries that rely on the waterways to transport their goods around the world,” added CGLC co-chair  Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, in the same news release.

The five-year action plan was developed by 16 federal groups on an inter-agency task force headed by Jackson. It will have five areas of focus, according to an EPA news release:

• Protection and cleanup of the most polluted areas in the lakes: The task force will work with state and municipal partners to clean up toxic hotspots so that critical “working waterways” are reclaimed for healthy fishing and recreation.

• Combating invasive species: The plan will take a “zero tolerance” approach toward invasive species, such as the Asian Carp, to keep them out of the lakes.

• Protection of high priority watersheds and reduced runoff from urban, suburban and, agricultural sources: Reducing runoff and pollution to help clean up Great Lakes beaches.

• Restoration of wetlands and other habitats: Restoration work will begin with an assessment of the entire 530,000 acre Great Lakes coastal wetland, which has never been done before, to help the task force identify and restore affected areas for healthier wildlife and habitats.

• Implementation of accountability measures, learning initiatives, outreach and strategic partnerships: The task force will work closely with the Great Lakes states, non-profits, stakeholder groups and Canada to protect and restore the lakes.

The initiative is slated to be funded with $475 million for a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative proposed this month by President Barak Obama. If approved, it would be the most significant investment in the Great Lakes in two decades, according to the EPA.

Congressmen Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) are asking for more information about the chemicals used to extract natural gas wells.

Urban gas well outside a mall in North Texas

Today, the two lawmakers sent letters to eight oil and natural gas companies requesting details of the ingredients used in hydraulic fracturing, a method of accessing natural gas deposits by blasting or fracturing the rock with a high pressure injection of water treated with chemicals.

The practice has come under scrutiny as natural gas drilling for shale deposits has encroached upon urban areas and watersheds in Texas (in the Barnett Shale region) and in the Northeast (the Marcellus Shale region). A  2005 law exempted oil companies from disclosure of the contents of their “fracking fluid” formulas after Halliburton convinced the Bush Administration the formulas should be proprietary and Congress slipped in an amendment to an energy bill.

This exemption to the Clean Drinking Water Act, known as the Halliburton loophole, has left the public in the dark about the current mix of chemicals used in fracturing, and in affected regions, many residents are concerned that natural gas operations could contaminate the air and underground water supplies. (A house bill has been introduced to repeal the loophole, The Natural Resources Defense Council is running a campaign where citizens can register their support for lifting the exemption.)

Benzene, a known carcinogen, is one chemical typically used in  fracking operations. Dozens of other toxic chemicals are employed. In an earlier request to Halliburton, BJ Service and Schlumberger, Waxman and Markey found that Halliburton and BJ were using toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene — all of which are considered environmentally harmful.

The response to that earlier request also revealed that the companies were using seven diesel-based fluids, potentially in defiance of a voluntary agreement with the EPA to not use those pollutants, according to a press release from Waxman’s office.

“Hydraulic fracturing could help us unlock vast domestic natural gas reserves once thought unattainable, strengthening America’s energy independence and reducing carbon emissions,” said Waxman, chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, in a news release.

“As we use this technology in more parts of the country on a much larger scale, we must ensure that we are not creating new environmental and public health problems.  This investigation will help us better understand the potential risks this technology poses to drinking water supplies and the environment, and whether Congress needs to act to minimize those risks.”

“Natural gas can play a very important role in our clean energy future, provided that it is produced in a safe and sustainable way,” said Markey, chair of the subcommittee on Energy and the Environment.

The natural gas industry has argued that regulation of fracking fluids is not needed because the vast majority of fluids are removed from the well and systematically disposed of. A recent report by ProPublica, however, challenged that contention, citing  industry experts who told ProPublica that 85 percent of the fluids used remain in the ground.

The Congressional requests for additional information sent out today are going to Halliburton, BJ Service, Schlumberger and five other companies providing services in the natural gas field, Frac Tech Services, Superior Well Services, Universal Well Services, Sanjel Corporation, and Calfrac Well Services.

The Environmental Defense Fund praised Waxman and Markey for their efforts to drill for more info.

“We commend Chairman Waxman and Subcommittee Chairman Markey for this important step. There is no reason that gas producers need to run roughshod over the environment in order to increase natural gas supplies,” said EDF Senior Policy Advisor Scott Anderson.

“Because the problem of global warming is so severe and the time for action so short, all low and lower carbon energy options, including natural gas, should be considered as part of the nation’s energy mix, but only if such options can be accomplished without significant adverse health or environmental impacts.”

Copyright © 2010 Green Right Now | Distributed by GRN Network

Robert Caffro found a solar solution for his home, then acquired a problem that’s cast a cloud on his plan.

The front of Bob Caffro's house; solar panels would be on the rear roof.

Caffro’s homeowners association in his neighborhood in Chester County west of Philadelphia denied his request to install the low-profile rooftop solar panels that he’d arranged to buy at Home Depot.

The governing group sent him a letter on Jan. 5 citing this clause in the neighborhood’s rules:

“Any addition, enclosure, garage, appurtenant building, fence, wall, planting or other improvement or modification erected, placed or maintained within a Unit shall be harmonious in design with the single family residential dwelling within the Unit.”

Which left Caffro, 45, scratching his head over the meaning of the word “harmonious.”

He thought the black rooftop solar panels he had selected were harmonious with the traditional homes in the Brook Crossing subdivision where he bought his four-bedroom home about five years ago. The 34-panel array by BP Solar was to be affixed to the back-facing slope of the roof of his two-story home, rising less than four inches above the shingles, and following the same grade of the roof, he said. It would be architecturally unobtrusive.

His neighbors to the rear of the house would see “essentially a black roof” that would blend in, he said. Caffro also reasoned that such a home improvement would add value to his house, a positive for the neighborhood, and the earth. It would have powered his entire house, virtually eliminating his reliance on fossil fuels and greatly diminishing monthly electricity bills.

“Who stops someone from doing something that’s good for the planet, lowers your costs for energy and helps you survive?” he asks.

In this case, the “who” appears to be two members of the HOA: President Thomas Madonna, and the vice president, Marc Marucci. Both are named on the denial letter to Caffro, which is signed by Marucci, who did not return an email asking for more information on the denial issued to Caffro. Madonna also did not respond.

Solar panels that would be similar to Caffro's, on a nearby house. Caffro's would be framed in black. (Photo: Bob Caffro)

Whatever Marucci and Madonna were thinking, they are not the only ones who view solar panels with trepidation. Across the U.S., there have been countless neighborhood skirmishes over solar panels, sometimes leaving embittered homeowners with no choice but to move away from their carefully controlled housing developments to places where they can exercise their on-site energy plans. Perhaps more often, homeowners likely just gave up on the idea.

But discouraging homeowners from becoming solar consumers is less in fashion than it might have been at another time. With federal and state incentives aimed at helping property owners make the leap to renewable energy projects, states are passing additional laws to shore up homeowners’ rights — and homeowners’ associations are finding that they don’t always have the authority to intercede.

The state of Arizona has a law dating to the 1970s that protects homeowners’ private property rights, allowing them “solar access” that supersedes any conflicting language in their deed restrictions. The law survived a legal challenge in Maricopa County in 2000, when a Superior Court judge ruled against an association trying to force homeowners to take down their rooftop panels.

A recent Arizona law clarified matters, stating that homeowners’ groups cannot deny a resident’s right to add solar energy devices, but can adopt “reasonable rules” about their placement. While the law returns some authority to the neighborhood associations, it also confirms the rights of homeowners, stating that the rules around solar devices should not  “prevent the installation of devices” or impair their performance.

California went through a similar process, with legislation in 2005 expanding upon the coverage of a 1978 “solar access” law.

In fact, more than half of states have laws pertaining to residential solar installations, according to the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE). Many of them are “access” laws that directly help protect a homeowner’s right to install solar power generation equipment. Many others, however, deal with mainly with easements for solar and wind installations. These easement laws also aid “access” by making it legal for governmental entities to create buffer zones and set up other provisions for wind and solar installations. These laws pave the way so that industrial, commercial or residential buildings can position  solar arrays to get adequate sunlight (or place wind turbines to catch the wind) and local authorities can permit such projects.

But many easement laws are silent on the dilemma of homeowners whose HOAs have issued ambiguous wording or outright restrictions against solar or wind projects.

So far, Pennsylvania currently has neither a solar easement nor access law, though neighboring Rhode Island and New Jersey have easement legislation.

Pennsylvania State Rep. Tom Houghton (D-Chester) proposed legislation earlier this month to remove obstacles for homeowners who want to install renewable energy. “As we continue to wage a battle between over-reliance on fossil fuel and rising energy costs, we must provide support to homeowners and consumers who wish to utilize alternative energy sources,” he said in a news release.

Caffro, a former safety director for a transportation company who was left with disabilities after being hit by a car a few years ago, lives partly on disability assistance. He said he checked the homeowner’s covenants when he moved in five years ago, and did not find any mention of solar panels. He assumed that meant they would be allowed.

The letter from Caffro’s homeowner’s association does not elaborate on any potential harm from the solar panels, but notes that the two officers of the HOA, after consulting an attorney, determined that  “… solar panel arrays are not harmonious in design with the design of your unit or that of others in the community.”

Copyright © 2010 Green Right Now | Distributed by GRN Network

A partnership between Reading (PA) Electric and a leading designer and installer of grid-tiered solar power systems will allow 32 Southeastern Pennsylvania businesses to see the light in a very different way.

Borrego Solar Systems, Inc., plans to team with Reading Electric to install more than 5 MW of solar energy. At the end of 2008, the entire state had fewer than 5MW of solar operations.

The $30 million undertaking will be financed in part by $7.5 million awarded through the PA Sunshine Grant, a $100 million state fund administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The partners also expect an additional $9 million in funding from the Federal Renewable Energy Grant Program.

Among the businesses participating: Adelphi Kitchens & Cabinetry, Inc. (Robesonia), Heyco Metals, Inc. (Reading), Misco Products Corporation (Reading) and Cougle’s Recycling (Hamburg).

In addition, Reading Electric is teaming  with Borrego Solar to add a 145 kW rooftop/ground mount solar system at its own facility. The system is projected to reduce Reading Electric’s energy costs by more than $700,000 over its lifetime.

“We are excited to incorporate solar into our services portfolio and lead by example by installing our own solar energy system,” said Jim Kurtz, general manager at Reading Electric.

Copyright © 2010 Green Right Now | Distributed by GRN Network

The National Audubon Society is kicking off the second year of its Pennies for the Planet campaign, which is supported by TogetherGreen. With a slogan of “Because the planet needs some change,” schools, clubs, groups, and families are encouraged to help threatened ecosystems and wildlife by simply collecting pennies (and nickels, dimes, quarters, and dollars, too).

This year’s pennies will help protect three endangered U.S. coastlines:

Share Shoreline Habitat – California’s Pacific Coast is home to lots of shorebirds, one of which is the Western Snowy Plover. Unfortunately, this bird is becoming more and more rare, because of the loss of habitat. There are only half as many nesting sites now as there were 40 years ago. Through the Pennies for the Planet campaign, signs will be made and posted along California beaches to educate visitors and encourage them to share the shoreline.

Save Coastal Marshland – Louisiana is known for its many diverse ecosystems such as bayous and marshes. However, the marshlands in Louisiana are disappearing at a rate of 10,000 acres per year, faster than any other state. This is caused by people cutting canals, which changes the soil and water flow. Conservationists are working hard to reverse this damage and restore coastal marshland. Pennies will be used to purchase plugs of grass and other marsh plants which keep the new soil from being washed right back into the Gulf of Mexico.

Protect Panther Island – Years ago, these 2,775 acres of Florida land were cow pastures and farm fields. It has now been restored back to its native habitats and become part of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Home to numerous wildlife, including endangered Florida panthers, wood storks, and gopher tortoises, Panther Island is still in need of the continued efforts to recover the marshland. Money raised will contribute to ongoing education programs, improving the area’s water quality, and the removal of invasive non-native plants.

Along with this eco-fundraiser, Audubon includes multiple environmental activities for kids of all ages; some include a nature scavenger hunt, designing an environmental advertisement, and making an eco-commercial.

There are several incentives for participating in this education and action campaign. Everyone that participates gets listed on the Pennies for the Planet Honor Roll. Based on the amount of money that is raised, you can win wristbands, buttons, bird clips, and gift certificates. The school that raises the most change by Earth Day receives the grand prize, a BioBash.

In 2008-2009, Pennies for the Planet raised $26,186.28. If you made a stack of the pennies raised last year, the pennies would stack higher than the Statue of Liberty. The money raised went to three different eco-projects South Carolina’s Four Holes Swamp, Maine’s Project Puffin, and Audubon Wyoming’s Sagebrush Sea.

Cara Krenzer, Student Council Advisor at Hooverville Elementary School in Pennsylvania, came across Pennies for the Planet last year. After talking with her students, they decided this campaign would not only be fun, but it would be a great way to give back to the environment.

“We decided to have a Penny War where each classroom was given a jug. The object was to collect as many pennies as they could. The catch however, was that other classrooms could put other denominations of money into your jug and all of this money would count against your classroom’s total (only pennies counted towards your classrooms positive amount of money). This event turned out to be wonderful! Students were bringing in jars of pennies that their parents were collecting for years. The mornings and afternoons were like war zones in the hallways where students would ‘bomb’ other classes with dollar bills, etc. In total we raised over $2000.00 to send to the Pennies for the Planet,” said Krenzer.

Hooverville was awarded the grand prize, the BioBash. They had a bird presentation from Zoo America, scavenger hunts, and other eco-games and crafts that educated the students about the environmental projects they raised money to support.

“By far this project and Penny War was the easiest and most successful project our school has participated in. The students had a great time learning about and helping their environment and still show their caring for the environment through items they learned about last year,” said Krenzer.

“We need to nurture tomorrow’s environmental leaders, and it is vital that we give children everywhere the chance to discover what it means to give back and to care for wild places in need of conservation attention,” said Audubon President John Flicker in a statement. “Pennies for the Planet links environmental education with environmental action, which we hope starts them on a lifelong journey toward conserving and stewardship in the future.”

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Pennsylvania is investing $5 million in federal recovery money in eight alternative energy projects that use bio materials such as sewage, animal and food processing waste to generate enough energy to power more than 80,000 homes.

Federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds will support the commonwealth’s Green Energy Works! Biogas initiative. The projects will leverage an additional $22 million in private investments, the state announced today.

The eight projects receiving grants are expected to generate more than 470,000 megawatt hours of electricity over their lifetimes — enough energy to power more than 47,000 average homes in Pennsylvania for one year. The projects will also generate the equivalent of 3,183 million cubic feet of natural gas — enough to heat more than 37,000 average homes that use about 85,000 cubic feet of gas per year. The projects also will reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by 237,000 tons of carbon dioxide, or the equivalent of taking more than 41,000 passenger vehicles off the roads.

“By wisely investing our federal stimulus dollars in large-scale alternative energy projects, we are aggressively moving forward to meet our future long-term energy needs, while creating multiple short-term benefits,” Gov. Edward G. Rendell said in a statement. “These projects will put Pennsylvanians to work now constructing long-term assets that will supply residents with a significant amount of electricity for years to come. These projects will stimulate the economy by creating jobs and attracting additional investment capital needed to bring the projects to completion.

“The projects will also develop methods for handling various waste streams in more efficient and environmentally friendly manners. Farmers, food processors and local governments will now be able to better deal with various forms of waste material, use that waste to generate electricity, and in some cases, even using the waste heat generated to make the overall process even more efficient.”

The Green Energy Works! Biogas grants are part of a $52 million state initiative that uses Recovery Act money to fund innovative projects designed to help increase energy efficiency, reduce reliance on foreign energy sources, improve service reliability, and reduce the impact of energy production on the environment. Green Energy Works! is also funding large-scale combined heat and power, solar and wind projects.

A field monitor checks a gas meter for leaks. (Photo: Department of Energy)

From Green Right Now Reports

Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell announced today that the first installment of $123 million in federal Recovery funds for weatherization will begin to be released Nov. 2, part of $253 million that the state will use for this purpose.

The Governor said the funding represents an unprecedented level of investment that will help to create new, “green” jobs, save money for struggling families, and stimulate local economic activity as weatherization agencies buy required material, vehicles and equipment.

“The weatherization program stimulates the economy in several ways,” Gov. Rendell said in a statement. “It saves money on energy bills for people who need it the most, and keeps those dollars circulating in local communities because families will be able to spend more on food, clothing and other necessities. It also will create new jobs in the growing ‘green’ economic development sector.”

Pennsylvania’s allocation of $253 million for weatherization from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is the fourth largest in the nation; only New York, Texas and Ohio received more. The money will be paid over three years.

Ohio technicians prepare to seal a roof prior to re-insulating an attic containing vermiculite. (Photo: Department of Energy)

In Ohio, the $266.8 million Recovery grant from the Weatherization Program is allowing the state to boost the energy efficiency of more than 32,000 homes. Adding insulation, sealing leaks and modernizing heating and air conditioning equipment will reduce energy costs for Ohio homeowners by an average of 24 percent. In general, the Weatherization Program allows for an investment of up to $6,500 per home in energy efficiency upgrades and is available to homeowners making approximately $44,000 a year for a family of four. The Department of has recognized Ohio as a leader in the weatherization program with 951 homes completed in July 2009.

Ohio allocated funds from the grant to local community agencies and other public and not-for-profit organizations. In addition, 54 independent contractors were hired to supplement existing contractors. It is estimated that by completion of the project at the end of March, 2012, 590 new positions will be created and 487 jobs retained.

The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs has awarded $288 million in federal stimulus funding to 66 cities, counties, and eligible nonprofit organizations across the state to weatherize the homes of an estimated 40,000 low income Texans. Overall, the state received $326.9 in weatherization funds, the balance of which TDHCA will award in 2010.

The Recovery Act provided approximately $314 million more in funds than what Texas typically administers each year for weatherization activities. By comparison, the state annually weatherizes approximately 3,700 homes using current funding levels of approximately $13 million.

A drill site entrance near the spill site in Dimock, Pa., taken this past winter. (Photo: Abrahm Lustgarten /ProPublica)

Pennsylvania environment officials are racing to clean up as much as 8,000 gallons of dangerous drilling fluids after a series of spills at a natural gas production site near the town of Dimock last week.

The spills, which occurred at a well site run by Cabot Oil and Gas, involve a compound manufactured by Halliburton that is described as a “potential carcinogen” and is used in the drilling process of hydraulic fracturing, according to state officials. The contaminants have seeped into a nearby creek, where a fish kill was reported by the state Department of Environmental Protection. The DEP also reported fish “swimming erratically.”

The incident is the latest in a series of environmental problems connected to Cabot’s drilling in the Dimock area. Last winter, drinking water in several area homes was found to contain metals and methane gas that state officials determined leaked underground from Cabot wells. And in the spring, the company was fined for several other spills, including an 800-gallon diesel spill from a truck that overturned.

Dimock, Penn.

Neither Cabot Oil and Gas nor Halliburton immediately returned calls for comment on Monday. A Halliburton spokesperson sent an e-mail referring any questions to information on the company’s Web site.

DEP officials were also unavailable for interviews, but said through e-mail that faulty piping is suspected and that they have not confirmed the exact cause of the spill. A press spokesperson said to expect an announcement and actions toward Cabot by Tuesday.

ProPublica interviewed state officials several months ago about drilling problems in Dimock. “Cabot has definitely had their share of problems out there,” Craig Lobins, a regional oil and gas division director, said then. “Some of them is just being a little bit careless … or sloppy, or maybe a little bit of bad luck too.”

The drilling fluid spill Wednesday may be the most serious yet, because it involves chemicals that are known to pose a risk to human health and has spread into the area’s surface water system.

According to a Material Safety Data Sheet provided to the state this week by Halliburton, the spilled drilling fluid contained a liquid gel concentrate consisting of a paraffinic solvent and polysaccharide, chemicals listed as possible carcinogens for people. The MSDS form – for Halliburton’s proprietary product called LGC-35 CBM – does not list the entire makeup of the gel or the quantity of its constituents, but it warns that the substances have led to skin cancer in animals and “may cause headache, dizziness and other central nervous system effects” to anyone who breathes or swallows the fluids.

It is not yet clear exactly what led to or caused the spill. State officials report that at least 1,000 gallons of fluid were spilled Wednesday afternoon, and another 5,900 gallons about 10 that night. The substance was reportedly a clay-like mixture, with the Halliburton gel mixed at about five gallons per 1,000 gallons of water. A DEP spokesperson said in an e-mail that the spills appear to be the result of supply pipe failures. In one case a pressurized line may have broken, and in another a seal may have given way.

People at the scene described a “gray gooey substance” spread across the ground and said barricades of hay bales and plastic had been set up to confine the sludge. According to an e-mailed account from Vincent Fronda, who lives in nearby Johnson City, N.Y., and went to take pictures of the spill, there were “many huge puddles of the stuff in the woods west of the pad.” Fronda described finding a hole with a drill bit and four-foot-deep fluids, and said workers were running a vacuum pump to try to get the bit out. State officials said the fluids had spilled into Stevens Creek.

The contamination incident comes as the state faces increasing scrutiny for its handling of a natural gas drilling boom and dozens of instances of spills and water contamination related to it across the state. Earlier investigations by ProPublica found that methane had leaked into drinking water supplies from gas wells in at least seven Pennsylvania counties. And earlier this month the DEP began investigating a suspected chemical spill in the northwestern part of the state, hundreds of miles from Dimock, which decimated aquatic life along a 30-mile stretch of pristine river. No determination has been made in that case either, but waste fluids from drilling are among the possibilities being investigated.

Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe yesterday praised the House Game and Fisheries Committee and its chairmen, Rep. Edward G. Staback (D-Lackawanna) and Rep. Craig Dally (R-Northampton), for its near unanimous approval of House Bill 97, which would increase penalties and fines for poaching. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Staback.

“Increasing penalties for serious violations is one of the operational objectives within the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Strategic Plan, and we welcome this first-step in the process taken by the Committee today,” Roe said in a statement. “Enactment of this bill will mark the first comprehensive piece of legislation to increase Game and Wildlife Code Penalties since 1987, and we believe it will significantly enhance wildlife protection in the Commonwealth.

“We also believe that there will be widespread public support for this legislation as indicated by surveys that showed 96 percent of Pennsylvania’s citizens feel that wildlife protection is a vitally important function.”

Roe said that the causes of poaching vary, but the myth that most poachers are committing their offenses to provide food for their families is, in reality, almost never the case.

“Most often, poaching today is committed by criminals driving $30,000 vehicles, using expensive night-vision technology, illegal silencers and firearms,” Roe said. “Most commonly, the causes are simply greed, obsessive behavior in collecting antlers; in some cases poachers take great pride in their infamous status in local communities. A disturbing and increasingly common cause is killing simply for thrill with no intention of making use of any part of the animal.”

Roe called on the full House to pass this historic measure, so the Senate can begin consideration as soon as possible.

We chat a lot about farmer’s markets here on the website, but it’s a pet topic for some good reasons. Who can argue with buying local food, which carries a lower carbon footprint, is often more nutrient-rich (according to recent studies) than less fresh options and also supports the local economy?

Here’s a new twist on the concept that we stumbled upon – a farmer’s market that comes to your workplace. They started one in Chester County, Pa., last year and are bringing it back this summer.

The impromptu, lunchtime markets provide both gastronomic and economic benefits. Farmers get a new outlet for their goods and the county employees are treated to fresh produce, allowing them to skip the daily chore of stopping at the grocery on the way home.

The arrangement also pleases the county HR folks, who can sneak in a punt for good nutritional habits.

“One of the goals of our County Wellness Program is to provide opportunities for our employees to eat more fruit and vegetables,” said Terence Farrell, Chester County Commissioner Chair.

And there will be plenty a veggies at the weekly grower’s markets, which also will offer seasonal fruits, free-range chickens, eggs, cheeses, honey and whole grain breads. The food comes from the Westtown-based Stratton-Wynnorr farm, in conjunction with eight Amish families and other local farmers.

For those of you outside of Chester County, which is west of Philadelphia, let our story Getting the Most From Your Farmer’s Market inspire you to find your own nearby produce outlet.

(Four locations will host the Chester markets: the historic Chester County Courthouse on High Street in West Chester; the Government Services Center on Westtown Road in West Chester; the Exton Library rear parking lot; and the open-air pavilion at Pocopson Home on Route 52. Each Thursday during June, July and August, the market will be based at one of these four locations, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.)

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media