http://alleghenysc.org Explore, Enjoy, & Protect the Planet Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:49:14 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en There is news that the Region 3 office of the US Environmental Protection Agency According has established a Resource Extraction Task Force to explore how existing EPA regulations and procedures may be used for stricter protection of natural gas extraction in PA, VA, and WV. Headquartered in Philadelphia, this ... http://alleghenysc.org/?p=1925 As the ‘gas-patch’ booms, so do the related number of articles and news items. Below are four locally relevant capsules. Expert Explains Possible Marcellus Health Problems: At a seminar on August 27, Pitt public health expert Dr. Volz described the variety of hazardous air and water contaminants from well wastewater ponds ... http://alleghenysc.org/?p=1927 Photo: Bill Belitkus On September 4, join Matt Peters for a Forest Watch hike in the Allegheny NF. The group will be hunt for Marcellus gas wells, and visit one of the proposed logging project areas currently in the Scoping phase of the USFS public comment process. The trip can be ... http://alleghenysc.org/?p=1923 Curb-side sign in Ithaca, NY. Photo: P. Wray Do municipalities have the right to determine whether drilling for Marcellus natural gas be allowed in their district? That is the constitutional question that Pittsburgh Councilman Doug Shields raised at a press conference on August 16. As he proposed a banning of Marcellus ... http://alleghenysc.org/?p=1908 Calvary Catholic Cemetery is on Hazelwood Ave in the Greenfield and Hazelwood neighborhoods of Pittsburgh (map), and is the largest cemetery owned by the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Former Mayors Lawrence, Caliguiri and O’Connor are buried in this cemetery. Those gentlemen are likely to have their bones shaken because the Diocese ... http://alleghenysc.org/?p=1909 Photo courtesy of Mountain Justice Banking giant PNC has gained a fair reputation in Pittsburgh for being a ‘green’ corporate member of the community, but its role in financing the destructive practice of mountain top removal is not so ‘green’. On the company website is the statement “Among America's top financial ... http://alleghenysc.org/?p=1910 For the fourth year the national Sierra Club has ranked colleges and universities according to their efforts to stop climate change and educate students about sustainability. Heading the list is Green Mountain College (VT), with Dickinson College (Carlisle, PA) second and Evergreen State College (WA) third. Not all the ... http://alleghenysc.org/?p=1901 On August 5, 2010, a federal judge overturned a decision by the U.S. Fsh and wildlife Services to remove gfray wolves from the Endangered Species Act, restoring their endangered staus and paving the way for these critical predators to rebuild their numbers to ecologically sustainable levels. This ruling is ... http://alleghenysc.org/?p=1907 Read a PDF version of the summer 2010 Allegheny Sierran. Highlights include: Tom Hoffman writing about City of Pittsburgh legislation -- Clean Air and Clean Water Acts A beginner's guide to Marcellus Shale in PA by Don Gibbon A list of upcoming outings And much more! Letters to the editor, photos, stories from outings and any ... http://alleghenysc.org/?p=1900 Railroad bridge in the back, old turnpike bridge in the middle, new bridge in front Photo courtesy of MPD01605 Following the demolition of the old Turnpike bridge across the Allegheny River at Harmar and Plum in mid-July, Allegheny County decided not to take ownership of the piers for possible construction of ... http://alleghenysc.org/?p=1884 The Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) is putting funds from the Federal stimulus bill (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) to good use. The Pennsylvania Home Heating Equipment Rebate Program offers rebates for non-electric home heating and water heating equipment. Begun in April 2010, on August 2 the ... http://alleghenysc.org/?p=1889 Curb-side sign in Ithaca, NY. Photo: P. Wray With a surprise bipartisan vote of 48-9, on August 3, the New York Senate approved a temporary moratorium on Marcellus Shale drilling in the state. The moratorium would extend to May 15, 2011, giving the state Department of Environmental Conservation time to formulate ... http://alleghenysc.org/?p=1872 A dictionary entry for the word ‘appalling’ reads “Very bad, or much worse than expected”. That sums up the report issued by the Pennsylvania Land Trust (PLTA) on the number of violations recorded by the Dept. of Environmental Protection between January 2008 and June 25, 2010. Drilling down 5,000 ft. ... http://alleghenysc.org/?p=1869 It is understandable for Congressmen like Rep. Mike Doyle to be frustrated with their colleagues in the Senate. In June 2009, the House passed a Clean Energy Bill (H.R.2454) designed to reduce carbon emissions 80% by 2050, develop electric cars, halt deforestation, and more. In another major ... http://alleghenysc.org/?p=1868 On June 9, 2009, Sens. Bob Casey and Chuck Schumer introduced the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act (S.1215). The purpose of the bill is to repeal the exemption of hydraulic fracturing fluids from the Safe Drinking Water Act and to require oil and gas companies to disclose the ... http://alleghenysc.org/?p=1871