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F. X. Browne, Inc.'s

Sustainable Environments

November 2009

"Walk away quietly in any direction and taste the freedom of the mountaineer.  Camp out among the grasses and gentians of glacial meadows,  in craggy garden nooks full of nature's darlings.   Climb the mountains and get their good tidings, Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.  The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy,  while cares will drop off like Autumn leaves.  As age comes on, one source of enjoyment after another is closed,  but nature's sources never fail."
 

— John Muir, "Our National Parks"

http://www.sierraclub.org/JOHN_MUIR_EXHIBIT/

Photo credit:   digitalART2 on Flickr.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalart/2095802085/
 

Pennsylvania DEP Cut Over 26 Percent, PA DCNR Cut 18 Percent
 

A budget bill was passed on October 9 that reduces the overall General Fund moneys to the PA DEP by $58 million and the PA DCNR by $21 million, the largest single cut in General Fund environmental spending ever.  The bill allows State Forest to be leased for natural gas drilling with no acreage limits or caps and no minimum bids/royalties on leasing.  It does not include a natural gas production severance tax.

PA Environment Digest, October 12, 2009

http://www.paenvironmentdigest.com/newsletter/default.asp?NewsletterArticleID=13719

The state is expecting to gain $60 million from leasing State Forest land for natural gas drilling.  For more information, visit

http://www.paenvironmentdigest.com/newsletter/default.asp?NewsletterArticleID=13720

For a listing of moneys cut from environmental programs over the last 7 years, visit

http://www.paenvironmentdigest.com/newsletter/default.asp?NewsletterArticleID=13723

EPA Administrator Announces Plan to Retool and Reinvigorate Clean Water Enforcement Program
The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a new commitment to improving efforts on Clean Water Act enforcement.  The Clean Water Action Enforcement Plan states how the EPA will address pollution such as sewer overflows, contaminated industrial water, and stormwater runoff from urban areas.  The plan states goals to target enforcement of the most significant pollution problems, to provide water quality data to the public, and increase enforcement performance at the state and federal levels. 

EPA News Release, October 15, 2009

For more information on the plan, visit http://www.epa.gov/compliance/civil/cwa/cwaenfplan.html

E.P.A. Vows Better Effort on Water

By Charles Duhigg, The New York Times, October 15, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/16/business/energy-environment/16water.html?_r=1&scp=17&sq=construction&st=cse

EPA Releases List of Priority Drinking Water Contaminants for Regulatory Consideration
 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released their third contaminant candidate list (CCL3) containing contaminants that are found in public water systems.  The EPA will be making a determination in 2013 on at least five contaminants, to determine whether they should be regulated.  This list contains 104 chemicals and 12 microbes selected from the approximately 7,500 evaluated by the EPA.

For the article, visit

http://www.stormh2o.com/the-latest/drinking-water-contaminants.aspx

For EPA’s website and the CCL3 list, visit

http://www.epa.gov/safewater/ccl
 

Stricter Federal Law Affects Local Water Districts
 

The new groundwater rule will go into effect December 1, 2009 to further protect drinking water from viruses and bacteria contamination.  This will affect public water systems fed from underground sources.  The new law states that public water systems that have detected total coliform will have to make sure that the water at the well source is clean.
 

By Mary Ann Bragg, mbragg@capecodonlne,com, October 4, 2009

Cape Cod Times, October 20, 2009

http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091004/NEWS/910040324/-1/NEWSMAP
 

Army Corps to Dredge Delaware River Without Permit
 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to dredge the Delaware River early next year, to deepen it to 45 feet.  This will provide deeper navigable waterways to increase shipping to Philadelphia.  The ACOE was denied a permit by Delaware, but plan to move forward with the project anyway.  The first stretch to be deepened is an 11 mile stretch in State of Delaware waters.
 

By Linda Loyd and Thomas Fitzgerald, The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 27, 2009

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/business/20091027_Delaware_River_dredging_will_commence.html

EPA Requests Comments on Survey for Stormwater Rule
 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is requesting comments on a survey to improve stormwater regulations and reduce stormwater discharges.  The draft survey requires information about stormwater management/control, local regulations, and financial information.  The proposed survey is open for public comment for 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.
 

http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/rulemaking.cfm