Car Free Walking Tour hosted by the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. Come explore Allegheny Commons and the neighborhoods surrounding this gem of the Northside.
3-4:30 p.m., starting at at the entrance to Allegheny Commons Park on East Ohio Street and Cedar Avenue. The tour is limited to the first 25 people who RSVP by July 29th. RSVP by calling MaryLu at 412-471-5808, ext. 527, or email marylu@phlf.org
City Councilman Patrick Dowd will host a panel discussion on the legislation being considered in Pittsburgh to restrict gas drilling in the City. Come voice your concerns about how drilling will affect Pittsburgh residents.
The Community Conversation is an engaging, fun, and exciting public meeting format that allows all voices to be heard.
Unlike standard council meetings or other gatherings where public input is gathered, Community Conversations bring people together in a positive environment where they can collaborate on ideas and come up with solutions – together.
The Community Conversation format is a tested, lively, and interactive method designed by Washington DC-based AmericaSpeaks, and led by trained facilitators to engage dialogue among diverse populations.
At each Community Conversation, about 30 people will gather and split up into tables of five to six people. At each table, participants work together to collaborate and answer the following questions:
Community Conversations are scheduled across parts of four states (32 counties) in a region-wide Power of 32 launch on Tuesday, July 27th, creating a forum for all residents to voice their vision for the region’s future. Residents across the region will unify in beginning the Listening Phase of this unprecedented project during the launch.
“Beginning at 8 am that day, Community Conversations will be held almost every hour in every county across the Power of 32 region,” said Selena Schmidt, Power of 32 executive director. “These public input sessions will continue in each county in August and September, but this is a great way for us to unify as a region and kick off this important initiative.” Find a conversation in your area right here! Voice your vision this Tuesday – register at www.powerof32.org!
The DEP will hold a series of Public Comment Meetings about Proposed Chapter 78 changes to provide stronger regulations for oil and gas wells, including Marcellus wells.
MEETINGS NOTICE: The PA Department of Environmental Protection will hold four meetings during the month of July 2010 to receive comments on the proposed changes to 25 Pa. Code Chapter 78. The new and amended sections are §§78.1, .51, .52, .71-.73, .81-.85, .88, .89, .91-.96, .121 and .122. The meetings will begin at 7:00 p.m. at each location. They will be held July 19 Tunkhannock, PA; July 21 in Williamsport, PA; July 22 in Meadville, PA; July 22 in Pittsburgh, PA, and (because of a scheduling conflict with an EPA Marcellus hearing in Canonsburg on June 22) also on July 26 in Pittsburgh, PA.
7 p.m. in conference rooms A & B at the DEP Southwestern Regional Office, 400 Waterfront Drive, Pittsburgh, Pa. For more information, look at Gas Well Casing Amendments to Chapter 78 (PDF - 99KB). To learn more about Marcellus shale drilling, check out this comprehensive MSD web site.
Senator Casey has announced a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing entitled "Emergency Response in the Marcellus Shale Region." This is another event where a strong turnout will be helpful. One issue that may be involved is the chemical composition of the fracking fluids, so that local fire companies can deal effectively with emergencies.10am in Courtroom 6A on the 6th floor of the US Courthouse at 7th & Grant Streets; 700 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.
Join in on PASA's Buy Fresh Buy Local Summer Farm Tour! For a mere $10 per carload, tour-goers receive a day pass to visit any of the participating farms.
- Forge personal connections with local farmers
- Suitable for all ages
- Hands on Learning
- Learn about the origins of YOUR food
- Sustainable growing practices demonstrated
Take the tour:
* Select a route from our online, interactive map of participating farms - FARM TOUR MAP - Print maps with directions will also be available at each farm that you visit.
* Load up your family and friends!
* Simply pay $10 at the first farm you visit for your day pass and visit as many participating farms as you'd like between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
* The Farm Tour is suitable for visitors of all ages!
* All farms open, rain or shine!
~New for 2010~
PASA is pleased to invite 10 community organizations to take the tour for free! Thanks to the generosity of Pittsburgh Party for a Purpose, we are pleased to offer free tickets & prepaid gas cards to 10 Western Pennsylvania community organizations. If you are part of a community organization that would like to take a group on the 2010 tour, please email information about your organization. You must have access to reliable transportation on July 24th.
The DEP will hold a series of Public Comment Meetings about Proposed Chapter 78 changes to provide stronger regulations for oil and gas wells, including Marcellus wells.
MEETINGS NOTICE: The PA Department of Environmental Protection will hold four meetings during the month of July 2010 to receive comments on the proposed changes to 25 Pa. Code Chapter 78. The new and amended sections are §§78.1, .51, .52, .71-.73, .81-.85, .88, .89, .91-.96, .121 and .122. The meetings will begin at 7:00 p.m. at each location. They will be held July 19 Tunkhannock, PA; July 21 in Williamsport, PA; July 22 in Meadville, PA; and July 22 in Pittsburgh, PA.
7 p.m. in conference rooms A & B at the DEP Southwestern Regional Office, 400 Waterfront Drive, Pittsburgh, Pa. For more information, look at Gas Well Casing Amendments to Chapter 78 (PDF - 99KB). To learn more about Marcellus shale drilling, check out this comprehensive MSD web site.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is holding a series of four public information meetings to obtain public input on the EPA's upcoming research study investigating the potential adverse impact that hydraulic fracturing may have on water quality and public health. Here in Southwestern PA, they are coming to Canonsburg, in Washington County. (Other meetings will be held in Fort Worth, Texas on July 8, Denver, Colorado on July 13, and Binghamton, NY on August 12)
In March 2010, EPA announced that it will study the potential adverse impact that hydraulic fracturing may have on drinking water. In developing the study, EPA is holding a series of meetings to receive public input about specific drinking water, human health, or environmental concerns that need to be factored into the study. Hydraulic fracturing is a process that helps production of natural gas or oil from shale and other geological formations. By pumping fracturing fluids (water and chemical additives) and sand or other similar materials into rock formations, fractures are created that allow natural gas or oil to flow from the rock through the fractures to a production well for extraction. The meetings will provide public information about the proposed study scope and design. EPA will solicit public comments on the draft study plan.
To support the initial planning phase and guide the development of the study plan, the agency sought suggestions and comments from the EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB)—an independent, external federal advisory committee. The agency will use this advice and extensive stakeholder/public input to guide the design of the study.
EPA requests that citizens who are interested in attending to pre-register by Monday, July 19
Call 1-866-477-3635 toll free to register. Or register on-line at: http://hfmeeting.cadmusweb.com .
Those wishing to contribute comments to EPA regarding the proposed hydraulic fracturing research study may also submit electronic comments to EPA at hydraulic.fracturing@epa.gov ; or send written comments to:
Jill Dean
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Mail code 4606M
Washington, DC 20460.
6pm-10pm at the Southpointe Hilton Garden Inn, 1000 Corporate Drive, Canonsburg, Pa 15317. For more information on the meetings: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/uic/wells_hydrofrac.html or contact Enesta Jones at 202-564-7873 or 202-564-4355. To learn more about Marcellus shale drilling, check out this comprehensive MSD web site.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Allegheny County Council will conduct a public hearing, on Wednesday, July 21, 2010, beginning at 5:00 p.m. In the Gold Room, 4th Floor of the Allegheny County Courthouse, 436 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.
The primary purpose of this hearing is to allow the opportunity for public comment regarding Marcellus Shale related natural gas drilling within Allegheny County.
Public testimony will be scheduled beginning at 5:00 p.m.
Individuals wishing to speak must register with the County Council Clerk online at www.county.allegheny.pa.us/council , via e-mail (rtc@county.allegheny.pa.us), in person at Room 119 Courthouse, or by phone (412-350-6490), no later than 24 hours prior to the scheduled beginning of the hearing.
Each registered speaker will be allotted a maximum of three (3) minutes.
Written testimony will be accepted through 5:00 p.m. on July 23, 2010.
To learn how to safely and properly recycle and dispose of many common household chemicals and other items year-round, please visit the Recycling & Disposal Resources page.
10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at Pittsburgh Mills (Pittsburgh Mills Circle, Tarentum, PA 15084). Information on this and subsequent events is here.
Join in on the next Tireless event, and help clean up the Allegheny Riverfront along the Strip District Trail. Afterwards, we'll have refreshments and musical entertainment by the Moonlighters. So...stop by after work and join in the fun. There will be plenty of trail work and river cleaning to do. Wear long pants and sturdy shoes or boots and be prepared to get dirty! Check out the calendar of events on the Allegheny Cleanways website for more information and directions.
On Saturday, July 17th, one of our partners in the Tireless Project, Nine Mile Run Watershed Association, will be having their annual benefit event. This year it's called "A Midsummer Night's Storm." Find out more information and purchase tickets to the event by going to: http://www.ninemilerun.org/a-midsummer-night-s-storm/.
Finally, if you're finding yourself with a lot of spare time on your hands or would just like to get more involved with our mission to clean up illegal dump sites in Allegheny County, you might want to consider becoming a "Dump Buster." "Dump Busters" is a program we're kicking off this year as a way of addressing some of the 279 illegal dump sites that were identified within the city of Pittsburgh in last year's Illegal Dump Site Survey. A small group of rotating volunteers, led by crew leader Joe Divack, will daily chip away at some of the smaller sites in the city as well as some outside of the city. They will also be available to rapidly respond to new dumping incidents and/or help community groups who are trying to clean up dumping in their neighborhoods. Participation in the group can vary according to your schedule and availability. If you're interested, contact Myrna Newman for more information and/or to get you signed up.
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| Prof. Tony Ingraffea, Cornell University | |
Holding monthly meetings, as we did for over twenty years, has become an “unsustainable” practice. The Group simply didn’t have the funds to continue supporting this activity at about $1300 per year. We’d rather spend that money on other important member-related issues, such as publishing newsletters which reach every member. But we realized that we already pay for a space that is ideal for smaller gatherings: the Club office in Oakland, which can easily accommodate up to about 40 people. So we have created a new format for monthly meetings: Conservation Conversations. Every month we will have a core topic, some local or regional expert and YOU. If you want to learn more or contribute what you already know to the general pool of knowledge, we’d love to have you there.
There are dozens of areas of interest, some of which we may hit repeatedly. Many of us would like to better understand what is really happening with the Marcellus Shale. We’d like to know what the City and County are intending to do about the possibility of drilling right here… since leases are already being signed.
Juliana Stricklen, a Creative and Performing Arts High School Senior, received a $1000 award for a video she created on the Marcellus problem. It’s great! We’ve invited her and her teacher, Dennis Childers, to show the video and discuss the issues. We’ll also have current updates on State and local regulations and concerns about the Marcellus development. This is the biggest environmental threat in the last century in Pennsylvania and worthy of your attention. We will also show part of Cornell University Prof. Tony Ingraffea’s excellent tutorial on the Marcellus issues. This will be a hot event!
7:30 - 9 p.m. in the Sierra Club offices, on the second floor of a building that can be entered either at 3875 Bigelow Blvd or 425 Craig St., in Suite 202. Ring the buzzer at the door; when you are buzzed in, take the elevator to the second floor and follow the signs to the Club office. On-street parking is easier on the Bigelow side. Interesting goodies and finger foods; bring your own to share if you care to. For more information, email Donald L. Gibbon, Program Chair, Allegheny Group
August topic: the movie FRESH and more about Buy Fresh, Buy local and Urban Farming.
