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The McKean County Conservation District partnered with Penn State Extension, USDA NRCS, FSA and DCNR, Bureau of Forestry to offer a Winter Farmer’s Meeting on Tuesday, February 13, 2024 at the Veteran’s Memorial, on Route 155 in Port Allegany from 11:30 AM – 4:00 PM.

The program will offer 2 core and 2 category pesticide credits (01-Agronomic Crops 2, 05-Forest Pest Control 1, 10-Right of Way & Weeds 1, 18-Demonstration and Research 3, 23-Park/School Pest Control 1).  The agenda includes Agency Updates from NRCS & FSA, Cover Crops Termination, Cover Crops for Weed Suppression, Forestry Pest & Invasive Spraying, The Impact of Water Quality on Pesticide Performance and updates on the McKean County Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program.

The Potter County Education Council, Tri-Co Connections, the Potter County Human Services Area Agency on Aging, and our local school districts are continuing to team up to implement a county-wide program called Seniors 2 Seniors. This program teaches basic computer skills, digital literacy, and cybersecurity to senior citizens so that they have the skills and knowledge to utilize the many benefits of high-speed Internet. As a part of this program, local high school students volunteer to provide on-site support to each of the adults who participate in the course.

The Seniors 2 Seniors technology course is being offered at the Ulysses Senior Center on Wednesdays, March 6 – April 10, 2024, from 12:45 – 2:15 p.m. This course will also be offered in Galeton on Wednesdays, April 17 – May 22, 2024. The registration deadline for the Ulysses course is Wednesday, February 28^th. Register yourself, a parent, or grandparent by calling (814) 274-4877 or by stopping by the Potter County Education Council office at 5 Water Street in Coudersport.

Shapiro Administration, DEP Requires All Fracking Companies to be More Transparent About Chemicals Used in Drilling

At Governor Shapiro’s Direction, Following Collaboration with CNX Resources, DEP Will Require Natural Gas Companies to Disclose Chemicals Used in Drilling & Hydraulic Fracturing Before They Are Used On-Site

Harrisburg, PA – The Shapiro Administration, through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), is implementing new policies that will require operators to publicly disclose chemicals they use in drilling and hydraulic fracturing earlier in the well development process. This step will cover all gas companies following the historic collaboration between the Shapiro Administration and CNX Resources Corporation.

This announcement is a next step in the Shapiro Administration’s continuing work to address climate change and protect Pennsylvanians’ Constitutional right to clean air and pure water while maintaining our Commonwealth’s legacy as a national energy leader. In implementing this requirement, the Shapiro Administration is also following through on a key recommendation of the 43rd Statewide Grand Jury Report, which Governor Shapiro oversaw as Attorney General.

The details of which chemicals an operator is using are contained in companies’ site-specific Preparedness, Prevention, and Contingency (PPC) plans. Previously, PPC plans were required to be submitted to DEP only upon request. Now, when issuing permits for new unconventional wells, DEP will require the submission of unconventional well operators’ site-specific PPC plans prior to drilling. Moving forward, the PPC documents will be posted online by DEP at PA Oil and Gas Mapping website upon receipt.

As a result of the historic collaboration with Governor Shapiro, CNX Resources Corporation has already publicly disclosed the chemicals and additives used in its new drilling operations, and has begun posting air monitoring results in real time for two of its well pads, with plans to expand the program across its operations statewide.

“As Attorney General and now as Governor, I have listened to Pennsylvanians concerned about their health and safety – and I am delivering on the promise I made to them to secure these protections,” said Governor Josh Shapiro. “My Administration is setting a new standard for Pennsylvania natural gas to be produced in a responsible, sustainable way and showing how we can bring people together to get things done. We’re going to follow through on our commitment to ensure the health and safety of our communities while maintaining Pennsylvania’s proud energy legacy and our Commonwealth’s critical role in the nation’s energy economy.”

The Governor’s collaboration with CNX, which addresses many of the recommendations of the 43rd Statewide Investigating Grand Jury, demonstrates how industry, government, and public advocates can find common ground and collaborate to keep people safe and move Pennsylvania forward.

In addition to the disclosure of chemicals used in drilling, Governor Shapiro has also directed DEP to take action to pursue formal rulemaking and policy changes mirroring the collaboration, including: improved control of methane emissions aligned with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recently announced performance standards for emission sources in the oil and natural gas sector, stronger drilling waste protections, including inspection of secondary containment, and corrosion protections for gathering lines that transport natural gas.

As part of this collaboration, DEP will also conduct the most intensive independent study of unconventional natural gas wells in the nation. CNX will provide DEP with unprecedented access to two future CNX well sites, allowing for in-depth, independent monitoring of the air emissions at both locations before, during, and after development of the new wells. This will make it possible for communities to understand the facts about natural gas development with more transparency than ever before.

“DEP is setting a new standard of transparency for Pennsylvania’s natural gas regulation and policy actions,” said DEP Interim Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley. “Under Governor Shapiro’s leadership, DEP will continue to ensure compliance with Pennsylvania’s environmental laws and regulations that address unconventional well permits. By requiring unconventional gas companies to make their PPC plans publicly available, Pennsylvanians will have a clearer picture of the types of chemicals being used on unconventional well sites earlier in the process.”

Regulations require well operators to prepare and develop a site-specific PPC plan prior to storing, using, or generating regulated substances on a well site. The PPC plan requires disclosure of “regulated substances,” as defined in 25 Pa. Code § 78a.1. Substances recorded include those from the drilling, alteration, production, plugging, or other activity associated with a gas well or transporting those regulated substances to, on, or from a well site.

To inform unconventional operators of this new process, DEP will include the new request in every cover letter that is attached to issued unconventional well permits as of January 3, 2024. DEP has also notified unconventional operators and industry groups. PPC plans will be uploaded and made publicly available via the PADEP Office of Oil & Gas Management’s eSubmission application, which can be accessed through DEP’s Greenport. Making this information accessible will ensure communities understand the facts about natural gas development.

In order to provide a consistent and thorough response, the DEP Office of Oil and Gas Management will conduct the initial reviews of the submitted PPC plans for completeness and compliance with regulations. DEP will also provide training to unconventional gas well operators to ensure compliance with the regulatory planning requirements. With this oversight, DEP can ensure that operators are well-prepared to avoid and address spills and releases, which can have public health and safety implications as well as environmental impacts.

For more information on the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, please visit website, or follow DEP on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

Learning To Say No and Set Boundaries

by

Pastor B.J. Knefley

One of the healthiest things we can do is to set boundaries and limits with others, but it is also the most difficult at least when it comes to family.

When I got married many, many years ago, setting boundaries and limits was not difficult. Oh sure we had the extended family stuff but that was a small group of people. As the years have slipped by our family has grown. At last count, with all of the children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren including the spouses we’re around the 40 mark. That’s a lot of offspring for a couple of crazy in love teenagers. As the patriarch and matriarch of this tribe of hooligans, when one hurts, we hurt. When one gets into trouble, we feel it. Knowing when to step in and when to let things go their course is not easy. We want to fix the hurt and bandage the problem. But sometimes that’s the worst thing we can do. So, learning to set boundaries and limits is an everyday struggle. Knowing when to help and when to let go isn’t easy.

Setting boundaries and limits is never easy. Neither is saying no. I, like many, want people to feel good. I want peace in my own life. To do so, we sometimes compromise. In our attempt to ease the fall we neglect to hold others responsible. We may even be accused of being unloving when we do set limits, boundaries or tell others no especially when it comes to family members.

I’ve often wondered if this is what is wrong with our society. We coddle our offspring and don’t make them responsible. We blame others for their misfortune without recognizing our part in their demise. How have we come to this? It certainly was planned or was our intension, but it’s happened nevertheless. Perhaps the real issue relates to the lack of consequences. Setting limits and boundaries is a consequence. So is saying no. All are healthy responses to unhealthy choices. Easy to do? Probably not, but very necessary if one is going to grow, change and become a responsible member of society. It comes back to my choices. Think about it.