Sen. Joe Scarnati (R-Jefferson) announces Marcellus Shale impact fee proposal in a conference call with reporters.

Energy Star Video Challenge Contest Features Erie Carbon Cop School Program. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this week launched a nationwide effort to encourage Americans to take part in the “Be an Energy Star” video challenge by picking up their home video cameras and documenting the energy-efficient actions they are taking in their home, school, workplace and community.
The video introduction to the contest features Rachel Gollhardt and the "Carbon Cop" program which teaches second graders at Davis Primary School in Erie how to reduce energy use and their carbon footprint.
The videos will be featured on the Energy Star website and social networking websites where the public will view and vote for their favorite videos in the fall. The winning entries will be showcased on the Energy Star website during Energy Awareness month in October.
For more information, visit the EPA Change The World and learn how to “Be an Energy Star.” Post your story through the Share Your Story function on the EnergyStar.gov website.

Reclaiming Devil's Pool. The Friends of the Wissahickon have released a short documentary “Reclaiming Devil’s Pool,” produced by FOW member Jason Fifield of Slife Productions, documents FOW’s work at Devil’s Pool, part of the Sustainable Trails Initiative, a multi-stage commitment by FOW to help make the 50 miles of natural surface in the Wissahickon Valley Park an environmentally and socially sustainable system that works for all park users.
The film does an excellent job of explaining the work of STI with an emphasis on the Devil’s Pool Reclamation project completed in 2010 and the collaborative nature of this and all STI projects. In addition, the film highlights the role of volunteers, in particular FOW’s Trail Ambassadors. Says Mark Focht, Executive Director of Fairmount Park, “It’s not just about trail usage. It’s about the environmental sustainability of the Wissahickon Watershed, which is a unique watershed in Philadelphia and the whole region.”

CBF Asks For Federal Study Of Marcellus Shale Drilling Impacts. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation and its partners took actions today to call on the federal government to conduct a comprehensive scientific analysis of the cumulative impacts of natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale formation in the six Bay states, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, and Virginia. In a conference call with reporters, Matt Ehrhart, PA Office Director CBF, outlines the request for the study. Click Here for more background.
Other statements from the CBF press conference call--
Amy McDonnell, CBF attorney
John Dawes, Foundation for PA Watersheds
Cinda Waldbuesser, National Parks Conservation Association