Filed under: CleanTech, Sustainability | Tags: Alternative Energy, Pennsylvania, Solar
On January 29, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued a press release that it has received $7.25 million in funding from the Commonwealth Financing Authority to complete the agency’s Sunshine Solar Program. The program offers (more…)
Filed under: Green Building, Sustainability | Tags: Events, Green Building, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Sustainability Practices
In its third year, the PA / NJ Sustainability Symposium bills itself as an event that “brings together industry, education and community leaders to share best practices, ask challenging questions and provide cutting edge information about sustainability in the Delaware Valley.”
The conference will be held at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA on Tuesday, March 12th from 7:45 am to 1:30 pm. (more…)
It has been said that the greenest building is the building that already exists. The federal Historic Tax Credit has been successfully encouraging the rehabilitation and reuse of existing buildings since it was adopted in 1976. The federal Historic Tax Credit program offers two kinds of credits: a 20% tax credit for the rehabilitation of income producing buildings determined by the National Park Service to be “certified historic structures” and a 10% tax credit for the rehabilitation of income producing buildings built prior to 1936. The success of the federal program caused 29 states to adopt similar programs by July 1, 2012. On July 2, 2012, Pennsylvania became the 30th state to offer tax credits to help finance the rehabilitation of historic structures when Governor Corbett signed HB 761 of 2011. (more…)
Filed under: Green Building | Tags: Affordable Housing, Energy Star, Green Building, LEED®, Pennsylvania
Can you build a 58 unit residential building in western Pennsylvania and not use conventional HVAC systems? The answer is “yes.” The newly opened Retirement Residence at Plum is such a building. The building is (more…)
Filed under: Marcellus Shale | Tags: Fracking, Marcellus Shale, Pennsylvania
On August 28, the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) published a set of recommended practices for sampling groundwater before commencement of hydraulic fracturing – or “fracking” – operations. Implementing the practices will establish a pre-drilling baseline and will be helpful in determining whether fracking caused groundwater contamination. In the face of increasing litigation against fracking operations for groundwater degradation, the new practice could protect drillers from a presumption of liability. The guidance can be found at http://marcelluscoalition.org/2012/08/msc-releases-recommended-practice-for-pre-drill-water-sampling/. Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection has announced its support for the new recommended practices.
The sampling guide is the third in a series of recommended practice documents issued by the MSC. The first focused on site planning, development, and restoration (http://marcelluscoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Site_Planning_RP_Overview.pdf). The second focused on supply chain practices (http://marcelluscoalition.org/2012/07/msc-reinforces-local-hiring-with-supply-chain-recommended-practice/).
