Local News - Sat. April 28, 2007

Cressona Route to be closed Sunday

A problem bridge in Cressona is going to get some much needed repair on Sunday. Officials from the Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad will be making modifications to the railroad underpass on Route 183 from 7am till 11am Sunday to make it more visible to truck traffic, who have consistently gotten stuck under the 11 foot 8 inch underpass. Both north and southbound lanes of Route 183 will be closed to through traffic, except emergency vehicles, during that time. Traffic control will be in place. This is the second weekend that railroad employees will be working in the area.

Seip backs energy-dependence legislation

(HARRISBURG)-State Rep. Tim Seip joined other members of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee this week to announce energy-independence legislation. Seip , Representative for the 125th Legislative District, said that these bills would attract and assist projects like the ethanol plant in western Schuylkill County. He said we need more efforts like that to reduce our dependence on foreign fuels and boost our economy by keeping our energy dollars right here in Pennsylvania. Members of the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee announced the introduction of legislation to implement portions of Gov. Ed Rendell's proposed Energy Independence Strategy. The governor has said the plan would save consumers and businesses an estimated $10 billion in energy costs over the next 10 years.

BRADS landfill gets pre-denial letter

WILKES-BARRE – The Department of Environmental Protection Friday announced it has issued a pre-denial letter to Blythe Township, Schuylkill County, on its proposed construction and demolition waste landfill known as Blythe Recycling and Demolition Site, or BRADS. This action is the result of inadequate responses by the township to DEP’s December 2004 review letter. "Blythe Township failed to address issues we raised in our original comment letter regarding the application or the comments we received at our recent public hearing," said Northeast Regional Director Michael D. Bedrin. DEP's pre-denial letter identifies a number of remaining issues that must be resolved by the applicant, including site ownership, leachate management, and the need for additional botanical studies. In addition, the applicant has not adequately addressed harm and benefit issues related to the affects on local emergency management resources, mine subsidence potential, affects to recreation and local land use, potential traffic harms, potential air quality affects, and aesthetics. Blythe Township originally submitted a permit application for a 1,500-ton per day demolition debris landfill in early 2004. DEP held a public hearing on the application Dec. 5, 2006 and received testimony from more than 50 individuals.

PPL Gas Utilities’ Safety Record Recognized by American Gas Association

(Allentown)-The American Gas Association has honored PPL Gas Utilities for excellence in accident prevention and workplace safety. Robert Geneczko, President of PPL Gas Utilities said that reducing accidents and properly maintaining our pipeline system helps ensure we are offering safe and reliable natural gas service that is the best energy value for our customers. PPL Gas Utilities has substantially improved its workplace safety record since the year 2000, reducing employee injuries by 66 percent. PPL Gas Utilities is a subsidiary of PPL Corporation and provides natural gas delivery service to 76,000 homes and businesses in Schuylkill and 33 other Pennsylvania counties.

Don't feed the bears

With spring blossoming around the state, many Pennsylvanians are seeing signs of new life in the outdoors as migratory birds continue their northward migration and other wildlife shake off their winter slumber. Among the wildlife becoming more visible are Pennsylvania's roughly 15-thousand black bears, all of which will be looking for food. Pennsylvania Game Commission biologists say that food for bears is scarce at this time of the year until plants begin to grow, so sightings and, in some cases, conflicts increase as bears look for food. Homeowners should begin now to remove food sources or make them unavailable to bears. In addition, don’t feed wildlife. Bird feeders and other seed products attract bruins like magnets. For more information about keeping bears away, log on to http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/., then go to the hunting section under black bear.