Environmental Groups, Industry Agree on Standards for Shale from the WESA program, Allegheny Front
"Think of it like ‘organic’ or ‘LEED-certified’ for fracking. A working group of environmental groups and oil and gas companies have announced a plan to develop a series of 15 standards for unconventional natural gas extraction like hydraulic fracturing. The Center for Sustainable Shale Development will develop standards it called "progressive and rigorous" for developing shale gas. Many of the standards are either already in use in the field."

STUDY!!

Water Contaminants Increased Near Marcellus Activities but 2011 Rules May Have Helped from WESA's program, Allegheny Front
"A study found that shale gas development increased contaminants in Pennsylvania’s waterways from 2000 to 2011. Did the state's new policies clean up the rivers? "

Professor Tries to Clear Up Murkiness on Fracking Fluids from the Beaver Times
"An area professor and his research team aim to clear up the murkiness that surrounds the chemical components of fracking fluid with their newest research project. Fred Fochtman, director of forensic science and law in the Bayer School of Natural and Environmental Sciences at Duquesne University, and Paul Carlson, adjunct faculty member at Duquesne University and scientist reviewer, and their research team are compiling data on the various chemical components used in fracking in an attempt to consolidate the various sources of information available on the subject. The project, which will be in the form of a book, is expected to be released this summer."

How Much Water It Takes to Frack a Well (Yan Lu) from State Impact Pennsylvania

Beaver Water Woes Tied to Ohio Drilling from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"A Beaver County drinking water supplier says liquid drilling wastes dumped illegally in Ohio are linked to water problems in his county, where local and state officials claim Ohio investigators failed to tell them about pollution headed their way. "

Sequestration Will Cost Allegheny County About $100,000 in Federal Clean Air Funds from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette
"The federal government's inability to agree on a budget will cost the county Health Department's air pollution program about $100,000."

Beaver Falls Muncipal Authority Could Have Avoided Fracking Dump Contamination from the Beaver Times
"It could have taken as little as two or three hours for the thousands of gallons of fracking wastewater dumped in Youngstown in January to completely bypass the Beaver Falls Municipal Authority and its 17,000 customers, officials said Monday."

Pittsburgh Nonprofits begin to Focus on Green from the Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette
"The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and Global Links are by mission already in the green movement. Both nonprofits divert supplies that would otherwise be wasted to people in need. But they have amped up their efforts to reduce waste in-house, and that side mission inspired a recent workshop Downtown for other nonprofits."

Shale Fees to Benefit Southwestern Pennsylvania Conservation Districts from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"Five southwestern Pennsylvania counties will receive $272,000 in state grants funded by Marcellus shale drilling fees to promote local conservation efforts. The grants are from the state Unconventional Gas Well Fund, created by the Legislature in 2012 to help all county conservation districts continue services."

Retired and Senior Volunteer Program Workers Never Too Old to Lend a Hand from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Mr. Divack, 68, of Squirrel Hill, is just one example of how seniors and retirees can find fulfilling work after their careers have ended and the nest is empty. And now, Pittsburgh Cares, which matches volunteers with nonprofit organizations, is making it easier for seniors to help their communities by restarting the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, part of the federally funded SeniorCorps program."

Retired volunteer John Cokley passes collected trash to Joseph Divack of Allegheny CleanWays as RSVP volunteers pick up litter above Steuben Street in the West End section of Pittsburgh.

ShaleNET: Government-Funded Program Helps Job-Seekers Find Work in energy industry from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"ShaleNET's new round of funding is being used to add training for more stable career paths."

Dan DeAugustine of Greensburg reviews material on the board in the Intro to Oil & Gas Operations class at the Bushy Run Center near Export.

ShaleNET’s Job Placement Successes Make Front Page in Post-Gazette Story from Imagine Pittsburgh Now
"ShaleNET will soon be expanding its reach, both in terms of geography and skills training. Started in 2010 as an entry-level jobs training program supported by a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, last fall ShaleNET was awarded an additional $14.9 million follow on grant. With the maturing of the industry and with the additional money, participants will be able to continue their education and training by earning certificates and two-year degrees that will help them find jobs in the midstream and downstream part of the industry – that is, beyond the drill rigs and in the processing of oil and natural gas."

One of the Planet’s Greenest Buildings – in Pittsburgh – Opens to Public from Imagine Pittsburgh Now
"The city and the entire 10-county Pittsburgh region of southwestern Pennsylvania are globally recognized for innovation in sustainability and green building techniques and products, as they relate to energy – one of the region’s key economic sectors – and its efficiency."

Hilltop Neighborhoods Shape Green Strategy; Organizers Hope to Lure Investors from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Pittsburgh's southern Hilltop neighborhoods haven't changed much in appearance in six years. Hundreds of lots and houses remain vacant. A few cultural amenities still exist but no big market drivers or institutions. A series of steps since 2007, however, has led to a new strategy for making green improvements to lure bigger investment that for decades has eluded Beltzhoover, Bon Air, Carrick, Knoxville, Arlington, Arlington Heights, Allentown, St. Clair, Mount Oliver and Mount Oliver Borough."

Briney water flows into Southwestern PA streams from Public Source 
"On that January day, Dufalla and Hunnell, 69, were testing the orangey-red acid mine discharge from the abandoned Clyde Mine running into the creek. Recently, Dufalla’s group has found there’s something unexpected in mine waste -- bromide."

Federal Charges Filed in Youngstown Brine Dumping Incident from the Beaver Times
"Federal charges were filed against the man accused of dumping more than a quarter million gallons of fracking wastewater and drilling mud into the Mahoning River Watershed, officials announced Thursday."

Daughterty Residents Unhappy with Lack of Progress of Drilling Ordinance from the Beaver Times
"A lack of ordinances regarding gas drilling in Daugherty Township could be driving some companies away, and residents want answers."

DEP Says Air Quality in Pennsylvania is Improving from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Air pollution in Pennsylvania has declined significantly since 2008 because of regulations mandating pollution controls and increased use of natural gas for power production, according to 2011 emissions data released today by the state Department of Environmental Protection."

Shale Permits Not on 'Trigger List' for Extra Review in Poor Areas from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Hundreds of the permits for Marcellus Shale gas development were issued in Pennsylvania's poor and minority communities. None of those permits for gas wells, wastewater impoundments or compressor stations has triggered intervention by DEP's Office of Environmental Advocate to inform residents of those communities about potential health and environmental impacts from proposed industrial developments."

Ready for Takeoff? Fracking at Pittsburgh Airport Could be Reality by '14 from the Allegheny Front
"Less than a day after a raucous meeting over plans to drill at Pittsburgh International Airport, the airport’s governing body gave its imprimatur to a plan. The Allegheny County Airport Authority approved the plan to lease gas drilling rights to Consol Energy, in a plan that would net the airport upwards of $500 million over the next 20 years."