Pittsburgh, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced that the Environmental Mitigation Community Fund steering committee has finalized the protocol to allocate $5 million in funding for community projects in Beaver County. The protocol establishes the basic outline of how the Environmental Mitigation Community Fund will be distributed and what entities are eligible to apply for funding.

The Shapiro Administration secured the $5 million, one of the largest funds in Pennsylvania history, as part of its settlement of air quality violations by Shell Chemical Appalachia, LLC (Shell) during the commissioning of the company’s cracker plant in Potter Township.

Projects that provide environmental, health, or quality of life benefits in Beaver County may be eligible for funding. The protocol includes that at least one funded project should provide for regular, independent, testing of the air quality in the vicinity of the facility, and at least one funded project should focus on meaningful community education and engagement that fosters civic participation to design strategies seeking to improve the health and/or quality of life of the communities near to the facility.

“The Consent Order and Agreement includes a strong recommendation to fund a project that provides additional and independent air monitoring. We’re encouraged by the community feedback we received supporting that and the steering committee incorporated it in the final protocol,” said DEP Secretary Rich Negrin.

Organizations designated as a 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or that partner with a 501(c)(3), including as a fiscal sponsor, located within Beaver County or partnering with a Beaver County organization, may apply. Projects that lobby, engage in advocacy against public, private, or government organizations; support litigation or potential legal action; or promote or enable hate, discrimination, or violence are ineligible for funding.

The 17-member steering committee, primarily comprised of representatives from organizations serving Beaver County, was created to ensure that decisions on how the mitigation funds are invested benefit the impacted community. The May 24, 2023, consent order and agreement (COA) required the development of a protocol within 60 days, or by Sunday, July 23, 2023.

“I applaud the steering committee for ensuring that community feedback was meaningfully integrated and crafting this protocol in a timely and efficient manner said DEP Secretary Rich Negrin.  Funds like this one reflect our new commitment to using our enforcement efforts to maximize resources that are returned to communities. This protocol forms the foundation for what we can do in the future.”

The steering committee now embarks on crafting a protocol implementation plan to further detail the process for how project proposals should be submitted, evaluated, and selected. This plan will also establish the financial entity that will serve as the trustee and the process to distribute the funds. A separate, yet-to-be-formed, advisory board will be selected to receive, evaluate, and approve projects.

“We still have a lot of work to do, but this process just proved that a community-driven, collaborative process can work if we do it in an open and transparent fashion,” said DEP Special Deputy Secretary for OEJ, Fernando Treviño.

Information on the community fund, permitting, and compliance information is available on DEP’s community information webpage for the facility: dep.pa.gov/Shell.

Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio News Director. Published July 21, 2023 6:12 P.M.
Updated 10:30 P.M. – Correction – later reports indicate that the motorcycle had caught fire. 
 

(New Brighton, PA) Responders were called to what was initially reported as a motorcycle vs vehicle accident on 3rd Avenue in New Brighton shortly before 6pm Friday. The motorcycle rider was seen sitting on a curb next to the road, accompanied by who appeared to be a driver of a vehicle. Responders closed a section of the road where the accident took place as paramedics and fire crews arrived. Some smoke could be seen at the scene. Witnesses reported that the bike had caught fire. No further information was available at this time.

Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio News Director. Published July 21, 2023 5:05 P.M.

(New Galilee, PA) The New Galilee Carnival will have plenty of cost free things to do this year. Norfolk Southern has provided the event with free rides for everybody all week. In addition, the New Galilee Community Foundation have made the music entertainment free as well. A farmers market is also set to take place at the event Saturday. The carnival runs from July 25 through the 29th.

(Photo from the Boss Stingrays Facebook Page.) 

(Brighton Twp., Pa.)Beaver County Radio and The Pennsylvania Hot Rod Company will be holding cruise number three in the 2023 Cruisin the Ridge series of car cruises on Saturday, August 19, 2023 from 12PM to 5:00 PM  at the new Beaver County Radio Studios on Dutchridge Road in Brighton Township.
The cruise will get underway right at noon with the singing of the National Anthem followed by a musical performance by “The Boss Stingrays”. Beaver County Radio’s JD Merkel will then have his popular “Solid Gold Saturday” show featuring oldies of the 50’s and 60’s live from the parking lot until 5PM.  There will be a Chinese Auction, Food trucks from the Ambridge Italian Villa and P.J.’s Deli along with a 50/50 and door prizes for the cruisers. The first 150 cruises get a dash plaque and a goodie bag.
Mark it on your calendar and make sure to make it out to Cruisin on the Ridge on Saturday, August 19, 2023 from Noon to 5:00 PM
Cruisin on the Ridge is being brought to you by:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) voted in support of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization, the measure that authorizes the FAA and governs all aviation activity in the United States for the next five years. The bill is endorsed by many of the major labor unions for workers in the sector: International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), Transit Workers Union – AFL-CIO (TWU), and National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

Notably, this reauthorization bill included Congressman Deluzio’s amendment that directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a report on the effect of airline mergers for consumers. In the last three decades, the airline industry has undergone massive consolidation. Today, just four carriers control more than three-quarters (80%) of the market share, and no new airlines have entered the field since 2017. The report required by this amendment, should this measure also pass the Senate, provides a thorough investigation into the state of the market, as well as the potential impacts of poor competition on consumers, prices, flight availability, and safety. Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García and the American Economic Liberties Project both support the amendment.

“Over the last 30 years, our nation’s airlines have consolidated and shrunk beyond recognition,” said Rep. Deluzio. “This staggering lack of competition is a disaster in the making, and American consumers are at risk of experiencing even higher prices, unsafe flying conditions, and poor service to places like Western Pennsylvania. The federal government needs to take this issue seriously, and requiring a report from the Government Accountability Office is the first step to getting the information Congress and Administrations need to address this issue head-on.”

“As airline mergers increase, there is less competition in the air travel market, leaving travelers with fewer choices and higher fares. Lack of competition will weaken the airline industry and make it harder to work through unforeseen circumstances like extreme weather,” said Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García. “I look forward to seeing the GAO provide a report on the effects of airline mergers so that Congress can make informed decisions to protect consumers.”

“The U.S. airline industry has never been more concentrated, and that’s due in large measure to an unprecedented wave of mergers and acquisitions since the 1990’s,” said William J. McGee, Senior Fellow for Aviation & Travel, American Economic Liberties Project. “We applaud Rep. Deluzio and Rep. García in calling for the necessary step of analyzing the harms of past mergers on passengers, workers, cities, and even entire regions of the country. American Economic Liberties Project has stated that before consideration can be given to proposed future mergers—such as JetBlue  and Spirit—first let’s have a thorough accounting of all that has gone wrong in this highly consolidated industry.”

While Congressman Deluzio ultimately voted yes on the measure, there are several parts of the bill package that he opposes, including a requirement to increase the retirement age for America’s pilots. He supported a bipartisan amendment that would have blocked this age increase, but House Republican committee leadership refused to allow a vote on the amendment. The U.S. Senate will pass its own FAA reauthorization bill, and the two versions will need to be reconciled before the President signs it into law ahead of the current authorization expiring on September 30, 2023.

Additionally, Congressman Deluzio joined with Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky and others to fight airline industry efforts to roll back transparency requirements for airline fees that have been in place since the Obama Administration. However, the House Republican Majority blocked their amendment from moving to the House Floor for a vote.

“Airlines want to rip off the American people with deceptive, confusing tactics to hide the full cost of flights and fees from customers, and House Republicans are letting them get away with it,” said Rep. Deluzio. “By stripping out my amendment to defend decade-old price transparency laws that protect consumers, House Republicans are enabling this predatory behavior and boosting the airlines’ bottom line. I will keep fighting to undo these industry rollbacks and help more Americans avoid junk fees, not fall prey to them.”