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| | By Jessica Shirley, DEP Interim Acting Secretary
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I am honored and excited to officially introduce the first edition of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) newsletter! This newsletter has been long-awaited, and I could not be more proud of the final launch. Throughout my time at DEP, tremendous growth and changes have impacted all of us. This newsletter will highlight our collective wins, amplify our mission to protect the environmental rights of Pennsylvanians, showcase the critical work done by our peers, and ensure everyone is informed of upcoming events. It is my hope that this newsletter will foster lasting impacts toward a thriving DEP community. It is essential to become more connected in recognizing our unified accomplishments that lead towards a greater working environment and agency impact.
The time has never been better to acknowledge the significant impact we share across the Commonwealth. Whether you are working in our laboratory testing water samples, reviewing a permit application, out in the field conducting an inspection, or reviewing a grant application, your work is significant to the well-being of all Pennsylvanians and does not go unnoticed.
There is also an opportunity for you to put your own mark on this newsletter! Since this is an internal newsletter, it is fitting to conduct an anonymous survey on what the newsletter name should be. For this first issue, click the link below to submit a name. In this preliminary round, we will collect name suggestions and a second round of names will be picked from the anonymous submission poll. The number of quality names submitted will decide the number of rounds. If you have a great name suggestion, send it and see what happens. I am excited about the upcoming employee engagement and cultural transformation as we learn from one another and tell our stories at DEP.
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First Look - Building Community Environmental Projects
On November 7, 2023, representatives from NCRO conducted an inspection of the Community Environmental Project (CEP) that was part of the Consent Assessment of Civil Penalty (CACP) between the Department and Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Company, LLC (Transco). NCRO staff included: Geoff Ayers, Assistant Council; Steve Putt, Program Manager; Tony Liguori, Group Manager; and Jordi Comas, Environmental Justice Coordinator. The CACP was executed on September 2, 2020. Members of the Shamokin Creek Restoration Alliance (SCRA) provided a tour of the CEP and related projects in the vicinity of Kulpmont Veterans Memorial Park, Northumberland County. Members of the SCRA included: Steve Chrismer, SCRA Director; John Bucanelli, SCRA Treasurer; and Stephen Motyka, SCRA Vice President.
To facilitate the CEP, the SCRA utilized $100,000 supplied by Transco to contract with service providers for site survey, design, permitting, and construction of a stormwater treatment system. The SCRA also obtained an Environmental Education Grant from the Department for $3,000 which enabled the vegetation plantings within the CEP. Additionally, a $11,932 grant from the Sierra Club contributed to the larger project. The CEP funds and smaller grants were used to leverage additional grant money for a broader effort to develop acid mine drainage treatment systems and educational signage throughout the watershed.
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Left to Right: Geoff Ayers, DEP Assistant Council; Steve Putt, DEP Program Manager; Tony Liguori, DEP Group Manager and members of the Shamokin Creek Restoration Alliance inspect the stormwater treatment facility and discuss the project.
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|  | One of several acid mine discharges, which are part of the larger, overall restoration project undertaken by the Shamokin Creek Restoration Alliance.
| |  | Geoff Ayers, DEP Assistant Council and Steve Putt, DEP Program Manager walk along two AMD treatment ponds that were constructed and maintained by the Shamokin Creek Watershed Alliance.
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Behind the Scenes - Cleaning Up Our Commonwealth
DEP’s Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act (HSCA) program in NCRO has been investigating the extent and source of a widespread chlorinated solvent plume in Sayre and S. Waverly Boroughs in Bradford County. The investigation is focused on groundwater contamination with the primary concern being potential vapor intrusion issues. Thus far, four indoor air mitigation systems have been installed in three residences and one commercial building. NCRO staff have been working with the HSCA contractor to develop work plans, reach out to residents and borough officials, identify impacted buildings, oversee installation of mitigation systems, and observe drilling activities. In January 2024, three additional groundwater monitoring wells were installed to further define the plume. Pictured here is the drill rig on a typical brisk January day in the northern tier. Photo taken during site inspection by Mary Maryott, Environmental Protection Specialist, NCRO, HSCA.
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Center: Front of the room Rosetta Carrington Lue, Chief Customer Experience Officer
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Leveling Up - Workplace Development
On Tuesday, January 23, 2024, approximately 45 staff members from administration, emergency response and management and technical and operations staff from various programs in the Northeast Regional Office participated in a Calming (Customer Service) Workshop. The course outline and content was constructed by Rosetta Carrington Lue, DEP’s Chief Customer Experience Officer and Jevon Gondwe, Learning and Development Manager. The workshop centered around de-escalating techniques for calming conversations. It included the identification of key objectives during customer interactions; handling techniques for aggressive and emotional discussions, and approaches for seeing customer interactions as opportunities. The workshop was well attended and held great energy during group breakout discussions. Many thanks to Rosetta and Jevon for their time and investment to the staff of NERO.
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| Protecting Our Water
Do you know that DEP protects over 86,000 miles of streams and lakes? In the first edition of DEP Spotlight, we would like to recognize the statewide Clean Water Program under the Bureau of Clean Water (BCW). The program is responsible for protecting and preserving the waters of the Commonwealth. Through several federal and state statutes, the Clean Water Program plays a vital role in preserving the state’s water ecosystem. Waters are assessed to ensure that they can support fish and other aquatic life, recreation, water supply for drinking, agriculture, and industry, and other protected uses. Water regulation education is also an important aspect for the BCW through the Clean Water Academy. These online training resources are accessible to County Conservation District staff, DEP staff, and the regulated community. The training includes content on the Chapter 102 Program, the 537 program, and Sewage Enforcement Officers. It is a valuable resource for many as noted by the over 30,000 course completions recorded since going on-line.
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Bill Mentzer pictured at his retirement party.
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| The Clean Water Program maintains six regional locations spanning over 100 employees. One of the many dedicated employees we would like to spotlight in the Clean Water Program is Bill Mentzer, retiring after over 44 years at the Northwest Regional Office.
William (Bill) Mentzer started with the Department of Environmental Resources (DER) on December 20, 1979. A Vietnam War veteran, Bill served in the United States Navy for six years right out of high school as a Marine Mechanic, taking care of everything with steam propulsion to keep the ship running. In addition to earning the Vietnam Service Medal, Bill spent time in Korea earning the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and had the opportunity to spend some more enjoyable time in Pearl Harbor visiting Waikiki Beach. Following his time in the service and prior to coming to the Department, Bill attended Penn State University earning a degree in Chemical Engineering. Bill has worked as a permit writer in the Clean Water Program his entire career (Water Quality Management Program as it was known back in Bill’s early days with the Department). Bill is a licensed Professional Engineer and has historically been active with professional societies as well as volunteering at the Carnegie Science Center. On the first day of trout season, gummy worms will often show up on the countertop in the Clean Water Program area at the Northwest Regional Office and it is believed that Bill is the one behind this fun gesture. Bill is truly dedicated to his work and is known for having a highly productive and efficient rate in the preparing of NPDES and Water Quality Management permits. Bill’s enthusiasm started early in his career when he was so enthusiastic about his job that he didn’t use any leave in the entire calendar year of 1981. Bill can be seen making his half-mile walk to and from work every day whether it be a rainy day, the hottest days of summer, or even in the worst lake effect snow storms. The Department is very lucky and appreciative for Bill’s many years of service.
“Working for the DEP for 44 years has been challenging but very fulfilling. There isn’t any other job I would have rather been doing. My advice to current and future DEP employees would be to adapt to changing situations and always be prepared for the unexpected.”
- Bill Mentzer
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DiverseEP Townhall
The DiverseEP Townhall will continue in 2024 on the 3rd Thursday of every month from 9:00 to 10:00 am. Join the conversation using the Teams link below. Agendas to follow.
Waste, Air, Radiation and Remediation
Bureau of Environmental Cleanup and Brownfields (BECB):
- DEP’s Land Recycling Program (LRP) along with the Engineers Society of Western Pennsylvania, will host the 2024 Pennsylvania Brownfields Conference on March 25-27, 2024, at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center in State College, PA. Plenary speakers have been selected including Joel Burcat, former environmental attorney and current environmental novelist as the keynote speaker. Registration opened earlier this month and DEP is expecting a robust turnout for the conference in March.
Bureau of Air Quality (BAQ):
- EPA awarded $499,870 to DEP for community air quality monitoring in the area around the B Braun medical device sterilization facility, northeast of Allentown. BAQ and NERO are working with Lehigh University to sample and analyze the levels and distribution of ethylene oxide in underserved communities and to create a measurement-based cancer risk map. Quarterly calls will be held for all project stakeholders including BAQ, NERO, PA DOH, Lehigh University, and the Promise Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley.
Bureau of Waste Management (BWM):
- New Electronics Recycling Opportunity for DEP Employees and Pennsylvania Residents - As of January 16, Best Buy Retail locations throughout Pennsylvania are accepting televisions and monitors (up to 49”) for recycling. There are a few restrictions, and a fee will be charged in most cases. Drop offs are limited to two (2) items per day (two televisions or two monitors, or one of each). Employees/residents will be charged a collection fee of $29.99 per television or monitor but will receive a $30 Best Buy gift card to offset the collection fee. However, Best Buy branded televisions/monitors (Dynex, Insigna) will be accepted at no charge (no gift card issued).
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Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, 400 Market Street Harrisburg, PA 17101
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