The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette revealed that the total number of gas-producing wells in Pennsylvania exceeds the total number of wells drilled by almost 500. That is, there are 12 percent more wells producing gas than there are wells drilled. 

This is not another example of needlessly inflated claims by the gas drilling industry. It’s a report card that says that Pennsylvania is not making the grade in Marcellus arithmetic.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of a new tool that provides the public with important information about pollutants that are released into local waterways. Developed under President Obama’s transparency initiative, the Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) Pollutant Loading Tool brings together millions of records and allows for easy searching and mapping of water pollution by local area, watershed, company, industry sector, and pollutant. Americans can use this new tool to protect their health and the health of their communities.

“Transparency leads to greater accountability and better information about pollution in our nation’s communities,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “By making the data we collect available in easy to use tools, we are keeping Americans informed about the health of the environment in their neighborhoods.”

Environmentally conscious businesses, organizations and individuals have until Jan. 30 to apply for the 2012 Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award.

The award is open to any Pennsylvania business, government agency, educational institution, individual or farm that has created or participated in the development of a project that promotes environmental stewardship and economic development.

Eligible projects include environmental technology innovation, clean energy innovation, pollution prevention and resource efficiency, community revitalization, environmental education or outreach, watershed stewardship and mine safety, among others.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that it plans to perform water sampling at approximately 60 homes in the Carter Road/Meshoppen Creek Road area of Dimock, Pa. to further assess whether any residents are being exposed to hazardous substances that cause health concerns. EPA’s decision to conduct sampling is based on EPA’s review of data provided by residents, Cabot Oil and Gas, and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

As of January 1, 2012, paper savings bonds will no longer be sold at financial institutions. This action, which supports the U.S. Department of the Treasury's goal to increase the number of electronic transactions with citizens and businesses, will save American taxpayers approximately $70 million over the first five years.

But savings bonds, introduced in 1935, are not going away. Electronic savings bonds in Series EE and I will remain available through purchase in TreasuryDirect®, a secure, web-based system operated by Public Debt – where investors have been purchasing savings bonds, available 24/7, since 2002.

Farmers in Pennsylvania and around the country only have a couple more months to find alternatives to a common antibiotic used to treat farm animals - before it's banned by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

David Wallinga, senior adviser on science, food and health with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, believes the ban is a step in the right direction - and that more needs to be done regarding the use of antibiotics in agriculture. The ban applies to certain off-label uses of the class of antibiotics known as Cephalosporins.

"And those were being used in agriculture for unapproved uses, like injecting into cattle and into eggs."

Wallinga says that type of use has created drug-resistant "super bugs," resulting in tougher-to-treat infections in humans.

"The problem with the animal use is that it's helping to create potentially life-threatening infections with those bugs that are resistant to treatment with that drug. So, the animal use is undercutting the human use."