Rivers Run Through This

The federal Inflation Reduction Act, which President Biden was expected to sign into law on Tuesday, will allocate $370 billion to fight climate change and invest in clean energy.

It comes as Pennsylvania’s state budget includes $800 million for conservation efforts that aim to improve air quality and parks and address flooding.

Meanwhile, Davis said, the state budget makes “an historic investment in our environment and waterways” and provides $300 million for upgrades to water and sewer systems. Locally, that investment will help ALCOSAN pay for major upgrades without overburdening ratepayers, he said.

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A former Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority supervisor will serve three years of probation after pleading guilty in federal court to dumping sludge into the Allegheny River.

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Tarentum resident Jim Bonner, executive director of the local Audubon Society, has heard many bird stories.

Over the years, he has fielded countless inquiries from the public to the Audubon Society of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s headquarters at Beechwood Farms in Fox Chapel.

But there was something different about a recent call. A resident claimed a pair of bald eagles were nesting on a crane along the Monongahela River near Charleroi in Washington County.

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“We really appreciate the governor’s office considering us,” said Morgantown Mayor, Billy Phelps. “Morgantown’s a small area, and I’ve gotten back-to-back Community Development Block Grants, so I’m excited about that.”

$700,000 will be going toward building a new fire station in the city.

“Since the start of our fire department, we’ve been in a county facility,” said Phelps. “So, this will be our first one that’s all ours.”

$122,033 will be going toward improvements to the city’s water distribution center.

“It’s going to add more water and it’s going to just help their whole facility to be able to operate and function better,” said Phelps. “That will, long term, better the health infrastructure of the city of Morgantown.”

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Generating Awareness for Project Success (GAPS) is a collaboration between the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds (FPW) and Three Rivers QUEST (3RQ) to assist grass-roots organizations within the Allegheny and Monongahela river basins with preparing and applying for successful remediation projects. Utilizing field teams and researchers, 3RQ will provide watershed groups with the information and technical expertise needed to prepare successful proposals that secure funding for the engineering and construction of nonpoint source remediation projects.

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Application link here

Brownsville Councilman Mike Walters wanted to do something special for the community, so he decided to build an event around one of the borough’s most beautiful and unique assets: the Monongahela River.

“The river is a big deal, so I decided that we needed to showcase the river to bring people into our town, so they can see what Brownsville has to offer,” Walters said.

And that’s what he and other organizers hope will happen during the inaugural Riverfest, set to take place from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. this Saturday.

The EQT Foundation’s funding strategy endorses programs that directly impact the community and its residents, rather than fundraising initiatives designed to support general operating expenses. The Foundation supports projects that demonstrate positive, significant, measurable and sustainable impacts, preferring proposals grounded in solid research and analysis that demonstrate creative approaches to addressing critical issues. The EQT Foundation also seeks evidence of:

• Geographic setting that aligns with EQT Corporation’s business locations;
• Ability to manage available resources effectively; and
• Outreach that gains solid public recognition and support for the nonprofit, its programs and sponsors.

The EQT Foundation Board of Directors meets quarterly. All applications must be received by the first of the month prior to the month of the meeting (see calendar below).

Grant Submission Dates

• February 1
• May 1
• August 1
• November 1