WILKES-BARRE — Continuing the commonwealth’s battle against litter as the summer travel season winds down, Gov. Tom Wolf this week highlighted agency efforts to clean up and cut down on this unsightly illegal activity.
“Through public education, enforcement, clean ups, and volunteering, the commonwealth is working tirelessly to beautify Pennsylvania,” Gov. Wolf said. “We cannot keep our communities clean without the public’s help, and I call on everyone to take personal responsibility for ending this ugly practice.”
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) crews across the state have expanded their routine litter pickup operations and these enhanced cleanups will continue through Labor Day. Cleanups are occurring on higher-traffic roadways where volunteer groups cannot safely pick up litter. Motorists are reminded to slow down, drive with caution, be alert for stopped or slow-moving vehicles, and watch for workers near the roadway, along interchanges and entrance/exit ramps.
PennDOT spends roughly $14 million annually on statewide litter efforts. Department programs such as Adopt-A-Highway and Sponsor-A-Highway allow groups and businesses to volunteer to adopt or pay to sponsor cleanup and beautification on roadways across the state.
“Every dollar we have to spend on litter cleanup is a dollar we cannot invest in our system,” PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian said. “We are grateful for the work of our crews and volunteers, though what we really need is an end to littering.”
The department also unveiled new anti-littering messages that will appear on its electronic message signs across the state through Sept. 2. Appearing when active travel alerts are not displayed, the messages aim to appeal to travelers’ civic pride and address a finding of a 2019 statewide litter survey – cigarette butts were among the most common items found in the estimated 500 million pieces of litter on Pennsylvania roads.
To underscore littering as an illegal practice, this summer the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) initiated Operation Clean Sweep, a project reinforcing a zero-tolerance mindset with litter enforcement and sharing anti-litter messages throughout the year. The operation complements a 2018 state law allowing the designation of Litter Enforcement Corridors.
Litter Enforcement Corridors have a high aesthetic or historic value worth preserving or need some additional help with litter issues. Approved segments will be marked with signs to notify motorists of additional litter fines: doubled penalties for motorists caught scattering rubbish and tripled when it is done by a commercial business.
Local governments can help tackle litter in their communities by designating Litter Enforcement Corridors or working with PennDOT to identify potential state-owned corridors.
DEP lists many ways Pennsylvanians can reduce litter and be a role model and is working with PennDOT, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, and community leaders statewide on developing a littering prevention campaign based on state research.
Additionally, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful urges Pennsylvania residents to participate in Pick Up Pennsylvania, in support of the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup. This annual event — from Sept. 1 through Nov. 30 — is an opportunity to improve neighborhoods and Pennsylvania’s waterways by coordinating or participating in a litter cleanup.
State Police announces scam
targeting registered sex offenders
The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) this week issued a warning today about a telephone scam with increased attempts to defraud those individuals who are mandated to comply with Pennsylvania’s Sex Offender Registry.
The scam begins with a telephone call from an individual who claims to be a law enforcement official to an offender listed on the PSP Megan’s Law website. The caller claims the offender is not in compliance with their registration requirements, and sometimes, the caller claims to hold a warrant for the offender’s arrest. The caller also claims the issue can be resolved if the offender obtains some form of cash card and arranges a money transfer.
PSP does not solicit convicted sex offenders for any type of monetary compensation to gain compliance with registration requirements. Anyone who receives such a telephone call should not initiate any type of financial transaction but rather attempt to verify the caller’s phone, obtain as much information as possible about the caller, take detailed notes on the caller’s instructions provided and immediately report the call to their local law enforcement agency.
Issues concerning compliance with registration requirements can only be resolved by an offender appearing at an approved registration site or by personal contact with a law enforcement official. Registrants may contact the Pennsylvania State Police Megan’s Law Section at 1-866-771-3170 with any questions regarding their compliance status.
DHS urges those at risk of
eviction to apply for rental assistance
Department of Human Services (DHS) Acting Secretary Meg Snead this week issued the following statement on the ruling from the United States Supreme Court that struck down the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s nationwide moratorium on evictions in counties with substantial or higher COVID-19 transmission. Residential renters and landlords should not wait to pursue assistance available through Pennsylvania’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP).
“We are once again in a period of great danger to health and well-being due to rapid spread of the COVID-19 delta variant. The CDC’s eviction moratorium has allowed people to remain housed – a basic need that is essential to keeping people safe as cases continue to rise in Pennsylvania and around the country. Without this moratorium, individuals and families may face imminent eviction as enhanced unemployment benefits lapse, the school year begins, and COVID-19 cases continue to rise.
“Evictions should be an absolute last resort – please work with your tenants and let ERAP help.”
The Wolf Administration established the ERAP in partnership with the General Assembly through Act 1 of 2021 to distribute $569 million to Pennsylvania households through partnerships with local leaders. An additional $278 million in rental assistance was directly allocated to Pennsylvania’s largest counties by the federal government, making a total of $847 million available to support renters and landlords feeling the strain of this economic insecurity across Pennsylvania.
Households may be eligible for up to 18 months of assistance to cover past-due or future rental and/or utility payments. The amount of a household’s monthly rent or utility bills does not preclude eligibility, but the amount of ERAP assistance provided to a household is determined by program administrators at the county level.
State Forest Action Plan to address
next 10 years of strategic initiatives
Gov. Tom Wolf this week unveiled the State Forest Action Plan, which assesses the condition of Pennsylvania forests and sets a framework for strategies for long-term forest sustainability in the commonwealth.
“Since the founding of our commonwealth — ‘Penn’s Woods’ — our forests have been critical natural resources that we must continue to preserve, maintain and grow,” Gov. Wolf said. “The State Forest Action Plan provides a wealth of strategies to ensure that our forests continue to thrive for future generations of Pennsylvanians.”
The 681-page plan highlights current conditions and trends of forests, delineates priority landscapes, and provides a suite of broad strategies to ensure the long-term sustainability of Pennsylvania’s forests and trees. In addition to making recommendations for all public and private forests in Pennsylvania, the plan also includes stakeholders and partners to help ensure a shared vision and coordinated efforts.
“Now more than ever, it is critical that we are good stewards of our forests and the natural resources within them,” said Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn. “This plan will help protect and maintain diverse ecosystems in the commonwealth, help provide guidance in the fight against climate change, help the department carefully manage our energy resources to minimize and mitigate negative impacts, and address important areas of need in our forests.”
Forests cover more than 60% of Pennsylvania’s land and provide an array of values including clean air and water, recreation opportunities, wood products, habitat for plants and animals, carbon storage.
“Maintaining healthy forests is key in ensuring a healthy environment in the commonwealth,” said State Forester Ellen Shultzabarger.
The Forest Action Plan builds on the sustainability meters developed in the 2010 plan and notes changes in the past 10 years. The plan also the identifies the 11 priority issues to address, which are:
Land use change
Forest health
Sustainable forest management
Climate change
Communicating natural resource values
Energy management and development
Wildland fire and public safety
Plant and animal habitat
Forest-related economy and jobs
Forest recreation
Water and soil