Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced today that 12 projects in the state’s Northwest Region were awarded a total of $2.5 million through DEP’s Growing Greener Plus grant program. These projects work to protect waterways and watersheds, reclaim abandoned mine sites, and work to reclaim and plug abandoned oil and gas wells. This year’s awards exceed $15 million statewide.
“The Growing Greener Plus grant program empowers communities to pursue environmental progress and innovation,” said Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley. “This support fuels vital Pennsylvania initiatives that protect our land and restore local watersheds. As a result, our Commonwealth can look forward to a greener future.”
Growing Greener is the largest single investment of state funds in Pennsylvania's history to address critical environmental concerns. Growing Greener grants can be awarded to watershed groups, local or county government, municipal authorities, county planning commissions, county conservation districts, council of governments, educational institutions, or non-profit organizations. Grantees have up to three years to implement their projects.
This funding is being distributed through existing Commonwealth grant programs to ensure high-impact projects are selected in the affected communities and that proper oversight is provided. Grant programs include those operated by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the DEP.
For more information on the Growing Greener Plus grant program, application guidance, and to sign up for notifications when grant programs reopen, visit DEP’s webpage, Growing Greener Plus Grants Program.
The full list of approved Growing Greener Plus projects, funded by the Environmental Stewardship fund, in the Northwest Region includes:
Butler County
- Butler County Conservation District - $349,167 for the Altman Heavy Use Area
- Butler County Conservation District - $358,320 for Bauldoff Farm
Elk County
- Elk County Conservation District - $87,002 for the Stream Improvement and Rain Garden Project-Upper Clarion River Watershed
Erie County
- Western Pennsylvania Conservancy - $175,832 for the East Branch Conneaut Creek Protection Project
- Western Pennsylvania Conservancy - $375,453 for the South Branch French Creek Restoration Project
Indiana County
- Indiana County Conservation District - $114,600 for the Indiana County Agricultural BMP Design Project
- Indiana County Conservation District - $175,336 for Little Mahoning Streambank Stabilization Phase I
McKean County
- McKean County Conservation District - $263,259 for the McKean County Stream Crossing Restoration Initiative
Mercer County
- Mercer County Conservation District - $143,140 for the Neshannock Creek Fish Habitat Project
Venango County
- Venango Conservation District - $18,096 for the East Branch Sugar Creek Protection Project
Warren County
- Western Pennsylvania Conservancy - $250,000 for Brokenstraw Healthy Watershed Initiative Phase 4
Statewide
- Northwest Pennsylvania Eminent Community Institute - $200,000 for Management and Continuation of the NW PA Greenways Implementation Block Grants
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