Chemsweep Program Wins 2007 Karl Mason Environmental Award

The Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Professionals announced it awarded the 2007 Karl Mason Award to the Department of Agriculture’s Chemsweep Program. Secretary of Agriculture, Dennis Wolf, accepted the award on behalf of the Program.

The Chemsweep Program removes hundreds of thousands of tons of dangerous chemicals from storage places (many causing actual or potential groundwater pollution) and disposes them in an environmentally safe manner. Pennsylvania's program has received national recognition and has been copied by many states.

The Department of Agriculture and Penn State University cooperatively administer the program.

Chemsweep has grown from the collection of a modest 30,000 pounds of pesticides from six counties in 1993, to a program that has served over 4,500 Pennsylvanians and collected and safely disposed over 1.5 million pounds of waste pesticides.

The Chemsweep waste pesticide collection program is designed to provide all citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with a means to dispose of cancelled, suspended, or unwanted pesticide products. The program reduces environmental liability and serious actual or potential pollution of waters of the Commonwealth.

Each year, many pesticide products are cancelled by the manufacturer or phased out of operations, leaving growers and applicators with quantities of potentially dangerous and toxic materials. In addition, many commercial establishments, farmers and homeowners have unwanted and/or unusable pesticides.

Approximately 90 percent of the waste pesticides collected are burned in EPA approved incinerators. The remaining pesticides are either offered for recycling or are treated and placed in hazardous waste landfills permitted by EPA.

Environmental Professionals Honor Noah Wenger with Karl Mason Award

The Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Professionals announced former Sen. Noah Wenger of Lancaster County was given the Karl Mason Award to recognize his commitment to the environment, conservation, and the health of family farms.

“He has long understood that the health of our agricultural economy is crucial to the water quality in our rivers and streams, and has acted to ensure the health of both,” said Wayne Kober, representing PAEP.

After 30 years of service, Sen. Wenger retired this past December, leaving behind him a long list of accomplishments. Among them, Sen. Wenger is credited with spearheading the state’s farmland preservation program, which was launched in 1989. Pennsylvania now leads the country in the total number of acres permanently protected, and last month achieved the significant milestone of 3,000 farms preserved.

Sen. Wenger also served as Chairman of the Chesapeake Bay Commission, a tri-state legislative commission dedicated to advising the General Assemblies of Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania on matters of Bay-wide concern.

Sen. Wenger has also worked tirelessly to help farmers get the tools they need to improve stewardship of the land. Last July he introduced the Resource Enhancement and Protection Act (REAP), that if enacted, would reduce pollution in the Chesapeake Bay by 15 million pounds annually.