DCNR Secretary outlines 2022 priorities to Advisory Council

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn this week highlighted the agency‘s 2022 priorities at the first Conservation and Natural Resources Advisory Council (CNRAC) meeting of the year.

“DCNR has made strategic accomplishments in the first seven years of the Wolf Administration and is intent on building upon that progress in 2022,” Dunn said. “We have seen a tremendous interest in outdoor recreation over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the core of our priorities is ensuring those new users are a part of our focus going forward. I am eager to work with this advisory council to implement these priorities over the course of this year.”

Highlights from the department’s 2022 priorities include:

• Maximizing on outdoor recreation momentum to retain new uses through implementing existing action plans, expanding outdoor recreation opportunities, and leveraging grants to expand access to trails

• Demonstrating the critical need for $1.4 billion infrastructure improvements in state parks and forests; developing a long-term sustainable funding source

• Continuing to address water quality issues through streamside buffers and lawn conversation projects

• Addressing climate and sustainability issues through strategic planning, green energy initiatives, reducing carbon emissions and carbon capture projects

Expanding and funding the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps

• Nurturing new leaders through the department’s NextGen Council

• Building on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts to reinforce the message that parks and forests are welcoming to all people

CNRAC is a citizen advisory council created in 1995 with the formation of DCNR. The advisory council provides a voice to citizens in conservation and stewardship of the commonwealth’s resources, giving its members opportunities to discuss critical DCNR issues during its bi-monthly meetings.

“So much of what we do is influenced by the stakeholders across the commonwealth working to make a difference in their communities,” Dunn said. “We are grateful for such an active, engaged advisory council that supports our mission, while also helping us improve our strategic initiatives.”

DCNR manages 121 state parks and 2.2 million acres of state forests. The department works with stakeholders to help with strategic planning for one of the largest expanses of public lands in the eastern United states that includes 6,200 local parks, more than 12,000 miles of trails, and more than 83,000 miles of waterways.

AG Shapiro: All 67 counties

join historic opioid settlement

Attorney General Josh Shapiro this week announced that all 67 counties, including 241 local governments with a population of 10,000 or more, have joined the historic $26 billion opioid agreement with the nation’s three major pharmaceutical distributors — Cardinal, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen — and Johnson & Johnson over the companies’ role in creating and fueling the nationwide opioid crisis.

“Every community in Pennsylvania has been touched by the opioid crisis — it have ravaged our towns, our families, and our state,” Shapiro said. “This historic agreement has now received the support of all 67 counties and many local governments across Pennsylvania.”

With this landmark support, Shapiro said Pennsylvania is on track to receive the full $1.07 billion, with funding beginning to flow into our communities as early as April to jump-start programs and ramp up staffing to save the lives of those struggling with opioid addiction.

“This agreement marks the most significant influx of resources to our Commonwealth to address this epidemic, jet-fueled by greedy pharmaceutical companies,” Shapiro said. “Our work here is not done — this settlement is only with three distributors and Johnson & Johnson. There are more companies and more executives who will pay for what was done in Pennsylvania.”

Shapiro added, “While no dollar amount will bring back what we have lost, this settlement was negotiated to allocate funding to states and local communities who have been most impacted by this crisis, and will provide more resources for treatment than any previous settlement. I look forward to seeing the progress these resources will make in neighborhoods, treatment facilities, and the lives of so many.”

Rep. Keller fights for timely

service records for veterans

U.S. Rep. Fred Keller, R-Middleburgh, along with Reps. Cliff Bentz of Oregon and 110 House Republican cosigners, sent a letter to Archivist of the United States David Ferriero, calling on the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) to fully reopen.

This letter comes in response to the agency reverting to 25% in-person staff, leading to prolonged wait times for veterans requesting service records.

The NPRC is the federal entity responsible for processing documentation and records requests necessary for veterans to access VA benefits, adjudicate disability claims, and request a commendation, award, or regalia.

“We write on behalf of our constituents and veterans across the nation who are being severely impacted by the unacceptable delay in responding to requests for assistance by the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), an agency of the National Archives and Records Administration,” said the lawmakers.

“In your October 2021 letter, you stated that your goal for November was to reach approximately 75% of on-site personnel through skeleton schedules. The NPRC is back tracking once again on this promise by decreasing in-person staff. We request that you report on your plan to re-open the NPRC to full capacity and remediate its backlog in a briefing open to all Members of the House of Representatives.”

In the letter, Keller made the following statement:

“The National Personnel Records Center has gone back on its commitment to reopen in-person operations to the detriment of America’s veterans who expect their government to provide basic resources in a timely manner. The fact that processing times at the NPRC may take up to 18 months is not only unacceptable, but also an insult to every man and woman who sacrificed to protect our nation. The lack of transparency at the NPRC has made it clear that we must pass legislation, like the RECORDS Act, to direct the NPRC to fully reopen and report to Congress on its efforts to clear out its backlog of records requests.”

Pennsylvanians encouraged to use

myPATH to file 2021 PA tax returns

With the tax filing season opening this week, the Department of Revenue is encouraging taxpayers to use a free online option to file their Pennsylvania personal income tax returns. Taxpayers can visit mypath.pa.gov to file their PA tax returns through the department’s state-only filing system.

In addition to being free, myPATH is user friendly and provides an option for the majority of taxpayers to seamlessly file the Pennsylvania Personal Income Tax Return (PA-40), make income tax payments, and access other services. The deadline to submit 2021 personal income tax returns is Monday April 18, 2022.

“We are encouraging people to file their returns online and as soon as possible. That will help us process returns quickly and deliver refunds to the taxpayers who are expecting one,” said Revenue Secretary Dan Hassell. “myPATH is a great option for filing your state return, especially if you’re looking to save some money this tax season and avoid paying someone else a fee to file your return for you.”

myPATH Offers Many Benefits

• Fast and free return/refund processing

• The “Where’s My Income Tax Refund?” system to track the status of a refund

• Instant confirmation of a successful filing

• The benefit of error-reducing automatic calculators

• User-friendly options that are not available to taxpayers filing by paper

• The ability to view a detailed Statement of Account for personal income tax

Taxpayers do not need to create a username or password to perform many functions in myPATH. That includes filing a PA-40 or making a payment, responding to department requests for information, and checking the status of a refund.

In order to file the PA-40, taxpayers will need to provide their Social Security number and either: (1) the tax liability for a previous tax year; or (2) their birth date, Pennsylvania driver’s license/photo ID number and the expiration date for the license/photo ID.

If you choose to create a username and password in myPATH, you’ll have the ability to update/ view detailed account information and notices. You can also manage third-party access to your account, meaning you can give a tax professional or another person access to file your return and make payments on your behalf. A detailed list of instructions is available in the myPATH User Guide.

April 18 deadline

All taxpayers who received more than $33 in total gross taxable income in calendar year 2021 must file a Pennsylvania personal income tax return by midnight, Monday, April 18, 2022. The deadline is extended this year due to Emancipation Day, a holiday in Washington, D.C., observed on Friday, April 15, which pushes the federal and state filing deadlines to April 18.