The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, chaired by state Sen.

Mary Jo White, R-21st, will hold a public hearing this month on Marcellus Shale natural gas wastewater treatment issues.The hearing will be Jan. 27 in the Capitol's North Office Building.The committee expects to hear from state Department of Environmental Protection officials, industry representatives and others on the treatment and handling of wastewater related to Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling.Following the hearing, testimony, transcripts and video will be posted on the committee Web site at www.senatormjwhite.com.———State Rep.

Scott Hutchinson, R-64th, this week heard from experts representing Pennsylvania's dairy industry regarding the sharp decline in milk prices because of the global economic recession."Local dairy farmers are feeling the pinch," Hutchinson said.The testimony from farmers and dairy industry experts came at a hearing Tuesday held by the House Republican Policy Committee in Somerset County."I realize this is a complex problem and will require a well-thought-out solution," Hutchinson said. "I'm working with my colleagues in the legislature to see if we can identify any short-term or long-term policies that can provide relief on the state level to struggling dairy farmers and the consumers who depend on them."———U.S. Rep.

Kathy Dahlkemper, D-3rd, this week announced the implementation of the new $290 million Dairy Economic Loss Assistance Payment program through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.Milk prices declined substantially through early to mid 2009, with the national price for milk averaging $16.80 per hundredweight (cwt.) in the fourth quarter of 2008 and averaging $12.23 per cwt. in the first quarter of 2009, a 27-percent declineOn average, the price U.S. dairy producers received for milk marketed this past summer was about half of what it cost them to produce milk.Eligible producers will receive a one-time direct payment based on the amount of milk both produced and commercially marketed by their operation in February through July 2009, Dahlkemper noted.Production information from these months will be used to estimate a full year's production for an operation to calculate the payments, using a 6-million pound per dairy operation limit.For information on the new DELAP program, visit the FSA county office or visit www.fsa.usda.gov.——-—U.S. Rep.

Jason Altmire, D-4th, was presented with the "Above and Beyond Award" by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve organization.Altmire was chosen for the award, officials said, for the exemplary support he has provided to Nathan Robinson, a member of his legislative staff in Washington, D.C., who is in the Army Reserves.