WILKES-BARRE — As part of the Shapiro Administration’s commitment to maintaining the Commonwealth’s natural resources and enhancing tourism, Pennsylvanians are invited to register for the 2025 Pick Up Pennsylvania litter cleanup initiative.

A collaborative effort among the Pennsylvania Departments of Transportation (PennDOT) and Environmental Protection (DEP) and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, Pick Up Pennsylvania offers civic-minded volunteers an opportunity to help keep their communities clean and free from litter.

Litter can pollute streams and rivers with microplastics, degrading water quality and harming the fish, birds and wildlife that depend on healthy streams and rivers to thrive.

Pick Up PA, an annual volunteer effort to clean up Pennsylvania roads, parks, streams and communities, represents Governor Shapiro’s commitment to protecting Pennsylvania’s cherished natural resources.

Earlier this year the Shapiro Administration announced more than $15 million in funding to conserve and protect waterways and watersheds, reclaim abandoned mine sites, and plug abandoned wells.

In 2024, more than 77,000 volunteers participated in Pick Up Pennsylvania. Over 3.2 million pounds of litter and trash were picked up, 4.5 million pounds of materials recycled, and more than 14,000 trees, flowers and other greens were planted.

Also in 2024, PennDOT’s Adopt-A-Highway program hosted nearly 23,000 volunteers belonging to 4,600 groups and supported the collection of more than 39,000 bags of trash from PA roadways.

“Last fiscal year, PennDOT spent $18 million picking up litter along the 40,000 miles of state-owned roadways. The Shapiro Administration has made protecting the Commonwealth’s environment a key focus, and we’re proud to continue that work,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “The thousands of Pennsylvanians who volunteer their time to keeping litter out of our roads, parks and waterways are a key component to keeping PA beautiful, and there is always more work to be done.”

Shannon Reiter, president of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, said, “As we drive along the highways and back roads of Pennsylvania, it’s easy to see the impact of litter. Litter affects our quality of life, the natural environment, and economic development in communities across the state.”

Information about the state’s infrastructure and results the department is delivering for Pennsylvanians can be found at www.penndot.pa.gov/results.

Rep. Meuser co-sponsors legislation to stop radical district court judges

U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, this week co-sponsored H.R. 1526 — the No Rogue Rulings Act (NORRA) of 2025 — to prohibit district court judges from issuing nationwide injunctions that he said reach far beyond their jurisdiction.

The bill comes in response to U.S. District Judge James Boasberg’s emergency order attempting to block the deportation of Venezuelan nationals, under the Alien Enemies Act, who are suspected members of the violent Tren de Aragua gang.

Rep. Meuser said this law gives the President power to detain, relocate, or deport non-citizens from countries that the U.S. is at war with. The Tren de Aragua gang is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, and the Trump Administration has determined they are “conducting irregular warfare and undertaking hostile actions against the United States.”

Despite this, Rep. Meuser said Judge Boasberg’s ruling has put such deportations of gang members on hold nationwide until April 12.

There are currently 94 District Courts across the United States, each of which serves a small and specific geographic region. However, District Court judges currently have the ability to issue nationwide injunctions. Many have argued that this ability has led to what is often referred to as “judge shopping.” Rep. Meuser said this is a legal strategy where plaintiffs file lawsuits in specific jurisdictions because they believe a particular judge is more likely to rule in their favor.

Republicans argue this practice is being utilized to halt many aspects of President Trump’s agenda as the majority of lawsuits against the administration have been filed in courts with historically liberal judges.

Rep. Meuser said the No Rogue Rulings Act seeks to curb “judge shopping” by limiting a district court judge’s ability to issue rulings that apply throughout the country. Higher courts in the federal system would still maintain this ability.

“Since President Trump was sworn in, unelected activist judges have repeatedly attempted to block his agenda through nationwide injunctions,” Rep. Meuser said. “These rulings often come from a single district judge and are the result of judge shopping — where plaintiffs seek out a favorable court to impose their will nationwide. The No Rogue Rulings Act is a straightforward legislative solution that restores proper judicial restraint and ensures that policy decisions are made by elected representatives, not individual judges. This legislation is about reinforcing the rule of law and keeping our courts focused on interpreting the law — not making it.”

H.R. 1526 will be considered on the House floor this upcoming week.

State reminds SNAP recipients to change EBT card PINs

The Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Office of State Inspector General (OSIG) today are reminding Pennsylvanians who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to change their EBT card PINs ahead of their monthly SNAP benefit distribution.

“DHS Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh said, “Do not become a victim of this crime. Make sure you change your PIN every month, and when you swipe your EBT card at a card reader, please make sure a skimming device is not attached.”

• By Phone: DHS’ EBT Recipient Hotline is available at 1-888-EBT-PENN (1-888-328-7366) and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

• Online: Users can change their PIN online through DHS’ EBT contractor, Conduent, via their Connect EBT website.

Pennsylvanians are urged to take an extra look before swiping their card at a point-of-sale machine to ensure there is no skimming attachment.

Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.