2025 Supreme Court Environmental Decisions Recap: Agencies Don't Have to Chase Every “What If”
Categories: Environment /
As we look forward to 2026, we wanted to share with you a series of blogs to recap of some of the worst U.S. Supreme…
Blogs
2025 Supreme Court Environmental Decisions Recap: Limiting EPA's Use of "End-Result" Provisions in NPDES Permits
Categories: Environment /
As we look ahead to 2026, we're sharing a series of blog posts recapping some of the most damaging U.S. Supreme Court…
2025 Supreme Court Environmental Decisions Recap: Sackett v. EPA and the Clean Water Act
Categories: Environment /
As we look forward to 2026, we wanted to share with you a series of blogs to recap of some of the worst U.S. Supreme…
2025 Supreme Court Environmental Decisions Recap: Loper Bright in Action: NRC v. Texas
Categories: Environment /
As we look forward to 2026, we wanted to share with you a series of blogs to recap of some of the worst U.S. Supreme…
Introducing PennFuture's Fall 2025 Interns
Categories: Environment /
Since its inception in 1998, PennFuture has emphasized the importance of using the law to protect Pennsylvania's envi…
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PennFuture Commends Pocono Municipalities for Preparing for Data Centers
Categories: Community / Energy /
This summer has brought a flurry of activity from municipalities across the Poconos as they adopt new zoning ordina…
Here Comes the Sun: PennFuture's Guide to Planning for Grid-Scale Solar Development
Categories: Community / Energy /
Grid-scale solar (large, ground-mounted solar arrays, often referred to as solar farms) is the fastest-growing and le…
Introducing PennFuture's Summer Term Legal Interns!
Categories: Environment /
Since its inception in 1998, PennFuture has emphasized the importance of using the law to protect Pennsylvania’…
Introducing PennFuture's New Spring Term Legal Intern!
Categories: Environment /
Since its inception in 1998, PennFuture has emphasized the importance of using the law to protect Pennsylvania’…
Empowering Voices: The Vital Role of Civic Engagement in Protecting Our Environment
Categories: Environment /
Democracy is the cornerstone of our country and the basis of how decisions are made, including those that directly af…
Introducing PennFuture's New Fall Term Legal Interns!
Categories: Environment /
Since its inception in 1998, PennFuture has emphasized the importance of using the law to protect Pennsylvania's envi…
What You Need to Know About Being a Poll Worker
Categories: Community /
Pennsylvania needs community members to serve as poll workers to ensure a smooth and fair Election Day. It's a chance…
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Kidder Township Adopts PennFuture Model Logistics Ordinance Over Objections of Distribution Center Developer
Categories: Community / Environment /
Kidder Township in the Poconos, home to state parks and special‑protection waters, has recently seen proposals for en…
Shifting the Paradigm for a Sustainable Pennsylvania Economy
Categories: Community / Energy /
Climate change is the greatest existential threat and the worst market failure of our time. Fossil industries have cr…
How Recent US Supreme Court Decisions Harm Environmental Protection
Categories: Environment /
Recent victories for environmental protections in Pennsylvania contrast with several troubling U.S. Supreme Court dec…
PA and a Post "Chevron" World
Categories: Environment /
On June 28, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its Loper Bright v. Raimondo decision, overturning the Chevron doctri…
Pennsylvania Needs PRESS Now More Than Ever
Categories: Environment / Energy /
Pennsylvania’s fracked gas industry should be worried. House Bill 2277, the Pennsylvania Reliable Energy Sustai…
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The Unspoken Truth: Economic Policy is Environmental Policy
Categories: Community / Environment / Energy /
Economic development projects shape the landscape and everyday life, influencing air quality, traffic, stormwater flo…
Summer 2024 Legal Interns
Categories: Environment /
PennFuture launched a paid legal internship program to cultivate the next generation of environmental advocates. Than…
Navigating Pennsylvania's Clean Water Priorities
Categories: Community / Environment /
Pennsylvania faces mounting clean water challenges, from aging infrastructure and lead pipes to polluted streams and…
New Air Quality Report Shows More Work To Be Done For Pennsylvania's Air
Categories: Environment /
A new air quality report reveals that Pennsylvania still fails to meet health-based pollution standards. Many countie…
Public Participation, Public Power: PennFuture's Community Land Use Process Guidebook
Categories: Environment /
PennFuture's new Community Land Use Process Guidebook empowers residents to navigate local land-use decisions. The gu…
Moore Township Decision Demonstrates Importance Of Robust Warehouse OrdinancesMoore Township's board of supervisors recently denied a request from a developer to build a large distribution warehouse. This decision underscores the importance of robust loca
Categories: Community / Environment /
Moore Township’s board of supervisors recently denied a developer’s request to build a large distribution…
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3 Ways to Advocate for Pennsylvania's Environment
Categories: Environment /
There are many ways you can help protect Pennsylvania’s environment. First, contact your state and local electe…
Pennsylvania as a Hydrogen Hub
Categories: Climate / Community / Energy /
It was recently announced that fossil fuel industry leader Perry Babb will launch a $410 million project called KeySt…
Let the Failed DNA Hydrogen Hub Go and Turn the Page to a Cleaner Future
Categories: Climate / Energy /
The proposed DNA hydrogen hub, which would have produced hydrogen from natural gas, has failed to secure federal fund…
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The People Have A Right: A Brief Overview Of Environmental Rights Amendment Case Law
Categories: Environment /
Pennsylvania’s constitution contains an Environmental Rights Amendment, Article I Section 27, which declares th…
Mapping Climate Change By Viewing USDA's Plant Hardiness Zones
Categories: Climate /
This month, the USDA released the first update to its Plant Hardiness Zone Map in more than a decade, providing a sta…
Climate Disruption on Trial: A Major Victory for Environmental Rights in Montana
Categories: Climate / Environment / Energy /
On August 14, 2023, a Montana state trial court decided that the legislature violated the people’s constitution…
PennFuture Appeals Zoning Approval of Commercial Development in EV Watershed
Categories: Environment /
Yesterday, PennFuture filed a notice of land use appeal in the Monroe County Court of Common Pleas challenging the de…
How RGGI Can Help PA Meet EPAs New Carbon Emission Reduction Standards
Categories: Climate / Energy /
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) solicited comments on a proposed rule that will limit the greenhouse gas (G…
Riparian Buffers: a Natural, Inexpensive, and Crucial Way to Protect and Improve Water Quality
Categories: Environment /
What are riparian buffers?
Riparian buffers are the areas of undeveloped land surrounding bodies of water that…
Renaming Erie's Summer of Soot and Sewage to the Summer of Community Climate Solutions
Categories: Climate /
Last week, an article in the Erie Times-News aptly referred to Erie's summer as the "Summer of Soot and Sewage." Citi…
PennFutures Fall 2023 Legal Interns
Categories: Environment /
Since its inception in 1998, PennFuture has emphasized the importance of using the law to protect Pennsylvania's envi…
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The State of Solar Development in PA: Solar Energy Benefits Remain Unrealized
Categories: Energy /
According to the PA Department of Environmental Protection, solar energy currently contributes less than 1 percent of…
How Humans are Breaking the Jet Stream and Changing the Weather
Categories: Climate /
Pennsylvania's weather in 2023 has been strange at best and deadly at worst. Extreme drought in May gave way to histo…
Logistics Facilities are Coming. Is Your Municipality Ready?: PennFuture Releases Model Logistics Use Ordinance and Guidebook
Categories: Community / Environment /
Pennsylvania municipalities should update their zoning ordinances to reflect societal changes. In the United States,…
The Carbon Rule
Categories: Climate / Energy /
When the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite, President Dwight D. Eisenhower created a committee of notable s…
PennFutures New Legal Interns Summer 2023
Categories: Environment /
Since its inception in 1998, PennFuture has emphasized the importance of using the law to protect Pennsylvania's envi…
Swiftwater Solar Settlement: A win for all in the Poconos
Categories: Environment /
PennFuture and Brodhead Watershed Association (BWA) are pleased to announce that we have reached a settlement with th…
The End Game is Clean Water: PennFuture, partners lead 7th Annual Pennsylvania Clean Water Education Week
Categories: Environment /
In Pennsylvania, 2023 has been marked by several notable transitions. Governor Josh Shapiro began his first term in o…
Updated Zoning Ordinances Are Vital to Addressing the Impacts of Todays Logistics Industry
Categories: Community /
Like any law, zoning ordinances should be updated to reflect changes in society. One of the most significant changes…
2023 State of the Air: Pennsylvania Cities Rank Among Most Polluted
Categories: Environment / Keep Philly Green & Water Clean /
A new report ranks Pennsylvania cities among the worst in the nation for particle pollution, with at least one Pennsy…
Why Go Solar?
Categories: Climate /
Across Pennsylvania, interest is growing in rooftop solar panels for environmental and economic reasons. Despite earl…
West Chester stormwater case: how ordinance language can harm PAs pollution control
Categories: Environment /
The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania recently published an opinion holding that West Chester Boroughs ("West Cheste…
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Philly Spill Scare: This Is Why We Fight
Categories: Environment /
Last week, Philadelphians dealt with the fallout of a chemical spill into the Delaware River, their drinking water so…
Why PennFuture, Partners Petitioned EPA to Object to U.S. Steels Clairton Coke Works Title V Operating Permit
Categories: Environment /
(Image:U.S. Steels Clairton Coke Works, Clairton, PA. Photo credit: Reid R. Frazier / StateImpact Pennsylvania) The r…
Environmental Disaster from East Palestine, OH Train Derailment
Categories: Community / Environment /
The East Palestine, Ohio train derailment disaster is shocking in its scale and potential effects. Unfortunately, we…
Misguided Homeowner Association Restrictions Block Pennsylvanias Solar Potential
Categories: Climate / Community / Energy /
By Caroline Weiss, Legal Intern Lately, homeowners are coming across unlikely opponents to their solar ambitions. In…
Introducing PennFutures New Legal & Policy Interns!
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
Since its inception in 1998, PennFuture has emphasized the importance of using the law to protect Pennsylvania's envi…
What We Learned from the December 2022 Deep Freeze: Dont Rely on Natural Gas When Its Fracking Cold Part 2
Categories: Energy /
In our previous article, we explained how Pennsylvania's energy grid became perilously close to a brownout event duri…
What We Learned from the December 2022 Deep Freeze: Dont Rely on Natural Gas When Its Fracking Cold Part 1
Categories: Energy /
Thisarticle is the first in a two-part series. Read Part 2: How Fracked Gas Failed Pennsylvania. As the 2022 holiday…
PennFuture and Partners Pave the Way for Erie Environmental Advisory Council
Categories: Community / Environment /
After more than a year of advocacy by PennFuture and our partners, Erie City Council this week passed an ordinance cr…
Delaware River Basin Commission's New Fracking Regulations Mark Incremental Progress
Categories: Environment / Energy /
This month, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) finalized regulations banning the discharge of fracking wastew…
PennFuture and Partners Convince EPA to Upgrade Delaware River Water Quality Standards
Categories: Environment /
Back in April, PennFuture and our partners filed a petition to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), reques…
Distribution Centers Bring into Focus Limitations of Local Zoning Laws
Categories: Environment /
Northeast Pennsylvania's growing proliferation of large-scale distribution centers is threatening the high-quality wa…
Erie's Stormwater Fee Program Becomes Reality
Categories: Environment /
TodayErie City Council passed a much-anticipated stormwater user fee. The fee creates a dedicated fund for long-overd…
The Clean Water Act's 50-Year Impact on Pennsylvania
Categories: Environment / Keep Philly Green & Water Clean /
As we celebrate 50 years of the groundbreaking Clean Water Act, I'd like to take this opportunity to reflect on what…
Upholding the True Meaning of Pennsylvania's Environmental Rights Amendment
Categories: Environment /
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit recently handed down a decision upholding the ban on fracking in the…
Reasons to Remain Hopeful as Supreme Court Rules on Clean Water Act's Future
Categories: Environment /
On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the federal Clean Water Act, the U.S. Supreme Court heard argument on the case…
Solar-Powered PennFuture Walks the Walk, Doubles PV Capacity
Categories: Climate / Energy /
In June 2003, PennFuture installed our first set of solar panels. The 3.84-kW system was made up of 32 panels, each r…
Growing Greener Lives On - with Bipartisan Support
Categories: Environment /
Pennsylvania's Growing Greener program has a long history of bipartisan support. Now known as the State Parks and Out…
How we helped create "A Shared Vision for Pennsylvania's Environment and Communities" and where we go next
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
Our mission at PennFuture is to protect the air, water, and land for the benefit of all Pennsylvanians. We act on thi…
Recent Passage of Lawn Care Bill Will Improve Pennsylvania's Waterways
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment /
For over a decade clean water advocates have sought updates to Pennsylvania's Fertilizer Act to include more protecti…
Aquashicola Creek Finally Given Exceptional Value Designation
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment /
After languishing at the Department for Environmental Protection (DEP) for nearly twelve years, the Aquashicola Creek…
Pennsylvania Began Participation in RGGI on July 1. What Happens Next?
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
(This piece has been updated on July 11, 2022 to reflect recent action at the Commonwealth Court) On July 8, 2022 the…
We Must Continue to Work for Change
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
Standing on the doorstep to my retirement, announced in February, the last few months have included a lot of reminisc…
Philly Tree Fund Bill A Significant Step in Protection of Tree Canopy
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment /
Philadelphia passed Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson's Philly Tree Fund bill during a marathon session last…
PennFuture Protects Major River Basins Across Pennsylvania in Stormwater Settlement
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment /
On Tuesday, June 21, 2022, PennFuture successfully reached an agreement with the Pennsylvania Department of Environme…
Turning PA into a "Hydrogen Hub" is not a Sustainable Energy Solution
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
Discussions around beginning a massive-scale Blue Hydrogen project in Pennsylvania began hitting the media around Aug…
New Plastic Bag Ban Bill in Philadelphia Could Result in Cleaner, Greener Future
Categories: Community / Environment /
Philadelphia's ongoing efforts to address the plastic waste crisis are poised to make significant advances following…
PennFuture, Partners Advocate for Clean Water Funding Opportunities in the State Budget
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment /
It's budget season in Harrisburg! Pennsylvania has $2.2 billion in federal American Rescue Plan funding that remains…
Subsurface Storage is a Promising Addition to our Renewable Energy Arsenal
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
Batteries, storage, renewables: you've probably heard these terms a lot alongside each other when the topic of clean…
Introducing PennFuture's New Legal Interns!
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
Since its inception in 1998, PennFuture has emphasized the importance of using the law to protect Pennsylvania's envi…
PA Environmental Leaders, State Senators Discuss the Failure of Shale Gas Policies and Negative Public Health Impacts of Industry
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
On June 2nd, State Senator Katie Muth, chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee, joined Senator J…
The True Cost of Convenience: The Impacts of Never-Ending Warehouse Development
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment /
There are costs to irresponsible, endless development. The current trend in Pennsylvanias area of the Delaware River…
DEP's Revised Environmental Justice Policy: A Good Start but More Needs to Be Done to Protect PA's Environmental Justice Communities
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
Earlier this year, the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) released its revised Environmental Justice Pub…
Exhibiting Art and Fighting Climate Change
Categories: Climate / Environment /
Photo Credit: A hologram of Edgar Degass Petite danseuse de quatorze ans (1927), previously on view at Christies San…
Pennsylvania Finally Caps Carbon Pollution From Power Plants: Now What?
Categories: Climate / Environment / Energy /
Pennsylvania's plans to cut carbon pollution from fossil fuel power plants took a big step forward on April 23. After…
Celebrating 52 Years of Earth Day
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
On this Earth Day 2022, PennFuture joins with all of you in this day of work and commemoration. We hope you'll be mar…
PennFuture Celebrates Lake Erie and Introduces New Erie Campaign Manager During PA Clean Water Education Week
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
PennFuture is celebrating its sixth annual PA Clean Water Education Week, dedicated to showcasing the Commonwealth's…
Chasing the Rainbow: Carbon Capture is Magic Thinking
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
There's been a lot of discussion and excitement about the idea of carbon capture and storage technology. Unfortunatel…
Pennsylvania House Asks: Could We Live Without Fossil Fuels? We Say: We Must.
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
The only thing more destructive than the fumes from fossil fuels extracted in PA is the fumes of the trillions of tax…
Philadelphia's 2023 Budget Must Prioritize Clean Water for All
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment /
Duck season! Rabbit season! No, it's budget season! We are only days away from Mayor Jim Kenney's penultimate budget…
Fallacy, Fiction, and Falsehoods: Debunking the Fossil Fuel Industry's Stance on Russia's War in Ukraine
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
On Feb. 24, Russia commenced its unprovoked and atrocious invasion of its neighbor Ukraine. It didn't take long for f…
This year, Pennsylvania must properly fund efforts to clean up our waterways
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
On Feb. 8, Gov. Tom Wolf delivered his eighth and final budget address in which he spelled out the top priorities and…
Russia-Ukraine Crisis: War, Fossil Fuels, and What it Means for Pennsylvanians
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
Russia's war with Ukraine is underlining the economic and national security costs of relying on fossil fuels. Global…
During Black History Month, State Legislators Fighting Against Jim Crow 2.0 in Pennsylvania
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
A generation ago my mother was born in "Jim Crow-era" North Carolina. A generation before that, my grandmother was pr…
Updated Integrated Water Quality Report Reveals 33 Percent of Pennsylvania Waterways are Polluted
Categories: Community / Environment /
Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is inviting public comment on the most-recent Draft Integ…
Pipeline Problems Persist in Pennsylvania
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
The fracked gas industry in Pennsylvania will never stop trying to convince us that pipelines are safe, efficient and…
Terrible Excuses to Mine Bitcoin
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
A person using the pen name "Satoshi Nakamoto" released a paper in2008introducing Bitcoin in an attempt to solve a pr…
Introducing PennFuture's New Legal Interns
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
Since its inception in 1998, PennFuture has emphasized the importance of using the law to protect Pennsylvania's envi…
Looking Ahead to the Best and Worst of 2022s Legislative Proposals
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
At a time of unprecedented environmental, economic and public health concerns, now is a time when Pennsylvania's legi…
Goodbye 2021, Hello 2022
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
When I was a kid, my gang of cousins and I did this thing we called Goodbye School, Hello Summer. An uncle supervised…
PennFuture Meets with State Agencies About Asphalt-Plastic Mixture
Categories: Community / Environment / Energy /
On Thursday, December 9, 2021, PennFuture met with representatives from the Departments of Transportation (PennDOT),…
Renewable Natural Gas: Hope or Hype?
Categories: Climate / Environment / Energy /
"Renewable natural gas" (RNG) sounds good, but does it live up to the hype as a green alternative to fracked gas or i…
Civilian Conservation Corps Gaining Momentum in Pennsylvania
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
Momentum is growing for a 21st-century version of the New Deal-era Civilian Conservation Corps. The CCC's legacy can…
PennFuture Appeals MS4 Permits Issued by Department of Environmental Protection
Categories: Community / Environment /
In late October, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued two individual Municipal Separate Sto…
Living in the Blast Zone: Fracking's Bomb Trains
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
In March of this year, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) banned the process of hydraulic fracturing, or frac…
New Amendment to Pennsylvania's Watershed Implementation Plan Shows Progress in Meeting Clean Water Goals, but Legislature Still Must Act
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment /
Last week, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) released its long-anticipated amendment to t…
During Press Conference, State Senators Openly Choose Profits Over Pennsylvanians, Our Environment
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
They're getting nervous. On October 20, 2021, State Senators Camera Bartolotta, Gene Yaw, and Independent John Yudich…
Breaking Down the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
The federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) will truly transform Pennsylvania. Historic for its size, b…
Philadelphia Energy Solutions Hearing Brings Environmental Justice to Forefront
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
The case for environmental justice stood centerstage this week during a hearing on the ongoing remediation efforts at…
Nigerian Princes: How the Fracked Gas Industry Killed Pennsylvania Coal and Raised Electricity Prices While Swimming in Taxpayer Subsidies
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
At one point or another we all likely received one of those emails. A Nigerian prince, or some attorney, bank officer…
PennFuture, Partners Appeal Air Installation Permit for Proposed Gas-Burning Plant in Elizabeth Township
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
The Allegheny County Health Department ("ACHD") recently issued an air installation permit for a proposed Invenergy A…
The Basics of Hydrogen
Categories: Climate / Environment / Energy /
Back in the 1970s and 1980s, the comedian Don Novello performed in character as Father Guido Sarducci.One of his famo…
Connecting Pennsylvania with COP26
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
The eyes of the world are turned to my adopted home away from home, Glasgow, now the beating heart of the planet for…
DRBC Proposed Regulations Ban Discharge of Fracking Wastewater, Discourages Fracking-Related Interbasin Water Transfers
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
Earlier this year, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) released final regulations that banned fracking in the…
Planting Trees and Fighting for Funding in the Keystone State
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment /
It might be the best way to clean our water. Planting trees along rivers and streams provides multiple benefits in th…
Plastics Could Soon Overtake Coal as a Climate Killer, and Pennsylvania is Right in the Middle of It
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
A report released on Oct. 21 by Beyond Plastics predicted dire consequences as a result of our inability to stop cons…
DEP Should Revoke Permits for Troubled Mariner East Pipeline
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
On October 5, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced 48 criminal charges related to construction of the…
Pittsburgh Embraces Stormwater Fee
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
It's Past Time for Pennsylvania to Invest in Renewable Energy
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
On October 4, 2021, the Pennsylvania State Senate Environmental Resources & Energy Committee and the Senate Commu…
PennEast Pipeline is Cancelled!
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
Earlier this week it was announced that the PennEast Pipeline company will cease development of its proposed fracked…
Climate Goals Remain Elusive and Will Require Bold Action
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
It is fitting that Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection on Wednesday released an updated version of…
PennFuture, Partners Appeal Air Permit Extension for Proposed Liquefied Natural Gas Plant in Wyalusing Township
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
The Department of Environmental Protection ("DEP") recently issued a second extension of the air pollution permit for…
So What Comes Next for Pennsylvania's Efforts to Join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative?
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
On September 1st, 2021, a majority of Pennsylvania's Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) voted to approve…
Climate Denial and Pennsylvania Politics: The Ultimate Alternative Universe
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
Last week, on September 1, 2021, individuals on "both sides" of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) travele…
Philadelphia Has an Urban Planning Problem
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment /
Philadelphia has an urban planning problem. In the wake of the clarion call to action from the Intergovernmental Pane…
Civilian Conservation Corps: Then and Now
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
Earlier this month, Promised Land State Park celebrated its annual Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Day in which the…
IPCC Sounds Code Red Alarm on Climate Crisis
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment /
The days of climate change uncertainty are behind us. In the latest set of reports from the world's leading climate r…
Chasing Bitcoin is a Bad Investment for Pennsylvania
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
On August 9th, 2021, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Sixth Assessment report, clear…
PennFuture, Partners Challenge DEP's Approval of Renovo Energy Center
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
If we are truly committed to moving to a renewable energy economy, rather than a fossil-fuel based economy, the first…
What You Won't Hear During the Aug. 17 Public Hearing on Pipelines in Pennsylvania
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives' Environmental Resources & Energy Committee has announced a "Public Hea…
Stakeholders Making Progress on Chesapeake Bay Goals, but Legislature Still Lagging
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment /
On July 28th, the Chesapeake Bay State Team, led by the Secretaries of the Department of Environmental Protection (DE…
It's Time to Reimagine America's Infrastructure
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
As Congress continues to push towards a potential infrastructure package, residents of the Queen Village neighborhood…
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Rules that Drilling Revenues from State Forests Must be Used for Conservation
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
Last week, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional under the Environmental Rights Amendment…
Maines Innovative Response to Plastics Pollution and What the Rest of Us Can Learn From it
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
China remains the world's largest producer of plastic, butresearch has shown that the United States was the world's n…
The Problem with Carbon Capture and Sequestration
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
Leaders around the world, including PA Governor, Tom Wolf have been pushing for investments in Carbon Capture and Seq…
What comes next for plastic bags in Pennsylvania?
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
July began with the expiration of a statewide restriction on banning the use of plastic bags. The development is welc…
Economic Impact Report Commissioned by Shell Doesnt Tell the Whole Story. Far From It.
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
A report released by researchers at Robert Morris University last week grabbed headlines across western Pennsylvania:…
New Report Details the Use of Forever Chemicals in Fracking Operations Despite Serious Concerns to Public Health
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
The Physicians for Social Responsibility recently released a report titled "Fracking with Forever Chemicals" which di…
Supreme Court Ruled Natural Gas Companies Can Condemn State-Owned Land
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
The U.S. Supreme Court recently dealt a severe blow in an ongoing fight to prevent PennEast, a private natural gas co…
Report Highlights Success of Philadelphia's Green City, Clean Waters Program
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment /
Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) is approaching a major milestone in Philadelphia. This year marks 10 years sinc…
More than Skin-Deep: Environmental Racism, Justice, and Pennsylvania
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
We are a year out from the wave of protests, marches, sit-ins, phone and text banking, and multifaceted advocacy that…
Introducing PennFuture's Legal Interns
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
Since its inception in 1998, PennFuture has emphasized the importance of using the law to protect Pennsylvania's envi…
Will Pennsylvania's Environment Ever Be a Priority for the Legislature?
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
Probably no profession requires taking the long view as does that of the environmental advocate. That's probably why…
The Chesapeake Bay is Improving, but Still a Long Road to 2025
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
This week, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) gave the Chesapeake Bay a C in their l…
Federal Court Dismissed Lawsuit Challenging DRBC's Ban on Fracking
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
We continue to bring you good news on the fracking front in the Delaware River Basin. In February 2021, the Delaware…
Introduction: An Intersectional Approach to Fighting the Petrochemical Buildout in Pennsylvania
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
Modern-day Pennsylvania was molded by the rapid technological advancements of the Industrial Revolution. The result o…
Biden Administration Working to Repeal Trump's Dirty Water Rule
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment /
We bring to you another update in the decades-long saga of protecting "waters of the United States" (WOTUS) under the…
The Plastics Problem: More False Strategies: Statewide Preemption
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
Regular readers of this blog will be familiar with the Pennsylvania Legislature's attempts to stymie advances in envi…
Coal-Fired Power Plant to Close Because of Market Conditions, Not Environmental Regulations
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
On June 9, the owner of the Cheswick coal-fired power plant in Allegheny County, Houston-based GenOn Holdings LLC, an…
Instead of Taxing Electric Vehicles, Pennsylvania Should Focus on Growing the Industry
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
Pennsylvania has a reputation for the poor condition of our roads and bridges.In fact, when the American Society of C…
Show Your Support for Our Delaware River Fish Protection Petition!
Categories: Community / Environment /
Earlier this year, PennFuture and our partners submitted a supplemental petition to the Delaware River Basin Commissi…
The Plastics Problem: Identifying False Solutions, Part 1
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
The scope of our plastic pollution problem is well known. Plastic escapes into the environment at all stages of its l…
What Comes Next in Pennsylvania's Efforts to Join RGGI?
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
In October of 2019, Governor Wolf issued an executive order to begin the process of joining the Regional Greenhouse G…
Regulatory Reforms Would Roll Back Environmental and Health Protections
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
Pennsylvania's legislators appear eager to overhaul how the Commonwealth reviews and implements state law. Don't be d…
Electric Mobility Legislation Could Supercharge EV Infrastructure
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
Sales of electric vehicles (EVs) may have slowed during the coronavirus pandemic. But market forces clearly signal th…
Legislators Continue to Stand in the Way of Climate Action
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
Leaders in the General Assembly are offering more unproductive proposals that would undermine Pennsylvania's entry in…
Pennsylvania vs. the Future
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
In other parts of our nation, it is the spring of 2021.We have a president who understands that climate change is a c…
PennFuture Releases New Report to Save Chesapeake Bay
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
We are at an inflection point for Pennsylvania's efforts to save the Chesapeake Bay. What policymakers in the Keyston…
The Time to Hesitate is Through
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
President Joe Biden's American Jobs Planannouncement in Pittsburgh elicits great pride in being a Pennsylvanian. It f…
Net Metering Works for Pennsylvania
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
In the early days of distributed generation, utilities would sell power to consumers at the retail rate but, if custo…
A Banner Week for the Delaware River Watershed
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
It was a banner week for Pennsylvania's portion of the Delaware River Watershed, as three events unfolded here that…
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Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
PennFuture has published the third edition of a Fossil Fuel Subsidy report that first appeared in 2011. The 2021 vers…
A Breath of Fresh Air: How Will the Biden Administration Fight Carbon Pollution?
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
The beginning of 2021 has been busy for clean energy advocates. On January 14th, the Pennsylvania Department of Envir…
Fracking Banned in Delaware River Basin
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
After a decade of consideration and study, the Delaware River Basin Commission has finally banned hydraulic fracturin…
A Breath of Fresh Air: Two Steps (and Hopefully More) Forward on Environmental Justice and Water Protection
Categories: Community / Environment /
The United States has transitioned to the new Biden Administration that offers a stark departure on national environm…
A Breath of Fresh Air: Reason for Optimism for Lake Erie
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment /
Great Lakes communities have reason for optimism under the new Biden administration. Among the many issues the admini…
A Breath of Fresh Air: Relationship-Building Under a New Administration
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
The United States has transitioned to the new Biden Administration that offers a stark departure on national environm…
PennFuture joins with the Philadelphia Coalition for Affordable Communities
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment /
At the start of 2021, PennFuture became an official member of the Philadelphia Coalition for Affordable Communities.…
A Breath of Fresh Air
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
The United States has transitioned to the new Biden Administration that offers a stark departure on national environm…
In the Midst of a Democracy Emergency
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
The United States, and by extension Pennsylvania, is in the midst of a democracy emergency. Our public institutions a…
The Growing Danger of Pipelines Our Safety Regulations Overlook
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
In a November 2019 presentation, John Gale, Director of Standards and Rulemaking at the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous M…
Recycling is Exacerbating the Plastic Waste Crisis
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
On November 25th, 2020, Pennsylvania became the ninth state in the nation to pass so-called "advanced recycling" legi…
Ready for 2021
Categories: Community /
Early on in 2020, even after a very successful mid-March rally against petrochemical subsidies in the state Capitol t…
2019-2020 Legislative Wrap-Up & 2021 Preview: Where Does the PA General Assembly Stand on Our Environment?
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
With the close of the legislative session in Harrisburg at the end of Novembercame significant victories for Pennsylv…
More Challenges Knocking on Dimocks Door
Categories: Community / Environment / Energy /
Dimock has long played the unwelcomed role of ground zero in the fracking crisis in Pennsylvania. Early on during the…
PennFuture Releases Blueprint to Protect Pennsylvania's Lake Erie Watershed
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment /
Today, PennFuture's Erie officepublicly released Our Water, Our Future: A Common Agenda for Protecting Pennsylvania's…
Building the United States' Green Economy Future through Appalachia
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
When I returned to environmental work in Pennsylvania in 2015, after five years working in Maryland for the Audubon S…
PA General Assembly Wraps Up Annual Budget, Punts on Stimulus
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment /
Last week, the Pennsylvania General Assembly hammered out the final pieces of this year's state budget, which began i…
Confronting Reality: Pennsylvania Leaders Refuse to Acknowledge State of Petrochemical Industry
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
In the United States-the biggest fossil fuel producer in the world-Pennsylvania is second in shale gas production onl…
PennFuture Intervenes to Support FERC Jurisdiction over Wyalusing LNG Facility
Categories: Community / Environment /
PennFuture recently joined with the Sierra Club in moving to intervene in and protesting the petition to the Federal…
An Election Day Wish
Categories: Community / Environment /
For the past two years now, a good many of the blogs I've created land on the importance of voting - do we really nee…
Green and Complete Streets Programs are Good for Communities and the Environment
Categories: Community / Environment /
Last week, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and Philadelphia Streets Department announced they…
Setting the Record Straight About Fracking in Pennsylvania
Categories: Climate / Environment / Energy /
The issue of fracking in Pennsylvania has taken center stage this election season, with dozens of television news seg…
Clean Water Advocacy Forges Ahead Despite Pandemic
Categories: Community / Environment /
The COVID-19 pandemic has left its impact on all of us and continues to raise uncertainty at every corner, including…
Toxic Fracking Waste Becomes Mounting Problem for Downstream Communities
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment /
We know the dangers of fracking operations - groundwater contamination, air quality issues, devastating health impact…
An Admission and a Promise
Categories: Community / Environment /
Angst and pain have been common themes for many of us in 2020, given the onset of a deadly pandemic interwoven with s…
How a Clean Water Program is Addressing Equity in Philadelphia
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment /
While testifying in front of Philadelphia City Council's Joint Committees on Finance and Commerce and Economic Develo…
Creative Civic Engagement During the Pandemic
Categories: Community / Environment /
The 2020 election is just about one month away. Many voters are highly engaged as the stakes are so high for the valu…
Fossil Fuel Polluters and Friends Ramp Up New Attack on Solar Energy in Pa.
Categories: Climate / Energy /
Fossil fuel polluters and their enablers in the legislature have been ramping up a new attack on solar energy in Penn…
Trump's Energy Secretary Denies Human-Made Climate Change, Promotes Petrochemicals During Beaver County Visit
Categories: Climate / Environment / Energy /
As the election approaches, it seems national politics have converged on Southwestern Pennsylvania, each visiting pol…
LNG in PA Blog #5: Public opposition grows to proposed LNG shipping terminals
Categories: Community / Environment / Energy /
Before New Fortress Energy announced their risky plan to ship millions of gallons of liquified natural gas across the…
Stonycreek River Restoration Shows Power of Conservation Efforts
Categories: Community / Environment /
Editor's note: Melissa Reckner is one of 11 amazing women being honored during PennFuture's 2020 "Women in Conservati…
Despite roadblocks from Legislature, RGGI rulemaking process advances
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
In February, PennFuturewrote a blog post debunking a number of myths surrounding Pennsylvania's future participation…
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LNG in PA Blog #4: Liquified Natural Gas Should Not Become the New Bomb Trains to Threaten Our Communities
Categories: Community / Energy /
Communities across Eastern Pennsylvania are at the center of a new debate over whether fracked gas and its byproducts…
Pennsylvania's Unions Must Look to the Future
Categories: Climate / Energy /
My maternal and paternal grandfathers were immigrants from Italy.Both worked in coal breakers in the anthracite regio…
Pennsylvania Continues to Miss Chesapeake Bay Commitments
Categories: Community / Environment /
Despite recent planning efforts by the state and a renewed vigor in Chesapeake Bay cleanup efforts, Pennsylvania cont…
REFUTED: CNX's Eight Irrefutable Energy Truths Expose Industry Desperation
Categories: Climate / Environment / Energy /
Recently, CNX published a blog post called "Nine Irrefutable Energy Truths and a Critical Call to Action."Reading the…
Senate Bill 15: A New Direction for Pennsylvania
Categories: Climate / Environment / Energy /
The energy industry across the nation is in transition, a fact that is particularly obvious in Pennsylvania. People o…
PennFuture's "Democracy for All" Program At Work in Pennsylvania
Categories: Community / Environment /
It is a fact that communities of color are disproportionately impacted by climate change and pollution, and that is n…
A New Coalition for a Better Future
Categories: Climate / Environment / Energy /
As of July 23, 2020, it's official-Pennsylvania has a law that will award four lucky petrochemical or fertilizer manu…
PennFuture releases A Green Stimulus and Recovery Platform for Pennsylvania Report
Categories: Environment / Energy /
A rampant global health pandemic. A deep and rapid decline in Pennsylvania's economy that is nearly double that of th…
LNG in PA Blog #2: Bomb Trains Through Pennsylvania
Categories: Community / Environment / Energy /
A New Voice in the Fight Against Petrochemicals
Categories: Climate / Environment / Energy /
As the petrochemical industry rears its ugly head in Pennsylvania, PennFuture is building organizational capacity to…
LNG in PA Blog Series #1: What is Liquefied Natural Gas?
Categories: Climate / Environment / Energy /
Pipeline's Cancellation Shows Importance of Renewables in Pennsylvania
Categories: Community / Environment / Energy /
In a major win for the environment, Dominion Energy Inc. and Duke Energy Corp. announced Sunday that they will not be…
PennFuture Secures Two Legal Victories in One Week
Categories: Community / Environment /
At PennFuture, we take great pride in being Pennsylvania's watchdog for clean air, pure water and a healthy environme…
PennFutures Legal Internship Program Helps to Train and Inspire the Next Generation of Environmental Lawyers in Pennsylvania
Categories: Community / Environment /
Since its inception in 1998, PennFuture has emphasized the importance of using the law to protect Pennsylvania's envi…
At the Bottom of a Steep Learning Curve
Categories: Community / Environment /
Since the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police in late May, we have witnessed an ignition of individual, com…
Fracked Gas, Petrochemical Industries Continue to Overpromise and Underdeliver for Pennsylvanians
Categories: Climate / Environment / Energy /
A core tenant of our mission at PennFuture is working to secure a better and brighter future for all Pennsylvanians,…
Pennsylvanias House Environmental Committee Approves Bill Removing DEPs Authority to Enact Carbon Reduction Program
Categories: Climate / Environment / Energy /
On June 9, the House Environmental Resources & Energy Committee, chaired by Representative Daryl Metcalfe (Butler…
Looking in the Rearview Mirror
Categories: Community / Environment /
In all honesty, by 1994 after six years leading two environmental movements-the PA Rainforest Action Committee and Ce…
Trump Administration Rolls Back Air Protections from Fossil Fuel Plants
Categories: Climate / Environment / Energy /
Recently, the United States Environmental Protection Agency rolled back protections under the federal Mercury Air Tox…
PennFuture partners with Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania on new field organizing program
Categories: Community / Environment /
PennFuture has long believed that grassroots engagement is a key part of fulfilling our mission to protect Pennsylvan…
Pennsylvania General Assembly Punts on State Budget, Passes Stopgap Measure with Level Funding for Environmental and Conservation Priorities
Categories: Community / Environment /
Late last week, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed a five-month stopgap budget package to fund most of the stat…
Fundraising, Events, and COVID-19
Categories: Community /
On Monday, March 9th-what seems like a lifetime ago-PennFuture and 35 other environmental groups from acrossthe state…
Pennsylvania Legislators Send Deregulatory Bill to Wolf's Desk
Categories: Environment /
What was for the most part a quiet week in Harrisburg, the Pennsylvania State Senate and House of Representatives met…
Its Time to Move the RGGI Rulemaking Process Forward
Categories: Climate / Environment /
It's been a little over seven months since Governor Tom Wolf's Executive Order 2019-07 which instructed the Departmen…
The Colors of a Pandemic
Categories: Community / Environment /
I'm writing this from southern Luzerne County, where I've been working since March 16 when the whole of PennFuture's…
PennFuture Releases Updated Stream Redesignation Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide for Local Stream Protection Efforts
Categories: Community / Environment /
Across the state, local conservation and watershed groups are recognizing the superior water quality of their streams…
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U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Attempts to Restrict the Clean Water Act's Protections for Discharges Through Groundwater
Categories: Environment /
Last month, the Supreme Court of the United States issued arguably its most important Clean Water Act decision in the…
PA House Leaders Push Bills to Thwart Environmental Protections, Attack Conservation Funding
Categories: Community / Environment /
Anti-environmental legislators in the Pennsylvania General Assembly are using the COVID-19 public health crisis as a…
Thirty Days of Action
Categories: Community / Environment /
Sometimes, your best-laid plans evaporate in an instant and you're forced to improvise on the fly. So it was for the…
Updated Climate Change Assessment Reveals Future Pennsylvania Water Troubles
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment /
Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection last week released the state's third Climate Change Impacts Ass…
Fracked Gas and Petrochemical Industries Jockeying for Stimulus Recovery Funds
Categories: Environment / Energy /
In mid-April, the fracked gas and petrochemical industries-with the help of a contingent in the U.S. House of Represe…
PennFuture taking holistic view of improving water quality around Philadelphia
Categories: Community / Environment /
Last week, the Delaware River was named the 2020 national "River of the Year" by American Rivers. This honor recogniz…
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Model shows participation in RGGI would reduce pollution by 180 million tons
Categories: Environment / Energy /
On April 24, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) held a joint web conference to present rec…
Earth Day 2070
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment /
I truly believed this week, Earth Week, could be a magical one, when the world would come together to commemorate the…
Congratulations to the Delaware River!
Categories: Community / Environment /
The resurgence of the Delaware River has received well-deserved recognition. Beating out river basins all across the…
PennFuture, partners to celebrate PA Clean Water Week
Categories: Community / Environment /
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally changed most aspects of our lives in the last several months, but…
Five Environmental Consequences of the Covid-19 Pandemic for Pennsylvania
Categories: Community / Environment /
The environmental, economic, and social impacts of Covid-19 are profound and are reshaping how we work, recreate, and…
Philly Can Achieve a Green New Deal through Green Stormwater Infrastructure
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Keep Philly Green & Water Clean /
Since the coronavirus pandemic hit Philadelphia, nearly half a million people have filed for unemployment, and that n…
DEP is Asking Us to Pick Up the Bill for Waste Coal...Again
Categories: Climate / Energy /
Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is developing a CO2 trading program compatible with the R…
While We Wait on the Future to Happen
Categories: Community / Environment / Energy /
I'm struck by how, on the one hand, the COVID-19 emergency demands all of our focus and attention. Society's collecti…
Fighting for Our Future
Categories: Community / Environment /
There is power in unity and there is power in numbers. When we all come together and speak in a unified voice, decisi…
After Stormy Decade, Philly Needs Green Stormwater Solutions to Prepare for Climate Change
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment /
Philadelphia just experienced the wettest decade ever. Average annual rainfall measured at Philadelphia International…
PennFuture Petitions DRBC to Recognize Primary Contact Recreation on the Mainstem Delaware River
Categories: Community / Environment /
Fifty years ago, the lower stem of the Delaware River was a flowing wasteland. Around Philadelphia, Camden and Wilmin…
Why Does Pennsylvania Insist on Offering Subsidies to Fracked Gas and Petrochemicals? The Industries Would Collapse Without Them
Categories: Climate / Environment / Energy /
Harrisburg policymakers are, again, debating whether to give more taxpayer-funded handouts to the fracking and petroc…
What is the Transportation and Climate Initiative?
Categories: Climate / Environment /
Gov. Tom Wolf's administration has released an initial proposal for how Pennsylvania might cap carbon emissions from…
Fallacy, Fiction, and Falsehoods: Debunking RGGI Myths Part 1
Categories: Climate / Environment / Energy /
On January 31st, 2020 the Department of Environmental Protection released its proposal to advance a cap-and-invest pr…
First Glimpse: PennFuture analyzes draft of DEP's cap-and-invest program
Categories: Climate / Energy /
On February 13th, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will be presenting the first draft of…
The Dangers of Senate Bill 790, Part II
Categories: Community / Environment / Energy /
In December, PennFuture Director of Policy Ezra Thrushwrote a blog detailing the dangers of a new piece of legislatio…
New rule attempts to tackle pollution from oil and gas wells
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
On Jan. 19, 2016 Governor Tom Wolf announced a new strategy to reduce the emissions of methane-a dangerous greenhouse…
Facing the Frack: Gas is Not Enhancing our Environment
Categories: Climate / Environment / Energy /
The fracked gas industry and its proponents excel at spinning false narratives about the health and safety of its ope…
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Reflections on 2019, and Looking Ahead to 2020
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment /
It's the end of another year, and what a momentous year it was. The holiday season often offers time for reflection,…
Fallacy, Fiction and Falsehoods: Debunking the Petrochemical Industry Part 2
Categories: Climate / Community / Environment / Energy /
This is the second in an ongoing series of blogs taking a deeper look at the comments, misinformation, hyperbole, and…
PennFuture organizes tour of Philadelphia green stormwater infrastructure sites
Categories: Community / Environment / Keep Philly Green & Water Clean /
Often times, showing is better than telling. That's why PennFuture last month organized a bus tour in an effort to hi…
A Trip to the Supreme Court
Categories: Community / Environment /
Until last week, I had never been to the Supreme Court of the United States. But an issue that I have been interested…
Making Sense of Pennsylvanias Growing Debate Around Petrochemicals
Categories: Climate / Environment / Energy /
When Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto announced his opposition late last month to any more petrochemical companies in wes…
Fallacy, Fiction and Falsehoods: Debunking the Petrochemical Industry Part 1
Categories: Environment / Energy /
Note: This is the first in an ongoing series of blogs taking a deeper look at the comments, misinformation, hyperbole…
So Pennsylvania Might Join RGGI. What Comes Next?
Categories: Climate / Environment / Energy /
On Oct. 3rd, Governor Tom Wolf signed Executive Order 2019-07 instructing the Department of Environmental Protection…
Exploring Erie, and an Emerging Presence
Categories: Community / Environment /
I just returned from an annual field trip we take with PennFuture's board of directors, as well as a terrific group o…
A Sunnier Vision for Pennsylvania: An Alternative to Giving Tax Breaks to Fossil Fuels
Categories: Climate / Energy /
On Sept. 19th, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted to give yet another gift to the already heavily subsid…
Fracking Across Property Lines: Briggs v. Southwestern Energy Production Company
Categories: Energy /
Multiyear litigation over unconventional oil and gas development-specifically, hydraulic fracturing or 'fracking'-has…
Philadelphia Energy Solutions' Failures
Categories: Climate / Energy /
In late August, I traveled to South Philadelphia to testify before Philadelphias Refinery Advisory Group, which was f…
In the Headlights - 2020
Categories: Community / Environment /
I do pretty well living in the moment and staying focused on tasks at hand, but I enjoy being strategic, and that mea…
Tohickon Creek Is Saved...For Now
Categories: Community / Environment /
The lower Tohickon Creek, located immediately downstream of the dam at Lake Nockamixon, was designatedas part of the…
Pennsylvania still not doing its part to restore the Chesapeake Bay
Categories: Environment /
When the Environmental Protection Agency developed a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for the Chesapeake Bay in 2010,…
Before You Leap, Learn About Your Water Quality
Categories: Community / Environment /
During the dog days of summer, a bend in a river might provide the perfect reprieve from the heat. But with recent ar…
The Problem with Pipelines
Categories: Community / Energy /
The burgeoning petrochemical movement is in its infancy in western Pennsylvania, but we've already experienced signif…
The Opportunity for Green Stormwater Infrastructure in Philadelphias Rebuild Initiative
Categories: Environment / Keep Philly Green & Water Clean /
By combining the goals of Green City, Clean Waters and the Rebuild Community Infrastructure (Rebuild) Initiative, Phi…
Six Months That Shifted My World
Categories: Climate / Community /
I'm still navigating the occurrences of the last six months. ...on the surface, wave after wave of new climate impact…
PennFuture strongly opposes Tohickon Creek downgrade
Categories: Community / Environment /
On July 11, PennFuture's legal team submitted comments to the state Department of Environmental Protection, strongly…
Artists Interpreting Climate Change, Part 3
Categories: Climate / Community /
Last fall I wrote my first of two blogson how artists are interpreting climate change, and what some artists are doin…
A Look at the 2018 Draft Integrated Water Quality Report
Categories: Community / Environment /
Pennsylvania is a water rich state with approximately 86,000 stream miles connecting more than 700,000 acres of lakes…
PennFuture Submits Comments Opposing the Dirty Water Rule, Engages More Than 1,400 Citizens to Do the Same
Categories: Environment /
On Monday, April 15, PennFuture submitted public comments opposing the Trump Administration's proposed revised defini…
New Definition of Waters of the United States Threatens Clean Water Act Protections
Categories: Environment /
On February 14, 2019, the federal agencies tasked with regulating our nation's waters under the Clean Water Act - the…
D.C. Visit Marks Success for the Chesapeake Bay
Categories: Climate / Environment /
PennFuture and clean water advocates from across Pennsylvania teamed up on March 6 for the annual Choose Clean Water…
Final Farm Bill Signed into Law Marks Big Win for Conservation
Categories: Environment /
President Trump signed into law the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, also known as the Farm Bill. Aside from bein…
Reducing Methane Pollution Requires Action Now
Categories: Environment /
On Thursday, Dec. 13, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) took an important step towards co…
Save the Land and Water Conservation Fund
Categories: Environment /
By Steve Hegedus, President of the Tri-County Trout Club Steve Hegedus, president of the Tri-County Trout Club repres…
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Partnerships Created Change this Year and Will Carry us into 2019
Categories: Environment /
PennFuture reflects on 2018, noting that the organisation's successes were only possible through partnerships with ot…
The Cost of Replacing Nuclear Power with Natural Gas
Categories: Energy /
A legislative report from Pennsylvania's Nuclear Energy Caucus advocates preserving the state's five nuclear power pl…
Scrooge and Year End Giving
Categories: Blog /
Since Charles Dickens wrote 'A Christmas Carol' in 1843, year-end giving has become a tradition. In the story, charit…
Despite Trump, We Will Act on Climate
Categories: Climate /
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, the U.S. government quietly released the Fourth National Climate Assessment. The repor…
Giving Thanks for Open Spaces and Fighting for LWCF
Categories: Environment /
As we gather for Thanksgiving, we're grateful for the parks, trails and public lands that enrich our lives. These ope…
Gratitude as an Attitude
Categories: Environment /
As we gather for Thanksgiving, many of us take turns sharing what we are thankful for. This simple tradition can be b…
Clean Water Advocacy Workshop Teaches Participants to Take Action
Categories: Environment /
PennFuture and Trout Unlimited recently co‑hosted a water advocacy workshop at Wildwood Park in Harrisburg. The train…
Our Pocono Waters Forum Educates Community on Clean Streams
Categories: Environment /
PennFuture's Our Pocono Waters Campaign hosted a panel discussion to educate community members on the importance of c…
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Legislative Session Closes with Significant Environmental Fight
Categories: Environment /
The Pennsylvania legislative session recently closed after intense debates over bills that would have weakened enviro…
PennFuture Celebrates Legal Victory for Exceptional Value Streams
Categories: Environment /
PennFuture and the Brodhead Watershed Association recently won a significant legal victory when the Environmental Hea…
With New Climate Report Issued, PennFuture Continues Legacy of Work
Categories: Climate /
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s October 8 special report on 1.5°C warming stresses that we&…
Lancaster County's Road to Water Restoration
Categories: Environment /
Pennsylvania's state government launched a pilot program to help counties develop strategies for water restoration. F…
Register to Vote. Become an Informed Voter. Go Vote.
Categories: Environment /
Pennsylvanians must register to vote by October 9. PennFuture urges voters to confirm their registration, research ca…
A Successful Forum to Celebrate the Delaware River Watershed
Categories: Environment /
PennFuture and partner organizations hosted a forum celebrating the Delaware River Watershed.
Artists Interpreting Climate Change, Part II
Categories: Climate /
This second installment in our series highlights artists who interpret climate change through their work. Their paint…
The Inevitable Policy Response Theory
Categories: Climate /
Governments may soon enact rapid climate policies as part of the Inevitable Policy Response (IPR). The theory warns t…
Hurricane Florence is the Latest Sign of Our Failure + Enduring Hope
Categories: Climate /
Hurricane Florence turned into a ferocious storm because warmer oceans and atmosphere gave it extra moisture. The flo…
House Bill 2154 Threatens PA Communities, Putting Polluters First
Categories: Environment /
Pennsylvania lawmakers are pushing House Bill 2154 to weaken regulations for conventional oil and gas drilling. The b…
Op-Ed: Beaver County Pipeline Explosion: How to Prevent Future Catastrophes
Categories: Energy /
This op-ed, originally published in the Beaver County Times, reflects on the Beaver County pipeline explosion and wha…
How Will Climate Change Affect Pennsylvania's Plants and Animals?
Categories: Climate /
Pennsylvania's climate is warming and precipitation patterns are shifting. Warmer winters and heavier rains are alter…
Recent Rollbacks Mean Dirtier Air, Increased Deaths from Pollution
Categories: Climate /
Since the Trump administration took over the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, many rules to reduce air pollution…
How Artists Interpret Climate Change & Raise Awareness
Categories: Climate /
At a recent art competition using repurposed pizza boxes as canvases, artists of all ages used recycled materials to…
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Of Floods and our Future
Categories: Climate /
Pennsylvania has always experienced floods, but climate change is intensifying storms and rainfall. Early settlers ca…
The Urgency of Climate Change + Opportunities to Take Action
Categories: Climate /
PennFuture marks September as Climate Month, highlighting the urgent need to address climate change. Although recent…
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Monroe County College Campus Journeys to Clean Energy and Efficiency
Categories: Environment /
Northampton Community College's Monroe Campus in the Poconos celebrates its commitment to clean energy and sustainabi…
Clean Water Rule Revived in PA, Protecting Our Headwater Streams and Wetlands
Categories: Environment /
A federal court ruling in South Carolina vacated the Trump Administration’s attempt to delay the 2015 Clean Wat…
Trump's Proposed Car Emissions Rollback Would Prevent States from Protecting Citizens
Categories: Environment /
The Trump administration has proposed freezing fuel economy and greenhouse-gas standards after 2020 and stripping sta…
Exceptional Waters Define the Poconos & Deserve Protection
Categories: Environment /
Growing up near the Poconos instilled a deep appreciation for the region’s “exceptional value” stre…
PennFuture's Leadership Tour Explores the Poconos
Categories: Environment /
PennFuture's Spring 2018 Presidents Leadership Council Tour explored the Poconos of Northeast Pennsylvania. Over two…
How Climate Change is Affecting Baseball Games Across the Country
Categories: Climate /
Climate change is altering baseball in surprising ways. Warmer temperatures and increased humidity lead to more raino…
What You Can Do For Your Watershed
Categories: Environment /
Everyone can take simple steps to protect their watershed. Planting native trees and shrubs along streams helps stabi…
Saving Energy on a Budget
Categories: Energy /
You can save energy without breaking the bank by making a few smart choices. Switch to LED light bulbs, unplug device…
Engaging on Environmental Concerns and Listening across the State: Meet the CEO Happy Hours
Categories: Community /
PennFuture launched a series of Meet the CEO Happy Hour events around Pennsylvania to connect with supporters and hea…
Why You Should Join Tom Wolf & Scott Wagner on the Campaign Trail
Categories: Environment /
Pennsylvania’s upcoming gubernatorial election could shape our environment for years to come. This blog urges c…
PennFuture Joins Forces with Franklin County Coalition for Progress for Presentation
Categories: Community /
On July 14, PennFuture delivered a presentation titled "Climate, Stewardship, and Environmental Justice" at the Coyle…
Cloudy with a 100% Chance of Solar Power Generation
Categories: Energy /
Peters Township homeowners Bob and Susan Donnan decided to install solar panels on their house and quickly found that…
RESPECTAgZone Aims to Protect Community from Intrusive Proposed Power Lines Route
Categories: Environment /
Residents of Indiana Township near Hartwood Acres Park are facing a proposal by Duquesne Light to route high‑voltage…
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State Budget Headed in the Right Direction for Environment
Categories: Environment /
Pennsylvania’s 2018‑19 state budget was signed on time and includes modest increases for environmental programs…
Fueling Pennsylvania's Clean Energy Jobs Engine
Categories: Energy /
More than 86,000 Pennsylvanians already work in clean energy jobs, according to a report from E2 and partner organiza…
Meet Kelsey Krepps: PennFuture's New Western Pennsylvania Outreach Coordinator
Categories: Environment /
Hello, my name is Kelsey Krepps and I’m thrilled to return to my home state of Pennsylvania as PennFuture&rsquo…
PennFuture Secures Victory for Homeowners in PA Supreme Court Case
Categories: Environment /
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a long awaited decision in Gorsline v. Board of Supervisors of Fairfield Townsh…
A New Strategy for Sparking Environmental Leadership in Pennsylvania
Categories: Environment /
Many Pennsylvanians worry about how to bridge the divide between their personal hopes for a healthy planet and the vi…
Join the Second Annual Susquehanna River Rally in Harrisburg!
Categories: Environment /
Environmental organizations such as the National Parks Conservation Association, PennFuture, the Choose Clean Water C…
Philadelphia's Green City, Clean Waters Needs Funding to Achieve Goals
Categories: Environment / Keep Philly Green & Water Clean /
Philadelphia is a national leader in green stormwater infrastructure, using rain gardens, tree trenches and green roo…
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What the Volkswagen Settlement Means for PA
Categories: Environment /
In 2014 it emerged that Volkswagen had installed illegal software on millions of diesel vehicles to cheat emissions t…
Public Comment Closes on DRBC Fracking Regulations
Categories: Environment /
On March 30, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) closed its four‑month public comment period on proposed regul…
Building a Community Clean Water Toolbox: How PA Will Meet its Goals
Categories: Environment /
Nearly 200 leaders from county conservation districts, agriculture, municipal governments, environmental groups, wate…
Meet PennFuture's Director of Development: M. Travis DiNicola
Categories: Environment /
Many of our favorite memories take place outdoors. For M. Travis DiNicola, the seasons, rain, snow and distinctive li…
State Level Implications of Pruitt's Vehicle Emissions Rollback
Categories: Energy /
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt’s attempt to roll back federal vehicle emissions and…
Visit with PennFuture on Earth Day!
Categories: Environment /
PennFuture staff will be out across the state for Earth Day festivities, and we hope you’ll stop by and say hel…
Maya K. van Rossum: Woman of the Delaware River Watershed
Categories: Environment /
PennFuture’s Fourth Annual Celebrating Women in Conservation Awards on April 19 will honor Delaware Riverkeeper…
Reality Check: Supreme Court Decision on Water Pollution No Cause for Alarm
Categories: Environment /
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently issued a ruling in a case involving EQT and the state Department of Environme…
Q&A - Christina Simeone: Woman of Renewable Energy & Climate
Categories: Environment /
PennFuture’s 2018 Celebrating Women in Conservation Awards will honor Christina Simeone for her leadership as d…
Katie McGinty: A Lifetime of Environmental Policymaking & Leadership
Categories: Environment /
Katie McGinty is being honored with a lifetime achievement award at the 2018 Celebrating Women in Conservation Awards…
Q&A: Gail Farmer, Woman of Community Engagement & Environmental Education
Categories: Environment /
Gail Farmer will be honored at PennFuture's 2018 Celebrating Women in Conservation Awards for her leadership as execu…
Fighting for Environmental Justice
Categories: Environment /
State Representative Donna Bullock, who represents Pennsylvania’s 195th Legislative District in North and West…
A Lifetime of Leadership in Energy Efficiency Advocacy: Women in Conservation
Categories: Environment /
Liz Robinson is being recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award at PennFuture’s Celebrating Women in Conserv…
Protecting the Delaware River: Women in Conservation
Categories: Environment /
Jaclyn Rhoads is being honored at PennFuture’s 2018 Celebrating Women in Conservation Awards for her dedication…
A Lifetime of Land Protection: Women in Conservation
Categories: Environment /
Dulcie F. Flaharty recently retired as Vice President of Community Partnerships at Natural Lands after a career dedic…
The Importance of Women Leading the Way in Southeast Pennsylvania
Categories: Environment /
We are excited to highlight the stories of Pennsylvania women working on behalf of our environment. Their contributio…
Clean Water and Responsible Development are a Natural Match
Categories: Environment /
The streams, forests and mountains of the Poconos have supported businesses and tourism for decades. In an opinion pi…
Join Tonight's Lehigh Valley Watershed Listening Session
Categories: Environment /
PennFuture is hosting the second of three watershed listening sessions in the Delaware River Basin tonight at Fegley'…
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New Permit Better Controls Pollution from Stormwater Runoff
Categories: Environment /
Stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces like roads and rooftops is a major source of water pollution. As rain and…
“4TheDelaware” Campaign Asks Governors to Step Up for the Delaware River Watershed
Categories: Environment /
Pennsylvania is one of four states that lie within the Delaware River Basin. Over five million residents in 17 counti…
Shop for Clean Energy & Take the Power Back
Categories: Energy /
National data show renewable energy is outpacing fossil fuels. Non‑hydro renewables grew by more than 13 percent in 2…
A New Role as Policy Director
Categories: Environment /
I recently stepped into a new role as Director of Policy at PennFuture. Coming from rural Pennsylvania and a lifetime…
False Choices: Why PA Doesn't Need to Sell Out Health for Dirty Energy Jobs
Categories: Energy /
For twenty years, PennFuture has held officials, agencies and corporate interests accountable to protect our environm…
Public Engagement is Key to Pennsylvania's Clean Water Goals
Categories: Environment /
Pennsylvania is preparing its Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan to meet pollution reduction goals by 2025. With…
A New Role & Policy Priorities for 2018
Categories: Environment /
Just a month into my new role as PennFuture’s director of policy, I’m excited to continue advocating for…
Air Quality Expo Educates Citizens on Air Pollution
Categories: Environment /
PennFuture and Clean Water Action hosted the third annual Air Quality Expo at Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill Carneg…
“Art of the Heel” and “Forces of Nature” - Music Supports PennFuture
Categories: Environment /
During the 2017 Philadelphia Fringe Festival, performer Cookie Diorio (Cory O’Neill Walker) and her musical tea…
Our Clean Energy Future Requires Leadership from All
Categories: Energy /
What will it take for Pennsylvania to break its reliance on dirty, unhealthy fuels like coal and gas and move boldly…
2018 Work is Key to Reaching State's Clean Water Goals
Categories: Environment /
The Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) Steering Committee met recently in Harrisburg at a pivotal moment f…
Replacing the Guardrails
Categories: Environment /
Larry J. Schweiger, PennFuture President Emeritus, likens the Trump administration’s environmental policies to…
Supreme Court Decision May Impact Trump Administration's Attempt to Repeal the Clean Water Rule
Categories: Environment /
The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that challenges to the Clean Water Rule belong in federal district courts, not…
Using PennFuture's New Click-To-Call Advocacy Tool
Categories: Environment /
PennFuture has launched a new click-to-call advocacy tool to help supporters speak directly with their legislators on…
How to Effectively Comment on the DRBC's Draft Fracking Regulations
Categories: Environment /
The Delaware River Basin Commission has proposed new rules that ban high‑volume hydraulic fracturing within the Basin…
From the CEO: PennFuture Priorities in 2018
Categories: Environment /
PennFuture's leadership reflects on a year marked by both profound threats to our climate, democracy, and environment…
Give the Gift of Fighting for the Environment
Categories: Environment /
As the holiday season approaches, PennFuture encourages supporters to give a gift that makes a difference. Your contr…
Chesapeake Bay Efforts Headed in Right Direction for 2018
Categories: Environment /
Recent assessments show that efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay are beginning to yield positive results. Nutrient…
Proxy Battles, Bad Omens, and Small Victories: A 2017 Recap
Categories: Environment /
In 2017 Pennsylvania saw an onslaught of legislative and regulatory attacks on clean air, water and climate protectio…
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is Not for Sale
Categories: Environment /
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is one of our last truly wild places, home to caribou, polar bears and Ind…
Pittsburgh's Dirty Open Secret: Air Pollution
Categories: Environment /
After moving into our home in Bellevue in early 2015, we woke up one night to an acrid burning smell and frantically…
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Your Donation Keeps Eagles Safe in Their Nests
Categories: Environment /
Bald eagles have made an inspiring comeback in Pennsylvania, but these magnificent birds still face threats from habi…
How Pending Federal Appropriations Might Affect Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Categories: Climate /
Congressional appropriations decisions will determine whether the Chesapeake Bay restoration continues on its success…
November Snapshot: Chesapeake Bay Clean-Up Efforts
Categories: Environment /
In November, the Chesapeake Bay cleanup efforts continued to show progress in reducing nutrient and sediment pollutio…
What You Need to Know in Advance of the Issuance of DRBC's Fracking Regulations
Categories: Climate / Environment /
The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) is preparing to release long-awaited regulations on hydraulic fracturing.…
Making a Difference with Momentum
Categories: Climate / Environment /
As PennFuture reflects on the year’s achievements, we are energized by the momentum built through grassroots ad…
Environmental Impacts and the PennEast Pipeline
Categories: Environment /
The PennEast pipeline is a proposed natural gas pipeline that would run from Luzerne County in Pennsylvania to Mercer…
Goat Rodeo Farm Awareness Dinner Shines Light on RESPECTAgZone
Categories: Environment /
Goat Rodeo Farm & Dairy, a member of the RESPECTAgZone coalition, hosted an awareness dinner to support the campa…
Five Years After Superstorm Sandy
Categories: Climate /
In October 2012, Superstorm Sandy slammed into the East Coast, causing massive destruction, leaving millions without…
What It Means to Live Near Big Polluters
Categories: Environment /
After moving to Pittsburgh, my wife and I were shocked by recurring episodes of foul-smelling air that triggered her…
Time for Solar
Categories: Energy /
During an Oct. 14 bus tour hosted by PennFuture and sponsored by Levin Furniture, participants visited three homes in…
Meet the Donor: Joseph Morinville - EIS Solar
Categories: Energy /
To mark the 7th Annual Pittsburgh Solar Tour on Oct. 14, PennFuture spoke with long-time supporter Joe Morinville of…
ACE Program Volunteers Engage Legislators on Environmental Issues
Categories: Environment /
After the 2017 election, Brian Polilli felt compelled to get involved in the democratic process to address environmen…
Welcome PennFuture's New Outreach Coordinator
Categories: Community /
Alex Cupo is excited to join PennFuture as the new Southeast Pennsylvania Outreach Coordinator. He looks forward to c…
Join PennFuture's 7th Annual Solar Tour!
Categories: Energy /
PennFuture invites you to explore how solar works in Pittsburgh by joining the seventh annual Pittsburgh Solar Tour o…
PennFuture Opposes Any Repeal of the Clean Water Rule
Categories: Environment /
On Sept. 27, 2017, PennFuture submitted public comments opposing the Trump administration’s proposal to repeal…
Meet the Donor: Dawn Gorsline
Categories: Environment /
Dawn and her husband Brian bought a parcel of land in Fairfield Township in 1999 so they could build a home, raise a…
PennFuture Celebrates New Poconos Location
Categories: Environment /
PennFuture recently celebrated the opening of its new office in Mt. Pocono with an open house on September 21, bringi…
Environmental Rights Amendment Forum Sparks Timely Conversation
Categories: Environment /
Nearly 200 people attended PennFuture’s Environmental Rights Amendment Forum on Sept. 14 at WHYY Studios in Phi…
Update: Finding PA's Solar Future Project Moves Forward
Categories: Environment /
The Finding Pennsylvania's Solar Future project is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Energy and t…
How Can You Protect Lake Erie?
Categories: Environment /
On Sept. 9, residents of Erie gathered at the Perry Monument Pavilion at Presque Isle State Park for PennFuture's "Sa…
Be a Watershed Watchdog with New Pocket Guide
Categories: Environment /
Imagine walking along your favorite creek and noticing that the water is unusually cloudy, the streambed is coated wi…
Meet the Donor: Carl Balis
Categories: Environment /
Carl Balis is a longtime supporter of PennFuture, but his environmental journey began much earlier. Born in Japan whi…
Experience the Aquaponics Project at Pittsburgh Solar Tour
Categories: Energy /
This blog invites readers to the upcoming Pittsburgh Solar Tour and introduces aquaponics, a sustainable agricultural…
How the Environmental Rights Amendment Strengthens Our Impact
Categories: Environment /
This blog is part of a series exploring how Pennsylvania’s Environmental Rights Amendment has been interpreted…
Farmers & Clean Water Need State Lawmaker Leadership on Funding Priorities
Categories: Environment /
At Penn State’s Ag Progress Days, state and federal policymakers gathered to discuss Pennsylvania’s Phase…
We Are All the Watershed: Ag Progress Days in Happy Valley
Categories: Environment /
Penn State’s Ag Progress Days opened with partners from agriculture, government and NGOs showcasing advances in…
From Despair to Determination: An Inconvenient Sequel
Categories: Climate /
After attending a free screening of Al Gore’s documentary “An Inconvenient Sequel,” the author admi…
Protecting Lake Erie and Reforming the Renewable Fuel Standard
Categories: Environment /
Lake Erie was once so polluted that people thought it was dying. Cleanup efforts at all levels of government improved…
Moratorium on Fracking in the Delaware River Basin is Critical to Protect Our Water
Categories: Environment /
The Delaware River is the longest undammed river east of the Mississippi and supplies drinking water, recreation and…
Improve Your Community's Stormwater Pollution Problem
Categories: Environment /
Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection has created a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4)…
Take Action: Stop Trump's Repeal of Clean Water Rule
Categories: Environment /
The Environmental Protection Agency is seeking public comment to repeal the Clean Water Rule. If the rule is repealed…
Shifting Away from Coal Toward Renewable Energy
Categories: Energy /
Our energy system is rapidly shifting toward clean energy and away from coal. Misleading rhetoric has clouded the deb…
Legislators Target a Severance Tax - in Name Only
Categories: Environment /
In the closing days of budget negotiations, Pennsylvania legislators claimed to pass a severance tax but merely renam…
Meet the Donor: Rodney Gasch
Categories: Environment /
Rodney Gasch, a retired freelance writer and president of the Latin American Children's Fund and Historic Harmony, ha…
Oil Trains: What is the Threat?
Categories: Environment /
Oil trains have been an important part of our transportation system for decades, but what they carry can also put com…
Managing Stormwater: A Leading Cause of Pollution
Categories: Environment /
Stormwater is one of the leading causes of water pollution in Pennsylvania. When rain or snow falls on rooftops, road…
Oil Trains and the Threat to Our Communities and Environment
Categories: Environment /
On July 6, 2013, a runaway train carrying crude oil derailed and exploded in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, spilling 1.…
Harrisburg Punts on Environmental Protection in the State Budget (Again)
Categories: Environment /
In the final hours of budget negotiations for fiscal year 2017‑18, Pennsylvania lawmakers and the governor agreed to…
Part II: A Primer on Pennsylvania's Water Crisis - Solutions
Categories: Environment /
This post is part two in a series exploring Pennsylvania’s water crisis. It focuses on solutions that will ensu…
Part I: A Primer on Pennsylvania's Water Crisis - Challenges Impacting Every Community
Categories: Environment /
This post is the first in a two-part series exploring Pennsylvania’s water crisis. It outlines the challenges t…
Pittlandia: Is Pittsburgh the New Portland?
Categories: Environment /
Many recent articles call Pittsburgh the new Portland, pointing to craft breweries and local food, but the real quest…
Restoring the Loyalsock State Forest After the Flood
Categories: Environment /
In October 2016, a band of heavy rain dropped up to eight inches on north central Pennsylvania, sending torrents of w…
My Mission is PennFuture's Mission.
Categories: Climate /
At PennFuture we are dedicated to advancing a clean-energy economy and protecting our air, water and land. As communi…
Taking Stock of the 2015-16 Legislative Session - Historic Attacks and Lost Opportunities
Categories: Community /
The 2015‑2016 session of the Pennsylvania General Assembly saw an unprecedented number of attacks on the environment.…
What a Trump presidency means for our environment and future generations.
Categories: Climate /
The election of Donald Trump raises serious concerns about the future of federal environmental policy. During the cam…
The Paris Climate Accord: Too Little Too Late or an Important First Step?
Categories: Climate /
The Paris Climate Accord, adopted by nearly 200 nations in 2015, aims to limit global warming to well below two degre…
Defending Net Metering in Pennsylvania
Categories: Energy /
Net metering allows homeowners and businesses with solar panels or other small renewable energy systems to receive cr…
Waste Coal: Time to finish what we started.
Categories: Energy /
Alternatives to Waste Coal Plants – Waste coal piles continue to threaten our air and water, and burning them f…
Governor's budget and the solar saw-buck
Categories: Energy /
Wolf’s proposed budget aims to revive Pennsylvania’s lagging solar industry. The state has fallen from 5t…
PA streams: Let's protect the best of the best.
Categories: Environment /
Pennsylvania is blessed with more than 86,000 miles of streams—second only to Alaska—many of which remain…