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…
Blogs
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
The Carbon Rule
Categories: Climate / Energy /
When the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite, President Dwight D. Eisenhower created a committee of notable s…
Why Go Solar?
Categories: Climate /
Across Pennsylvania, interest is growing in rooftop solar panels for environmental and economic reasons. Despite earl…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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: 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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 /
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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&…
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…
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…
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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…
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…
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…
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…
Five Years After Superstorm Sandy
Categories: Climate /
In October 2012, Superstorm Sandy slammed into the East Coast, causing massive destruction, leaving millions without…
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…
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…
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…