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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…
Blogs
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…
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…
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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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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),…
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…
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…
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…
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 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…
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…
LNG in PA Blog #2: Bomb Trains Through Pennsylvania
Categories: Community / 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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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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…
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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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…