PennFuture's law staff provides low-cost legal services to citizens, fishing and hunting groups and conservation organizations throughout Pennsylvania so they can have a voice in decisions that impact their health and welfare and the environment. The law staff offers a wide range of services to its members and clients, including counseling, advocacy before state agencies and representation in litigation to protect the public's right to a clean, healthy environment.
In many situations, PennFuture's law staff serves as a watchdog over regulatory agencies, filing comments and action letters to guarantee that Pennsylvania's environment and economy are protected to the fullest extent of the law. Please see our Comments and Action Letters page (link in the right column of this page) for a compilation of those activities.
In other cases, we file court actions to force legal compliance from polluters. Please see below for information on all court cases we are currently undertaking.
Past and present clients have included the Pennsylvania Chapter of Trout Unlimited, the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs Inc., the National Audubon Society, the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Sierra Club, numerous watershed associations and citizen action groups. If you have an environmental legal problem you would like PennFuture to consider, please contact our law staff at any of our offices or send an e-mail to lawstaff@pennfuture.org.
| Case Name | Summary |
| Braverman v. Marsteller |
To abate the nuisance from the Marsteller property and restore the ability of our clients to fully utilize their properties. (More Details)
|
| Bruce Mansfield Power Plant Air Pollution |
Reduce air pollution from coal-fired power plant (More Details)
|
| Cheswick Power Station Scrubber |
PennFuture sent a notice of intent to sue under the Clean Air Act to the operator of the Cheswick Power Station, based on the Station's decision to operate while its scrubber was taken offline to be substantially rebuilt. (More Details)
|
| Cheswick Power Station Title V Operating Permit Appeal |
PennFuture appealed the Allegheny County Health Department's issuance of a Title V Operating Permit to the Cheswick Power Station, a coal-fired generating plant near Pittsburgh. (More Details)
|
| Covington Industrial Park Stormwater Discharge Permit Appeal |
Protect critical natural resources, including high quality streams and exceptional value wetlands, from stormwater discharges associated with the construction of a large warehouse development. (More Details)
|
| FirstEnergy/Allegheny Energy Merger |
This intervention in a Public Utility Commission proceeding to approve a proposed merger between two large electric distribution companies. (More Details)
|
| Hays Woods Strip Mine Proposal |
VICTORY!
PennFuture is working with citizens opposed to a strip mine on the single largest unprotected green space within the city of Pittsburgh. (More Details)
|
| Mount Pocono Municipal Authority |
Force municipal sewage treatment facility to comply with its permitted temperature limits for a discharge of treated sewage to Forest Hills Run, a high quality, cold water fishery. (More Details)
|
| New Hope Crushed Stone Quarry Appeal |
Revoke permit authorization granted by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to New Hope Crushed Stone & Lime Co. to expand the New Hope Crushed Stone Quarry, which the Department has already determined is causing impairment to Primrose Creek, without imposing any new conditions or requirements to address that impairment. (More Details)
|
| Pennsylvania Coal Mine Bonding Program -- 1999 Citizen Suit |
To ensure that Pennsylvania's bonding program meets minimum federal standards for guaranteeing reclamation of the land and perpetual treatment of post-mining discharges of acid mine drainage pollution. (More Details)
|
| Pennsylvania Coal Mine Bonding Program -- Review of Federal Agency Actions |
Ensure that Pennsylvania's bonding program for coal mines meets the minimum standards of federal law, and specifically the requirement of 30 C.F.R. § 800.11(e)(1) that an alternative bonding system "must assure that the regulatory authority will have available sufficient money to complete the reclamation plan for any areas which may be in default at any time." (More Details)
|
| Pennsylvania Coal Mine Bonding Program – ABS Program Amendment |
Ensure that Pennsylvania's bonding program for coal mines meets the minimum standards of federal law, and specifically the requirements of 30 C.F.R. § 800.11(e)(1), as interpreted in the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals in PFSC v. Kempthorne, 497 F.3d 337 (3d Cir. 2007). (More Details)
|
| Petition Before Public Utility Commission to Initiate Proceedings to Extend Commission’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Program |
PennFuture is asking the PUC to initiate a proceeding that will result in extension of the energy efficiency and conservation program beyond May 2013. (More Details)
|
| Petition to Redesignate Tributaries to South Fork Tenmile Creek |
Oppose an attempt by a mining company to lower the level of protection afforded to several of our highest quality streams. (More Details)
|
| Philadelphia Rate Proceeding |
Defend stormwater rate design proposed by Philadelphia Water Department, which is largely consistent with the recommendations of Next Great City. Offer recommendations to further enhance that design. (More Details)
|
| Potato Ridge Mine, renewal of permit to discharge treated mine drainage |
Challenge renewal of wastewater discharge permit in order to expedite replacement of failing mine drainage treatment system. (More Details)
|
| Scranton Stormwater/Flooding Case |
Mitigate stormwater runoff from a poorly designed and constructed upgradient development that is causing flooding and pollution problems for a downgradient community. (More Details)
|
| Shannopin Mine Dewatering Project, Calvin Run Pump Permit Revision |
To prevent further impairment of the waters of Dunkard Creek by blocking the transfer of additional mine drainage pollution into Dunkard Creek from a permitted mine that otherwise would not discharge into the creek. (More Details)
|
| SLAPP Suit Amicus Brief |
Argue for a clear articulation of the broad scope of the immunity provided by the Environmental Immunity Act that will allow citizens to advocate for environmental protection confident in the knowledge that such advocacy will be found by the courts to be protected when it satisfies the requirements set forth in the Act. (More Details)
|
| Sunshine Act Violations by the Health Department |
This lawsuit seeks declaratory relief for repeated failures by the Allegheny County Health Department to comply with the requirements of Pennsylvania's Sunshine Law, specifically, the Department's failures to include the subject matter of citizens' testimony in its published meeting minutes. (More Details)
|
| Ultra Resources, Marshlands Play |
This lawsuit was brought under the Clean Air Act, and seeks declaratory and injunctive relief and civil penalties for a gas drilling company's failure to obtain a required "New Source Review" permit before constructing and operating a network of gas wells, pipelines and compressor stations that are a linked to a single hub and operate as a single source. The facilities are located across a 558-square mile area. (More Details)
|
| West Vincent Township Zoning Hearing Board |
Oppose request for a variance from township zoning ordinance requiring a minimum 100-foot vegetated buffer strip on each side of all wetlands and special protection streams. The applicant seeks to develop within 100 feet of Birch Run, an exceptional value stream, and exceptional value wetlands on the site. (More Details)
|
|
Secret backroom deal near on drilling bill Capitol Hill insiders are saying that a secret backroom deal on the drilling legislation could be finalized... An ounce of prevention If you’ve followed the progress of Marcellus Shale development in Pennsylvania, or paid attention at... Corbett to drillers: Take my state -- please! The comedian Henny Youngman was famous for his one-liner "Take my wife - please!" Gov. Corbett is saying...
|
