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)

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)

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)

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 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)

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)