PennFuture Blog

Our Perspectives on the Latest Issues

Featured Blog:

Renaming Erie’s “Summer of Soot and Sewage” to the Summer of Community Climate Solutions

by Jenny Tompkins, Campaign Manager for Clean Water Advocacy
Reflecting on Erie’s summer, I want to highlight four community activist-led efforts that provide hope and inspiration about our ability to affect change. Based on the examples set by these community advocates, I propose we rename this recent season to the “Summer of Community Climate Solutions.”

The State of Solar Development in PA: Solar Energy Benefits Remain Unrealized

by Rob Altenburg, Senior Director for Energy and Climate

How Humans are Breaking the Jet Stream and Changing the Weather

by Matthew Stepp, Vice President and Chief of Staff, PennFuture

Logistics Facilities are Coming. Is Your Municipality Ready?: PennFuture Releases Model Logistics Use Ordinance and Guidebook

by Brigitte Meyer, Staff Attorney

The True Cost of Convenience: The Impacts of Never-Ending Warehouse Development

by Donna Kohut, Campaign Manager
There are costs to irresponsible, endless development. Read more
Climate | Community | Environment

DEP’s Revised Environmental Justice Policy: A Good Start but More Needs to Be Done to Protect PA’s Environmental Justice Communities

by Abigail M. Jones, Vice President of Legal and Policy
Earlier this year, the PA Department of Environmental Protection released its revised Environmental Justice Public Participation Policy. This policy, last released in 2004, is intended to help guide the Department in integrating Environmental Justice (EJ) into more aspects of their work. Read more
Climate | Community | Energy | Environment

Exhibiting Art and Fighting Climate Change

by M. Travis DiNicola, Director of Development
Climate change, and its effects, are certainly on the radar of museum professionals today. Read more
Climate | Environment

New Solar Energy Discoveries Suggest an Even Brighter Renewable Energy Future

solar photovoltaic
by John Ukenye, Policy Analyst
Advancements in solar energy research and development could further expedite the rise of renewable energy. Read more

Pennsylvania Finally Caps Carbon Pollution From Power Plants: Now What?

by Rob Altenburg, Senior Director for Energy and Climate
After many delays, the Legislative Reference Bureau published the final CO2 Budget Trading Program, also known as the “Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) Rule.” Read more
Climate | Environmental Law | Fossil Fuels | Renewable Energy
Climate | Energy | Environment

Celebrating 52 Years of Earth Day

by Jacquelyn Bonomo, PennFuture President and CEO
Earth Day 2022 arrives with profound backdrops. The time for action is now. Read more
Climate | Community | Energy | Environment

PennFuture Celebrates Lake Erie and Introduces New Erie Campaign Manager During PA Clean Water Education Week

by Jenny Tompkins, Campaign Manager for Clean Water Advocacy
PennFuture is celebrating its sixth annual PA Clean Water Education Week, dedicated to showcasing the Commonwealth’s unique waterways and advocating for their health by ensuring sufficient state funding for protection and restoration initiatives. Read more
Climate | Community | Energy | Environment

Chasing the Rainbow: Carbon Capture is Magic Thinking

by Emma Bast, Staff Attorney
There’s been a lot of discussion and excitement about the idea of carbon capture and storage technology. Unfortunately, the excitement about the potential far outstrips the reality of the technology. Read more
Climate | Community | Energy | Environment

Pennsylvania House Asks: Could We Live Without Fossil Fuels? We Say: We Must.

by John Ukenye, Policy Analyst
On March 28, 2022, the Pennsylvania House Environmental Resources & Energy Committee held an industry-friendly hearing titled “Could We Live Without Fossil Fuels?” Read more
Climate | Community | Energy | Environment

Philadelphia’s 2023 Budget Must Prioritize Clean Water for All

by Adam Nagel, Campaign Manager
We are only days away from Mayor Jim Kenney’s penultimate budget address to City Council and the annual push to fund numerous priorities. Read more
Climate | Community | Environment

PennFuture, Partners Halt Construction of Proposed Liquefied Natural Gas Plant in Bradford County

by Angela Kilbert, Staff Attorney
PennFuture, representing our partners Clean Air Council and Sierra Club, secured a big legal victory on March 18 by obtaining a settlement that halts the construction of a proposed Liquified Natural Gas facility near the Susquehanna River in Wyalusing Township, Bradford County. Read more

Fallacy, Fiction, and Falsehoods: Debunking the Fossil Fuel Industry’s Stance on Russia’s War in Ukraine

by Jared Stonesifer, Director of Media Relations, Rob Altenburg, Senior Director for Energy and Climate
This is a running list of some of the most egregious bad-faith arguments being put forth by the fossil fuel industry and their legislative champions in media outlets across Pennsylvania, accompanied by fact-checking of those arguments. Read more
Climate | Community | Energy | Environment

This year, Pennsylvania must properly fund efforts to clean up our waterways

by Renee Reber, Campaign Manager, Watershed Advocacy
On World Water Day, we are again calling on state lawmakers to properly fund the programs and initiatives that will get us closer to our clean water goals in Pennsylvania, and in the Chesapeake Bay. Read more
Climate | Community | Energy | Environment

Russia-Ukraine Crisis: War, Fossil Fuels, and What it Means for Pennsylvanians

by John Ukenye, Policy Analyst, Matthew Stepp, Vice President and Chief of Staff, PennFuture
Russia’s war with Ukraine is underlining the economic and national security costs of relying on fossil fuels. Read more
Climate | Community | Energy | Environment

Philadelphia Will Not Meet Climate Goals Without a Reconstituted Philadelphia Gas Works

by Adam Nagel, Campaign Manager
PGW has maintained that it believes gas will continue to play a central role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Philadelphia, which is a direct contradiction to the city's climate goals. Read more

During Black History Month, State Legislators Fighting Against Jim Crow 2.0 in Pennsylvania

by Pennsylvania House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton
In this guest blog, Pennsylvania House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton writes about current attacks on voting rights in Pennsylvania. Read more
Climate | Community | Energy | Environment

Updated Integrated Water Quality Report Reveals 33 Percent of Pennsylvania Waterways are Polluted

by Renee Reber, Campaign Manager, Watershed Advocacy
The draft 2022 report finds 33 percent of Pennsylvania’s stream miles are impaired. That’s a step backward from 30 percent in the 2020 report. Read more
Community | Environment

Pipeline Problems Persist in Pennsylvania

by Jared Stonesifer, Director of Media Relations
The next time groups like the Marcellus Shale Coalition tell you pipelines are safe and necessary, don’t believe them. The evidence is right in front of us to the contrary. Read more
Climate | Community | Energy | Environment

Terrible Excuses to Mine Bitcoin

by Rob Altenburg, Senior Director for Energy and Climate
The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing on the energy impacts of Blockchain. While the panel of speakers made some good points, the hearing also provided a platform for several pro-bitcoin boosters to repeat really bad arguments in favor of wasteful crypto-mining. Read more
Climate | Community | Energy | Environment

Introducing PennFuture's New Legal Interns!

by Abigail M. Jones, Vice President of Legal and Policy
Since its inception in 1998, PennFuture has emphasized the importance of using the law to protect Pennsylvania’s environment and “create a just future where nature, communities, and the economy thrive.” Read more
Climate | Community | Energy | Environment

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