Report: Polluters dumped ~200 million lbs. of toxics into waterways
Call to cut down water pollution as Supreme Court case, 50th anniversary of Clean Water Act, near
Media Releases
Logging mature and old trees threatens U.S. climate goals
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Thursday signed a memorandum to clarify the U.S. Forest Service’s direction on climate policy. The memo, "Climate Resilience and Carbon Stewardship of America's National Forests and Grasslands," follows a recent White House executive order highlighting the importance of conserving mature and old-growth forests on federal lands as a climate solution. The memo, which lays out “actions to restore forests, improve resilience, and address the climate crisis”, falls short in meeting the ambition outlined in President Joe Biden’s order on old forests and trees. Secretary Vilsack acknowledges the role that older trees play in absorbing and storing carbon and supporting biodiversity. But he fails to outline a plan for his agency to protect mature and old-growth forests and trees from commercial logging.
With recycling rates dropping, new report from Pennsylvania Resources Council and PennEnvironment offers ways to put city, state back on track
(Philadelphia, PA ) --A new report issued by Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC) and PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center outlines how Pennsylvania's solid waste laws haven't kept up with the growing problems facing local recycling programs, trash disposal, and significant changes in the items making up Pennsylvania's waste stream. Act 101, the landmark recycling law that made Pennsylvania a leader in 1988 needs multiple updates to meet the demands of today’s economy. Together with Eunomia, the groups found that the full potential of this recycling and waste management law in the Keystone State has not been met. PRC and PennEnvironment called on Act 101 to be modernized to address the Commonwealth’s growing waste problem, improve public health, clean up the environment and create jobs for Pennsylvanians.
70 GROUPS SUPPORT ACTION TO GET LEAD OUT OF SCHOOL DRINKING WATER BY SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PHILADELPHIA
After SDP announces plans to replace drinking fountains, groups share letter of support following advocacy and research by PennPIRG, PennEnvironment, and the Black Church Center for Justice and Equality
In a victory for marine life, climate, Biden administration cancels three oil leases in ocean waters
WASHINGTON – Taking action to protect ocean wildlife and U.S. coasts, the Biden administration on Wednesday ditched plans for three offshore oil and gas lease sales.
Florida Gov. DeSantis’s veto saves rooftop solar in Sunshine State
Exercising his first veto of the 2022 legislative session, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday vetoed HB 741, a bill that would have gutted net metering in Florida. Net metering is the policy which compensates solar owners for the excess electricity they generate and then sell back to the grid.
University of Massachusetts Amherst commits to 100 percent renewable energy
The University of Massachusetts added to the Earth Day festivities Friday when Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy announced that the state’s flagship public university will power its campus entirely with renewable energy by 2032.
Interactive map shows widespread lead contamination in schools drinking water
BOSTON -- Lead contamination of school drinking water is more pervasive than previously thought, according to testing data from across the nation published on Thursday by Environment America Research & Policy Center and U.S. PIRG Education Fund on a new interactive map. The groups urged public officials to take swift action to “get the lead out” of schools’ drinking water.
New report: Electric school buses could protect PA kids from air pollution, store power for our electrical grid
PHILADELPHIA -- As early as next month, billions of new federal dollars will start to become available for school districts across Pennsylvania and the nation to transition to clean, electric school buses. Today, most of the country’s nearly half a million school buses run on diesel fuel, producing harmful emissions that children are forced to breathe. With the support of the World Resources Institute’s Electric School Bus Initiative, PennPIRG Education Fund, PennEnvironment Research and Policy Center and Frontier Group are releasing a new report examining how the transition to electric school buses, in addition to keeping diesel exhaust out of developing lungs, could help speed up the expansion of clean energy by providing a critical source of reliable battery storage.
Thousands call on EPA to get the lead out of drinking water
Nearly 15,000 people are urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to not only set a 10-year deadline for removing lead pipes but also take decisive action to ensure safe drinking water at schools and child care centers. Environment America Research & Policy Center and U.S. PIRG Education Fund submitted comments Wednesday from these individuals on the EPA’s Draft Strategy to Reduce Lead Exposures and Disparities.