PennEnvironment mobilizes thousands of Pennsylvanians for historic climate action

Thousands of residents and dozens of elected officials voice support for reining in climate emissions from power plants.

Global warming solutions

August 16, 2023

State Senator Vincent Hughes speaks at a climate action rally — Staff | TPIN

After the warmest July on record, the PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center worked hard to help Pennsylvanians get their voices heard in support of one of the most far-reaching proposals to rein in climate change from dirty power plants.

From record-breaking heat waves to the smokey haze of wildfire pollution, the threat posed by climate change has never been more apparent. Fortunately, the Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently proposed new safeguards to eliminate more than 617 tons of climate pollution from coal- and gas-fired power plants. The EPA’s proposal would be a big step forward on tackling climate change, but the fossil fuel companies and their political allies are working hard to stop these protections from going into effect.

The PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center staff, interns, and volunteers sprung into action to engage as many Pennslvanians as possible during the 75-day official public input period. This included:

Mobilizing more than 4,500 Pennsylvanians to submit a comment in support, along with our national network;
Helped 81 elected officials comment in support of the EPA’s proposal, including nearly 30 state lawmakers and municipal leaders;
Generated media coverage in WHYY, the Pittsburgh Business Journal, Lehigh Valley News, the Leader Times, Inside Climate News and more;
Published an op-ed in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review along with letters to the editor in the Bucks County Herald and the Delco Times; and
Rallied outside the EPA’s office in Philadelphia with State Senator Vincent Hughes and local residents.

PennEnvironment's Zachary Barber speaks at climate rally — Staff | TPIN

This summer has been a stark reminder of what a future with climate change looks like. We owe it to our children, grandchildren and future generations to leave them with a climate-safe planet. And with your help, we can make that happen.

By the time EPA’s official public comment period on August 8th, more than 1 million comments were submitted by concerned citizens from across the country in support of the EPA’s proposal, and the need for rapidly implementing climate solutions.