How did your PA legislator do on the Environmental Scorecard? See them all here.
News Article • • by Bill O'Toole at Next Pittsburgh
A consortium of environmental groups across the state released the annual Pennsylvania Environmental Scorecard.
Despite some positive trends since the first version of the scorecard was published in 2012, Clean Water Action PACampaigns Director Steve Hvozdovich said the 2018 report indicates that the state capital remains “dominated by anti-environmental legislation.”
“We have far too many legislators who are willing to cast their votes for polluters or their well-heeled lobbyists,” he said.
The report was authored by the Sierra Club, Clean Water Action, PennEnvironment and Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania.
Conservation Fund Awaiting Revenue
News Article • • by Josh McNeil and Gene Karpinski at The Times Tribune
Nearly $315 million of the Land and Water Conservation Fund has been invested in Pennsylvania’s outdoor spaces, including Ricketts Glen State Park in Luzerne County.
Sadly, Congress has failed to renew this program, which is scheduled to expire in September. That’s why Rep. Matt Cartwright, of Moosic, recently spoke out to protect this critical program, which protects places like Independence National Historical Park and Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Monroe County.
Arctic Refuge drilling: immoral, financially dishonest, and deeply unpopular
News Article • • by Josh McNeil & Jacquelyn Bonomo at The Philadelphia Inquirer
Buried in the tax bill is a shameful and economically irresponsible rider to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling. This pristine corner of Alaska has been protected for generations, but one senator is trying to hand over one of the last untouched places in our country to Big Oil.
Reps. Patrick Meehan, Ryan Costello, and Brian Fitzpatrick understand that this special place should remain protected, writing in a letter to Republican leadership that “the Arctic Refuge stands as a symbol of our nation’s strong and enduring natural legacy.” We appreciate their stance.
Now it’s time for our representatives to put their word into action. Drilling in the Arctic Refuge has no place in the tax bill and Meehan, Costello, and Fitzpatrick need to stand strong and vote against this shameful sellout to the oil and gas industry.
PA lawmakers cobble together budget - without needed boost for Bay, environment
News Article • • by Donna Morelli at Bay Journal
Four months past the deadline for approving a state budget, Pennsylvania lawmakers have finally agreed on how to pay for the $32 billion spending plan they adopted in July.
They did nothing, though, to bolster a budget that offers no new money for Chesapeake Bay restoration, drinking water protection and other environmental programs. In fact, they opened the door to siphoning money from special funds dedicated to conservation and pollution cleanup.
Delaware River featured in contest to promote watershed area
News Article • • by Margaret Wilson at NJ.com
The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), in collaboration with the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed, the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, and the Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania, has launched the "Delaware River Means" campaign (https://delawarerivermeans.com/).
This online photo and story entry contest focuses on the benefits and experiences around the Delaware River Watershed, aiming to engage residents of and visitors to the Watershed in appreciating its unique qualities.
Pa. lawmakers are masters of the Puniverse
News Article • • by John Baer at Philadelphia Inquirer
Just in terms of raw politics, our legislature deserves special notice.
In the small-ball world of Harrisburg, it consistently manages to protect itself and its donors, hence its members’ 90 percent-plus reelection rates.
And, with a little more than a week to go before the annual July 1 deadline for a new state budget, it appears poised to reprise its insulated ways.
Trump opens 100-day rally assailing media gathered for correspondents’ dinner
News Article • • by Steve Volk and Mark Berman at The Washington Post
President Trump marked his 100th day in office with an event touting what he called his administration's “historic progress,” even as his prime focus early in the campaign rally focused on his long-running antagonism with the news media.
About two hours before Trump was scheduled to start speaking, more than 100 Democratic and liberal activists gathered in a field across the street to express their opposition — in tones that quickly veered from jubilant to vehement and back again.
Josh McNeil, executive director of Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania, joined the growing crowd early, saying he'd decided to come to “make a statement that President Trump did not earn a mandate to destroy the environment. No one voted for him to dismantle the EPA, but that has been a priority of his first 100 days.”
State Rep. Vitali slams influence of Marcellus Shale lobbyists
News Article • • by Linda Stein at The Delaware County Daily Times
State Rep. Greg Vitali, D-166 of Haverford, held a news conference Friday to highlight what he believes is the effect of lobbying money from the Marcellus Shale industry on legislators, claiming that it prevents “good public policy” from being enacted.
The natural gas industry spent $7.3 million in lobbying expenses in 2016 in Pennsylvania and $62.6 million since 2007, he said, citing research that was partially done by Common Cause and Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania.
Trump’s first days fuel optimism among drillers, angst for environmentalists
News Article • • by Marie Cusick at StateImpact
In less than two weeks in office, President Donald Trump is working to usher in a new era for American energy companies. He’s begun rolling back efforts to combat climate change and is pushing for federal approval of controversial, new infrastructure projects — such as the Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines.
There is guarded optimism among fossil fuel companies as they wait and see, along with everyone else, how Trump will deliver on his promises to boost American energy production. But his win has also been a major blow to many environmental groups, climate scientists, and others who worry about the administration’s disregard for science and policies aimed at protecting public health and the natural world. They’re now steeling themselves for a long, hard fight.
Pa. environmental groups join forces to increase advocacy
News Article • • by Marie Cusick at StateImpact
Two of Pennsylvania’s leading environmental groups are forming a new strategic alliance in response to what they call an “unprecedented anti-environmental political climate at the federal and state levels.”
PennFuture and the Conservation Voters of PA will combine policy, advocacy, and legal resources to mobilize voters around environmental issues and hold lawmakers accountable.
Conservation Voters of PA has staff of five, and will remain a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization with an affiliated PAC. PennFuture has a staff of 20 and is a 501(c)(3) organization, which bars it from participating in elections. But PennFuture President and CEO Larry Schweiger says the alliance builds on a model other organizations have used in other states.