Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

In response to Governor Corbett’s announcement that Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Michael Krancer will step down April 15, PennEnvironment’s David Masur released the following statement: “Now more than ever, PennEnvironment recognizes the importance of a DEP Secretary who will hold the long-term protection clean air, our thousands of miles of rivers and waterways, precious open spaces , and public health above all else. “The commonwealth needs a DEP chief who will fight for the protection of our environment—now and for future generations. Pennsylvania’s next DEP Secretary must be one who: · Supports updating Pennsylvania’s regulations to protect our air, waterways, health and land from dangerous gas drilling activities; · Supports efforts to significantly increase the proportion of clean, homegrown renewable energy sources like wind and solar power and prioritize boosting energy efficiency and conservation programs; ...

PITTSBURGH – PennEnvironment today hailed the Obama administration for releasing a proposed guidance that, if adopted, would restore Clean Water Act protections to vital streams across Pennsylvania and protect Pennsylvanians’ drinking water. “Right now, waters like the Delaware, Susquehanna, and Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers are at risk as the very streams that feed them and the wetlands that keep them clean may no longer be protected by the Clean Water Act. We need to stop giving polluters a free pass and start protecting our waterways and our drinking water,” said Erika Staaf, Clean Water Advocate for PennEnvironment. One of America’s core environmental laws, the original Clean Water Act, was intended to protect all of our waters from harmful pollution. But over the past decade, developers and others have used litigation to create loopholes in the Act, leaving thousands of streams and millions of acres of wetlands likely beyond its scope. Here in Pennsylvania, this means that 59% of t...