Updates

Holding illegal polluters accountable.

GenOn Energy illegally dumped manganese, selenium and other pollutants into the Conemaugh River for years. In 2007, we sued to stop the pollution. In 2011, a judge ruled the company liable for a staggering 8,684 Clean Water Act violations. GenOn was ordered to end the pollution and pay a record-breaking $3.75 million to restore the river.

News Release | PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center

Obama Administration to Protect Americans’ Health by Setting Carbon Pollution Standards for New Power Plants

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed historic new limits on carbon pollution from new power plants.  Carbon pollution fuels global warming, which leads to poor air quality that triggers asthma attacks and other respiratory problems. 

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Pennsylvania Water 7th Most Polluted In Nation

Industrial facilities dumped more than 10 million pounds of toxic chemicals into Pennsylvania’s waterways, making the state’s waterways the seventh worst in the nation, according to a new report released today by PennEnvironment.

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Region's rivers are some of nation's most polluted

Forty years ago this week the federal Clean Water Act was passed, setting a goal to make all of America's rivers, streams, lakes and estuaries "fishable and swimmable" by 1983.

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Editorial: Toxic status quo: There's a long way to go in cleaning up waterways

Pittsburgh's rivers have become such popular spots for recreation that it's been easy to assume that toxin-laden waters were a relic of the region's past.

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Report | PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center

Wasting our Waterways 2012

Industrial facilities continue to dump millions of pounds of toxic chemicals into America’s rivers, streams, lakes and ocean waters each year—threatening both the environment and human health. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), pollution from industrial facilities is responsible for threat- ening or fouling water quality in more than 14,000 miles of rivers and streams, more than 220,000 acres of lakes, ponds and estuaries nationwide. 

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