Recent action

Congress raises fuel efficiency standards

In a monumental victory for the nation's environment and energy security, Congress passed a historic energy bill in December that will raise fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks to 35 miles per gallon by 2020. By 2030, this measure will cut annual global warming pollution by an amount equivalent to taking 77 million cars off the road, and will save 1.1 million barrels of oil per day in 2020.

While this was a huge victory, it should have been even bigger. Earlier in December, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a federal energy bill that would have required utility companies to generate 15 percent of their electricity from clean, renewable energy sources and energy efficiency by 2020. Advancing wind and solar power through a strong renewable energy standard is key to cutting global warming and other air pollutants.

Unfortunately, President Bush and Senate Republicans worked to strip out the renewable energy requirement from the bill. Pennsylvania's Sen. Bob Casey fought for keeping the renewable energy requirement, but Sen. Arlen Specter unfortunately voted against the stronger bill.

The final bill that was signed into law also included important new energy efficiency standards for appliances and federal buildings. PennEnvironment worked with our affiliates across the country to advance this legislation in Washington, D.C., and our citizen members were critical to this victory. View the release.

A wind turbine in rural Pennsylvania.

PennEnvironment turns out citizens for clean air

On Aug. 30, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held a hearing in Philadelphia to gauge public opinion on proposed new standards for ozone, “smog,” pollution. In response, PennEnvironment turned out of dozens of concerned citizens, public health professionals and elected officials to urge EPA to implement the strongest possible health-based standards.

Smog, otherwise know as ozone, is a powerful pollutant that can burn our lungs and airways, causing health effects ranging from asthma attacks to premature death. Unfortunately, EPA’s proposed standard doesn’t go as far to protect public health as its own scientists recommend.

PennEnvironment helped turn out over 60 witnesses to testify at the public hearing, and activists submitted over 1,000 public comments to EPA on the issue. EPA will issue its final smog standard by March 2008.

Mission statement

We all want clean air, clean water and open space. But it takes independent research and tough-minded advocacy to win concrete results for our environment, especially when powerful interests stand in the way of environmental progress. That’s the idea behind PennEnvironment. We focus exclusively on protecting Pennsylvania’s air, water and open space. We speak out and take action at the local, state and national levels to improve the quality of our environment and our lives.

Credits

Photos: Front page: Top: Catnap*, Center: Thomas & Amelia Takacs*, Bottom: Staff. Page 2: Top: Staff, Bottom: Mark Plummer*. Page 3: Top left: Joshua David Treisner*, Top right: Elena Elisseeva*, Bottom: PGC Photo/Joe Kosack. Page 4: Top: Theodore Scott*, Bottom: Jason Dillalogue*. (*under license from Shutterstock.com.)

Editor: David Masur. Contributors: Adam Garber, Nathan Willcox, Cecily Anderson, Justin Boyles, Zach Cullimore, Matthew Curtis, Sara Landis, Ethan Lavine, Jenna Perry Leschuck, Ryan Moeckly, Leana Nordstrom, Dan Platt, Nathan Proctor, Drew Stephan, Jenne Turner, Chris Wand. Publications Director: Richard J. Hannigan. Design: Public Interest GRFX (215) 985-1113.