Pennsylvania's Terrible Environmental Record May Improve

January 27 - "Following in the footsteps of nine other northeastern states, Pennsylvania went to court yesterday to block new, less stringent federal air-pollution regulations from taking effect. The Pennsylvania case is separate from one filed by the other states, but the issue is the same: the New Source Review rules of the Clean Air Act, which once required industries to install state-of-the-art pollution-control equipment when upgrading their facilities but were replaced by more lenient Bush administration regulations on Dec. 31. Katie McGinty, Pennsylvania's acting secretary of environmental protection, said the regulatory changes could harm the state's environment by increasing unhealthy emissions. McGinty (who headed former President Clinton's Council on Environmental Quality) added that the shift would damage the state's economy by forcing industry to pay for cleaning up pollution drifting in from other states. So far, the U.S. EPA has declined to comment on Pennsylvania's lawsuit." Courtesy www.grist.com

Pennsylvania occupies an unfortunate but indisputable position in the Environmental Hall of Shame. The state ranks number one in the nation in combined sewer overflows, where raw sewage is dumped into streams, rivers, and wells when rain hits; has the fifth-highest rate of sprawl; is home to the two largest mercury polluters; produces more greenhouse gases than 83 countries; and experiences rainfall 100 times more acidic than clean rain.

We in the environmental community have high hopes that governor-elect Ed Rendell (D) will work to change this. He received the endorsement of the Sierra Club and other environmental groups, and he consulted with many in the community during his campaign. His efforts to bring us to the table were a breath of fresh air for many. An administration more amenable to environmental protection would be a great improvement to the well-being of Pennsylvanians

Click here to find out more about Pennsylvania's environmental record
Click here to find out more about Pennsylvania's lawsuit against the Bush air pollution rules
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