Friends of PEC,

This time of year many Pennsylvanians are feeling the urge to get some yard work done -- and we're no different. With help from volunteers and partners, this April PEC's reforestation program planted more than 64 thousand native trees and shrubs on reclaimed mining sites in state forests.

Between planting events we also participated in several regional and national trail gatherings, worked to advance robust climate policy goals in the state capitol, and joined the Department of Environmental Protection in hosting the 2019 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence in Harrisburg.

The PEC website is packed with news and information on our work across the Commonwealth. If you haven't visited in a while, here's some of what you've missed:
Senior VP for Legal & Government Affairs John Walliser recently appeared before the state Senate Consumer and Professional Licensure Committee and Environmental Protection and Environmental Resources Committee to outline PEC's policy recommendations for reducing Pennsylvania's carbon emissions:

  • Join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)
  • Adopt a technology-inclusive Clean Energy Standard
  • Invest in renewables, carbon capture, community solar, grid modernization, and other emission reduction measures
  • Take action to reduce methane emissions from natural gas development and delivery
As lawmakers wrestle with the future of nuclear energy in Pennsylvania, many issues remain unresolved. But within both parties there is increasingly widespread agreement on one principle: we can and should address greenhouse gas emissions in Pennsylvania, and that allowing the Commonwealth’s nuclear fleet to fail would constitute a considerable setback in those efforts...
Springtime on the Trail
Even though Pennsylvania's trails are open year-round, there's nothing like that first ride of the spring season! This year PEC joined the Rails to Trails Conservancy, the Circuit Trails Coalition, and other local and regional partners at Opening Day for Trails events in southeast and southwestern Pennsylvania.

On April 13, Trails Program Coordinator Nate Dorfman took part in a one-mile group hike along southwest Philadelphia's Cobbs Creek and wrote about it for the PEC Blog. The Cobbs Creek Trail connects via the 58th Street Greenway to the fast-growing Circuit Trails network in which PEC is an active participant.
Meanwhile, in Fayette County, Program/Communications Coordinator Chris Corbran spent a mild Saturday on the 34-mile Sheepskin Trail with local partners in the Industrial Heartland Trails Coalition.

Ride along the Sheepskin's most recently opened section between historic Dunbar, PA and the nearby Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) in a short video on the PEC website.

Please join us May 22 at the Westin Hotel in Pittsburgh as we celebrate the outstanding achievements of individuals and organizations in a wide range of environmental initiatives throughout Western Pennsylvania
This summer and fall, Get Your Tail on the Trail is challenging northeastern Pennsylvanians to walk, run, ride, or paddle 165 miles — the length of the Delaware & Lehigh trail. What better way to get yourself on a “path” to healthy habits and a healthier you?

In order to earn your Tail on the Trail incentive at the end of the 165 Mile Challenge, you must use the online Trail Tracker to log at least 165 miles between May 1st and November 4th by 11:59pm.
Here's a pretty good reason to root for the Philadelphia Eagles (even you, Steelers fans): under the team's award-winning Go Green initiative, every field goal they put on the board means another ten trees planted in Bucks County's Neshaminy State Park.We celebrate another tree-planting season with the greenest team in pro sports, and share more opportunities for Pennsylvanians to get involved in reforestation projects.
The Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership is a small organization with a big name, and even bigger ambitions. Executive Director Julie Slavet explains how TTF works across urban/suburban boundaries to educate and engage residents, and how they leverage collaborations like the Delaware River Watershed Initiative to better steward their corner of Greater Philadelphia.
The Pennsylvania Legacies podcast features conversations with community leaders, policy experts, and Pennsylvanians on the most important environmental and conservation issues facing the Commonwealth.

New episodes are posted every other Friday at pecpa.org/audio and are available on most podcast platforms.
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WILKES-BARRE (WOLF) — If you live in Luzerne County, you’ve probably seen a lot of litter around the area lately.

One organization saying its the most in the county in recent memory.

Palmira Miller wants to keep Luzerne County clean. She’s the program coordinator for the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and Keep NEPA Beautiful, organizations striving to get litter off the streets.

Miller says it’s definitely time for a spring cleaning.

“This year it seems like there’s more litter in the community than last year,” Miller said. “The reason why? People just continue to throw things out their windows. If they didn’t throw it out the windows then we wouldn’t have the issues that we do today.”
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