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Troubled Waters: Industrial Pollution Still Threatens America’s Waterways

America’s waterways provide us with drink-ing water, places to fish and swim, and critical habitat for wildlife – when they are clean and protected. The passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972 was a turning point in America’s efforts to protect and re-store its rivers, lakes and coastal waters. Though the Clean Water Act has made some progress bringing our waters back to health, a closer look at compli-ance with and enforcement of the law reveals an overly lenient system that too often allows pollution without accountability.

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News Release | PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center

Facilities in PA rank second highest in nation for exceeding water pollution standards

[Pennsylvania]– Industrial facilities dumped excessive pollution into Pennsylvania’s waterways 633 times over 21 months, placing Pennsylvania second in the nation for violating their clean water permits, according to a new report by PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center. The study also shows that facilities rarely faced penalties for this pollution.

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News Release | PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center

New Toxic Ten Polluters Drive Cancer, Asthma Risks

Pittsburgh, PA-- PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center’s newly updated interactive website identifies the Toxic Ten, the industrial facilities releasing the most hazardous toxins into the air. These facilities are responsible for a significant portion of air pollution problems in the region by releasing chemicals known to cause cancer, respiratory problems, neurological disease, and reproductive problems. The Pittsburgh region ranks in the top 2% for cancer caused from such facilities’ pollution in the nation.

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News Release | PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center

As Electric Cars Revolutionize the Vehicle Market, New Study Helps Cities Address Infrastructure and Parking Challenges

Pennsylvania– With electric vehicles (EVs) hitting U.S. streets in record numbers, a new study by PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group highlights best practices to help local officials make their cities as EV-friendly as possible. The new report, “Plugging In: Readying America’s Cities for the Arrival of Electric Vehicles,” includes local and state data for Harrisburg and Pennsylvania about the projected number of electric cars expected on the road in coming years, and how cities can accommodate these new EVs with enough places to park and recharge.

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Report | PennEnvironment Research and Policy Center

Plugging In

The adoption of large numbers of electric vehicles (EVs) offers many benefits for cities, including cleaner air and the opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Electric vehicles are far cleaner than gasoline-powered cars, with lower greenhouse gas emissions and lower emissions of the pollutants that contribute to smog and par- ticulate matter.

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News Release | PennEnvironment

Congressman Doyle receives Environmental Leadership Award

Pittsburgh-- The state’s leading citizen-based environmental group presented Congressman Doyle an award for his environmental leadership in Congress in 2017. The award is being given in conjunction with the release of PennEnvironment’s annual federal scorecard evaluating how the Pennsylvania Congressional Delegation voted on legislation supporting clean air, clean water and other critical environmental protections.

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David Masur

Executive Director

Research & Policy Results

Less toxic mercury in our water, air and bodies

After our research helped shine a media spotlight on the health problems mercury can cause for young children and babies in utero, the Environmental Protection Agency ruled that power plants must reduce the amount of mercury they emit by 90 percent.

New limits on carbon pollution

In conjunction with our national federation, we helped convince the Environmental Protection Agency to set smart new limits on the amount of smog-forming carbon pollution that new coal-fired power plants can emit – an important victory for the 836,880 adults and 228,593 children in Pennsylvania who suffer from asthma, which is exacerbated by smog.

We're standing up for our rivers and streams.

Whether you’re kayaking in Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers, fishing in the Susquehanna, or walking along the Schuylkill, our rivers and streams are a big part of what makes Pennsylvania so special. For decades, we’ve held the line for our waterways and fought tooth and nail to protect them from polluters. But in 2013, we came closer than ever to our biggest clean water victory in decades when President Obama took a much-needed step to close loopholes in the Clean Water Act that give polluters free rein to exploit the waters we love.

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Building a greener future

PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center gratefully accepts bequests, beneficiary designations of IRAs and life insurance, and gifts of securities to support our work. Your gift will assure that we can continue to protect Pennsylvania's air, water and open spaces for future generations.

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PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center works closely with PennEnvironment, a 501 (c)(4) organization. Click here to visit the PennEnvironment website.

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