Energy & Environment
Here’s what ‘Green New Deal’ advocates can learn from the 2009 stimulus | Opinion
An ambitious carbon tax could promote broad and deep economy-wide emission reductions today and the far-reaching innovation necessary to transform the energy foundation of the U.S. economy.
How many times are we going to bailout Three Mile Island? | Opinion
If consumers already paid to build Pennsylvania’s nuclear plants, and then paid off the debt on the nuclear plants, why does Three Mile Island need yet another bailout?
State lawmakers question Wolf admin’s plan to fund environmental agencies
Democratic and Republican lawmakers on the House Appropriations Committee made the heads of Pennsylvania’s chief environmental agencies defend a controversial funding shift Thursday. In his 2019-20 budget, Gov. Tom Wolf proposed reducing general fund spending on the Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Conservation and Natural Resources by $62 million. The shortfall would be covered […]
Should lawmakers prop up Pennsylvania’s struggling nuclear industry? The debate, explained
When you turned on the lights in your house this morning, there’s a good chance the electricity came from a nuclear power plant. Nuclear energy has been Pennsylvania’s largest energy source for decades. But the industry says it’s struggling to maintain its foothold as energy demand flatlines and natural gas prices plummet. The issue Two […]
That’s ‘plant-based drink’ — not ‘milk’ — to you, freshman GOP U.S. Rep. John Joyce says
A seriously moo-ving debate.
Bucks County GOP U.S. Rep. Fitzpatrick joins with Dems to snub Trump on climate change
WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick was the lone Republican in a group of 59 House lawmakers supporting a symbolic rebuke of President Trump’s international climate change policies. Fitzpatrick, a moderate Republican whose Bucks County-based 1st District is a key electoral battleground in 2020, joined dozens of Democrats to introduce a resolution opposing Trump’s […]
Pa. government presses pause on permits for Mariner East 2 pipeline parent company
Pennsylvania’s state environmental protection agency is temporarily blocking permits from Energy Transfer Partners in response to numerous complaints about the company’s Mariner East 2 pipeline and an September explosion in Beaver County. “There has been a failure by Energy Transfer and its subsidiaries to respect our laws and our communities,” Gov. Tom Wolf said in […]
‘Not a climate bill’: Environmental group pans proposed nuclear deal
Environmental groups are emerging as early critics of a proposed bailout of Pennsylvania’s nuclear industry, a policy that state lawmakers are expected to debate early this year. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a New York-based environmental advocacy group, sent a letter to Pennsylvania lawmakers last week asking them to reject any policy fix for […]
Environmental advocates worry over creative math in Wolf’s budget
A look at Wolf's budget proposal shows nearly $63 million in cuts to the two departments responsible for environmental tasks.
With plant shutdowns looming, Pa.’s nuclear industry braces for a policy showdown
Pennsylvania gets almost half of its energy from nuclear power, but that could soon change if lawmakers don’t amend the state’s alternative energy policies. Two of Pennsylvania’s five nuclear power plants are headed toward shutdown in the next two years due to stiff competition from the state’s natural gas providers. Pennsylvania’s nuclear industry create more […]
‘Pennsylvania must do better:’ Advocacy community splits on Wolf’s budget plan
Where you stand on the administration's proposal for the fiscal year that starts on July 1 largely depends on where you sit.