Archive: legislation/policy
On July 27, the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee approved H.R.2021, the Environmental Justice (EJ) for All Act. The bill is currently sitting before the U.S. House of Representatives for a vote. This landmark piece of legislation would enshrine important protections for minority and low-income communities disproportionately affected by pollution and environmental degradation. It has […]
On July 7, 2022, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed a bill that has been touted as a way to give consumers more access to affordable electricity, but in reality represented an effort to restrict local governments’ ability to set policies that address the climate crisis. Senate Bill (“SB”) 275, introduced by Gene Yaw, would make […]
On February 11, 2022, PA State Representative Timothy Bonner introduced House Bills (“HBs”) 2338 and 2339 to protect communities from the dangers of landfills. However, the bills’ language will make it so that rural communities bear the brunt of urban and suburban waste. The bills are straightforward. HB 2338 prohibits the new construction of a […]
This blog is an update to one posted June 13: Local Elected Officials Object to Hearing Your Voice. Recently the PA Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”) held a public comment period on their new draft Environmental Justice Policy (“Policy”). This Policy was created to provide those who reside in an environmental justice community the opportunity […]
By a vote of 6-3, the Supreme Court agreed with Republican-led states and coal companies that the Environmental Protection Agency does not have the authority to use generation-shifting as a “system of emission reduction” under the Clean Air Act. Background In the WV. v. EPA case, one primary regulation was at issue (which is currently […]
In response to the 2020 Attorney General Grand Jury Report on the unconventional oil and gas well industry, PA State Representative Rick Krajewski introduced House Bill (“HB”) 1467. This bill will help protect the health of citizens who live and work in communities with fracking by requiring two state agencies to work together – the […]