Pennsylvania Legacies

There's been plenty of talk about climate in Pennsylvania. Now it's time for action.

Davitt Woodwell and John Walliser discuss PEC's just-released policy proposal for putting the Commonwealth on a path to zero carbon emissions.

Despite what you may have heard, environmental causes resonate with Pennsylvanians from all walks of life, throughout the state, and across the political spectrum. Recent polling from the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership shows Pennsylvania hunters and anglers in particular are passionate about conservation, irrespective of party affiliation -- and they vote their values.

Vermont Law School is home to the nation's top-ranked environmental law program. Its graduates are also among the best prepared for the real world, thanks to the Semester in Practice program. Davitt Woodwell chats with Vermont Law's Johanna Thibault and fall 2018 PEC legal intern Ethan Story.

With new urgency around the unfolding climate crisis, policy discussions at the state level are intensifying. PEC's policy team has an update and analysis on recent and forthcoming proposals to tackle Pennsylvania's carbon emissions.

As voting begins for 2019 Pennsylvania River of the Year, a chat with Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper's Carol Parenzan about last year's winner, Loyalsock Creek.

Then: plenty of groups and government agencies are working independently to restore Pennsylvania's forest lands. Could they make a bigger impact by coordinating their efforts? We explore an emerging statewide reforestation partnership with PEC program manager Laura Bray.

In working to clean up one of Pennsylvania's most impaired urban watersheds, the members of the Wissahickon Clean Water Partnership face a daunting challenge. But the coalition also has a major advantage: a shared recognition that working together is the only way forward. As the initiative pivots to focus on community engagement, we drop in on a public forum held recently in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are both on Bloomberg Philanthropies’ list of 20 American cities being recognized for leading the way on climate action, each receiving up to $2.5 million to accelerate existing sustainability work. We talk with the director of Philly’s Office of Sustainability, Christine Knapp, and Pittsburgh’s Chief Resilience Officer, Grant Ervin. Plus: what does a new state law limiting landowner liability mean for outdoor recreation in Pennsylvania?

Cambria County's business, government, and nonprofit sectors are teaming up with citizens to reinvent the historically flood-ravaged city of Johnstown. We explore Johnstown's evolution through the work of the Vision 2025 initiative and the Laurel Highlands Conservation Landscape.

Participants in the 2018 Industrial Heartland Trails Coalition Summit talk about meeting the challenges of a growing trail network in this excerpt from the Pennsylvania Legacies podcast.

An update on the expired – but not yet extinguished – Land and Water Conservation Fund, and a visit to the 2018 Industrial Heartland Trails Coalition Summit in Morgantown, WV.