Pennsylvania Environmental Council

06/05/2026

Yesterday, we joined partners and peers in walking, biking, and rolling advocacy in Pennsylvania at the PA Statewide Active Transportation Summit in Harrisburg.

We recognize that our work in trail development and decarbonization intersects with the effort to create safe and comfortable streets for energy efficient mobility.

The Summit served as the launchpad for the new Coalition for Active Transportation in PA (CAMP), which will align the voices of advocates across the Commonwealth to increase influence and impact on walking and biking issues. PEC is a core member of CAMP, putting our statewide reach and coalition experience to work on active transportation in PA.

06/04/2026

Yesterday was a great day at the South-Central PA Trails Connectivity Summit! 🚲This was the perfect opportunity to gather with trail developers, planners, and community partners to discuss the future of trail development across the region.

Throughout the Summit, we received important updates from various partners about the progress being made to fill critical gaps that were identified in PEC’s South-Central PA Trails Connectivity Assessment.

A huge thank you to everyone who spoke and participated at the event!

Interested in learning more about our Connectivity Assessment? Head over to our website to read the report. https://pecpa.org/news/south-central-pennsylvania-trails-connectivity-assessment/

06/04/2026

06/03/2026

Join the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) for an important webinar discussing their recently released PFAS Water Quality and Fish Tissue Assessment Study. This assessment is based on 20 years of research on PFAS chemicals within the Delaware River Basin.

Join the webinar on June 15th at 12:00 p.m. to learn more about the study and DRBC’s new interactive map that will help the public visualize PFAS data from across the Basin.

Don’t miss out on this! Register now: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gxRfdwOARpGM8XFVRayDUg #/registration

Read the study here:https://www.nj.gov/drbc/library/documents/PFASYear3Study_NFWF_May2026final.pdf

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: PFAS in the Delaware River Basin: An Update from the DRBC. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

06/03/2026

📢 Our community survey is open now through June 22!

We're calling upon business owners, tourism and economic development professionals, local leaders, and trail advocates along the corridor to take our survey.

In just six minutes, you can help shape the future of the P2P Corridor.

Take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/P2PCorridor

06/02/2026

A dynamic line rating system pilot program has shown the ability to increase capacity on transmission lines by 25%. This technology is just one example of how advanced transmission technologies (ATTs) can help make our electric grid more efficient and reduce consumer cost.

Last month, the PA House passed an important bill that would require electric utilities to evaluate and consider the use of ATTs when making investment decisions on new and existing service lines.

“We reached out to the utility side, labor, industrial users — they liked it,” said PEC’s Senior VP of Legal and Government Affairs John Walliser. “No one’s pushing against it.”

Read more: https://www.post-gazette.com/business/powersource/2026/06/02/transmission-lines-power-grid-duquesne-light/stories/202605310037

Learn more about ATTs and HB2223 on our website. https://pecpa.org/news/legislative-solutions-for-a-smarter-grid/

They don’t look like much — two small boxes and a solar panel mounted on some utility poles around Pittsburgh. A small weather station and...

06/02/2026

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection 's community climate conversations series comes to western PA in June. Sign up for a workshop in your area:
https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=QSiOQSgB1U2bbEf8Wpob3s018O3lYx5HkxEzUoKqkxdUNUJNWDlCTUVMVkJBQ1ZVSVc0S0s5TEJCUy4u&route=shorturl

06/01/2026

New funding opportunity for nonprofit or municipal projects to provide backup electricity for essential services during power outages in southwestern PA. Learn more: https://www.poweredandprepared.org/

The Powered & Prepared Initiative is seeking proposals from nonprofit & municipal organizations in southwestern PA for backup power solutions that allow those organizations to offer essential services during emergencies.

05/29/2026

Governor Shapiro's GRID strategy lays out needed principles for responsible data center development in PA. Projects that meet GRID standards -- including community engagement, job development, environmental performance, and energy affordability -- will be prioritized for permitting and state assistance, though participation is voluntary. House-approved bills currently awaiting Senate consideration will cement some of these expectations, but with only a month before the state budget deadline, time is short. Learn more:

Today Governor Shapiro unveiled his GRID (Governor’s Responsible Infrastructure Development) Principles for data center development. This guidance is welcome and a strong companion to legislation now under consideration in the […]

05/29/2026

Check out the latest episode of PEC’s podcast, Pennsylvania Legacies! In this episode, we talk with Nick Spinelli, Executive Director at the Lake Wallenpaupack Watershed Management District. Tune in to learn about their newly created HAB Lab and how it can help protect you from potentially dangerous toxins this summer.

Listen now:

Hosts talk with Nick Spinelli about how the HAB Lab is protecting people from harmful algal blooms.