Keystone XL demonstrators surrounding the White House, Nov. 6, 2011.

In welcoming President Obama’s denial of a permit for the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, SC Executive Director Micheal Brune stated on January 18, ”President Obama’s announcement is an outright rejection of Speaker Boehner’s cynical attempt to play political football with Americans’ health. Unfortunately, we know that Big Oil and their cronies in Congress will not give up their endless pursuit of profits at the cost of Americans’ health and prosperity. We thank the President for listening to the concerns of American farmers, landowners and people who care about clean air, clean water and our climate future.”

In standing up to Big Oil and the Republican leadership, President Obama truly deserves a note of THANKS. (more…)

Photo from the PA DEP

Reacting to an NPR State Impact story of January 18, the Sierra Club’s Pennsylvania Chapter Director Jeff Schmidt decried Governor Tom Corbett’s intentional manipulation of critical scientific research funding. In particular, the NPR article highlights top-level decisions to diminish or defund drilling-related scientific research in Pennsylvania. The story also includes reactions from scientists at both Penn State and Carnegie Mellon who conduct environmental research, and whose research funding has been slashed. (more…)

Community drilling rights demonstrators on Capitol stairway. Photo by W. Taylor

Activists from around the state assembled inside the Capitol on January 17 to call for rejection of omnibus drilling bills HB 1950 and S 1100. With the bills heading to conference committee deliberations, speakers at the rally drew attention to major provisions in both bills that tie the hands of local elected officials on zoning decisions related to shale gas operations such as wells, pipelines, compressor stations, and chemical and waste storage. A key speaker was former Councilman Doug Shields, and later in the day a Citizen’s Petition with 11,770 signatures was presented to legislators. (more…)

Little Blue Run. Photocourtesy of CACA

The year 2011 ended on a positive note with a temporary halt to expansion of the Little Blue Run coal ash impoundment at the Bruce Mansfield Plant in Greene Twp., Beaver County. In a December 15, 2011, PA DEP issued a 7-page technical deficiency letter in response to power plant owner First Energy’s application to expand the lagoon behind the nation’s highest (450 feet) unlined earthen dam for coal ash impoundment. Although pleased with the DEP decision, members of the grassroots Little Blue Run campaign, lead by 500-member Citizens Against Coal Ash (CACA), fear that after correcting the deficiencies highlighted by the DEP, First Energy company will continue with the Little Blue Run expansion plans.

NOTE. Jan. 18 a group of organizations including the Sierra Club issued an intent to sue the EPA to force the release of long awaited public health safeguards against toxic coal ash.

http://earthjustice.org/news/press/2012/delayed-coal-ash-protections-put-public-health-at-risk

The Allegheny Group’s Public Lands Action Team (PLAT) will host a community meeting to help develop a plan of action and outings for the Spring.

4:00 to 6:00 pm, Saturday, February 18
Sierra Club Office
425 N. Craig St.
Suite 202
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

The Forest Watch program is based on the model developed by the Allegheny Defense Project and Heartwood, as well as planning for Plant Rescue activities if necessary. This model has been successful in stopping timber sales and other destructive activities on public lands for more than 20 years.

Cathy Pedlar, ADP Forest Watch Coordinator from Erie PA and Ernie Reed of Heartwood from Charlottesville, VA will be in attendance for this initial meeting. Bill Belitskus, ADP Board Chair and once a candidate for Congress, will speak at this event. Light refreshments will be provided. All are welcome to attend!

Join us for this afternoon discussion and strategy meeting!

For more information contact Matt Peters at mattnedludd@gmail.com, or 412-320-0739

On January 10 President Obama made an unusual visit to the Environmental Protection Agency to thank the staff for their work. During a videoed twelve-minute address he reviewed progress made by the agency in protection of our water and air, including the recent regulations to reduce power plant emissions. The President’s expression of support for the EPA staff was in stark contrast to the attacks on the agency by Presidential hopefuls such as Govs. Romney and Perry, and House Speaker Gingrich.

The newly launched ‘Breathe Project’ was recently recognized by the Wall Street Journal in an article titled “Pittsburgh Tries to Clear the Air in Pittsburgh”. In describing the Heinz Endowments backed coalition, the authors mention that “the coalition has drawn members from U. S. Steel Corp. to the Sierra Club”. And that was less than a week after the Allegheny Group formally joined the coalition! At the national level a Sierra Club TV ad asks Congress to stand with President Obama and protect the public’s health.

By an online ballot, Stonycreek River in Cambria and Somerset counties was voted Pennsylvania’s river for 2012. This is a fine come-back story for a river once severely impacted by acid mine drainage, and now a favorite location for anglers and kayakers. For more information about the Stonycreek River see the video prepared by the Stonycreek Quemahoning Initiative.

Photo courtesy of Allegheny Outdoor Adventures and Allegheny Defense Project

The Allegheny Defense Project is conducting an overnight backpacking trip in the Tracy Ridge area of the Allegheny National Forest, February 4-5, 2012. This is a fine opportunity for experienced backpackers to enjoy a wintery treat in a proposed wilderness area.

For more information, contact Cathy Pedler: alleghenydef at mail.democracyinaction.org.

NOTE: The Allegheny Group has organized a Cross Country Ski outing February 12 on Laurel Mountain.

League of Conservation Voters

After posting an assessment of congress in 2011 as the Most Anti-Environmental in History, last week the League of Conservation Voters issued a scorecard based on twenty-five environment-related votes in the House Of Representatives in 2011. Heading the performance of local Congressman is Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pittsburgh) with a praiseworthy score of 96%; Doyle missed 100% because of an absence on one vote. The two other local Democrats, who may be running against each other in the newly re-districted Twelfth Congressional District, did not do as well. Rep. Mark Critz (D-Johnstown) scored 52% and Rep. Jason Altmire (D- Aliquippa) scored 32%. Reflecting the partisanship of the House, Republicans Kelly (Butler), Murphy (Mt Lebanon.), Shuster (Hollidaysburg) and Thompson (Bellefonte) all scored just four percent for a single vote on Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. NOTE. Rep. Ron Paul’s LCV score in 2011 was zero.

For the past four years, Claudia Kirkpatrick successfully served as chair of the local Sierra Club Group. On January 9, Claudia stepped down and was replaced by Barbara Grover. Succeeding Barbara as Vice-Chair is Tom Hoffman. Tom and Barabara were re-elected to the Executive Committee (ExCom) along with Laura Donovan. New ExCom member is Angel Gober, who will also serve as new chair of the Political Committee. Gwen Chute is the new leader of the Endangered Species Action Team, and new issue chairs are Krissy Kasserman (Mining) and Peri Unligil (Air Quality). Continuing action team leaders are Chris Shepherd (Global Warming) and Matt Peters (Public Lands).

The ExCom thanks Claudia for her leadership, and looks forward to working with her in the years to come. Thanks are also extended to all who participated in the election for the four ExCom members in December.

Erika Staaf (PennEnvironment) talks with media folk about PPG suit. Photo: P. Wray.

On January 4 PennEnvironment and the Sierra Club filed suit in Federal Court against PPG Industries. At issue is the failure of PPG to clean up an old industrial site across the Allegheny River from Ford City in Armstrong County. When PPG had a huge glass manufacturing plant in Ford City it used a slurry to polish the sheets of glass. For twenty years the waste slurry was pumped by pipe across the river and up to lagoons in an old quarry on a 130 feet high terrace above the river. The waste stored in the lagoons contains arsenic, mercury, heavy metals, and is highly corrosive. That toxic waste continues to seep down the hillside into the Allegheny River. (more…)

As a member of Pittsburgh City Council, Doug Shields has been a strong friend of the environment. Some years ago Doug was helpful in passing an ordinance controlling development on Pittsburgh’s hillsides. He was interested in protecting Hays Woods and was involved in moves to prevent extension of the Mon-Fayette Expressway into Oakland. More recently he was a strong supporter of ordinances that protected the environment and communities when development was publicly funded. But it was during the past two years that Doug focused his passion and rhetorical skills on protection of communities from abuse by gas drilling companies, leading the passage of city’s ban on drilling. (For an example of Doug’s skills and passion, check a recent video at the 12 minute mark.)

Doug recently gained prominence across the state as an outspoken advocate for the rights of communities to control drilling within their own borders. And it was fitting that during the last days of his time on Council, Mayor Ravenstahl allowed Doug’s ‘Toxic Trespass’ ordinance to stand without a veto. We know that whatever endeavors Doug embarks upon next, he will truly have at heart the interests of the people and environment of the region. Thanks Doug!

Photo: Friends of the Earth

As Congress closed for business in 2011 a controversial $6 billion annual subsidy for production of ethanol from corn was quietly laid to rest. The news was greeted by environmental and Tea Party advocates alike. For 30 years this Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit has distorted food production in the US, while acerbating a number of health problems. As the New York Times opined, “Now that the most polarized and paralyzed Congress in memory has managed to kill one of its most resilient boondoggles — the three-decade-old, multibillion-dollar subsidy for corn ethanol — we hope it has not exhausted its resolve and will take a hatchet to other harmful energy subsidies, chiefly those it gives to fossil fuels.”

According to the DEP, about 235 million gallons of wastewater were generated by Marcellus shale drilling in Pennsylvania in 2010. What happens to that growing amount of wastewater is becoming an ever greater issue. A fair portion is recycled by use for drilling at another well, but with each recycling the concentration of contaminants increases. Some is shipped to water treatment plants. Some was shipped to sewage treatment plants but that practice seems to have been voluntarily halted at the request of the DEP. What is causing some alarm is the practice of injecting the Marcellus wastewater into deep wells, with the possible initiation of earthquakes. (more…)