On May the Pennsylvania Chapter Sierra Club unanimously endorsed Dan Gilman for District 8 in Pittsburgh City Council.

“Dan Gilman has been and will continue to be one of the strongest advocates in City Council for protecting the environment,” writes Allegheny Group Chair Barbara Grover. “Dan worked with a collaborative group of labor leaders, faith-based groups and environmental organizations to get City Council to pass Pittsburgh’s Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and prevailing wage bill. He is the only candidate who supports the ban on fracking in the city.” (more…)

Mayoral candidate Bill Peduto with supporters including Josh McNeil (Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania), Barb Grover (Allegheny Group, Sierra Club, and Tom Hoffman (Clean Water Action).

Across the street from Pittsburgh’s iconic ‘green’ building – Phipps Conservatory – on April 30 representatives of Clean Water Action, Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania, and the Sierra Club rallied to personally endorse Bill Peduto for Mayor of Pittsburgh. “I am pleased to receive such enthusiastic endorsements from three of the leading environmental advocacy groups,” Peduto said. “Working together with their members, we will make Pittsburgh a model city in the area of protecting and preserving the environment.” (more…)

On March 9 the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Sierra Club endorsed Councilman Bill Peduto for Mayor and incumbent Natalia Rudiak for Pittsburgh City Council, District 4 in the May 21 Primary Elections. During his terms on City Council Bill has been an environmental leader, and has the vision and skills to make Pittsburgh a healthier and greener city. With the departure of Bill Peduto and Doug Shields, we expect Natalia to play an even stronger role in moving the city along an economically sustainable and environmentally sound path.

John Hangar, former PUC Commissioner, DEP Secretary (2008-11), and founder of the environmental group PennFuture, is the first declared candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2014 race for Pennsylvania Governor. How effective Hangar will be in injecting environmental issues into the campaign will be interesting to watch, following his statement that climate change will be a major focus for him. Hangar is currently Special Counsel for the national law firm Eckert Seamens, based in Philadelphia.

In an otherwise successful election local environmentalists are disappointed in the eventual loss of Dave Levdansky to Rick Saccone in the 39th House District. Although Dave had a clear majority in Allegheny County he failed to check Saccone in the Washington portion of the district, and finished with a 114 vote loss at last count. The following is part of a letter that Dave sent to his supporters on Wednesday. (more…)

As the dust settles, and the re-election of President Obama, Senator Casey, and Congressman Doyle is celebrated, the Sierra Club congratulates Eugene DePasquale in his election to the oversight position of state Auditor General. We also congratulate Matt Smith in his election to fill a vacant seat in the state Senate, and Erin Molcahny in the state House. At the time of writing we are hoping that a recount will reverse the apparent loss of Dave Levdansky by a mere 36 votes. Unfortunately, and despite a strong effort, Missa Eaton lost 41 to 55 pct to incumbent Congressman Mike Kelly in the District north of Pittsburgh. (more…)

The Sierra Club has strongly endorsed the following candidates for the Nov. 6 election: Obama for President – with the promise of action on climate change and a ‘greeener’ economy; Casey for US Senate – a solid supporter of the environment; DePasquale for PA auditor-general – to keep an eye on the Corbett administration; Eaton for the 3rd Cong. Dist. – to replace a friend of the polluters; Doyle for the 14th Cong. Dist. – a solid supporter of the EPA; M. Smith for PA Senate – dedicated to a ‘green’ economy; Molcahny in the PA House – advocate for sustainable transportation system; and environmental hero Levdansky in one of the two closest races for a state House seat.

For more information about these endorsements, please contact Political Chair Angel Gober at [ angeldaguard at gmail.com ].

In a race that has caught national attention, on October 20 the Sierra Club endorsed Missa Eaton in the Third Congressional District. Her opponent is incumbent Mike Kelly. Extending south from Erie, the Third District includes all of Armstrong, Butler, and Mercer Counties as well as part of Lawrence County. (more…)

In an acknowledgement of his strong support of the environment, the Sierra Club has joined the League of Conservation Voters in endorsing Bob Casey in his bid to return to the US Senate. The Sierra Club has also endorsed incumbent Mike Doyle for the 14th Congressional District (Pittsburgh). Alone among Western Pennsylvania Congressmen, Rep. Doyle has been a stalwart defender of sensible air pollution regulation and protector of our National Forests.

On Sept. 15 the Sierra Club, Pennsylvania Chapter endorsed Matt Smith in the race for the 37th Senate District. Smith is currently Representative for the 42nd House district, and will face D. Raja for the open seat created by the retirement of John Pippy. Raja handily lost to Fitzgerald in the race for County Executive in November 2011. The 37th Senate District includes Avalon, Ben Avon, Findley, Mt Lebanon, Moon, Peters, and Jefferson Hills. Smith Joins Dave Levdansky, Erin Molchany, and Missa Easton as the Club’s endorsed candidates in Western Pennsylvania.

On August 16 three state-wide environmental organizations announced their endorsement of David Levdansky to represent the 39th District in the state House. Valued as a strong environmental advocate by Clean Water Action, Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania, and the Sierra Club, Levdansky is fighting to re-gain the seat he lost to Rick Saccone by 151 votes in the November 2010 election. The 39th District straddles Allegheny and Washington counties from Elizabeth to South Park to Eighty Four. (more…)

Mitt Romney’s choice of Paul Ryan for VP candidate only reinforces the expectation that a Romney administration will be no friend of the environment. In addition to Ryan’s wish to drastically reduce the role of the federal government, as well as to curtail regulation, we have Ryan’s voting record as scored by the League of Conservation Voters. In 2011 the percentage of times Ryan voted ‘correctly’ on thirty-five important votes was 3 pct. His average score in the 111th Congress (2009-2010) was 13 pct. To put that in a local context, in 2011 Rep. Tim Murphy scored 11 pct although in the 111th Congress his score was 21 pct. Conservative Republicans Kelly and Shuster each scored 9 pct in 2011. (more…)

The Sierra Club is an organization that relies on the democratic process to protect the environment and the public health. Regarding the US Supreme Court’s 2010 ‘Citizens United’ decision the Sierra Club calls upon Congress to take action that acknowledges that ‘corporations are not natural persons’ and that public disclosure of all political activity should be mandated. Whether the ‘Citizens United’ decision be addressed by a new 28th Amendment to the U S Constitution or by individual state laws is a complicated matter. What is simpler is the need to fight voter suppression, as expressed by the Club’s national Board of Directors resolution this past March. This will be a big issue for all progressive organizations in Pennsylvania this summer.

Perhaps sensitive to the concern that the President has not been as protective of the environment as many progressives would have liked, for Earth Day the Obama/Biden campaign issued a fact sheet titled ”Investing in the Clean Energy Future and Promoting Clean Air and Water in Pennsylvania”. The topics covered in the document include fuel efficiency, promoting a clean energy economy, the carbon pollution standard, cutting mercury pollution, conserving public land, and ocean stewardship. If you disagree with Obama’s approach, including the ‘All of the Above‘ energy strategy, then contact the re-election campaign and let them know what you think.

Molchany and Levdansky win!

Progressives were pleased with the local results of the recent Primary Elections. In the 22nd House District Sierra Club-endorsed Erin Molchany comfortably increased her chance to take a seat in the legislature in January. In the 39th District Dave Levdansky did well, and in November he will try to unseat incumbent Rick Saccone, who beat Dave in 2010. Ed Gainey’s defeat of Joe Preston in the 24th House District showed that not all incumbencies are impregnable. In Congressional races incumbent Democratic Blue Dogs Jason Altmire and Mark Critz dueled to the last, with Critz inching out a surprise win. Elsewhere in the state Democratic Blue Dog Tim Holden was ejected from his 17th District Congressional seat by Matt Cartwright.