LWV DelCo Environmental Clearinghouse
Delaware County Environmental Clearinghouse
A bill introduced in Philadelphia City Council Sept. 18 would prohibit the city from contracting with companies that incinerate its trash and recyclables. Currently about one-third of Philadelphia’s waste is sent to the Reworld (formerly Covanta) incinerator in Chester. Most of Delaware County’s municipal waste is also burned in the incinerator.
The Delaware County Council has accepted the county Sustainability Commission’s zero waste plan that promises to work towards an 82% reduction in solid waste, increase the efficiency of the county’s waste disposal practices and reduce costs.
The EPA released a draft rule Sept. 12 to end its long-standing greenhouse gas reporting program for 8,000 emitters, such as power plants and iron and steel manufacturers, and to suspend reporting for the fossil fuel industry until 2034. These are the chief sources of information about methane and CO2 emissions, major contributors to global warming.
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is involved in a process to allow electric grid operator PJM to charge its ratepayers across 13 states an estimated $70 million a year to keep the Eddystone oil-and-gas power plant operating. The DOE ordered the plant, on the brink of retirement, to keep running for two three-month periods this summer and fall and it is unclear whether the order will be made permanent. The Trump Administration plans to order Forty coal plants across the country to keep operating as well.
As environmentalists prepare for Sun Day, Sept. 21 (see article below), famed environmental guru and Sun Day founder Bill McKibben has an idea for doomsday preppers: instead of storing oil and gas, which goes bad or runs out after a couple of years, think about solar. Solar panels last for far longer and the energy can be delivered right to your roof, no drilling or refining necessary.
Join PennFuture and Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania in an environment lobby day Sept. 29 at the capitol in Harrisburg. With the federal government clawing back,funding and cancelling clean energy programs, we have to depend on state government more than ever. Anyone can join. Fill out the registration form at bottom.
The Department of Energy has once again delayed the retirement of the Eddystone oil and gas-powered electrical generating plant, adding to concerns that the Trump administration aims to prevent any fossil-fueled power plant from closing during its term. The owner, Constellation Energy Corp., had planned toclose it in May.
A study conducted by a group of Johns Hopkins researchers along the Delaware River industrial corridor found that “fence line” residents are at higher risk for multiple health problems because of the toxic mix of air they breathe. Lead author Dr. Keeve Nachman joined NPR Living on Earth Host Paloma Beltran to walk through the study. At right is the mobile testing van the researchers used. Listen to the podcast and read the transcript here.
Join PennFuture and Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania in an environment lobby day Sept. 29 at the capitol in Harrisburg. With the federal government clawing back,funding and cancelling clean energy programs, we have to depend on state government more than ever. Anyone can join. Fill out the registration form at bottom.
The Trump Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a proposal to revoke the endangerment finding. The proposal relies on misinterpretations of the law and recent cases, fringe science, and tortured cost analysis to justify a conclusion that the EPA cannot and should not regulate greenhouse gases (GHG). The EPA has to take public comment. You have until Sept. 15 to make your voice heard. See how to comment at bottom of article.
