Pennsylvania Environmental Council

Allegheny Forward The Comprehensive Plan will help shape the long-term vision for how Allegheny County grows, invests, and thrives over the next 25 years.

Attention Allegheny County residents!

You can help shape the future of your county by joining an online public meeting on March 11th at 6:00 p.m. Register here: buff.ly/M7pwdLZ

For more information , visit buff.ly/AEwJM8Z

Multiple people paddling on a river. There are hills with green trees on both sides of the river. The sky is bright blue with puffy white clouds.

The 2026 Sojourn Grant Cycle is now open!

The deadline is March 20th at 5:00 p.m.‼️

Follow the link below to learn more.
pecpa.org/news/2026-so...

A photo of a person biking on a dark gravel path. There is snow covered trees and grass on either side of the path. The biker is wearing a bright orange helmet and shirt.

PEC hit the ground running in 2026, and the latest release of our newsletter captures it all.

Don’t miss the important updates we send out every month. Sign up now: pecpa.org/newsletter/

A graphic with the words "Save the Date" "Western Pennsylvania Environmental Awards" "Wednesday, May 6". There is a white cartoon tree in the bottom right corner with the words "PEC" next to it. The background picture is two bikers overlooking a mountain.

Join us on May 6th for the 2026 Western Pennsylvania Environmental Awards in Pittsburgh. Details on location, honorees, and sponsorship opportunities coming soon!

A picture of people running, biking, and walking on trails. There is text in front of the pictures that say "We have a clear message for congress: Walking and Biking Infrastructure is Essential".

We joined the nation’s leading trails, walking, and biking organizations and 1000+ others in sending a letter to Congress to show support for America’s active transportation infrastructure and the funding programs that help make them possible. Learn more: www.keepamericaactive.org

Gas plays an important role, but we need the right policies to build a cleaner, more diverse, reliable, and affordable grid. Read more here: www.ifo.state.pa.us/download.cfm...

Pennsylvanians are paying more for electricity than our PJM neighbors, even though PA produces and exports more energy. New IFO data show unequivocally that our lack of diversified energy generation and vulnerability to changes in natural gas prices has led to this.

RISE PA - PennTAP Home > Grants and Rebates > RISE PA

The next round of RISE PA Small Award Track (SAT) grants is now open! The deadline to apply is April 15, 2026.

To learn more about RISE PA and eligibility for SAT grants, follow the link below.

penntap.psu.edu/grants-and-r...

Analysis of this busy legislative week coming soon on the PEC website, stay tuned! pecpa.org/news/

More bipartisan action on key energy bills in Harrisburg:
- HB1556, providing tax credits to incentive clean manufacturing investments, cleared the House on Tuesday
- HB2017, a permitting framework for advanced nuclear power generation, goes to the Senate after Wednesday's unanimous House vote

Love Letter to Trails — P2P Trail Corridor February is Heart Trails Month, so tell your favorite trail how you really feel. <3

Want to show your local trail some love? Now you can!

In honor of Heart Trails Month, the P2P Trail Corridor is accepting love letters to your favorite trail. 💌 Show appreciation to your favorite place to recreate here, www.p2ptrails.org/love-letters

Data centers pose big challenge for Pa.’s energy future | Opinion The concentration of information technology systems from AI to cloud computing has dramatically increased costs for the commonwealth’s energy consumers. It’s not going to get cheaper.

Data centers are dramatically increasing costs for PA's energy consumers. The choices we make now will determine the future availability of clean, affordable, reliable electricity in the Commonwealth.

Read our recent op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer: www.inquirer.com/opinion/comm...

A picture of people holding notebooks with colorful sketches on them. In the left bottom corner there is the word "watercolor". There is also a white tree with headphones on.

Catch up on the latest episode of Pennsylvania Legacies! 🎧️

Learn more about the artists that recently completed PEC's first ever artist in residency program.
pecpa.org/news/pennsyl...

Heart Trails Month Along the P2P Trails — P2P Trail Corridor Show your love for trails!  We’re treating February as “Heart Trails Month” along the P2P Trails. Join us in celebrating YOUR local rail-trail! There are 3 ways to participate:  Follow us on…

February is that start of Heart Trails Month! 🩷

The P2P Trail Corridor is designating February as Heart Trails Month and will be hosting events throughout the month to celebrate.

Follow the link below to get all the details. www.p2ptrails.org/news/heart-t...

House Committee OKs Bill To Give PUC More Authority To Regulate A.I. Data Centers, Other Large Loads To Protect Ratepayers, Electric Grid On February 2, the House Energy Committee amended and reported out House Bill 1834 (Matzie-D-Beaver) authorizing the Public Utility Commis...

The state House is taking its first steps toward protecting energy consumers from cost increases and reliability risks posed by data center development. Just one of several key proposals leaders must advance in 2026 to secure PA's energy future.
paenvironmentdaily.blogspot.com/2026/02/hous...

Live Live

Tomorrow (1/3) at 11:30 a.m. Governor Shapiro will present his proposed 2026 budget and policy priorities in a live address to the General Assembly. You can watch the event at this link: www.pa.gov/governor/live

Energy Committee -- February 2, 2026 Public hearing on HB 2150 PN 2777 (Mullins) Establishes annual energy and water reporting requirements for data center facilities.More at http://www.pahouse.com

Starting soon: state House committee hearing on proposed reporting requirements for data centers in PA www.youtube.com/live/OlLYSoT...

9:30 am -- Voting meeting on HB 1834 and any other business that may come before the committee. and 10:00 am -- Public hearing on HB 2150 PN 2777 (Mullins) Establishes annual energy and water… Energy Committee -- February 2, 2026

On Monday (1/2), the House Energy Committee will have a hearing and voting meeting on multiple bills to manage data center impacts to energy use, water use, and community oversight.

The meetings will be live streamed starting at 9:30 a.m. Tune in here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlLY...

Multiple people kayaking on a river. There are bright green trees on either side of the river. Each kayaker has a red life vest on and a hat. They are all in summer clothing. The sky is bright blue.

Results for the Pennsylvania River of the Year are in!

We are proud to announce that the Conestoga River has officially been named the 2026 Pennsylvania River of the Year.🎉

Learn more at pecpa.org/news/conesto... .

A graphic with two people walking in the woods as the background picture. There are trees on either side of them. There are white words on the graphic that say, “Pennsylvania Outdoor Economy Summit + Industry Expo” “April 26-28, 2026 State College, PA” “Outdoor Business Alliance of Pennsylvania”.

Don’t forget to sign up for the Pennsylvania Outdoor Economy Summit & Industry Expo!

The first of its kind summit in State College, PA will take place on April 26-28. Learn more and sign up here: buff.ly/xvpeH19

Pennsylvania Legacies #238: Saline Solution - PECPA Proposed legislation in Pennsylvania would establish road salting protocols to protect people and the environment.

Did you know that this week is Winter Salt Week? ❄️

Listen to a very salty episode of Pennsylvania Legacies and learn how you can make a difference! Listen Now: pecpa.org/news/pennsyl...

I'm salty enough, don't make my freshwater rivers and streams salty too

Three foldable maps standing up and overlapping the other. The maps are purple and have graphics of lizards on them as well as white text. There is a sticker in front of the maps. The sticker is small, green and in the shape of the state of Pennsylvania. The sticker also has the words "Pennsylvania Environmental Council" and "PEC" on it.

PEC has proudly partnered with @purplelizardmaps.bsky.social a variety of initiatives to promote and celebrate outdoor rec in PA. We’re honored Purple Lizard chose us to receive proceeds from their participation in the 1% for the Planet program! Learn more: www.purplelizard.com/pages/values

Outdoor Business Alliance Of PA Hosting PA Outdoor Economy Summit + Industry Expo April 26-28 In State College [PaEN] tinyurl.com/2rnj2s7y

The Impact of Sea Level Rise on Salinity Intrusion in the Delaware River Estuary DRBC Report: The Impact of Sea Level Rise on Salinity Intrusion in the Delaware River Estuary

Last week, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) announced their new report that evaluates how sea level rise will affect the amount of salt water in the Delaware Bay.

To read the news release and the report, visit the DRBC website

Tom Gilbert | Pennsylvania must be prepared to meet energy challenges It took almost all year, but last month Gov. Josh Shapiro and the General Assembly finally agreed on a state budget. After 135 days of deadlock, it’s understandable that the

As we head into the new year, Pennsylvania’s energy challenges are still ever present. However, there are many legislative and regulatory proposals in the works that could help aid in energy affordability, reliability, and availability.

Learn more: www.tribdem.com/news/editori...

PEC Announces Pennsylvania Water Trail Mini-Grant Awards - PECPA PEC announces Pennsylvania Water Trail Mini-Grant awards.

We’re excited to announce the awardees for the 2026 Pennsylvania Water Trail Mini-Grants!

Click on the link below to learn more about each awardee.

Vote for a 2026 River of the Year! - POWR Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers Learn more about the Nominees.Review the nominees, click on the vote button under your choice for 2026 River of the Year, scroll to the bottom and enter your email address and press Enter! Alternate…

We want to know which waterway you think deserves to be crowned the 2026 Pennsylvania River of the Year! Vote by THIS FRIDAY at 5:00 pm at the link below.

pawatersheds.org/vote-for-a-2...

A graphic with a blue background. There is a picture of a person snowboarding to the left. There are the words "Webinar" "Shredding* the Numbers Behind Pennsylvania's Outdoor Recreation Industry" to the left.

The Pennsylvania Office of Outdoor Recreation is hosting an informative webinar on Wednesday, January 21 at 12:00 p.m. focusing on the economic impact data of Pennsylvania’s outdoor recreation industry.

You don’t want to miss this! Sign up now: events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/d2191b...

PA Environmental Council In Case You Missed It In December [PaEN] tinyurl.com/bdfk3bpt