PublicSource (https://www.publicsource.org/category/environment/)
This is the paradox of Pittsburgh’s current environmental identity: The city is claiming the role of environmental leader but still touts its success relative to its dirty past.
President and CEO of Peoples Natural Gas Morgan O’Brien has a grand plan for the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority. And, in spite of skepticism from some officials and recent opposition from local activists, he wants you to trust him.
If politicians like Mayor Bill Peduto don't have an answer for what kind of climate-friendly jobs they can bring to the region in place of petrochemical ones, the Pittsburgh region may continue to see additional fossil fuel jobs and see its climate emissions increase.
Jim Kelly, the deputy director of environmental health for Allegheny County, made a surprise announcement at the most recent board of health meeting last month.
He said his department was starting to develop more stringent emission regulations that would improve an air quality issue that has long gone unaddressed.
Angelo Norelli’s house in Uptown was always cold. Too cold for his seven grandchildren to visit in the winter. Even with an extra heater running in his bedroom, he still had to use several blankets to sleep. And he didn’t know where the heat was escaping. Norelli, 67, didn’t have a lot of extra money or energy to figure it out either.
Pittsburgh now brands itself as a modern city built on research, robots, universities, advanced manufacturing, green energy — and the high-skilled jobs that come with it all.
But there’s another narrative developing: The plethora of shale gas and natural gas liquids in Southwestern Pennsylvania provide a solid foundation to build a new gas and petrochemical hub in Pittsburgh’s backyard.
The best way to make environmental impact, according to one top equity advisor, is to stop talking about it. Be ruthless about earning money from energy efficiency, and the environmental benefits will follow; good intentions and wanting to appear sustainable are getting in the way of getting results, he said.
The relationship between people and their natural environment is debated within various religious scriptures, teachings and sanctuaries.
To shed light on the conversation from the religious angle, PublicSource interviewed faith leaders and staff of Pittsburgh-area places of worship across five denominations to learn if and how caring for the Earth belongs in the edifice of religion.
More than 100 people showed up to Sixth Presbyterian Church in Squirrel Hill to listen to and ask questions of Larry Schweiger, one of the region’s most prominent environmentalists. Schweiger has led both the National Wildlife Federation and more recently PennFuture, a Pennsylvania-based environmental advocacy group.
Both parties advocate for public health, but they have differing opinions on how the money in the Clean Air Fund should be spent.
