This past September, under many days of sunny skies and mild temperatures, cyclists from throughout the Commonwealth took to gravel roads as part of this year’s edition of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council’s Public Lands Ride. What began as a contingency plan in a year of cancelled even...

We're entering the home stretch of the Tookany Creek Trail feasibility study! Over the past year or so, our team—consisting of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC), the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership (TTF), and Campbell Thomas & Co. (CTC)—has collected roughly ...

Celebrating ten years of the PEC Environment Ride in conversation with members of the 2020 team. Pennsylvania Environmental Council · Reasons to Ride Links: PEC Environment Ride Donations Ambler Environmental Advisory Council GEI Consultants ...

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pennsylvania has seen a sustained increase in trail traffic across the state -- a trend that will likely continue into the fall, underscoring the importance of maintaining safe and accessible trails. The past few weeks have been especially eventful, both...

For the better part of a century, the Hazelwood neighborhood was one of Pittsburgh's most important industrial centers. That all changed with the 1997 closure of the LTV steel plant on the site now known as Hazelwood Green. Now, as a decades-long redevelopment effort gathers momentum, the neighborho...

In celebration of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council's 50th anniversary, we are pleased to share the following photo essay, prepared especially for the occasion, portraying the special places and landscapes at the heart of PEC's work. Find more stories, sounds, and images colle...

PEC works across Pennsylvania to develop trail networks that connect communities to nature. It’s our mission that all Pennsylvanians have access to environmental and recreational resources. We are aware, however, that just building trails is not enough to make everyone in the State feel comfor...

Yesterday the Environmental Quality Board voted to advance a proposed rulemaking for Pennsylvania to link with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) to public comment. After initial review by the state Attorney General, the public will be afforded the opportunity – through public heari...

PEC was pleased to participate in a Senate Democratic Policy Committee hearing today on the growth of outdoor recreation during the Covid-19 pandemic. Frank Maguire, Director of Trails and Recreation, highlighted both PEC's report on the surge in trail usage as well as the importance of the recreati...

When LTV shuttered its Hazelwood Works plant in 1997, the site was one among dozens of brownfields targeted for redevelopment by the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, and local foundations. 23 years later, the property now known as Hazelwood Green is one of the last such efforts that have not ye...

A reckoning over RGGI, outdoor recreation and COVID, bipartisan love for community solar, and clearing a path for E-bikes: Legal & Government Affairs VP John Walliser reviews the PEC policy agenda heading into what promises to be an eventful fall in Harrisburg. Pennsylvania Environmental Council ...

The 2020 PEC Public Lands Ride showcases some of the best trail-riding in the state, and this year's ride features an expanded lineup of routes in state parks and forests. Organizers Helena Kotala and Frank Maguire explain how they overhauled the original concept to create a safe and enjoyable exper...

The 2020 Pennsylvania Environmental Council Public Lands Ride seeks to showcase state parks and forests across the greater central region of the state. Throughout the month of September, cyclists are encouraged to ride as many of the suggested routes as possible and share their experiences on social...

Energy production is essential to Pennsylvania’s economy. However, Pennsylvania also emits a significant amount of greenhouse gases annually, and the vast majority of these emissions are related to energy production or consumption. In 2017, production and consumption of energy accounted for ne...

The 2020 Pennsylvania Environmental Council Public Lands Ride seeks to showcase state parks and forests across the greater central region of the state. Throughout the month of September, cyclists are encouraged to ride as many of the suggested routes as possible and share their experiences on social...

Like humans, animals need space and the ability to move safely across it. But habitat fragmentation caused by development is disrupting wildlife migration, leading to more frequent and sometimes dangerous encounters with people -- and the effects will only intensify with climate change. We discuss w...

The 2020 Pennsylvania Environmental Council Public Lands Ride seeks to showcase state parks and forests across the greater central region of the state. Throughout the month of September, cyclists are encouraged to ride as many of the suggested routes as possible and share their experiences on social...

PEC’s 50th anniversary year continues to unfold in ways that not many imagined in January. While we anticipated doing a bit of self-congratulation at our various 2020 dinners, those events will now all be virtual this fall (but we will still talk a bit about our first fifty years). We at PE...

Over the years PEC has worked with countless leaders, experts, and citizens to advance environmental goals across the state. In celebration of PEC’s fiftieth anniversary, we asked a few of them to share their reflections on our shared work, how far Pennsylvania has come, and where we go from here....