Pennsylvania will slash 80% of net greenhouse gas emissions statewide by 2050 under targets announced January 8 by Governor Tom Wolf. State agencies will lead the way, working strategically through the governor’s new GreenGov Council to improve energy efficiency across government operations. Meanwhile, DEP moves forward with tighter methane emission rules for the oil & gas industry, and Pittsburgh’s gas utility deploys cutting-edge technology to find and fix leaks in its distribution system.
The pieces are beginning to come together on climate action in Pennsylvania.
New leak detection technology will help natural gas utility Peoples Gas cut methane emissions from its Pittsburgh distribution system in half this year. The announcement marks a new phase in Peoples’ ongoing partnership with Environmental Defense Fund and Google Earth Outreach.
A virtual reality experience created by Environmental Defense Fund demonstrates just how easy and inexpensive it’s getting for natural gas producers to find and fix methane leaks. Drop in on a demonstration held recently in Pittsburgh.
The West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund‘s (WPPSEF) video series, The Quiet Ones, profiles organizations and individuals with whom the Fund works on clean energy projects in western Pennsylvania. The latest installment, “Caring for Two Environments,” highlights the energy & climate work of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and the Green Building Alliance (GBA).
“The reason why I do what I do is because I love to be outside,” PEC Senior VP for Legal and Government Affairs John Walliser says in the video. “I love to hike and bike and kayak, and I have an 11-year-old son who loves to do the same, and I want that to be there for him and I want that to be there for his children.”
Leaks and flaring waste millions of dollars’ worth of natural gas every year. For Pennsylvanians who’ve fought wars in the name of energy security, that’s adding insult to injury.