A conditional use hearing for a proposed 196-acre quarry in Springfield will continue next month as opponents of the plan got their first chance to cross examine the project s lead engineer Tuesday night.
Alex Bomstein, an attorney for the Clear Air Council, began an hours-long cross examination of H&K engineering manager Scott Drumbore at the township board of supervisors meeting.
The proposed quarry near Springfield Street, Mine Road and state Route 309 is in the township s Planned Industrial zoning district, which allows a quarry with certain conditions set by the board.
Those conditions would be the end result of these hearings, which began in September, assuming the township does ultimately grant H&K s application.
WHYY
By
Groceries in plastic bags inside a shopping cart. (AP file photo)
Single-use plastic bags are hard to get rid of in Philadelphia.
For a second time, Mayor Jim Kenney delayed the implementation of a bill to eliminate plastic bags in stores, restaurants, delivery services and ultimately the city’s streets and waterways for another six months.
Kenney’s administration said the implementation of the regulation, signed by the mayor in December 2019, will be postponed another six months to July 2021 because of the impacts of the pandemic on the business community.
“We know the climate crisis and plastic pollution remain two very serious threats to our planet and society, even during the global pandemic. However, we realize that this law will only be successful if there is widespread messaging to our diverse business owners, effective enforcement, and most importantly, partnership among all stakeholders and communities,” city officials said in a press release.
Reid Frazier / StateImpact Pennsylvania
Environmental groups are suing the EPA in federal court over what they call an inadequate plan to reduce air pollution in Western Pennsylvania.
The lawsuit centers on the EPA’s approval of a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection plan to lower sulfur dioxide emissions at four coal-fired power plants in Indiana County. Sulfur dioxide is a byproduct of burning coal, and can cause health impacts over periods of just a few minutes, according to the EPA.
Charlie McPhedran, an attorney with EarthJustice, one of the plaintiffs, said the plan the EPA approved allows two of the plants to exceed recommended pollution limits over short periods of time, as long as their average pollution levels over a period of days or weeks stay below their recommended threshold. The Seward Power Plant, in New Florence, Pa., can average its emissions over 30 days.
Credit Carolyn Kaster / The Associated Press
As governor of Michigan, Jennifer Granholm helped lead efforts to bail out the auto industry, including offering government incentives to invest in electric vehicle technology.
Now that President-elect Joe Biden has nominated Granholm to be secretary of Energy, the reaction from the academic and environmental sectors has been positive.
Susan Brantley, a distinguished professor of geosciences at Penn State, said Granholm has a track record when it comes to energy policies.
“She’s got a lot policy and political acumen to work in this area. She’s been working on renewable energy. She’s got a good record as governor of Michigan of implementing advanced battery and some new renewable energy policies that were pivotal in development in Michigan, said Brantley, who is also director of the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute at Penn State.
Pennsylvania holds off on joining regional program to cap emissions from cars, trucks by raising fuel costs
Updated Dec 22, 2020;
Posted Dec 21, 2020
Traffic on Interstate 81 in the Capitol Region. Pennsylvania, for now, has opted to stay out of a multi-state program designed to drive down tailpipe emissions in the Northeast. Sean Simmers | ssimmers@pennlive.com December 06, 2017 HARHAR
Facebook Share
Gov. Tom Wolf declined Monday to sign on to a multi-state program designed to impose a cap on greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks.
The Transportation & Climate Initiative aims to reduce emissions but also carried the likelihood of higher gas prices at the pump in participating states. Other governors also opted against signing onto the initiative. But Wolf’s move isn’t necessarily a permanent rejection of the concept.