Pennsylvania Environmental Council

The Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) protects and restores the natural and built environments through innovation, collaboration, education and advocacy. PEC believes in the value of partnerships with the private sector, government, communities and individuals to improve the quality of life for all Pennsylvanians.

PEC's strategic plan focuses on improving recreational and healthy living opportunities through regional projects linking over 2,000 miles of trail, on-the-ground programs to clean-up illegal dump sites, installation of green infrastructure to manage and reduce stormwater runoff, and continued focus on energy and climate, including the implementation of renewable energy and superlative environmental standards for shale gas development. PEC's work is organized by four program areas: Trails and Outdoor Recreation, Energy and Climate, Communities and Landscapes, and Water Resources.

Trails and Outdoor Recreation
Pennsylvanians lead an increasingly sedentary lifestyle disconnected from the natural assets that surround them. Participation in traditional outdoor recreation activities such as fishing and hunting has declined significantly. While past industrial practices and legacy pollution damaged rivers, streams, and forests, suburban sprawl has consumed local forests and farms undermining habitat and increasing "non-point" air and water pollution.

PEC's programmatic emphasis is to build both the informational and physical infrastructure to provide Pennsylvanians access for exploration and enjoyment of our diverse landscapes. Given our statewide perspective, PEC can facilitate corridor and regional partnerships of local governments, allied non-profits, and agencies to envision, plan, and implement trail systems and projects.

Water Resources
Pennsylvania's water resources provide a wide variety of uses and benefits ranging from coldwater fisheries to industrial supply. Throughout the Commonwealth, there are constant impacts on the quality and quantity of these waters and there is a not-insignificant number of organizations focused on various of those impacts.

PEC's goal is to restore watershed function primarily through projects and policy focused on the implementation of green stormwater management infrastructure through a systemic stakeholder approach focused on Pennsylvania's urbanized communities. This approach stresses education, best practices, municipal policies, and stormwater fees. Our stormwater work in Western Pennsylvania is currently focused primarily on the continuing efforts of ALCOSAN to meet its obligations to improve its wastewater treatment system.

Energy and Climate
In Pennsylvania, much of our electricity is generated from coal, a significant contributor to emissions of greenhouse gases, particulate matter, and other criteria air pollutants. With increasing federal regulation of emissions from coal-fired power plants, Pennsylvania must determine how best to meet its electricity demand need, as more and more generation units are retired. Further, as we shift to a greater dependence on renewable energy, the grid will need upgrades to accommodate this increasing amount of distributed generation, without sacrificing reliability.

PEC's goal is to ensure adequate, reliable, affordable energy for all Pennsylvanians while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and threats to the environment and public health that can result from energy production.

Communities and Landscapes
PEC works in a variety of communities and large landscapes in order to promote leading environmental and conservation practices and to encourage stewardship by residents and visitors alike. Many of the Commonwealth's towns serve as hubs for outdoor recreation along land and water trails. In addition, distinct landscapes, such as the Laurel Highlands and Poconos, serve as magnets for outdoor recreation and tourism. In all of these areas, we believe that, by facilitating and promoting outdoor recreation, their economic and environmental sustainability will be enhanced.

To this end PEC works to align environmental, community, and economic objectives through continued promotion of towns as hubs and gateways to natural resource exploration and enjoyment. While we are still involved with River Town programs in Western Pennsylvania, our regional focus for the next two years lies primarily in two conservation landscapes - the Laurel Highlands (including work on Gateway Towns) and a new endeavor provisionally named "Glacier's Edge."