A VOICE FOR CHANGE

Pennsylvanians have a right to a clean and healthy environment.  It is not enough for politicians to promise climate action - they must deliver.  I will lead the charge on making Pennsylvania a clean energy leader, tackle corporate polluters, and ensure that we have a quality environment to pass along to future generations.

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All Pennsylvania residents deserve clean air and water

Streams and groundwater have been fouled by industrial waste, agricultural chemicals, acid mine drainage from abandoned coal mines, and other pollutants. More than 7,000 Pennsylvania streams have been polluted by acid mine drainage. Some have been rendered biologically dead and are no longer able to support most aquatic life. Polluted water endangers fish, wildlife, and people.

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We must hold polluting industries responsible for cleaning up the pollution they cause. Too often this responsibility has been put on the Commonwealth, and often no cleanup is done at all.

 

We must remove lead in drinking water in all schools everywhere in the state.

 

We must preserve the state’s remaining 100-foot forest buffer zones for streams to keep pollution out of our streams and help prevent flooding.

 

I strongly oppose proposed legislation that would dramatically weaken clean water protections with respect to oil and gas drilling. These protections should be strengthened, not weakened.

 

Abandoned gas and oil wells must be plugged. In Pennsylvania, between 300,000 and 750,000 abandoned oil and gas wells release climate-harming methane and toxic chemicals into the air and water. The federal government has provided about $400 million to plug wells, but the cost to plug all known oil and gas wells has been estimated at $3 billion. 

 

Acid mine drainage from abandoned coal mines contains sulfuric acid and dangerous heavy metals. This drainage ruins ecosystems, contaminates drinking water, and causes thick orange liquid to ooze from the ground and into streams. Mine cleanup efforts must be monitored, encouraged and supported by the state.

 

I oppose proposed weakening of the Clean Streams Law that would allow most pollution and spills into our streams and rivers to no longer be defined as “water pollution.” Under the proposed changes, DEP would lose the authority to require a company to clean up and correct the cause of a spill.

 

State government must enforce compliance with environmental laws.

As your senator, I will support any legislation that protects clean air and water.

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We must move away from fossil fuels and transition to clean renewable energy

Fossil fuels have been vital to Pennsylvania’s economy for 165 years, but we realize today that burning fossil fuels has created enormous environmental problems that cannot be ignored.

 

In 2024, it’s time to wind down the oil and gas industries because of the enormous harm they are causing to our environment. There are clean alternatives.

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Our present-day economy needs oil and gas, but we know we must accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels and promote and develop solar and wind energy production.

 

Both solar and wind are non-polluting and have surpassed oil and gas in terms of cost and efficiency. Wind and solar projects create good jobs.

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Climate scientists tell us we need to transition Pennsylvania and the nation to 100% clean, renewable energy by 2050 if we’re going to prevent the worst impacts of climate change.  

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We must keep oil and gas wells off of state parks, forests and game land. 

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I oppose all taxpayer-funded subsidies to oil and gas companies. There is no rationale for giving subsidies to these companies who are making enormous profits while polluting our environment.

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I support tax incentives for solar power for homes and businesses, to speed and encourage the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.

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We must support community solar projects that provide solar power to multiple people, homeowners, or businesses. They share energy from a single solar project. This helps people and businesses who cannot put solar on their roofs because of physical or financial constraints.  They also help to preserve prime farm land for agricultural purposes.

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The Commonwealth should invest heavily in public transit and rail transit.  These are economical and help achieve cleaner air, less climate pollution, and less congestion on roads. 

 

School districts, boroughs and cities in the Commonwealth should begin transitioning from diesel buses to electric school buses.​
 

Environmental injustice must end

Environmental justice means that everyone has the right to the same environmental protections, regardless of race, color, national origin, or income; and  all people should be able to have meaningful involvement in the policies that shape their communities.

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Polluting industries have historically been located in areas and neighborhoods with little political or economic power. This inequality is environmental injustice and it must stop.

 

Some neighborhoods still have lead and asbestos in old houses and apartments, resulting in serious health problems.

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No one should suffer environmental harm because they lack wealth and political connections. I will not be silent about injustices such as this. I support any efforts to correct and prevent environmental injustice in our state.

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The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) needs adequate funding

Over the past 20 years, funding for Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has been cut by nearly 40%, leading to massive staff layoffs and creating huge constraints on the agency to achieve its mission. The DEP should have more funding, not less.
 

I oppose efforts that weaken DEP oversight under the guise of “regulatory reform.” The DEP needs to be able to hold polluters accountable when they violate our laws and threaten the quality of our air and water.