Steve Hvozdovich - Pennsylvania Campaign Director

Vote on April 26th for candidates who will protect our environment!

In a campaign cycle dominated by presidential politics, I wanted to bring your attention to a few great environmental candidates in Pennsylvania who received our endorsement in the Democratic Primary: Josh Shapiro for Pennsylvania Attorney General; Steve Santarsiero for Congress, District 8; Marty Molloy for State Senate, District 9; and Ed Gainey for State House, District 24. Josh Shapiro has a long history of standing up for the environment:

Here in Southwestern Pennsylvania, our region is finally taking a new approach to address our sewage overflow problem.

The new direction is a faster, smarter, and cheaper solution. It echoes the calls that our members have been making all along – invest first in green infrastructure.

Did you know that methane pollution is already currently responsible for a quarter of human-caused climate change, with the oil and gas industry accounting for the majority of human-made emissions? According Pennsylvania’s Climate Action Plan, the Commonwealth is the second largest producer of natural gas in the nation which makes it responsible for a roughly 1% of global man-made greenhouse gas emissions. That means we have an incredible opportunity to make a significant difference in reducing greenhouse gas pollution...if we act.

It’s sad that despite broad national support for the Clean Water Rule, Congress seems intent on ignoring their constituents while protecting polluters by attempting to block commonsense protections for our water.

First, Congress tried to pass a bill (S. 1140) that would have forced the Administration to start the rule making process over. Thankfully, the bill failed to move forward. This legislation would have been a waste of time and taxpayer money and it would have guaranteed less public participation and protection for our water.