The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed into law by President Biden on August 16, 2022, was passed by a 51-50 vote in the Senate, with all senators voting along party lines and Vice President Harris casting the tie-breaking vote. There …
Take Action Today: PA Senate sells out Municipal Water with SB597
Recently, the Pennsylvania Senate passed SB 597, the “Water Quality Accountability Act’. If signed into law, it would raise the cost of operations for public water authorities by implementing burdensome reporting and compliance requirements that many feel are non-essential. Under …
Environmental Pros and Cons of the Inflation Reduction Act
On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law. The bill’s purposes are to reduce healthcare costs, reduce emissions associated with energy development, and raise taxes on large corporations. The bill contains many provisions that …
Mountain Pines Zoning Meeting Review and Further Call to Action
On May 11th, 2022, the Fayette Zoning Hearing Board held a public hearing to determine if Mountain Pines should be granted a special expectation to expand their campground onto the old Clifford Pritts Elementary School in Saltlick Township. Since the …
An Ancient Ally: Warnings from Freshwater Sponges
Underneath the rocks that cover the floors of our watershed lives possibly the oldest animals ever recorded, sponges. They’re not much to look at, in fact, you might not notice they’re an animal at all at first glance. These tan …
Water Guardians Afterschool Club Receives Funding for 2022/2023 School Year
The Mountain Watershed Association (MWA) is happy to announce a new upcoming education project: the Water Guardians After School Youth Club. During the 2022-23 school year, this club will take place at Springfield Clifford N. Pritts Elementary in Normalville, and …
Community Concerned Over Proposed Mountain Pines Expansion
One of Mountain Watershed’s Association’s neighbors, Mountain Pines Campground, has recently become the center of attention in our local community. During a meeting hosted by MWA and local residents, nearly 100 people gathered both virtually and in the Saltlick Township …
Area Landfills Accept Toxic Shale Gas Waste
Shale gas development through hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in Western Pennsylvania has been consistent for over a decade. As the natural gas industry continues to expand, the industry is struggling to find ways to dispose of the waste they generate, like …
Direct Support Funding Available for Environmental Justice Organizers
Usually, we notice and act on environmental issues close to home. Be it discolored water in our backyard creek or a petition to cut use of single-use plastics, any local action requires resources — mailer stamps, printing costs, chemical analyses, …
When Water, Ecology, and Agriculture are Left Out: What You Need to Know About the Proposed PA Science Standards
This week, an email came through my inbox from the PA Association of Environmental Educators with the subject, “TOMORROW – Town Hall: PA Proposed Science Standards.” My interests were peaked. Last Winter, pre-pandemic, I spent a fair amount of time …