Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Climate change, fracking hot topics
ROYERSFORD >> State Sen. Katie Muth, D-44th, of Royersford, and PennEnvironment held a virtual environmental town hall attended by nearly 300 local residents who shared stories of their environmental activism and discussed environmental priorities for the newly started 2021 state legislative session in Harrisburg. PennEnvironment and Sen.
Muth was joined by local citizen activists Ken Hemphill, Abha Saini and Asaf Lebovic to discuss topics ranging from climate change to fracking to reducing plastic waste.
Muth was recently elected by her peers to Chair the Senate Democratic Policy Committee. In this role, the Senator plans to put environmental policies at
the top of her priority list, and used the virtual town hall meeting to garner input from constituents about topics they’d want the committee to address.
“I am committed to championing vital policies in Harrisburg to protect and preserve the quality of our environment,” said Senator Muth. “We are up against many powerful individuals and organizations who pollute, contaminate, and exploit our natural resources to make a quick profit, often leaving a mess behind for taxpayers to clean-up. It will take working together with groups like PennEnvironment and members from all the environmental communities across the state to win this fight. This is our only planet and we are all responsible to protect it for future generations.”
PennEnvironment’s Executive Director, David Masur, stressed how fortunate local residents of Montgomery, Chester, and Berks counties are to have such a strong voice and advocate for environmental protection in Harrisburg.
“Delivering concrete policy victories for our environment hinges on having strong environmental champions representing us in the legislature,” noted PennEnvironment Executive Director, David Masur. “Senator Katie Muth is one of those champions, and local residents are lucky to have her in Harrisburg pushing forward policies that protect our environment and climate now and for future generations.”
PennEnvironment staff noted that the organization’s top legislative priorities in the new session include transitioning Pennsylvania to 100% Renewable Energy, reauthorizing Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards (AEPS), moving the Commonwealth to a Zero Waste future, getting lead out of school drinking water, and ensuring Pennsylvania joins the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
The event attendees, citizen speakers, and elected officials showed an overwhelming support for strong environmental protection in Pennsylvania. Of particular concern by attendees was the need to reduce carbon pollution to ensure a healthy and livable climate and to raise the voices of those most impacted by climate change and pollution.
“One of the best ways to fight against special interests and to advocate for the voices who will fight for climate justice is by supporting local grassroots organizations,” said Asaf Lebovic, a high school student at the Germantown Friends school in Philadelphia and Sunrise movement member. “Environmental advocacy groups such as PennEnvironment and Sunrise are able to lift up our voices, and help bring about vital change that can help us fight for our climate.”